March 23, 2005.
Governor Mark Warner signed several bills into law on Wednesday, March 23rd, including one that developed out of the highway sniper shooting rampage.
The new law will allow prosecutors to appeal unfavorable pre-trial rulings in criminal cases. This could have occurred in the case against accused sniper John Allen Muhammad, when Virginia was not allowed to appeal when the judge dismissed his case.
Warner also signed two bills that require a tighter rein on the dispensing of powerful prescription pain killers. These bills substantially boost the penalty for illegally making or distributing them. Both bills arose from widespread abuse of OxyContin.
