“Love Shack” Bill Will Soon Make It Legal To Live Together Unmarried

Unmarried Virginia couples who are living together would no longer be breaking the law under legislation advanced by a state Senate panel. The Courts of Justice Committee on Monday voted to advance the “Love Shack” bill, to strike an existing 136-year-old cohabitation law from the books. Virginia is one of four states that make such living arrangements a crime. While no one has been prosecuted for violating the law in decades, as it stands currently, a violation can be punished as a misdemeanor. Census data shows about 140,000 Virginians are cohabitating.