Virginia senators back bill to let state, local police enforce traffic rules on George Washington Parkway
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Summary
A Senate Transportation Committee advanced legislation that would let Virginia State Police or local police enforce state traffic laws on sections of the George Washington Parkway and, with National Park Service agreement, authorize limited camera enforcement; the committee voted to send the bill to the Senate floor.
Senators advanced a bill that would allow Virginia State Police and local law-enforcement agencies to enforce state traffic laws on portions of the George Washington Parkway and to bring those cases in Virginia courts.
Senator Serva, the bill’s patron, told the Transportation Committee the measure is modeled on the United States Assimilative Crimes Act and would apply to about eight miles between Mount Vernon and Alexandria and roughly 14 miles between Alexandria and the Beltway. "It would allow the Fairfax county police or the Virginia State Police to use the Uniform Traffic Summons to write up somebody for violating a state law like speeding or DUI on the parkway," Serva said, explaining the bill would let state and local officers issue state citations for offenses that now fall only under federal jurisdiction.
The bill also includes language to permit installation of speed cameras if a locality or state police reaches an agreement with the National Park Service, though Serva said any camera program would likely need to be self-funded because of lacking utility infrastructure along those parkway segments.
Several senators voiced support. "This is a much more efficient way of resolving that problem," said Senator Dix, citing a long-running enforcement gap on parkway roads in his area.
No opposition was recorded in committee testimony. The committee voted to report the bill and send it to the floor (recorded vote: Eyes 11, No 3). The committee record shows the bill was moved for floor consideration and a roll call recorded the outcome.
The next step is floor consideration by the full Senate; the committee did not record additional amendments or implementation details beyond requiring agreements with federal land managers for camera installations.
