RICHMOND -- The House of Delegates passed legislation Monday to criminalize possession and distribution of synthetic marijuana,responding to growing concerns about the use and abuse of productswith names such as K2 and Spice.
By a vote of 98-0, the House passed legislation (HB 1434) thatwould treat synthetic marijuana as a controlled substance and makepunishments for possession and distribution about the same as aperson would get for handling the real thing. The Senate has passeda similar bill (SB 745) that contains tougher criminal penaltiesthan the House version.
Products such as Spice -- dried herbs sprayed with chemicals --are legal and typically marketed as incense. They can be found onthe Internet and in some tobacco stores, head shops and conveniencestores. Thirteen states have criminalized the substance. Localgovernments have been urging Virginia lawmakers to ban syntheticmarijuana after incidents in which users experienced acceleratedheartbeats, seizures and vomiting, among other things.
The House legislation, which incorporates bills filed by sevendelegates, imposes misdemeanor penalties and calls for mandatoryminimum jail terms for possession with intent to distribute thesubstance. The Senate bill imposes felony penalties for possessionwith intent to distribute more than one-half ounce of thesubstance.
-- Michael Sluss, The Roanoke Times
House OK's bill on use of deadly force
RICHMOND -- The House of Delegates gave preliminary approvalMonday to a bill authorizing the use of deadly force against anintruder who enters a home and threatens to injure the occupant.
The bill, HB 1573, introduced by Del. Bill Cleaveland, R-Botetourt County, would put the so-called "castle doctrine" intostate law. It would allow a home's occupant to use "any degree ofphysical force, including deadly physical force," if an intrudercommits an overt act toward the occupant that he reasonablybelieves would put him in imminent danger of bodily injury.
The bill makes the occupant immune from civil liability for anyresulting injuries or death.
Del. Joe Morrissey, D-Henrico County, objected that the measurewould allow a disproportionate response to a minor provocation suchas a hand slap.
A similar bill was passed by the House last year but died in aSenate committee.
-- Bill Sizemore, The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot
Autism treatment coverage advances
The state Senate advanced legislation Monday requiring someemployee insurance plans to provide limited coverage for autismtreatment after supporters defeated efforts to weaken the bill.
The procedural voice vote in the Senate sets up a final vote onpassage Tuesday, the deadline for each house of the GeneralAssembly to complete work on its own bills. The House of Delegatespassed an autism insurance bill last week after defeating moreexpansive proposals in recent years.
Like the House bill, Senate Bill 1062 would mandate coverage ofapplied behavior analysis for autistic children between the ages of2 and 6, with a maximum annual benefit of $35,000. The requirementwould not apply to self-insured businesses or to businesses with 50or fewer workers, but would apply to the state government.
-- Michael Sluss, The Roanoke Times
Foreclosure bills aim to help homeowners
A Senate committee approved two bills to tighten the handling ofmortgage and foreclosure records Monday but stalled a measure torequire a court order before a foreclosure sale can proceed.
Sen. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax, sponsored the records legislationthat the Senate Courts of Justice Committee approved.
One bill requires that any transfer of mortgages or liens berecorded in a local courthouse; the other would establish potentialpenalties for providing false information in a foreclosure action.
Petersen said his record assignment bill, SB 838, would create"checks and balances" by providing some transparency for homeownerstrying to determine who currently holds the debt on their home.
"The mortgage-backed security industry nearly bankrupted thiscountry two and a half years ago," he said, arguing that anyone whodenies that is being "disingenuous."
Lobbyists for the banking and mortgage industry testified againstthe bill, arguing that changing the records law would addcomplexity to the system and make borrowing more expensive.
Another bill from Sen. Donald McEachin, D-Richmond, to require acourt order before a foreclosure sale occurs was effectively killedby the committee.
Later Monday, another Petersen bill to extend from 14 to 30 daysthe amount of advance notice given to a homeowner before aforeclosure sale occurs died in the Senate Commerce and LaborCommittee.
Several House of Delegates bills that also are designed to changecurrent foreclosure practices in the state have been sent to Gov.Bob McDonnell's housing commission for study this year. Thesurviving Senate bills on the subject may face a similar fate whenthey reach the House.
-- Julian Walker, The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot
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