Wednesday, October 8, 2008
The General Assembly is not in session.
Tracking Virginia’s General Assembly
since 2007.
HB589: Gangs; voluntarily submitting to hazing as part of initiation.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That § 18.2-55.1 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 18.2-55.1. Hazing of youth gang members unlawful; criminal liability.
It shall be unlawful to cause bodily injury by hazing (i) any member of a criminal street gang as defined in § 18.2-46.1, or (ii) a person seeking to become a member of a youth gang or criminal street gang. Any person found guilty of hazing is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. Any person who voluntarily submits to being the subject of hazing is guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor.
For the purposes of this section, "hazing" means to (i) recklessly
or intentionally endanger the health or safety of a person or to inflict bodily
injury on a person or (ii) engage in an act of
carnal knowledge as defined in § 18.2-64.1 with the person who is the subject of hazing, in
connection with or for the purpose of initiation, admission into or affiliation
with or as a condition for continued membership in a youth gang or criminal
street gang regardless of whether the person so endangered, or injured
or
who engaged in an act of carnal knowledge participated voluntarily
in the relevant activity.
Additional Data
Explanation
This is the actual text of the bill — the legislation itself. Generally this is amending existing law, proposing the addition or removal of words from laws that are already on the books.
Words that are highlighted in yellow are
proposed additions, and words that are crossed out in
red are proposed removals.
The numbers with the § symbol before them are references to existing laws, and if you click on them they’ll take you to that part of the law on the state's website.