Starting today, restaurants will be able to serve a drink that has been prohibited for more than half a century. Teen drivers caught with even a hint of alcohol on their breath will face harsher punishments. School bus drivers will have to park their buses to chat on cell phones. These are among the many laws approved by the General Assembly this year that take effect July 1:
Alcohol
Sunday liquor sales. State-operated ABC stores in Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Hampton and Newport News will be allowed to open on Sundays if elected leaders in those cities approve. Until now, Norfolk and Virginia Beach were the only local cities where liquor stores could open on Sundays.
“Zero tolerance” for teens. Anyone under the age of 21 who is convicted of “zero tolerance” drinking and driving – driving after consuming virtually any level of alcohol – will face a tougher punishment. If convicted, offenders lose their driver’s licenses for a year and pay a minimum $500 fine or do 50 hours of community service. Before the change, underage drinking and driving typically meant losing a license for six months and paying a fine of up to $500.
Sangria is becoming legal. Virginia’s Prohibition-era law making it illegal for restaurants to serve wine or beer mixed with liquor has been repealed in the case of sangria, a cold drink often containing wine and brandy.
Family & Children
Military parents’ visitation. Courts will be able to temporarily modify child custody and visitation rights for military parents who are deployed and can’t be present to plead their case. When the parents return, custody hearings will have to be held within 30 days.
Education
Religious discrimination. Schools will not be allowed to discriminate against students for voluntarily expressing their religious views. For example, students cannot be discriminated against for discussing their beliefs in the classroom or on homework assignments.
Bus drivers on cell phones. Talking on cell phones will not be allowed when driving a school bus. Drivers will be prohibited from using wireless communications while driving, except for authorized two-way radios or in the case of an emergency.
Workers’ criminal history. No one who has been the subject of a founded case by investigators of physical or sexual child abuse will be allowed to work in a position that involves direct contact with students.
Animals
Organized fighting. Any type of organized fighting of any animal will be a Class 1 misdemeanor. Dogfighting will remain a felony.
Voting
Absentee voting. Pregnancy will be added to the list of reasons why a person is entitled to vote absentee.
Finances
Credit information. Don’t want your credit information available to the world? Virginians will be able to freeze access to their credit reports, and credit report agencies will not be able to release the information without authorization.
Payday loan restrictions. New regulations will restrict some payday loans. A law goes into effect Tuesday that requires the State Corporation Commission by Jan. 1 to contract with third parties to develop and maintain an Internet database that payday lenders will have to check before issuing loans. Among other things, payday lenders will be prohibited from issuing loans to borrowers who already have outstanding payday loans.
Medical enrollment limits removed. Limits will be removed on the deductibles and co-payments that health maintenance organizations require enrollees to pay.
Guns
Background checks. The Central Criminal Records Exchange – a database used to check the backgrounds of most people buying guns in Virginia – will have to include all information regarding a person’s involuntary mental health treatment.
Firearms sales. Firearms can no longer be sold or transferred to anyone who is not a U.S. citizen and is in the country illegally.
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payday loans
Every year millions of Americans responsibly use payday loan to help solve short term credit needs. When facing an unexpected expense between paydays and have to pay a bill today, customers look at their options and make a reasonable choice. Customers tell us that they use payday loans to avoid other fees. Limiting access to short-term credit doesn't help anyone. Instead of limiting choices, Virginia should be working to create a variety of short-term credit products.
Thanks to Orion
So nice to be able to look up the straight facts on something mentioned in passing in the article. Many thanks for the link.
HUH?
"Medical enrollment limits removed. Limits will be removed on the deductibles and co-payments that health maintenance organizations require enrollees to pay."
Can someone tell me what this means??
charlesc77711
Check this:
http://www.consumersunion.org/pdf/security/securityVA.pdf
So how do we Virginians...
How do we go about locking up our credit reports? I think this could be of great benefit to reduce identity theft.
Comment
What in the world do topless dancers and selling alcohol on Sunday have to do with each other???? Your contention that anyone who buys alcohol on a Sunday is an alcoholic is ludicrous not to mention juvenile.
Normal people shop on Sundays
<---NOT an hard core alcoholic, but would like to buy ingredients for a margarita on Sunday, thankyouverymuch! It's about time Virginia started getting rid of those inane, archaic blue laws.
Selling Booze Versus Topless Dancers
Re: Bigmike
I find it ironic (comical) that anyone thinks selling booze and Naked Women are the same!! There is a Big Difference?
Forget the liquor laws...
...why is the state removing limits on the fees and deductibles HMOs can charge? Are we not paying enough?
Something else just occured to me, rather comical!
Why is it the legislator wants to allow ABC stores to be open on Sunday, yet they want to stop toppless dancers? Seems kinda ironic. What's their point? Personally, I see no harm in the dancers but the ABC stores being open on Sunday is something we really can do without and serves to benifit no one but the hard core alcholic. Why not just continue to let the ABC store be a good place to work, instead of a grind like everywhere else?
ABC is an error from an erro
The 18th amendment was an error which they tried to fix in the 21st but added a second error of socializing the liquor business. What's amazing is people want MORE private industry to go the same way.
It's simple really
To BigMike,
It seems "counterproductive" until you think about the money (and Archie nailed this one). The state is all about God's almighty dollar. Think about it for a minute. If you allow sales for more hours, but provide stiffer fines for the results of drinking, who wins? Exactly, the state and local governments. Always follow the money...
Does a public intoxication law do anything to really help the public or is it a money-maker for the locality? Ok, that was too easy. How about the teens' zero-tolerance law? Do you really think that has anything to do with underage drinking? Of course not; it has EVERYTHING to do with revenues. Don't believe that? How about a DUI? Does a $3000 fine really teach a person that's gotten a DUI anything? Of course not, it just puts more money into the states coffers to spend as unwisely as all the other money. Add to that the DMV BS, the insurance increases, the ASAP circus - it's all about the money! If it were NOT about the money, there would be no heavy fines, just long jail sentences. Think about it.
Archie
That will NEVER happen. The state wants ALL the profits (markups and taxes). I find it pathetic that I can buy top shelf Virginia liquors cheaper in the USVI than in my on state! As for the ABC stores opened on Sunday I really don't think it matters. You'll not see a mad rush to buy liquor on this day anymore than Monday thru Saturday. I do feel sorry for the employees having to work retail hours. I hope they are properly compensated.
Why?
Ah, finally, Sangria with a fine Spanish dinner . . . .
Well, a bit of a help with this law, but explain why we need to have government determine my drinking habits? I do not want or need my government to be my parent. Let's privatize all alcohol sales in Virginia and get the state out of selling booze.
Why is it with all the dui laws and drinking problems
Why is it with all the problems associated with drinking, we need to have the ABC stores open on Sunday? This just seems counter-productive to everything else that has been pushed out.