Troublesome FOIA bill amended in subcommittee
SB 1554 (Surovell) was heard in a House General Laws subcommittee this week and was substantially amended for the better. This bill as introduced provides that if a court finds that any officer, employee, or member of a public body failed to provide public records to a requester in accordance with the provisions of FOIA […]
Online check registry bill bounces
VACo opposed SB 1262 (Sturtevant), a proposal that would require every locality with a population greater than 25,000, and every school division with greater than 5,000 students, to post on its website a register of all transactions. The measure failed to pass in the House Counties, Cities and Towns Committee’s Subcommittee #2 on February 12 […]
Bills mandating Freedom of Information Act training for local elected officials receives helpful amendments in subcommittee
SB 1431 (Obenshain) as introduced mandates FOIA training for local elected officials by December 31, 2019, and thereafter biennially. The training would be given by the FOIA Council Staff and records of the training must be maintained by the clerk for five years. Currently, local government records officers are the only local government folks required […]
Rural stormwater bill heads to House Appropriations
Senator Emmett Hanger’s rural stormwater bill reported out of the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee on February 13 and was rereferred to the House Appropriations Committee. SB 1328 (Hanger) authorizes the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to provide Stormwater Local Assistance Fund (SLAF) grants to smaller, rural localities that are not regulated under […]
Sale of surplus property for economic development could help counties break new ground
A proposal to give local governments a first right of refusal on state surplus property for sale, so long as the land in question is for a “bona fide economic development activity,” is making its way through the legislature. SB 1681 (Mason) and HB 2182 (Austin) direct the Department of General Services (DGS) to notify […]
Boundary adjustment bills just steps away from the finish line
Two bills seeking to add another tool to localities looking to make voluntary boundary line adjustments have nearly reached the end of their journey through the General Assembly. VACo supports HB 1649 (Fowler) and SB 1594 (Dunnavant), which would allow all localities to make voluntary boundary line adjustments using Geographic Information System (GIS) surveys. This […]
Mechanics Lien Notice of sale bill moves ahead in House
SB 1336 (Edwards) specifies that the notice of sale for property to be sold pursuant to a mechanics’ lien shall be posted in any of the following places: (i) a public place in the county or city where the property is located; (ii) a website operated by the Commonwealth, the county or city where the […]
Oppose Home Instruction JROTC Bill
SB 1275 (Black) requires any local school board that offers a Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) program to make it available to any student residing in the local school division receiving home instruction. The bill is problematic because it prohibits the local school board from requiring any such student to enroll part- or full-time […]
VACo County Pulse Podcast | 2019 General Assembly Edition | Part 3
Welcome to the VACo County Pulse. VACo Lobbyists Joe Lerch and Chris McDonald talk about a variety of issues, including alcohol reform, I-81 improvements, industrial hemp, casinos, proffers, and more. Listen to the Podcast. VACo Contact: Dean Lynch
ABC reform bills inch closer to law
Bills authorizing the sale of mixed beverages by licensed restaurants and the sale of alcoholic beverages in any county, town, or supervisor’s election district have continue to move ever closer to law, as each has now cleared the latest hurdle in their journey through the 2019 General Assembly session. If passed and signed into law, […]
Legislation to foster sidewalk construction during development takes step forward
VACo supports legislation that will, if adopted, provide an additional tool to counties to facilitate the construction of sidewalks to connect pedestrian networks. SB 1663 (Barker) has passed both chambers and awaits the Governor’s signature. It’s companion, HB 1913 (Bulova), will be heard Senate Local Government Committee on February 12. HB 1913 and SB 1663 […]
No-excuse absentee in-person voting moving forward
HB 2790 (Rush) allows voters to cast absentee ballots in person during the week before an election (from the second Saturday before the election through 5 p.m. on the Saturday immediately preceding the election) without requiring that they meet one of the existing statutory excuses for voting absentee. Absentee in-person voting for voters meeting one […]
Local government solar bill heads to Senate floor
HB 2792 (Tran), a local government solar energy bill, unanimously reported out of the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee on February 11 and will now head to the Senate floor. The bill, which VACo drafted with Delegate Tran and other local government representatives, establishes a six-year pilot program that allows a locality to use excess […]
Key Elements of House and Senate Budgets
The House Appropriations Committee and Senate Finance Committee reported their budgets on February 3, and the full text of the budget amendments was made available on February 5. The House and Senate debated and voted on their respective budgets on February 7; the Senate made several amendments on the floor before passing its budget unanimously, […]
VACo County Pulse Podcast | 2019 General Assembly Edition | Part 2
VACo Lobbyists Katie Boyle and Jeremy Bennett join Joe Lerch to talk about the state budget and give updates on the 2019 General Assembly Session. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST This special legislative episode of the VACo County Pulse is sponsored by The Berkley Group – a full-service local government consulting firm employing public sector experts. […]
Casino bill takes on the House
If the Senate’s efforts pay off, casinos may be coming to Virginia soon. Legislation introduced by Senator Louise Lucas that could open the door for casino gambling has passed the Senate this week and will now be considered by the House of Delegates. SB 1126 (Lucas) authorizes five localities – Bristol, Danville, Portsmouth, Norfolk, and […]