A House of Delegates committee has endorsed legislation to prohibit the unauthorized use of GPS or other electronic tracking devices.

Del. Joe May's bill makes it illegal for anyone to deceptively and without consent use such a device to track a person's location. The Loudoun County Republican introduced the bill at the request of a constituent who became upset when he learned that a private investigator hired by his estranged wife had placed a GPS device underneath his car.

The bill exempts law enforcement officers who obtain a warrant, as required by a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling. It also exempts parents tracking their kids, any legally authorized representative of an incapacitated adult, owners of fleet vehicles and electronic communications providers like OnStar and cell phone companies.