|
Don’t
Wash a Mule on the Sidewalk:
Odd Laws, Obsolete
Ordinances
The
citizens of Culpeper, Va., may no longer worry about
washing livestock on public thoroughfares, but
according to Jeff Koon and Andy Powell, authors of "You
May Not Tie An Alligator To a Fire Hydrant,"
Virginia has its share of quirky legislation. The
two, who were high school seniors in 2002 when they
published their book of odd U.S. laws, now maintain
a Web site: www.dumblaws.com. While they include a
disclaimer that not all laws submitted are possible
to verify, most can be traced back to their original
sources.
For
example, according to Title 21.1-521 of the Virginia
Code, it is unlawful to hunt any wild bird or animal
on Sunday, except for raccoons, which can be hunted
up until 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning. The statute even
states that Sunday “… is hereby declared a day
of rest for all species of wild bird and wild animal
life, except raccoons … .” (See Virginia
Code Title 21.1-521.)
Sundays
seem to be a stumbling block for legislators in the
Old Dominion. Last year, Gov. Mark R. Warner had to
call a special session of the General Assembly to
correct an error that allowed employees to ask for
Sundays or Saturdays off, based on their religion.
Businesses could be fined up to $500 for each
violation and forced to pay employees triple their
wages for working on their day of worship. Carl E.
“Buddy” Omohundro Jr., a young associate with
the McGuireWoods law firm in Richmond, caught the
mistake while doing research for a client. The bill
had passed 40-0 in the Senate and 88-9 in the House
of Delegates. The legislators had meant to get rid
of penalties associated with obsolete Sunday-closing
laws, but accidentally kept the laws while removing
exemptions for businesses.
And,
who can forget HB1981, a proposed law in the most
recent General Assembly session that would have
imposed a $50 fine on anyone who displayed their
underwear in a “lewd or indecent manner.” The
law was directed at the baggy pants fad among teens.
One delegate who supported the measure proclaimed,
“Underwear is called underwear for a reason.”
The law made it through the House of Delegates, but
died in the Senate.
For
the most part, Virginia’s body of law seems
reasonable. In Prince William County you can’t own
a skunk as a pet. Probably a good idea. Skunks are
only one species of prohibited exotic animals,
including monkeys, wolves, tigers and crocodiles.
Also, Prince William County, in an effort to promote
a civil society, prohibits the use of profanity in
public. Specifically, it’s a Class 3 misdemeanor
if any individual curses or uses abusive language
against another. Again, you can’t argue with that.
So,
are legislators becoming more sophisticated when it
comes to authoring the Old Dominion’s laws? Just a
few days ago on July 1, Virginia’s newest laws
went into effect. Among statutes reducing the
grocery tax or increasing the monthly job benefits
is one on flying mammals – bats to be exact. The
2005 General Assembly declared the big-eared bat the
official bat of the Commonwealth. The impetus for
the official bat came from the Virginia Cave Board,
created in 1979 as the Virginia Cave Commission to
protect the state’s caves and the creatures in
them.
When
Gov. Warner signed the legislation on March 22, he
composed a verse to celebrate the event. Here’s a
sample stanza:
We
have a state dog and a fish and a bird
And
of the fossil I’m sure you have heard
So
why not a bat? What's wrong with that?
The
state beverage is no more absurd.
For
those of you who don’t know, legislators named a
state beverage more than two decades ago. Got milk?
NEXT:
No More Free Rides: Toll Roads in Virginia
--
July 11, 2005
|
