2025 SESSION

INTRODUCED

25102246D

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 436

Offered January 13, 2025

Prefiled January 3, 2025

Requesting the Department of State Police to study the feasibility and impact of implementing vehicle noise-monitoring devices in the Commonwealth. Report.

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Patron—Sewell

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Referred to Committee on Rules

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WHEREAS, noise pollution has been cited by the American Public Health Association as a public health hazard that can be disruptive to sleep, particularly for children; and

WHEREAS, loud vehicles are a persistent nuisance, particularly in residential districts, and an increasing number of vehicle owners are modifying vehicles specifically to increase or customize vehicle noise; and

WHEREAS, the Code of Virginia already prohibits certain types of vehicle noise, including excessive noise from exhaust systems; and

WHEREAS, enforcement of such laws is challenging for law-enforcement officials due to the lack of noise-level measurement tools and the unrealistic demand on officer time and availability; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Department of State Police be requested to study the feasibility and impact of implementing vehicle noise-monitoring devices in the Commonwealth.

In conducting its study, the Department of State Police (the Department) shall investigate the feasibility of using noise-monitoring cameras, also known as acoustic cameras, as a means of enforcing laws related to vehicle noise. The Department shall review the use of such technology across the country and shall consider the cost of such a program, the efficacy of such technology, and the impacts such a program would have on the communities in which they are implemented.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Department for this study, upon request.

The Department shall complete its meetings by November 30, 2025, and shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an executive summary and a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports no later than the first day of the 2026 Regular Session of the General Assembly and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.