HB1938: Firefighting, emerg. medical services, or law-enforcement equipment & vehicles; destroying, penalty.

HOUSE BILL NO. 1938

Offered January 13, 2021
Prefiled January 11, 2021
A BILL to amend and reenact § 18.2-151.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to destroying, removing, or tampering with emergency medical services equipment or law-enforcement vehicles and equipment; penalty.
Patron-- Wyatt

Committee Referral Pending

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 18.2-151.1 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 18.2-151.1. Injuring, destroying, removing, or tampering with firefighting or emergency medical services equipment or law-enforcement equipment or vehicles; penalty.

Any person who injures, destroys, removes, tampers with, or otherwise interferes with the operation of (i) any equipment or apparatus used for fighting fires or for protecting property or human life by a fire company or fire department, as those terms are defined in § 27-6.01, or; (ii) any equipment, apparatus, or vehicle used by emergency medical services personnel, as defined in § 32.1-111.1; or (iii) any emergency medical services vehicle, as defined in § 32.1-111.1, equipment, apparatus, or vehicle used by law-enforcement officers intending to temporarily or permanently prevent the useful operation of such equipment or apparatus is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor Class 6 felony.

2. That the provisions of this act may result in a net increase in periods of imprisonment or commitment. Pursuant to § 30-19.1:4 of the Code of Virginia, the estimated amount of the necessary appropriation cannot be determined for periods of imprisonment in state adult correctional facilities; therefore, Chapter 1289 of the Acts of Assembly of 2020 requires the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission to assign a minimum fiscal impact of $50,000. Pursuant to § 30-19.1:4 of the Code of Virginia, the estimated amount of the necessary appropriation cannot be determined for periods of commitment to the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice.