Be warned: New Virginia laws take effect July 1

Tougher penalties for teens who drink and drive. Mandated insurance coverage for therapy for autistic children. A revolving loan fund to jump-start road construction.

Those are a few of the nearly 900 new laws approved by the General Assembly this year.

Many of those measures take effect today, the start of Virginia's fiscal year. Here's a sampling.

Illegal substance

• Legislators outlawed the sale, possession and production of synthetic marijuana, commonly known as "Spice" or "K2." The chemically treated plant produces a high similar to marijuana when smoked. The law took effect March 23. (SB745, HB1434)

Online gambling

• Internet wagering at sweepstakes cafes is now defined as illegal gambling. In recent years, a number of the businesses have popped up in cities across the state, including Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. (SB1195, HB1584)

Transportation

• Lawmakers approved the creation of a transportation infrastructure bank as a revolving loan fund to help finance road projects and authorized billions in borrowing, some of it previously approved, to jump-start road construction. (SB1446, HB2527)

Military

• Active-duty service members may establish immediate residency in Virginia to qualify for in-state tuition, rather than waiting for one year. (HB1861, SB824)

Juvenile justice

• Teens who drink and drive face the loss of their license for one year and either a minimum $500 fine or 50 hours of community service, the extension of a law change made in 2008. (SB770, HB1407)

Law and justice

• Emergency vehicles, such as ambulances and police cruisers, are required to use their lights and sound sirens or come to a stop before proceeding through a red light or stop sign. (SB762)
• Global-positioning system technology can be used to track people out on bond or as a condition of probation or a suspended sentence. (SB925, HB2106)
• Victims of sexual abuse have more time - 20 years - to file lawsuits against their alleged attackers. (SB1145, HB1476)
• Protective orders can be obtained by more people, including those who have been victims of assault or conduct that creates a reasonable fear of death. (SB1222, HB2063) 

Transportation

• Localities may permit school systems to install video cameras on school buses to record motorists who pass buses stopped to gather or discharge children. (SB946, HB1911)
• State law has been updated to clarify that a motorist who passes a stopped school bus is guilty of reckless driving. That change took effect March 22. (SB769, HB2043)
• The state highway department must accept and review unsolicited proposals for the construction of a third bridge-tunnel, dubbed Patriots Crossing, in Hampton Roads. (SB856, HB1612)
• Motorcycle and mo-ped operators can proceed through red lights after two light cycles or two minutes if their vehicle doesn't trigger a light change. (HB1981)

Military

• Members of the Virginia National Guard who fail to report for duty may be charged with a Class 4 misdemeanor, punishable with up to a $250 fine. (HB1994, SB1128)
• Dependents of active-duty service members may keep their already established in-state college tuition eligibility if they move outside Virginia to continue living with the service member. (SB1279, HB1848)
• The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia must issue updated guidelines for reinstatement of students whose studies were interrupted by military service. (HB1647)
• Courts may grant orders conveying parental visitation rights of a deploying service member to another relative. (SB910)

Health

• Starting Jan. 1, health insurers will be required to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder in children ages 2 to 6, with a maximum annual benefit of $35,000. (SB1062, HB2467)
• Clinics where at least five first-trimester abortions are performed each month are classified as hospitals under an amended law approved by the legislature, which directed the State Board of Health to create regulations for that revised standard. (SB924)
• Hospitals that provide maternity care are required to offer to take a blood sample from infants born there and provide it to the mother. The law takes effect July 1, 2012. (HB1836)

Firearms

• Debtors can exempt from creditors one firearm worth less than $3,000 under a revised state law. (SB839, HB1422)
• Replacement concealed-carry weapon permits can be reissued by Circuit Court clerks for a fee not to exceed $5 if an individual submits a notarized statement that his or her permit was lost or destroyed. (HB1856)
• Localities cannot ban the use of pneumatic guns that fire projectiles, such as BBs and paintballs, on private property with the owner's consent. (SB757)

Miscellaneous

• Restaurants licensed by the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board may permit customers to bring and consume their own wine on premises and may charge a corkage fee. (SB1292)
• Properly cast absentee votes of people who die before Election Day will now be counted. (HB1568)
• As they often do, lawmakers this year approved new specialty license plates. Among the new ones are a Tea Party-inspired "Dont Tread On Me" plate and one with the national motto "In God We Trust." (HB1418)
• Car title lenders may make loans to out-of-state vehicle owners who use their car as collateral. Previously, the law prevented that practice. (SB1367)
• Telecommunications companies are excused from extending land-line phone service in certain areas if a customer can access wireless service or another alternative provider. (SB1368)
• Beginning Dec. 1, 2013, some companies with state contracts must participate in the E-verify program to confirm that new employees are legally eligible to work in this country. The law applies to companies with an average of 50 employees for 12 months prior to receiving a contract worth more than $50,000. (SB1049, HB1859)
• Landlords and real estate licensees must make a disclosure of defective drywall, if they are aware of it, during property transactions. (SB942, HB1610)