Looks like the legislature has passed the law I posted about a few weeks back.

Va. Bill Sets Fine for Low-Riding Pants

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginians who wear their pants so low their underwear shows may want to think about investing in a stronger belt.

The state’s House of Delegates passed a bill Tuesday authorizing a $50 fine for anyone who displays his or her underpants in a “lewd or indecent manner.'’

Del. Lionell Spruill Sr., a Democrat who opposed the bill, had pleaded with his colleagues to remember their own youthful fashion follies.

During an extended monologue Monday, he talked about how they dressed or wore their hair in their teens. On Tuesday, he said the measure was an unconstitutional attack on young blacks that would force parents to take off work to accompany their children to court just for making a fashion statement.

“This is a foolish bill, Mr. Speaker, because it will hurt so many,'’ Spruill said before the measure was approved 60-34. It now goes to the state Senate.

The bill’s sponsor, Del. Algie T. Howell, has said constituents were offended by the exposed underwear. He did not speak on the floor Tuesday.

Spruill and Howell, also a Democrat, are both black.

Kevin Aylward says:

No doubt the lefty blogs will jump up and down and blame this on right-wing religious groups or President Bush, but it should be noted that the bill was proposed by a black Democratic state representative. In somewhat of an inter-party scrum th bill was strongly opposed by another Democrat - also black. Since Virginia’s Governor Mark Warner is a Democrat the way I see it is that if this bill makes it through the state Senate and the Governor signs it, the credit (or blame) is 100% on Virginia Democrats.

I’m still going with my original “bad lawmaking” theory.

Also see Supreme Court briefs.