Bill Text: VA SB1395 | 2019 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: Health care provider; threats of death or bodily injury to a provider, penalty.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-03-18 - Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0506) [SB1395 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2019-SB1395-Chaptered.html
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §18.2-60 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§18.2-60. Threats of death or bodily injury to a person or member of his family; threats of death or bodily injury to persons on school property; threats of death or bodily injury to health care providers; penalty.
A. 1. Any person who knowingly communicates, in a writing, including an electronically transmitted communication producing a visual or electronic message, a threat to kill or do bodily injury to a person, regarding that person or any member of his family, and the threat places such person in reasonable apprehension of death or bodily injury to himself or his family member, is guilty of a Class 6 felony. However, any person who violates this subsection with the intent to commit an act of terrorism as defined in § 18.2-46.4 is guilty of a Class 5 felony.
2. Any person who communicates a threat, in a writing, including an electronically transmitted communication producing a visual or electronic message, to kill or do bodily harm, (i) on the grounds or premises of any elementary, middle or secondary school property, (ii) at any elementary, middle or secondary school-sponsored event or (iii) on a school bus to any person or persons, regardless of whether the person who is the object of the threat actually receives the threat, and the threat would place the person who is the object of the threat in reasonable apprehension of death or bodily harm, is guilty of a Class 6 felony.
B. Any person who orally makes a threat to kill or to do
bodily injury to (i) any employee of any elementary, middle or secondary
school, while on a school bus, on school property or at a school-sponsored
activity, to kill or to do bodily injury to such person or (ii) any
health care provider as defined in §8.01-581.1 who is engaged in the
performance of his duties in a hospital as defined in §18.2-57 or in an
emergency room on the premises of any clinic or other facility rendering
emergency medical care, unless the person is on the premises of the hospital or
emergency room of the clinic or other facility rendering emergency medical care
as a result of an emergency custody order pursuant to §37.2-808, involuntary
temporary detention order pursuant to §37.2-809, involuntary hospitalization
order pursuant to §37.2-817, or emergency custody order of a conditionally
released acquittee pursuant to §19.2-182.9, is guilty of a Class 1
misdemeanor.
A prosecution pursuant to this section may be either in the county, city or town in which the communication was made or received.
