Manassas Journal Messenger | General Assembly roundup

The House of Delegates Transportation Committee on Tuesday approved HB 1564, submitted by David B. Albo, R-Fairfax. The bill would increase penalties for motorists found guilty of serious traffic infractions.

In addition to existing fines, the courts would impose $100 for speeding at least 15 but not more than 19 miles per hour above the speed limit, $250 for driving with a suspended or revoked license, $300 for reckless driving or aggressive driving, and $500 for driving while intoxicated.

The bill would also impose yearly fines on drivers with a certain amount of points. A Department of Motor Vehicles representative said one reckless driving infraction would charge a person $600 in the first year, plus other possible fees, and a decreased amount for the two years after that. DMV worked with Albo on the bill, but the representative worried the bill would confuse the public, and encourage drivers to forgo car insurance or just drive with a suspended license instead of pay these fees.

This might be imposing extra fines on people who are “one dead battery away” from poverty, said Albert C. Pollard Jr, D- White Stone.

The state would use the money from these extra fees to float transportation bonds for projects and maintenance.

Delegate L. Scott Lingamfelter, R-Dale City, saw the House of Delegates approve his HB 1660, or “traditional marriage” license plate bill Monday. The plate would have two interlocking golden wedding rings over a red heart.

Some Democrats worried this plate would cause legal trouble for the state because it takes one side of a political debate. But the House approved it 62 to 35.

Lingamfelter also represents Quantico and eastern Fauquier County. A Senate committee will hear his bill next.

The House gave preliminary approval Tuesday to HB 2683, which would eliminate the requirement that gun show promoters provide a list of vendors and exhibitors 72 hours before the show. Lingamfelter sponsored this bill.

The House on Tuesday approved HB 2784, which would require the state’s approximately 20 abortion clinics to comply with regulations placed on other ambulatory surgical centers. The bill was submitted by Delegate John S. “Jack” Reid, R- Richmond, and co-signed by others, including Delegate Robert G. Marshall, R-Prince William. It passed 69 to 28.

Reid wants maximum safety for Virginia’s abortion clinics, but the bill’s opponents say it would put undue and unfair burdens on these clinics, and possibly put them out of business.

A Senate committee will hear the bill next.

The House gave preliminary approval Tuesday on a similar bill that would give localities the ability to regulate abortion clinics.

The House unanimously passed HB 2681 on Monday. The bill, submitted by L. Scott Lingamfelter, R-Dale City, would permit insurance agencies to report general information to local, state or federal government entities on property damage after a natural disaster. This bill came as a request from Fauquier County, said Tim Johnson, Lingamfelter’s legislative assistant.

The country tried to collect insurance information so it could obtain Federal Emergency Management Agency money after a major storm last year, Johnson said. But insurance companies cited privacy reasons for denying the information. The bill would allow only general, aggregate information to be released.

Lingamfelter also represents Quantico and eastern Fauquier County.

A Senate committee will hear the bill next.

— Sari Krieger