Virginia is for law lovers? A look at new laws going into effect today

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — As of July 1, more than 700 recently-passed laws are going into effect. While some impact smaller, niche communities like bakers or cake pop fans — others have the potential to impact all Virginians in their day-to-day lives.

If you live in central Virginia and have been hoping for a new casino in the region, a new law leaves that door open in Petersburg, but for now, the City of Richmond is no longer eligible as a host city.

On a sweeter note, a new law expands rights for home-operated businesses, allowing bakers like Kelly Phillips to essentially sell their products at more places.

“We spend a lot of time perfecting our craft,” Phillips told 8News earlier this year.

If attending a certain college has become a family tradition, make sure you study up on a new admissions policy. It’s now illegal for Virginia public universities to give legacies – or applicants with family members who went to the school – an admissions advantage.

In 2021, 13-year-old Lucia Bremer lost her life to nine rounds of gunfire from a classmate with documented mental health struggles who gained access to his parent’s firearm. Now, Lucia’s Law , which seeks to hold gun-owning parents more accountable goes into effect July 1.

“Lucia is dead, in part, because an adult gun owner made a choice to leave his firearm easily accessible to his teenager,” Bremer’s mother said previously at a legislative session.

Irvo’s Law ensures people can be by a loved one’s side when they’re experiencing a mental health crisis. The law’s name comes from 28-year-old Irvo Otieno, who died while being restrained during a mental health emergency at Central State Hospital in Dinwiddie County in 2023.

“They separated me from my son and that separation prevented me from advocating for my son,” Otieno’s mother, Caroline Ouko, told 8News back in February.

Otieno’s loved ones fought long and hard for this law, they also told 8News they believe it could have saved his life.

“Irvo is not here. We’re grieving, but we’re grieving legislatively,” a loved one said.

There are hundreds of other new laws going into effect in Virginia today, a more extensive list can be found here .

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