Some General Assembly bills are out of this world

That annoying cellphone ringtone? There really ought to be a law.

What's a guy gotta do to get a tax break on shipping his remains into lunar orbit?

And hasn't Virginia waited long enough for a NASCAR license plate?

Many of the 3,000 or so bills submitted to the General Assembly for consideration during its legislative session each year are critical to the interests of the commonwealth — bills affecting the courts, health care, roads, elections and the environment.

And while this year's legislative session will be a pivotal one, perhaps defined by Gov. Bob McDonnell's proposed two-year budget, there are, as always, some less critical matters to attend to.

Like late-night canine bear hound training, for example.

House Bill 95, introduced by Del. Tony O. Wilt, R-Rockingham, would allow dog owners to train their hounds to hunt bears into the wee hours of the morning during bear-hunting season. Currently, the dogs must cease and desist from learning the art of bear hunting 41/2 hours after sunset.

Many such proposed laws and regulations never make it to the House or Senate floor for a vote. Whether inspired by the esoteric concerns of constituents or the fertile minds of lawmakers, they clear the bar for quirkiness, if not the General Assembly.

Here's a look at a few of our favorites:

Bee good

Rural Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath, and Del. Edward T. Scott, R-Madison, have both proposed a tax credit for beehives.

Senate Bill 354 and House Bill 300 would provide a per-beehive credit of $200 for beekeepers, up to $2,400 a year. Bees are considered critical to the pollination needs of agriculture — the state's biggest industry.

Breaking away

Under Senate Bill 101, bicyclists in Blacksburg would be able to pedal either way on one-way streets.

Sen. John S. Edwards, D-Roanoke, sponsors the legislation, which would authorize the move by the Town Council of Blacksburg, home to one of the state's heaviest concentrations of bicycles — and Virginia Tech.

Never on Sunday?

At least four bills in the Virginia Senate and several in the House of Delegates seek to lift a state ban on hunting on Sundays.

Sen. J. Chapman Petersen, D-Fairfax, modified his bill (Senate Bill 173) to only allow Sunday hunting by property owners hunting on their own land or by hunters with permission of the property owner.

I can't drive 35

Newly minted Sen. Charles W. Carrico Sr., R-Grayson, a former Virginia state trooper, is sponsoring Senate Bill 333 that would prohibit mo-peds from traveling on any road where the posted speed limit is 35 mph or higher.

Carrico is also behind the NASCAR license plate bill (Senate Bill 334). Money raised after the first 1,000 plates sold would go to a charity run by Richmond International Raceway.

It's for you

Should jail time be a possibility for those guilty of allowing their cellphone to ring "with intent to annoy"?

Del. Robert Tata, R-Virginia Beach, thinks so. That's why he's sponsored House Bill 39, which would make the offense a Class 2 misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Currently, it's a Class 3 misdemeanor, which carries only a fine of up to $500.

To the moon

And then there's the bill from Del. Terry G. Kilgore, R-Scott, to provide a tax break for all those folks clamoring to send their mortal remains into space. It would offer a tax deduction not to exceed $8,000 for prepaid contracts with commercial spaceflight companies to "place the taxpayer's cremated remains in Earth or lunar orbit."

Hit man for hire?

Wilt, the delegate from Rockingham, has sponsored House Bill 342, which would essentially set up a system where landowners can easily locate hunters willing to terminate deer or bears that are tormenting them.

The bill would have the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries set up a website where, upon approval, people can register properties being trashed by deer or bears. Hunters could apply (and pay) for the privilege of dispatching the problem animal.

Don't even pretend

Del. Robert G. Marshall, R-Prince William, wants to crack down on would-be and wannabe bigamists.

House Bill 826 would add to the definition of a bigamist anyone who so much as pretends to be married to someone while already married to someone else. That would include living with someone "under the appearance of being married."

Bigamy, by the way, is a Class 4 felony, punishable by two to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.