CNS Briefs

TOBACCO FACES THE MUSIC

Cigarettes and tobacco appear to be under
fire in the 2008 session of the Virginia General
Assembly.

This past week, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine announced
his proposal to ban smoking in public
places and restaurants. In addition to the governor’s
proposal, bills introduced for the newly convened
General Assembly session could mean new regulations
and stipulations for the tobacco industry.

Sen. Frederick M. Quayle, R-Suffolk, is proposing
Senate Bill 202, the Virginia Indoor Clean Air
Act. This bill would allow localities to regulate
smoking in restaurants and bars.

Although Quayle supports Kaine, he said he
is unsure whether the governor’s ban will pass
this year.

“If we can’t get the statewide ban, then I would
hope that we can get the local option,” Quayle
said.

He also said he understands both sides of the
smoking argument but still thinks the ban is
necessary.

“Any rule, any law that you have is going to
have a benefit for some people and it’s going to be
a detriment to other people,” Quayle said. “We’re
just saying they need to pick a place to smoke
where it’s not going to bother anybody else.”

Sen. Mamie E. Locke, D-Hampton, also appears
to be working against smoking in restaurants.
Locke will introduce Senate Bill 501, the Virginia
Indoor Clean Air Act; penalty. The bill would
prohibit smoking in any food establishment and
set penalties for violations.

Brief by Mary Boyd, CNS.

VIRGINIA TO SUPPORT INDIVIDUAL GUN RIGHTS

Virginia is poised to file a brief in an upcoming
U.S. Supreme Court case that will review the
original intent and interpretation of the Second
Amendment.

Virginia Atty. Gen. Bob McDonnell said the
District of Columbia v. Heller case likely will be
the most important Second Amendment case in
American history and will result in a serious impact
on personal rights and the reach of government.

“The result will have significant implications on
individual liberty and the power of government,”
he said.

McDonnell announced that he will file a “friend
of the court” brief in the D.C. case. Such a brief
is filed by a party who is not directly involved
in a case but who thinks its interest might be
affected. The case resulted from a challenge to the
District of Columbia’s ban on personal ownership
of handguns and restrictions on ownership of
shotguns and rifles.

“We believe that our founders declared in the
Second Amendment that American citizens have
the personal right to bear arms as individuals,”
McDonnell said.

Virginia will join New York, Hawaii, Illinois
and Maryland in filing the amicus brief.

Brief by Travis Lyle, CNS.

ABC AIMS TO REGULATE ALCOHOL SHIPMENTS

Special agents from the Virginia Department
of Alcoholic Beverage Control will aim to help
regulate shipping and deter underage drinking
under a new initiative.

Individuals receiving a shipment of alcoholic
beverages must prove they are of legal age when
they sign for the delivery, according to the
initiative.

The initiative also aims to regulate shipments
of alcoholic beverages. ABC wants to verify that
retailers selling alcoholic beverages are properly
licensed, enforce quantity limitations on shipments
of alcoholic beverages and monitor deliveries to
ensure they were handled by an authorized carrier
and conducted lawfully.

Retailers in Virginia are allowed to sell wine
online if they have an ABC shipper’s license, and
they may ship a maximum of two cases of wine
per month to a Virginia resident. ABC permits
direct shipments through approved carriers, such
as FedEx and DHL Worldwide Express.

Violating the initiative is considered a criminal
offense, and penalties include as much as a year
of jail time. Violators can also be fined up to
$2,500 and lose the ability to conduct business
in Virginia.

Brief by Meredith Kight, CNS.

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Capital News Service is an advanced mass
communications journalism class in which VCU
students write, edit and distribute stories about
the General Assembly to newspapers throughout
the commonwealth. CNS was established in 1994
as an opportunity for students to gain experience
reporting in the field. Below is a taste of just some
of the stories CNS reporters have written for the
2008 legislative session.