NEW LAWS The Virginia State Legislature has been in session and new laws will be forthcoming which go into effect he following July 1st which, on occasion, has created trouble people have thought July 4th's fireworks clamor has early.
I don't see anything that is readily going to upset most people this ime around. They seemed to have worked out a few changes in existing laws but nothing which is likely to throw the monkey wrench into anything thing being planned.
There are,however, 880 of them so I have not read enough of them say that trouble is not in our immediate future. You can't expect hat many regulations to come into being without disturbing someone.
Many will be welcomed.
There will be one which will, in theory, at least, will lower the cost of some foods. There will be a lower grocery tax on certain items. The present rate is set at four cents per dollar. That falls to 2.5 cents.There will be few ,if any, objections to this one and it has been long awaited even with some hang-ons. Food is being taxed farm more than most of us realize as more and more states, counties, cities and towns exact "meal taxes" and add to the cost of eating away-from-home meals. The new law allows exemptions on alcohol products, tobacco, pet foods and "prepared foods sold for immediate on use "which will continue to taxed at the present rates. Printing presses will be busy for a time re-stating exactly how the foods are to be consumed and when.
People who are engaged in any kind of skin care work which can be included in the employment category called "estheticians" - and many will be "on hold" because the "industry" has not yet defined what it is or does exactly. It is set to go into effect July of 2007 if all goes well. A soon as those persons who do beauty treatments at spas decide what it is they do and set standards, it will be taxed by issuance of a Virginia state license allowing them to do so what ever it may be. This could well be viewed as a new record of some sort concerning the inventiveness of the tax -oriented mind of our legislators and of their strange ability to forecast potential fields of revenue even before they exist.
I have never understood what it is that Bail Bondsmen do but they will need a license, too. Getting one is as complicated as what they do. One qualifies to pay a fee of $900 every two years; plus "taking a course" and passing " a competency test."
Beginning July 1st it will be illegal for a TV screen to be in any position in a car so that can be viewed by the driver. This will, no doubt, inspire a statewide study into the proper placement of mirrors and other reflective material which will turn one-half of the rear view mirror into a TV image.
There must be eight or ten more new laws coming up. Better get a list and check them out. Like all restrictive laws, they apply to other people.
A.L.M. July 27, 2005 [c544]
