New laws set to take effect on July 1 in Virginia

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- A new month means new laws in Virginia. 

Starting July 1, dozens of new laws will take effect, including several that could impact your life. 

One new law will require adults to wear a seatbelt, even in the back seat. 

Williamsburg Mother Christy King advocated for the new measure after her son Christopher was killed in a car crash in 2020 while not wearing a seatbelt. 

“Every single time you get in a car, make it the first thing you do because it will save your life,” King told 8News in February.

Meanwhile, starting July 1, mail theft will be a state crime punishable by up to five years in prison. 

Currently, mail theft is typically considered a federal crime, leaving local prosecutors with few options to hold thieves accountable. 

“Because in the past, what they would do is they would say, look, we don’t have the ability to do this, we are gonna to send it to the federal side and the federal government, federal prosecutors in this case, they don’t have the time and the resources to focus on some of these so-called smaller crimes,” Senator Saddam Salim (D-Fairfax) told 8News in April.

Plus, a new law will allow prosecutors to charge anyone who deals fentanyl that leads to an overdose death with involuntary manslaughter, punishable by 1 to 10 years in prison. That’s on top of the 5 to 40 years dealers already face for selling fentanyl. 

“We are signing a bill that so importantly recognizes it also takes one dealer to lace a Percocet with fentanyl to go kill people, and I want to make sure that that dealer goes to jail,” Governor Glenn Youngkin said at a bill signing earlier this month.

Starting July 1, junk fees will also be illegal in Virginia.