PRESS RELEASE - February 8, 2007

For Immediate Release:
February 8, 2007

IAQUINTO BILLS PASS UNANIMOUSLY IN THE HOUSE

-- Legislation on Gangs, DUIs, and Child Abuse Move Forward --
-- Successful First Half of 2007 General Assembly Session for Freshman Delegate --

Richmond- Delegate Sal Iaquinto of the 84th District in Virginia Beach saw multiple bills pass through the House of Delegates unanimously on Tuesday. A series of 14 common-sense, much-needed pieces of legislation was sent on to the Senate without a single objection.

The following is a list of Iaquinto's legislation that successfully passed the House:

HB 2517 - Child abuse or neglect; criminal history records; dissemination of such information. Authorizes dissemination of criminal history record information and search results from the child abuse and neglect registry of individuals and other adult household members to support removal of a child during an evaluation for placement or to support an investigation of child abuse or neglect. Further authorizes dissemination of such information to aid criminal prosecution of child abuse, neglect, or related crimes.

HB 2518 - Driver's licenses issued to persons convicted of driving under the influence. Prohibits the Department of Motor Vehicles from issuing or reinstating the driver's license of a person who has been convicted of driving under the influence or a related offense during the three-year period following the conviction, unless the person provides proof that he has in effect a motor vehicle liability insurance policy with limits that are double the minimum limits required generally for motor vehicle liability insurance policies.

HB 2520 - Health records privacy; exceptions. Creates an exception to an individual's right of privacy in the content of his health records so that health care entities may disclose records to law-enforcement officers for the purpose of identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, person required to register with the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry, material witness, or missing person. Specifies the type of information that may be disclosed.

HB 2521 - Dismissal for failure to serve process. Provides that a court may dismiss an action if process has not been served within one year. The court may give notice to the plaintiff 30 days before ordering the dismissal to provide him an opportunity to show that service was timely effected or that due diligence was exercised to have service timely effected. If such a showing is made, the case will remain on the court's docket. This bill shall not apply to asbestos litigation.

HB 2522 - Board of Branch Pilots; limited branch pilot license. Removes the reference to draft or ship unit measurements as the basis for determining the vessels that individuals holding a limited branch pilot license may pilot. Effective October 1, 2006, the State Corporation Commission, which regulates fees of the licensed branch pilots, discontinued its usage of a formula that used unit terminology and instituted a formula based on gross tonnage. The change will allow the Board to use the gross tonnage terminology as the basis for determining the vessels that such individuals may pilot.

HB 2523 - Child Fatality Review Team to obtain presentence reports. Authorizes the Chief Medical Examiner to obtain and review presentence reports of any person convicted of a crime that led to the death of a child investigated by the Child Fatality Review Team.

HB 2524 - Predicate criminal acts necessary for criminal gang member status. Adds "felony involving the use of a firearm or other weapon" to the list of acts that qualify as predicate criminal acts necessary for criminal gang member status.

HB 2525 - Voluntary contributions of refunds; Spay and Neuter Fund. Distributes a contribution made to the Spay and Neuter Fund through the voluntary contribution of tax refunds to the locality in which the filer resides. The locality must use the contribution for the provision of low-cost spay and neuter surgeries or it may make the funds available to any private, nonprofit sterilization program for dogs and cats in the locality. All contributions to the Spay and Neuter Fund are currently distributed to the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies.

HB 2527 - Government Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act; rights of data subjects. Requires agencies covered by the Government Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act to respond to a data subject for inspection of his record in five working days after receiving the request or within a time period as may be mutually agreed upon by the agency and the data subject. The bill references the pertinent section of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) so as to treat requests made under the Government Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act in the same manner as requests under FOIA, in terms of response time and invoking applicable exemptions, etc. The bill also clarifies that charges for document production shall be in accordance with FOIA provisions.

HB 2528 - Garnishment; child support payments. Provides that child support payments received by a parent for the support of a child in his custody are exempt from execution, attachment, levy, garnishment, or other legal process. This bill does not affect the ability to garnish the income of a child support obligor.

HB 2530 - Psychiatric Inpatient Treatment of Minors Act; special justices; place of hearing. Clarifies that retired judges, substitute judges, and special justices are authorized to perform hearings under the Act and to receive compensation.

HB 2829 - Doctrine of worthier title abolished. Abolishes the doctrine of worthier title as a rule of law and as a rule of construction.

HB 3098 - Ignition interlock and loss of restricted license. Provides that a DUI ignition interlock installation shall be for six consecutive months as opposed to the current "six months" provided that the defendant has no alcohol-related violations of the interloc requirements.

HB 3151 - Department of Conservation and Recreation, Lessor. Authorizes lease of certain land within First Landing State Park to the City of Virginia Beach, Lessee.