RICHMOND — Gov. Abigail Spanberger this week signed a broad package of public safety legislation into law, covering topics ranging from law enforcement support and cyberstalking to gun regulations and protections for crime victims.
Several bills passed unanimously or with bipartisan support in the General Assembly.
Law enforcement and first responders
Two bills expand protections for Virginia’s emergency response community. HB1313 extends workers’ compensation eligibility for law enforcement officers and firefighters to include post-traumatic stress disorder. SB100 protects volunteer emergency responders from being fired or otherwise penalized by their employers for missing work due to emergency response duties.
HB248 and SB317 permit professionals from multiple agencies to jointly respond to behavioral health crisis calls, a measure supporters say will improve coordination and outcomes. Passed unanimously.
HB1300 and SB86, also passed unanimously, allow the immediate survivor of any State Police officer killed in the line of duty to purchase the officer’s service handgun for $1.
Online safety and sex offender restrictions
SB673 strengthens Virginia’s cyberstalking laws to address unwanted sexual or violent contact online. HB629 creates two new criminal offenses related to sexual extortion and the non-consensual production of explicit images, with felony-level penalties when the victim is a minor. Both passed unanimously.
HB1387 requires automatic revocation of teaching licenses for convicted sex offenders. HB559 and SB399 bar convicted sex offenders from teaching driver education courses. HB250 and SB55 prohibit convicted sex offenders from visiting state parks for the purpose of contacting children. All passed unanimously.
SB778, also unanimous, makes it a felony for anyone 18 or older to display obscene material to a child under 13.
HB1352 expands school safety education to include the dangers of speeding and reckless driving. SB95 requires signage at interstate highway rest areas to raise awareness of human trafficking. SB87 requires localities to have working automated external defibrillators at sporting events and facilities.
HB1233 and SB329 establish a $500 fee assessed on certain sexual and domestic violence convictions to fund the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Victim Fund.
Gun legislation
The package includes several gun-related measures that drew varying levels of support.
HB19 and SB160 close what supporters call the “intimate partner loophole,” prohibiting intimate partners convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence crimes from possessing a firearm. The bills passed with bipartisan support.
HB93 and SB38 specify that a person prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a protective order or domestic violence conviction may transfer their firearm to a person who is not prohibited, is 21 or older and does not share their residence.
HB40 and SB323 ban the manufacture, sale and possession of untraceable firearms without serial numbers, commonly known as ghost guns.
HB21 and SB27 allow firearm manufacturers and dealers to be held legally liable when negligent business practices are found to have contributed to gun violence.
The full list of legislation signed by Gov. Spanberger is available at governor.virginia.gov.
Information from a release. Edited by Dan McDermott.
