take effect Tuesday, some demanding new habits for many Virginians, like a measure telling adults in the back seat of a car to buckle their seat belts.
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Some mean change for much smaller groups, like a long-sought law saying politicians can鈥檛 use campaign funds for personal expenses.
For those keeping score, the passed 916 bills. signed 721 into law.
Most take effect July 1, but some such as were deemed emergencies. That bill declared 鈥渆xhibition driving鈥 鈥 spinning a car by stomping on the brake and the gas pedal at the same time, or carrying people on the roof or hood 鈥 to be a misdemeanor.
With votes of four-fifths from both the House of Delegates and state Senate, this bill took effect immediately.
For others, such as , which detail ways people on probation can shorten the time they鈥檙e supervised, legislators wanted to take a second vote next year before the new law could take effect.
Here鈥檚 a look at some new laws that take effect Tuesday.
Seat belts
says all adult passengers in a motor vehicle, including those in back seats, must buckle up when the vehicle is moving on a public highway. Previously, only adults in the front seat had to. All kids had to, as well.
Politics
, passed after some 12 years of pushing from reform-minded legislators, say politicians can鈥檛 tap their campaign funds for personal expenses. In years past, this has included such things as club memberships, parking tickets and a fancy Facebook video showing off a legislator鈥檚 waterskiing skills.
Taxes
, the budget bill, increased the standard deduction on income taxes by $250 for single filers and $500 for couples filing a joint return. It also set one-time rebates of $200 for single filers and $400 for joint filers, to be paid in October.
Crime
say selling fatal overdoses with detectable amounts of fentanyl is involuntary manslaughter, a felony punishable by one to 10 years in prison. This was a compromise over a bill state Sen. Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover, pushed for three years that would make selling any fatal overdose a felony homicide punishable by up to 40 years in prison.
say stealing mail is a felony.
says inhaling nitrous oxide gas to get high is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 12 months in jail.
says people seeking help from a police officer or EMT for an overdose or sexual assault won鈥檛 be arrested for drug possession or public drunkenness.
say it鈥檚 a misdemeanor, subject to up to 12 months in jail, to use artificial intelligence-created text, audio, video or images to commit fraud. Using AI-created digital content to say something false about another is covered by libel, slander and defamation law.
Waterworks
, enacted in the wake of Richmond鈥檚 water-less week in early January, say waterworks must report equipment failures and contaminant release to the state Office of Drinking Water within two hours of discovery.
Workplace
says employers can be sued if an employee while at work hurts or kills someone; the victim must show the employer didn鈥檛 exercise reasonable care over the employee.
Youth
raise the age for possession of tobacco and hemp products from 18 to 21.
say juveniles can鈥檛 be shackled in court unless a judge finds it is needed and says so in writing. In some localities youths were routinely shackled.
bars Virginians from allowing minors with no driver鈥檚 license or learner鈥檚 permit to drive a motor vehicle.
raises the age for participating in fantasy contests from 18 to 21.
School
says teachers have to keep a daily record of attendance for each class period.
4 require school principals to report student overdoses to parents within 24 hours.
direct school boards to develop policies on when students can have and use cellphones.
Family conflict
says funeral directors can go ahead with a funeral if authorized by any next of kin 30 days after learning that families can鈥檛 agree on what to do.
Housing
says tenants can end a lease early if they need to because they鈥檝e been a victim of family or sexual abuse, stalking or human trafficking.
Consumer law
says getting or disclosing personal information about a person鈥檚 reproductive or sexual health is a violation of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.
Antisemitism
says placing Nazi symbols or emblems on private property or a public place to intimidate others is a felony punishable by a 1- to 5-year prison term.
