Support Bill Funding Court Safety
VACo supports SB 827 (Howell), which allows localities to increase assessments made on defendants convicted of violating a statute or ordinance from $10 to up to $20. Revenue from the assessment shall be used for funding courthouse security personnel and, at the request of the Sheriff, other security-related equipment and property. The bill reported out […]
General Laws Bills of Interest
SB 391 (Barker) creates a statewide standard for installation and maintenance of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in rental property. Localities that have enacted ordinances must conform their ordinances by July 1, 2019. These were Housing Commission recommendations. HB 609 (Carr) is the companion bill, and both bills have passed. SB 529 (Mason) removes the […]
Solar Tax Exemption Bill Heads to the House Floor
SB 902 (Lucas) reported out of the House Finance Committee on February 26 by a vote of 18-3. As initially described in VACo’s January 23 Capitol Contact, the bill makes it a local option to provide certain local tax exemptions for solar facilities of a certain size. Under current law, solar facilities greater than 20 MW in […]
Update on Drone Bills
VACo supports SB 186 (Black), which authorizes localities to use unmanned systems, without the requirement of a search warrant, for purposes other than law-enforcement. Such activities include damage assessment, traffic assessment, flood stage assessment, and wildfire assessment. Drones may also be used for private, commercial, or recreational use or for the sole purpose of research and […]
Electric Vehicle Charging Bill Reports to Senate
Delegate David Bulova’s fee-based electric vehicle charging bill successfully reported out of the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee on February 26 and will now be taken up by the full Senate. HB 922 (Bulova) and its Senate companion bill, SB 908 (McClellan), enable localities, public institutions of higher education, and the Department of Conservation and […]
Procurement Bills Move Forward
SB 652 (McPike) originally would have established Board of Purchases of Services from People with Disabilities. It was amended to require the Secretary of Administration to convene a work group to make recommendations regarding modifications to state procurement policies to incentivize the competitive integrated employment of individuals with significant disabilities, rather than establish a Board. […]
Key Elements of House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committee Budgets
As discussed in Capitol Contact earlier this week, the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees reported their budgets on Sunday, February 18. The full text of the budget amendments proposed by the “money committees” was made available on Tuesday, February 20. Below is an analysis of the key elements of the two budget proposals. The […]
Capitol Contact ALERT – Wireless Bills Gutting Local Authority Over Land Use and Public Rights-of-Way Face Critical Votes Next Week
Take action now against two proposals by the wireless industry that will be voted on the floor early next week. Oppose gutting of local authority to address siting of wireless towers The first bad measure, HB 1258 (Kilgore) and SB 405 (McDougle), guts local zoning authority to address the siting of wireless towers. Specifically, they […]
Support Needed for Legislation Allowing Consolidated Meals Tax/Bond Referendum Question
HB 1390 (Aird) has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee and is expected to be heard next week. The bill applies to an instance in which a county seeks to pay for debt-funded projects with revenues derived from a meals tax, and permits the county to put before the voters a consolidated question on […]
Call Now to Oppose Mandating Use Value Taxation for Certain Properties
HB 1204 (Hugo) is a problematic bill that would require certain property be assessed based on use value rather than fair market value in certain localities meeting specified population growth criteria (Arlington County and Loudoun County). The bill would require that real property of at least five acres that is devoted to open space be […]
Delegate Hodges’ Stormwater Workgroup Bills Head to Governor’s Desk
HB 1307 (Hodges) and HB 1308 (Hodges) were unanimously passed by the Senate on February 20 by votes of 40-0. Having previously passed the House of Delegates on February 6, these two bills now head to the Governor’s desk for signing. The bills, drafted upon the recommendations of the HB 1774 Workgroup (named after Delegate Keith Hodges’s 2017 […]
Cooperative Procurement/Solar PPA Bill Carried Over to 2019
Senator John Edwards’ cooperative procurement/solar power purchase agreements (PPA’s) bill, SB 312 (Edwards), was carried over to 2019 at the request of the patron. Generally speaking, the bill seeks to take solar PPAs out of the cooperative procurement process in order to streamline and expedite solar deployment in localities. More specifically, SB 31 does the […]
Problematic Public Comment and FOIA Penalty Bills Falter in Subcommittee
VACo opposed SB 336 (Peake), which required that every elected public body afford an opportunity for public comment during any open meeting. This bill would require all advisory work groups or other committees formed by local boards to take public comment at all open meetings including work sessions. VACo explained to House General Laws Committee’ […]
Bulova Stormwater Bills Pass Both Chambers, Await Signature from Governor Northam
Two stormwater bills patroned by Delegate David Bulova have now passed both the House and Senate and will now be sent to Governor Ralph Northam for signing. HB 377 (Bulova) eliminates the requirement to obtain a Virginia Water Protection Permit from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) when modifying stormwater management facilities that was created on […]
Electric Vehicle Charging Bill Passes Both Chambers
After passing the Senate, Senator Jennifer McClellan’s fee-based electric vehicle charging bill cleared the House on February 20 by a 99-0 vote. SB 908 (McClellan) clarifies and expands local authority to locate and operate a retail fee-based electric vehicle charging station on locality owned or leased property. HB 922 (Bulova), Delegate David Bulova’s companion bill, […]
Added Penalties for Violations of FOIA
SB 630 (Surovell) provides that in addition to any penalties imposed under FOIA, 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 because the official intentionally altered or destroyed the records prior to the expiration of […]