HB1715: Garbage; increases fine for dumping into state waters.

HOUSE BILL NO. 1715
Offered January 10, 2007
Prefiled December 18, 2006
A BILL to amend and reenact § 62.1-194 of the Code of Virginia, relating to casting garbage into waters.
Patron-- Kilgore

Committee Referral Pending

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  That § 62.1-194 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 62.1-194. Casting garbage, etc., into waters.

Except as otherwise permitted by law, it shall be unlawful for any person to cast, throw or dump any garbage, refuse, dead animal, trash, carton, can, bottle, container, box, lumber, timber or like material, or other solid waste, except fish or crab bait in any form, into any of the waters of this Commonwealth. When a violation of any provision of this section has been observed by any person, and the matter dumped or disposed of in the waters of this Commonwealth has been ejected from a boat, the owner or operator of such boat shall be presumed to be the person ejecting such matter; provided, however, that such presumption shall be rebuttable by competent evidence. Every such act shall be a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $100 $2,500 or confinement in jail not to exceed thirty days, or both. Every law-enforcement officer of this Commonwealth and its subdivisions shall have authority to enforce the provisions of this section.