A bill increasing possible fines for dumping or littering has now passed the House and Senate and will be sent to the Governor for consideration.
HB 1801 (Edmunds) doubles the current possible minimum fine for dumping or disposing of litter, trash, refuse or other specified items on public property or on private property without permission, raising the fine from $250 to $500. Initially the bill also sought to increase the possible maximum from $2,500 to $5,000, though this was amended back to $2,500 in Committee. Similarly, the bill proposes increasing the mandatory minimum period of community service from 10 hours to 40 hours, though this too was stripped in Committee.
HB 1801 was reported out of the House Courts of Justice Committee, 18-4, and passed the House of Delegates on February 3 by a vote of 65-32. After crossover, HB 1801 reported out of the Senate Transportation Committee, 12-3, and passed the full Senate on February 17 by a vote of 23-14.
VACo Contact: Chris McDonald, Esq.