Top Legislation - View All
Latest Action: 02/15/2008 - Enrolled Bill Text
Summary as passed House: Gas chambers. Prohibits the use of gas chambersfor euthanizing companion animals. This is emergency legislation. Thisbill incorporates HB 1289 (Delegate Athey) and HB 40 (Delegate Scott, J.M.).
Latest Action: 01/23/2008 - Stricken from docket by Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources by voice vote Bill Text
Fighting of cocks and other animals; penalty.Increases the penalty for engaging in the fighting of cocks or other animals,except dogs, from a Class 3 to a Class 1 misdemeanor. Currently, the penaltiesonly apply if (i) the fighting occurs for money, prizes, or anything of value, (ii)an admissions fee is charged, or (iii) wagering occurs. These conditions areremoved. The bill also makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor to possess, own, train,or sell cocks or other animals, except dogs, for fighting.
Latest Action: 01/23/2008 - Incorporated by Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources by voice vote Bill Text
Use of gas chambers for animal euthanasia prohibited. Prohibitsthe use of gas chambers for animal euthanasia. This bill has a delayedeffective date of October 1, 2008. This bill was incorporated into HB 5.(Delegate Orrock).
Latest Action: 02/15/2008 - Enrolled Bill Text
Summary as passed House: Local animal pounds and shelters; definition. Clarifiesthat a facility serving as a pound or shelter may operate in either a buildingor a portion of a building, as designated by the State Veterinarian. Thischange would allow inspectors to tailor the separate inspection and regulatorystandards for shelters and pounds to the respective portion of the facilitydesignated for each purpose.
Latest Action: 01/23/2008 - Stricken from docket by Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources by voice vote Bill Text
Tethering of animals. Makes certain acts associatedwith the tethering of animals a Class 3 misdemeanor. The bill prohibits suchactions as (i) tethering an animal that is less than six months old, except inan emergency, (ii) tethering an animal that has not been spayed or neutered,except in an emergency, and (iii) using a tether weighing more than the animalcan reasonably bear. Local governments are authorized to adopt an animaltethering ordinance that can be more restrictive than the proposed statute.
Latest Action: 01/30/2008 - Tabled in Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Bill Text
Animal control officers; training. Requires that animalcontrol officers receive training in a basic animal control course within oneyear of appointment. Currently, animal control officers are not required to receivesuch training for two years after appointment. Animal control officers willalso receive continuing education every year, instead of every three years. Thecontent of continuing education courses will contain training on enforcementand animal care laws.
Latest Action: 02/08/2008 - Failed to report Bill Text
Crimes; larceny of certain animals. Makes it a Class 5felony to steal a cat.
Latest Action: 01/23/2008 - Incorporated by Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources by voice vote Bill Text
Veterinarians and animal licensure. Repealsthe requirement that veterinarians must provide the local treasurerwith rabies certificate information, which the treasurers then useto collect license fees for companion animals. This law has been ineffect since July 1, 2007, and provides a civil penalty of $10 fora veterinarian that willfully fails to provide the vaccination certificatesto the treasurer. This bill was incorporated into HB537 (DelegateOrrock).
Latest Action: 01/16/2008 - Tabled in Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources by voice vote Bill Text
Humane investigators. Restores the humane investigatorprogram to its pre-2003 status. In 2003, the law was amended to limit (i) thenumber of humane investigators to those currently serving and (ii) the numberof programs to those currently in operation. The 2003 bill allowed thoseappointed prior to July 1, 2003, to be reappointed for three-year terms. Thisbill removes the limitations placed on the program by the 2003 law.
Latest Action: 02/12/2008 - Left in Transportation Bill Text
Driving with an animal. Makes it a traffic infractionto drive with an animal in the driver's lap or with the animal in a location orposition that interferes with the driver's control or vision.
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Latest Legislation - View All
Latest Action: 03/03/2008 - Left in Rules Bill Text
Summary as passed Senate: Study; continues the Joint Subcommittee Studying Long-TermFunding for the Purchase of Development Rights to Preserve Open-Space andFarmlands; report. Continues for an additional year the Joint SubcommitteeStudying Long-Term Funding Sources for the Purchase of Development Rights toPreserve Open-Space Land and Farmlands. In conducting the study, the jointsubcommittee would study alternative options for cost-sharing arrangements withlocal governments to provide funding for land preservation and new parks, theeffectiveness and efficiency of local purchase of development rights programsas a tool for land preservation, the future needs of the Commonwealth foropen-space land and parks, and sources of dedicated funds for long-term fundingof land preservation and new parks. The joint subcommittee will also receive informationfrom the Department of Conservation and Recreation on the funding of waterquality improvements from agricultural land uses.
Latest Action: 02/28/2008 - Signed by President Bill Text
Summary as passed Senate: Local fees for companion animals. Removes the cap thatlocalities may charge for the burial or cremation of animals and authorizeslocalities to charge increased fees for the repeated impoundment of the sameanimal.
Latest Action: 01/29/2008 - Incorporated by Finance Bill Text
Virginia Retirement System; additional creditable servicefor special forest wardens. Provides additional creditable service for thefollowing duties performed by special forest wardens in the scope ofemployment: (i) fighting forest fires; (ii) participating in fire orfirefighter training conducted by the Department or an agent thereof; (iii)directly participating in a prescribed burning; (iv) directly conducting aninvestigation relating to the cause of a forest fire; and (v) directlyparticipating in fighting or directly acting to suppress the danger to life orproperty from other emergencies such as hurricanes, floods, and ice storms. Aspecial forest warden would receive eight hours of additional creditableservice for each day, or portion thereof, in which he performed one or more ofsuch duties.The additional creditable service would be retroactive toJanuary 1, 2003, for special forest wardens in service. This bill wasincorporated into SB 367.
Latest Action: 03/11/2008 - Signed by President Bill Text
Summary as passed: Animal protection and fighting; penalty. Providesthat engaging in the fighting of any animals is a Class 1 misdemeanor, whiledog fighting remains a Class 6 felony. Possession of any materialsintended to enhance the ability of animals to fight, permitting a minor tobecome involved in animal fighting, or wagering on animal fighting raises anysuch offense to a Class 6 felony. Animals that are the subject of such criminalcharges may be forfeited to the locality, but the owner may post bond to retainhis ownership interest and repossess the animals if the court issues a findingof not guilty. Law-enforcement officers would be permitted to conduct searchesat any time upon the issuance of warrants. Currently, such officers may onlyconduct searches during the day. This bill is identical to HB 656 (Griffith).
Latest Action: 01/21/2008 - Stricken at request of Patron in Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Bill Text
Gas chambers. Prohibits the use of gaschambers for euthanizing companion animals. This is emergency legislation.
Latest Action: 01/29/2008 - Incorporated by Finance Bill TextVRS; retirement credits for special forest wardens. Provides retirement credits to special forest wardens of the Departmentof Forestry who participate directly in extinguishing forest fires.Such persons would receive eight hours of retirement credits for eachday or portion of a day in which they participate directly in extinguishinga forest fire. The retirement credits could be used to reduce the30 years of service otherwise required for eligibility for an unreducedservice retirement allowance, but not below 25 years of service. Thenet years and months of service remaining after application of theretirement credits would be the years and months of service requiredof such special forest warden for eligibility for an unreduced serviceretirement allowance. Each month of service would be eliminated atthe rate of one month of service for each 173 hours of retirementcredits.No creditable service or compensationwould be allowed or granted for the retirement credits. This billwas incorporated into [...] show full description
Latest Action: 03/04/2008 - Enrolled Bill Text
Summary as passed Senate: Matching grants to local purchase of development rightsprograms. Provides that, in general, local purchase of development rightsprograms would be required to make a $1 match for each $1 in grants awarded bythe Office of Farmland Preservation.
Latest Action: 01/21/2008 - Continued to 2009 in Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Bill Text
Sales of equines by dealers; penalty. Regulates thesales of horses for showing or racing by dealers when the value of the horse isover $10,000. Bills of sale will be required, along with writtenacknowledgements, to include permission and compensation, if an agent is actingon behalf of both the buyer and the seller. Violators shall be guilty of aClass 1 misdemeanor and civilly liable for treble damages.
Latest Action: 03/08/2008 - Bill text as passed House and Senate Bill Text
Wild Spanish mustangs; resolution. Recognizes the historicvalue and importance of the last known wild herd of Spanish mustangs living onthe barrier islands of Virginia.
Latest Action: 02/12/2008 - Left in Rules Bill Text
Study; companion animals; report. Creates a jointsubcommittee to study issues related to companion animals including veterinarymedicine, commercial breeding practices, overpopulation, animal shelters andpounds, dangerous animal laws, tethering practices, local registration and feecollection, and procedures for disaster preparedness.
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