VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

• Code of Virginia
• Virginia Administrative Code
• Constitution of Virginia
• Charters
• Authorities
• Compacts
• Uncodified Acts
• RIS Users (account required)

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

• Bills & Resolutions
  session legislation
• Bill Summaries
  session summaries
• Reports to the General Assembly
  House and Senate documents
• Legislative Liaisons
  State agency contacts

ACROSS SESSIONS

• Subject Index: Since 1995
• Bills & Resolutions: Since 1994
• Summaries: Since 1994

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

1995 SESSION

• history | hilite | pdf | print version

LD1323198
HOUSE BILL NO. 1460 Offered January 11, 1995 Prefiled January 10, 1995 A BILL to amend and reenact § 46.2-943 of the Code of Virginia, relating to consideration of a defendant’s prior traffic record before sentencing. ---------- Patron--Davies ---------- Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice ----------

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 46.2-943 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 46.2-943. Court or jury may consider defendant's prior traffic record before sentencing.

The term "traffic offense" when used in this section shall mean any moving traffic violation described or enumerated in subdivisions 1 and 2 of § 46.2-382, whether such violation was committed within or outside the Commonwealth according to the records of the Department of Motor Vehicles.

The term "prior traffic record" when used in this section shall mean the record of prior suspensions and revocations of a driver's license, and the record of prior convictions of traffic offenses described in the foregoing provisions of this section.

When any person is found guilty of a traffic offense, the court or jury trying the case may consider the prior traffic record of the defendant before imposing sentence as provided by law. After the prior traffic record of the defendant has been introduced, the defendant shall be afforded an opportunity to present evidence limited to showing the nature of his prior convictions, suspensions, and revocations and, if the current offense involves a violation of § 18.2-266, testimony may be offered in mitigation to show the offender’s efforts to rehabilitate himself.