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Va Senate Panel Kills Electronic Tracking Bill

By LARRY O'DELL
Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A Senate committee has rejected legislation that would have made it illegal to secretly use an electronic device to track a person's movements.

The Courts of Justice Committee voted 9-6 Monday to kill Del. Joe May's bill. The Loudoun County Republican introduced the legislation at the behest of a constituent who was shocked that a private investigator hired by his estranged wife had placed a GPS device on his car, and it wasn't against the law.

The bill carved out exemptions for law enforcement officials who obtain a warrant, parents tracking their children, any legally authorized representative of an incapacitated adult, owners of fleet vehicles and electronic communications providers like OnStar. But senators struggled with whether the co-owner of a vehicle should be allowed to secretly track the other co-owner.

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