From Sen. Mark Herring:
Leesburg – Two important pieces of public safety legislation sponsored by Democratic candidate for Attorney General State Senator Mark Herring (Loudoun & Fairfax) advanced through the Senate Courts of Justice Committee this afternoon.
The first bill, SB 1063, criminalizes stalking through electronic means, specifically through text and picture messaging.
“With technological advances in communication comes the potential for new crimes involving electronic and telephone communication,” Herring stated. “Studies show that stalking by texting has become a growing problem and Virginia needs to join the growing number of other states who that are taking action to protect our citizens.”
Continuing his leadership in the General Assembly on the issue of designer drugs, Senator Herring introduced SB 1083 to criminalize newly identified chemical compounds of “bath salts.”
“Designer drugs like bath salts continue to threaten the health and safety of our young people in Virginia,” Herring stated. “We have succeeded in raising awareness about the dangers of these chemicals and getting them off the shelves of legitimate businesses. However, we must remain vigilant in giving law enforcement and prosecutors the tools they need to go after them as criminals who create new compounds designed to skirt our laws.”