Sexual abuse of animals; definitions, penalty.
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SB 249 — Sexual abuse of animals; definitions, penalty.
Last action — Approved by Governor-Chapter 594 (effective 7/1/22)
No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.
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✓Introduced
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✓In Committee
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✓Passed Senate
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✓Passed House of Delegates
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✓To Executive
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6Enacted
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 11, 2022. Enacted.
Signed by Governor Glenn Youngkin (Republican) on April 11, 2022.
Prognosis
Where this bill stands today.
Odds of enactment
HighHow often bills like it became law.
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Enacted
Current position in the legislative process.
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3 sponsors
1 primary, 2 co-sponsors signed on.
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Cleared a recorded vote
Passed 9 recorded votes so far.
Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.
Summary
Sexual abuse of animals; penalty. Provides that any person who knowingly (i) engages in sexual contact with an animal; (ii) causes another person by force, threat, or intimidation to engage in sexual contact with an animal; (iii) advertises, solicits, offers, sells, purchases, or possesses an animal with the intent that the animal be subject to sexual contact; (iv) permits sexual contact with an animal to be conducted on any premises under his ownership or control; or (v) produces, distributes, publishes, sells, transmits, finances, possesses, or possesses with the intent to distribute, publish, sell, or transmit an obscene item depicting a person engaged in sexual contact with an animal is guilty of a Class 6 felony. The bill also provides that any person convicted of sexual abuse of an animal shall be prohibited from possessing, owning, or exercising control over any animal and may be ordered to attend an appropriate treatment program or obtain psychiatric or psychological counseling.
Bill Text
What changed in the latest version
44 added · 44 removedPlain-language change summary
The revised version of SB 249 clarifies the definition of "sexual contact" and specifies the actions that are considered sexual abuse of animals. The changes include more precise language regarding the types of prohibited interactions and the circumstances under which they occur. This matters because it strengthens the law by clearly outlining unacceptable behaviors and enhancing legal protections for animals against sexual exploitation.
SESSION ENROLLED VIRGINIA ACTS OF ASSEMBLY ––-- 2022 SESSION CHAPTER E594 An Act to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 18.2-361.01, relating to sexual abuse of animals;
R O [S 249] Approved LApril L11, 1.2022 Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1.
E A.
D "Animal" means any nonhuman vertebrate species.
"Sexualsexual contact"arousal, meanssexual anygratification, actabuse, committedor betweenfinancial again personinvolving and(i) ancontact animalbetween for the purposesex of organs or anus of one and the mouth, sex organs, or anus of another;
or (iii) the insertion of anySpartany part of the body of a person or any object into the vaginal or anal opening of an animal or touching or fondling by a person of the sex organs or anus of an animal without a bona fide veterinary or animal husbandry purpose.
E B.
(iii) advertises, solicits, offers, sells, purchases, or possesses an animal with the intent that the animal be subject to sexual contact;
(iv) permits sexual contact with an animal to be conducted on any premises under histhis to ownership or control;
or (v) produces, distributes, publishes, sells, transmits, finances, possesses, or possesses with the intent to distribute, publish, sell, or transmit an obscene item depicting a person engaged in sexual contact with an animal is guilty of a Class 6 felony.
Additionally, the court may order such person to attend an appropriate treatment program or obtain psychiatric or psychological counseling and may impose theD.the costs of such a program or counseling upon the person convicted.
D.
That the provisions of this act may result in a net increase in periods of imprisonment or necessarycommitment. appropriation cannot be determined for periods of imprisonment in state adulte correctional facilities;
Pursuant to § 30-19.1:4 of the Code of Virginia, the estimated amount of the necessary appropriation cannot be determined for periods of imprisonment in state adult correctional facilities;
View plain text versions (5)
- CHAP0594 View text Current pdf April 11, 2022
- SB249ER View text pdf March 10, 2022
- Committee Substitute Committee substitute printed 22107253D-H1 pdf March 02, 2022
- Committee Substitute Committee substitute printed 22106117D-S1 pdf February 07, 2022
- Prefiled Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/12/22 22100190D pdf January 11, 2022
Action History
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Approved by Governor-Chapter 594 (effective 7/1/22)
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Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 11, 2022
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Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on March 22, 2022
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Impact statement from DPB (SB249ER)
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Signed by Speaker
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Signed by President
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Enrolled
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Title replaced 22107253D-H1
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House substitute agreed to by Senate (39-Y 0-N)
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VOTE: Passage (97-Y 0-N)
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Passed House with substitute (97-Y 0-N)
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Engrossed by House - committee substitute SB249H1
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Committee substitute agreed to 22107253D-H1
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Read third time
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Read second time
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Impact statement from DPB (SB249H1)
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Impact statement from VCSC (SB249H1)
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Committee substitute printed 22107253D-H1
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Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (17-Y 3-N)
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Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (8-Y 0-N)
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Assigned Courts sub: Subcommittee #1
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Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
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Read first time
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Placed on Calendar
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Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N)
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Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB249S1
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Committee substitute agreed to 22106117D-S1
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Reading of substitute waived
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Read second time
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Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
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Reported from Finance and Appropriations (16-Y 0-N)
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Impact statement from DPB (SB249S1)
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Impact statement from VCSC (SB249S1)
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Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations
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Committee substitute printed 22106117D-S1
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Reported from Judiciary with substitute (14-Y 0-N)
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Senate committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
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Assigned Judiciary sub: Criminal Law
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Rereferred to Judiciary
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Rereferred from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources (11-Y 1-N)
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Impact statement from DPB (SB249)
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Impact statement from VCSC (SB249)
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Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources
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Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/12/22 22100190D
Sponsors
- Scott A. Surovell · Primary
- Sr. Lionell Spruill · Cosponsor
- Patrick A. Hope · Cosponsor
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →1 sponsors · 2 co-sponsors · 145 not signed on · 4 voted No
Sponsors (1)
Co-sponsors (2)
- Lionell Spruill, Sr.
- Patrick A. Hope
Not signed on (145)
145 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 145 →"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.
Votes
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 39 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 39 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 98% | 0% | 0% | 3% |
How each member voted (40)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 96 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 96 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| % of votes cast | 97% | 0% | 0% | 3% |
How each member voted (99)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 85% | 15% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (20)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Adams, Les R. | — | Yea |
| Bell, Robert B. | — | Yea |
| Bourne, Jeffrey M. | — | Nay |
| Campbell, Jeffrey L. | — | Yea |
| Campbell, Ronnie R. | — | Yea |
| Charniele L. Herring | — | Yea |
| Don Scott | — | Nay |
| Freitas, Nicholas J. | — | Yea |
| James A. "Jay" Leftwich | — | Yea |
| Jason S. Ballard | — | Yea |
| Jessica L. Anderson | — | Yea |
| Karrie K. Delaney | — | Yea |
| Keam, Mark L. | — | Yea |
| Marcus B. Simon | — | Nay |
| Patrick A. Hope | — | Yea |
| Ransone, Margaret B. | — | Yea |
| Richard C. "Rip" Sullivan, Jr. | — | Yea |
| Terry G. Kilgore | — | Yea |
| Vivian E. Watts | — | Yea |
| Wren M. Williams | — | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (8)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Adams, Les R. | — | Yea |
| Bell, Robert B. | — | Yea |
| Campbell, Ronnie R. | — | Yea |
| Charniele L. Herring | — | Yea |
| Karrie K. Delaney | — | Yea |
| Ransone, Margaret B. | — | Yea |
| Vivian E. Watts | — | Yea |
| Wren M. Williams | — | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (40)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (40)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (16)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| McClellan, Jennifer L. | — | Yea |
| Barker, George L. | — | Yea |
| David W. Marsden | — | Yea |
| Ebbin, Adam P. | — | Yea |
| Edwards, John S. | — | Yea |
| Hanger, Emmett W., Jr. | — | Yea |
| Howell, Janet D. | — | Yea |
| L. Louise Lucas | — | Yea |
| Mamie E. Locke | — | Yea |
| Newman, Stephen D. | — | Yea |
| Norment, Thomas K., Jr. | — | Yea |
| Petersen, J. Chapman | — | Yea |
| R. Creigh Deeds | — | Yea |
| Ruff, Frank M., Jr. | — | Yea |
| Saslaw, Richard L. | — | Yea |
| Vogel, Jill Holtzman | — | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (14)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| McClellan, Jennifer L. | — | Yea |
| Morrissey, Joseph D. | — | Yea |
| Edwards, John S. | — | Yea |
| Jennifer B. Boysko | — | Yea |
| L. Louise Lucas | — | Yea |
| Mark D. Obenshain | — | Yea |
| Mark J. Peake | — | Yea |
| Norment, Thomas K., Jr. | — | Yea |
| Petersen, J. Chapman | — | Yea |
| R. Creigh Deeds | — | Yea |
| Ryan T. McDougle | — | Yea |
| Saslaw, Richard L. | — | Yea |
| Scott A. Surovell | — | Yea |
| William M. Stanley, Jr. | — | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 92% | 8% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (12)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| McClellan, Jennifer L. | — | Yea |
| Morrissey, Joseph D. | — | Yea |
| Barbara A. Favola | — | Yea |
| David W. Marsden | — | Yea |
| Hashmi, Ghazala F. | — | Yea |
| Lewis, Lynwood W., Jr. | — | Yea |
| Mark D. Obenshain | — | Yea |
| Mason, T. Montgomery "Monty" | — | Yea |
| Petersen, J. Chapman | — | Yea |
| Richard H. Stuart | — | Yea |
| T. Travis Hackworth | — | Yea |
| William M. Stanley, Jr. | — | Nay |
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- What does SB 249 do?
- Sexual abuse of animals; penalty. Provides that any person who knowingly (i) engages in sexual contact with an animal; (ii) causes another person by force, threat, or intimidation to engage in sexual contact with an animal; (iii) advertises, solicits, offers, sells, purchases, or possesses an animal with the intent that the animal be subject to sexual contact; (iv) permits sexual contact with an animal to be conducted on any premises under his ownership or control; or (v) produces, distributes, publishes, sells, transmits, finances, possesses, or possesses with the intent to distribute, publish, sell, or transmit an obscene item depicting a person engaged in sexual contact with an animal is guilty of a Class 6 felony. The bill also provides that any person convicted of sexual abuse of an animal shall be prohibited from possessing, owning, or exercising control over any animal and may be ordered to attend an appropriate treatment program or obtain psychiatric or psychological counseling.
- Who sponsors SB 249?
- SB 249 is sponsored by Scott A. Surovell, Lionell Spruill, Sr., and Patrick A. Hope.
- What is the current status of SB 249?
- This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 11, 2022. Enacted.
- Where can I track SB 249?
- Track SB 249 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
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