General Assembly - the good and the bad

HB2203 approved a proposal to convey land to two property owners on the Elizabeth River who had paid taxes on land they owned, but that was under water making it the property of Virginia. Fill from dredging operations created above-water land. This bill clears the title of the land by conveying the state's rights to the landowners.

On the other hand, HB1778 permits certain localities to install cameras at intersections to nab red light runners. SW Virgina Law Blog provides this link to a VDOT study showing this enforcement tactic decreases certain crashes, but increases rear-end crashes, leaving a net zero with respect to safety issues. The report only provides this nothing statement regarding safety: "it can be said only that Virginia’s programs potentially improve safety but that additional data are desirable." Furthermore, because of the costs of the program, localities may have to wait for a long time to notice any increase in revenue. The report includes this statement: "The fiscal feasibility of the program as it is currently administered is questionable." So let's see, it doesn't increase overall safety, and it's expensive. Oh well, I guess it's too late now.