Bill > SB947

This bill eliminates several restrictions on law enforcement traffic stops and expands the circumstances under which officers can search or stop a vehicle. Specifically, the bill removes provisions that previously prohibited police from stopping vehicles for various minor equipment or registration issues, such as expired registration stickers, defective equipment, missing or non-functioning lights, window tinting, objects obstructing the driver's view, or expired vehicle inspections. Most significantly, the bill authorizes law enforcement to stop, search, or seize a person or obtain a search warrant based solely on the odor of marijuana if that odor creates a reasonable suspicion of driving while intoxicated. This reverses previous language that prohibited stops and searches based exclusively on marijuana odor, effectively reinstating law enforcement's ability to use marijuana smell as probable cause for vehicle searches and stops related to potential intoxicated driving. The bill amends multiple sections of the Virginia Code relating to vehicle equipment, registration, and search procedures, and includes a fiscal note indicating potential increased costs for state corrections due to the changes in law enforcement's search and seizure authorities.

Transportation and Infrastructure

https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20251/SB947