Marijuana offenses; driver's license forfeiture. (SB1091)

Introduced By

Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) with support from co-patron Sen. Bill Stanley (R-Moneta)

Progress

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

Description

Driver's license; marijuana possession. Revises the existing provision that a person loses his driver's license for six months when convicted of or placed on deferred disposition for a drug offense to provide that the provision does not apply to deferred disposition of simple possession of marijuana. The exception applies only to adults; juveniles will still be subject to license suspension. The provisions of the bill are contingent upon written assurance from the U.S. Department of Transportation that Virginia will not lose any federal funds as a result of implementation of the bill. Read the Bill »

Outcome

Bill Has Passed

History

DateAction
01/06/2017Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/17 17101071D
01/06/2017Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
01/23/2017Reported from Courts of Justice (14-Y 1-N) (see vote tally)
01/24/2017Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
01/25/2017Read second time and engrossed
01/26/2017Read third time and passed Senate (38-Y 2-N) (see vote tally)
01/27/2017Impact statement from DPB (SB1091)
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 reporting with substitute (11-Y 0-N)
02/20/2017Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (21-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
02/20/2017Committee substitute printed 17105514D-H1
02/21/2017Read second time
02/22/2017Read third time
02/22/2017Committee substitute agreed to 17105514D-H1
02/22/2017Engrossed by House - committee substitute SB1091H1
02/22/2017Passed House with substitute BLOCK VOTE (100-Y 0-N)
02/22/2017VOTE: BLOCK VOTE PASSAGE (100-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
02/23/2017House substitute rejected by Senate (4-Y 36-N) (see vote tally)
02/23/2017House insisted on substitute
02/23/2017House requested conference committee
02/23/2017Senate acceded to request (39-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
02/23/2017Conferees appointed by House
02/23/2017Delegates: Adams, Gilbert, Watts
02/23/2017Conferees appointed by Senate
02/23/2017Senators: Stanley, Ebbin, McDougle
02/24/2017Conference substitute printed 17105845D-S1
02/24/2017Conference report agreed to by Senate (38-Y 2-N) (see vote tally)
02/24/2017Conference report agreed to by House (95-Y 0-N)
02/24/2017VOTE: ADOPTION (95-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
03/07/2017Enrolled
03/07/2017Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB1091ER)
03/07/2017Signed by Speaker
03/08/2017Impact statement from DPB (SB1091ER)
03/10/2017Signed by President
03/13/2017Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on 3/13/17
03/13/2017G Governor's Action Deadline Midnight, March 27, 2017
03/24/2017G Approved by Governor-Chapter 703 (effective 7/1/17)
03/24/2017G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0703)

Video

This bill was discussed on the floor of the General Assembly. Below is all of the video that we have of that discussion, 2 clips in all, totaling 6 minutes.

Transcript

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



Sen. Amanda Chase (R-Midlothian): WE APPRECIATE YOUR HELP AND WE WISH YOU BEST IN YOUR ENDEAVORS. I'D ASK THE MEMBERS OF THE SENATE TO PLEASE JOIN ME IN OFFERING SENATOR CHASE'S STAFF OF INTERNS A WARM WELCOME OF THE SENATE. (APPLAUSE).

[Unknown]: THE SENATOR FROM STAFFORD, SENATOR STUART. THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT, RISE FOR AN INTRODUCTION. SENATOR HAS THE FLOOR. THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT. ON BEHALF OF THE SENATOR FROM SPOTSYLVANIA AND MYSELF, MR. PRESIDENT, I'D LIKE TO BRING TO THE ATTENTION TO THE MEMBERS THE PRESENCE IN THE GALLERY OF THE FOLKS FROM JERMANA COMMUNITY COLLEGE. THERE ARE QUITE A FEW STUDENTS HERE WITH DR. WESLEY. DR. SAM WAS HERE EARLIER. I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH THEM, SPEND SOME TIME WITH THEM THIS MORNING. THEY'RE PART OF OUR COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM, AND I WILL TELL YOU IN THE FREDERICKSBURG REGION THEY DO A GREAT JOB, ABSOLUTELY GREAT JOB, AND THEY GIVE A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO GET NOT JUST A TWO-YEAR DEGREE, BUT TO MOVE ON AND GET A FOUR-YEAR DEGREE AS WELL. SO I WOULD ASK THAT YOU GIVE THEM THE WARM WELCOME OF THE SENATE. I WILL. THANK YOU. SENATOR. WOULD MEMBERS FROM THE JERMANA COMMUNITY COLLEGE PLEASE RISE. Y'ALL ARE WELL REPRESENTED HERE THIS AFTERNOON. JUST AS THE SENATOR SAID, WE HAVE 23 GREAT COMMUNITY COLLEGES ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH. WE'RE VERY PROUD OF ALL 23 AND APPRECIATE WHAT THEY DO TO CONTRIBUTE TO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT THAT LEADS TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND JOBS FOR THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, SO WE'RE GLAD YOU'RE HERE TODAY TO ADVOCATE FOR THE THE BEST IN YOUR EDUCATION COMMUNITY COLLEGES AND WISH YOU ENDEAVORS. I'D ASK THE MEMBERS OF THE SENATE TO PLEASE JOIN ME IN OFFERING MEMBERS FROM THE JERMANA COMMUNITY COLLEGE THE WARM WELCOME OF THE SENATE. (APPLAUSE). THE SENIOR SENATOR FROM RICHMOND CITY, SENATOR STURTEVANT.

Sen. Glen Sturtevant (R-Midlothian): THANK YOU. I RISE FOR AN INTRODUCTION.

[Unknown]: SENATOR HAS THE FLOOR.

Sen. Glen Sturtevant (R-Midlothian): WE REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE VIRGINIANS FOR THE ARTS TODAY THAT ARE HERE PARTICIPATING IN THE ARTS ADVOCACY DAY AT THE CAPITOL. OVER 100 ARTS ADVOCATES FROM ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH HAVE TRAVELED TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TODAY TO VISIT WITH THEIR LEGISLATORS, AND THEY ARE DOING A GREAT JOB ADVOCATING ON BEHALF OF THE ARTS. I ASK WE OFFER THEM THE WARM WELCOME OF THE SENATE.

[Unknown]: I WILL. WOULD MEMBERS FROM THE VIRGINIA ARTS PLEASE RISE. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE TODAY, AND I THINK I TALKED TO A COUPLE OF YOU EARLIER, BUT WHEN YOU HEAR PEOPLE TALK ABOUT STEM, MAKE SURE THEY ADD THAT A AND INCLUDE STEAM. THAT'S REALLY WHERE THE JOBS OF THE FUTURE ARE IN THE 21st 21st CENTURY. THE ARTS ARE SUCH AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR EDUCATION EXPERIENCE AND PROCESS. THANKS FOR BEING HERE TO ADVOCATE TODAY. I'D ASK THE MEMBERS OF THE SENATE TO PLEASE JOIN ME IN OFFERING MEMBERS OF THE VIRGINIANS FOR THE ARTS THE WARM WELCOME OF THE SENATE. (APPLAUSE). SENATOR FROM FRANKSTON COUNTY, SENATOR STANLEY.

Sen. Bill Stanley (R-Moneta): THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT. I RISE FOR PURPOSES OF AN

[Unknown]: SENATOR HAS THE FLOOR. INTRODUCTION.

Sen. Bill Stanley (R-Moneta): THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT. MEMBERS OF THE SENATE AND THOSE IN THE GALLERY TODAY, I HAVE THE GREAT HONOR OF INTRODUCING SOME GREAT PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING VERY HARD FOR NEW COLLEGE INSTITUTE IN THE CITY OF MARTINSVILLE. HAVE YOU ALREADY HEARD ME TALK ABOUT NEW COLLEGE AND HOW MUCH IT MEANS TO US AND THAT REGION AND ALSO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO TO TRANSFORM IT INTO A WORLD CLASS EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION OFFERING AN EDUCATION THAT IS NOT OFFERED ANYWHERE ELSE OF THE KIND OR TYPE IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA. AND WE ARE HAVING TODAY OUR BOARD MEETING. I'M THE CHAIRMAN. THEY BLESSED ME WITH THE HONOR OF BEING CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD. AND SO TODAY UP IN THE GALLERY, WE HAVE SOME OF THE FINEST PEOPLE, NOT ONLY MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, BUT ALSO OUR GREAT STAFF AT NEW COLLEGE, AND SO MR. PRESIDENT, IF I MAY INTRODUCE TO YOU OUR BOARD MEMBERS, BOB BURGER, TONYA FORM MAN, DR. WELL DO NOT -- WHELDON HILL, NAOMI, AND ALSO WELCOME DR. BLEVINS, OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MELANIE I AM -- INGRAM, CRISTINA REEVES AND MANDY MCGEE. IF YOU WOULD, EXTEND TO THEM THE WARM WELCOME OF THE SENATE.

[Unknown]: I WILL. DO YOU NEED TO BE EXCUSED TO ATTEND A BOARD MEETING? YES, SIR, I NEED TO GET UP THERE RIGHT AWAY IF YOU DON'T MIND. TO MEMBERS OF THE NEW COLLEGE INSTITUTE, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. I HAVE TOURED, JUST WONDERFUL WORK THAT YOU ALL ARE DOING, BEGIN, CONTRIBUTING TO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IN YOUR AREA, THE COMMONWEALTH. SO THANKS FOR BEING HERE TODAY. YOU HAVE A GREAT LEADER IN SENATOR STANLEY. WE TEND TO NUDGE EACH OTHER A LITTLE BIT. BUT WE LOVE HIM AND HE'S DOING

Duplicate Bills

The following bills are identical to this one: SB784.

Comments

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

The ACLU-VA supports this bill. Virginia needs to put the brakes on automatically suspending a person’s license for crimes unrelated to driving. License suspension should be an enforcement tool against bad drivers, not for minor, unrelated crimes such as simple drug possession. Recent national reports puts Virginia first in the nation with over 38,000 annual license suspensions for minor, unrelated drug crimes. This record number of suspensions strains limited police resources, wastes tax-payer dollars, and makes our roads less safe. The majority of states have opted out of the archaic “tough on crime” federal mandate and have not lost highway funding. Federal law allows for a simple process to opt out of automatically suspending licenses for drug offenses and it is time for Virginia to join the 38 states that have already done so. ACLU of Virginia supports legislation that would repeal automatic license suspensions for minor, unrelated crimes.