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1995 SESSION

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LD2760112
HOUSE BILL NO. 901 Offered January 25, 1994 A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 63.1-316.1, relating to reports of spouse abuse; penalties. ----------
Patrons--Plum, Almand, Connally, Crittenden, Keating, Puller, Van Landingham and Van Yahres
---------- Referred to Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions ----------

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered 63.1-316.1 as follows:

§ 63.1-316.1. Spouse abuse; who to report; penalty for failure to report.

A. Any person licensed to practice medicine or any of the healing arts, any hospital resident or intern, or any person employed in the nursing profession who, in the course of professional services in a hospital or similar institution, has reason to suspect that a person age eighteen or over is the victim of spouse abuse as defined in § 63.1-316 shall notify the person in charge of the institution or department, or his designee, who shall report the suspected abuse forthwith to the local law-enforcement agency where the person resides or the abuse is believed to have occurred, or if neither locality is known, then where the abuse was discovered.

B. Any person who makes a report pursuant to subsection A of this section or who testifies in any judicial proceeding arising from the report shall be immune from any civil or criminal liability on account of such report or testimony, unless such person acted in bad faith or with a malicious purpose.

C. Any person required to file a report pursuant to subsection A of this section who is found guilty of failure to do so shall be fined not more than $500 for the first failure and not less than $100 nor more than $1,000 for any subsequent failures.