Virginia Bill to End Driver’s License Suspensions for Marijuana Possession Passes Full Legislature
Virginia’s full legislature has passed a measure that would end driver’s license suspensions for simple marijuana possession.
Senate Bill 1091 was given approval by the Senate with a 38 to 2 vote, and was quickly passed by the House of Representatives with a rare unanimous vote (95 to 0). The measure now goes to Governor Terry McAuliffe for consideration. A spokeperson for McAuliffe says he’s likely to sign it into law.
Below is the official summary for the measure, which was filed by Senator Adam Ebbin (D) and cosponsored by Senator William Stanley (R):
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.
Click here for the full text of Senate Bill 1091.