As several of my fellow Virginia bloggers have already stated, there have been several stupid laws proposed in the opening weeks of the Virginia General Assembly. Today’s Washington Post brings word of yet another idiotic proposal from legislators who seem to prove that Richmond just isn’t the right place to run a government from:
Its name seemed innocuous enough: the Home Serenity and Tranquility Act, a bill before the Virginia House of Delegates to give neighbors living next to busy athletic fields some peace and quiet.
(but……)
The fine print of House Bill 1368 is far-reaching. Any private or public athletic field in Virginia, even a swimming pool, would be banned from use before 8 a.m. and after 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and all day Sunday without the unanimous written consent of all homeowners within 65 feet of the field. A team or league in violation would face fines. And that’s not all: Aggrieved homeowners could sue for damages.
And just how did this law, introduced by Delwgate Robert Hull, come to be introduced ?
“My bill was introduced because a gentlemen came up to me with a problem,” Hull said before the 100-member chamber. The man and his neighbors had lived next to a private school field for years without complaint, until the school, to generate revenue, started renting its playing fields to semi-professional teams.
In other words someone was using their private property in a way they deemed to be appropriate, and Delegate Hull’s constituent deemed it to be appropriate to get the government involved to stop them from engaging in the perfectly legal activity of playing soccer.
And the most ironic thing ? The bill’s sponser doesn’t even appear to believe in the cause.
[D]espite the tumult, the low-profile seven-term delegate from the Falls Church area isn’t backing down — even though he said he doesn’t support his own bill.
I’m sorry Delegate Hull, there is no middle ground. Either you believe in the bill you are sponsoring, or you don’t. What’s your choice ?
Technorati Tags: Virginia, Virginia Politics, Property Rights
