Grand larceny & certain property crimes; increases threshold amount of money taken, etc., to $1,000. (SB816)

Introduced By

Sen. Scott Surovell (D-Mount Vernon) with support from co-patron Sen. Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax)

Progress

Introduced
Passed Committee
Passed House
Passed Senate
Signed by Governor
Became Law

Description

Grand larceny; threshold. Increases from $200 to $1,000 the threshold amount of money taken or value of goods or chattel taken at which the crime rises from petit larceny to grand larceny. The bill increases the threshold by the same amount for the classification of certain property crimes. Read the Bill »

Outcome

Bill Has Failed

History

DateAction
11/02/2016Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/17 17100605D
11/02/2016Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
01/23/2017Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (13-Y 2-N) (see vote tally)
01/23/2017Committee substitute printed 17104654D-S1
01/24/2017Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
01/24/2017Incorporates SB923 (Petersen)
01/25/2017Read second time
01/25/2017Reading of substitute waived
01/25/2017Committee substitute agreed to 17104654D-S1
01/25/2017Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB816S1
01/26/2017Read third time and passed Senate (32-Y 8-N) (see vote tally)
01/26/2017Reconsideration of passage agreed to by Senate (40-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
01/26/2017Passed Senate (28-Y 12-N) (see vote tally)
01/27/2017Impact statement from DPB (SB816S1)
01/31/2017Placed on Calendar
01/31/2017Read first time
01/31/2017Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
02/08/2017Assigned Courts sub: Criminal Law
02/15/2017Subcommittee recommends passing by indefinitely
02/21/2017Left in Courts of Justice

Video

This bill was discussed on the floor of the General Assembly. Below is all of the video that we have of that discussion, 1 clip in all, totaling 30 seconds.

Transcript

This is a transcript of the video clips in which this bill is discussed.

THE REVEREND IS IN THE GALLERY WITH HIS WIFE. I WOULD ASK YOU TO GIVE THEM A WARM WELCOME. WOULD REVEREND TODD MCCLURE AND KELLY MCCLURE PLEASE RISE. THANK YOU FOR COMING FROM SOUTH BOSTON AND HELPING US GET A GOOD START TO OUR SESSION.

Comments

Eva King writes:

I support this bill. Too many people are locked up with felonies under the current $200 threshold.

Right Way Forward Virginia writes:

Virginia's grand larceny threshold is only $200, which is one of the lowest in the country. Increasing the threshold would better focus law enforcement resources on more serious crimes and ensure that the punishment fits the crime. However, the threshold should be increased to at least $1,500, as many states have done.

ACLU-VA Criminal Justice, tracking this bill in Photosynthesis, notes:

The Virginia legislature set a $200 threshold for felony larceny in 1980, and has not adjusted it since. Proposals have been put forth to raise the threshold to $500 or $1,000. While this is a modest start, raising it to $500 does not even keep up with inflation ($200 in 1980 is about equivalent to $585 now) and raising it to $1,000 is only a modest gain when compared to other states, such as Texas, leading the way on criminal justice reform. Virginia’s threshold is the lowest in the country. In 1980, a gallon of gasoline cost 86 cents and iPhones and Air Jordans didn’t exist. Today, a gallon of gas can costs $2.50 and sneakers and phones can cost well over $200. Because the threshold has been stagnant since 1980, our current felony larceny statute is equal to a felony statute in 1980 of $68. No one in 1980 would have imagined sending someone to prison and stripping away their voting rights over $68. Thirty states have set their felony larceny threshold at $1,000 or more, including Georgia, South Carolina, Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, Mississippi, and North Carolina, and 46 states have set their threshold at $500 or more. It’s time for Virginia to take the term “felony” seriously and raise the dollar threshold to an appropriate level.