19106788D
HOUSE BILL NO. 2056
AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE
(Proposed by the Senate Committee for Courts of Justice
on February 11, 2019)
(Patron Prior to Substitute--Delegate Yancey)
A BILL to amend and reenact §18.2-461 of the Code of Virginia, relating to false information and hoax criminal activities; penalty.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §18.2-461 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§18.2-461. Falsely summoning or giving false reports to law-enforcement officials.

It shall be unlawful for any person (i) to knowingly give a false report as to the commission of any crime to any law-enforcement official with intent to mislead,; (ii) to knowingly, with the intent to mislead a law-enforcement agency, cause another to give a false report to any law-enforcement official by publicly simulating a violation of Chapter 4 (§ 18.2-30 et seq.) or Chapter 5 (§18.2-77 et seq.); or (ii) (iii) without just cause and with intent to interfere with the operations of any law-enforcement official, to call or summon any law-enforcement official by telephone or other means, including engagement or activation of an automatic emergency alarm. Violation of the provisions of this section shall be punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor.