Problematic Deposition Bill Gone for the Year
VACo opposed SB 613 (Surovell), which provides that when a local governing body is named a deponent, it shall designate at least one member of the body to serve as a deponent on its behalf. The testimony of the designee is subject to the same duties, responsibilities, and consequences of a corporate or organizational deponent […]
Communications Sales and Use Tax Bill to be Heard Tomorrow in Subcommittee
HB 1051 (Watts), legislation that modernizes the Communications Sales and Use Tax (CSUT) to reflect the present-day telecommunications world, will be heard tomorrow afternoon in the House Finance Committee’s Subcommittee #2. Action Required – Contact Subcommittee Members today and express your support for HB 1051. VACo detailed the need to innovate the “typewriter tax” in […]
VACo Supports Local-Option Tax Incentive for Larger Industrial-Scale Solar Installations
SB 902 (Lucas) makes it a local option to provide a property tax exemption for solar facilities greater than 100 Megawatts (MW) in electric generating capacity. Under current law such facilities greater than 20 MW in generation capacity are provided a mandatory 80 percent exemption from local property tax. Action Required – Please call Senate […]
VACo Supports Delegate Bulova’s Stormwater Bills
VACo supports two stormwater bills patroned by Delegate David Bulova that have been referred to the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee. First, 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 dry land […]
Virginia Grocery Investment Fund Reaches Senate Finance Committee
SB 37 (Stanley), the Virginia Grocery Investment Fund and Program bill, has been docketed to be heard in the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday, January 24. As highlighted in the January 15 Capitol Contact, SB 37 seeks to leverage public-private partnerships and provide funding for grocery stores, small food retailers, and innovative food retail projects […]
FOIA Bill Requires Localities to Waive Fees
VACo opposes HB 1603 (Roem), which requires public bodies to waive the first two hours of search and production of documents for any requestor that files 20 request or less in a 31-day period. The bill also requires that no charge over $50 may be levied unless the requestor agrees to the higher amount. The […]
At-Risk-Add-On Budget Amendment Introduced
Delegates Lashrecse Aird and Israel O’Quinn announced today a bipartisan amendment in support of economically disadvantaged urban and rural school districts. The amendment seeks to increase the At-Risk-Add-On program by $64.2 million over the next two years – $35.7 million in FY 2019 and $28.5 million in FY 2020. The amendment increases from 13 percent […]
Senate Commerce and Labor Committee Continues Work on Communications Legislation
On January 22, the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee met to consider legislation relevant to communications infrastructure. The Committee dealt with legislation that mandates an examination of the current regulatory and statutory processes utilized to identify the location and owners of certain communications infrastructure, as well as the processes for relocating such infrastructure. In addition, […]
VACo-Requested Budget Amendments Introduced
VACo worked with members of the General Assembly to introduce budget amendments that seek to address key priorities of local government. Member budget amendments were released on Thursday, January 18, and will be considered over the coming weeks as the “money committees” prepare to report their respective budgets on February 18. VACo is grateful to […]
Problematic Grievance Bill Will Mandate Change in Local Procedures
VACo opposes HB 1471 (Hugo), which is a refiling of similar bills defeated during the 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 legislative sessions. HB 1471 seeks to make several changes to the local grievance procedures that apply to all localities throughout the Commonwealth. The bill, which also has some provisions regarding local school board grievances, has […]
House Rules Committee Update
On January 19, the House Rules Committee held its first hearing of the 2018 General Assembly Session. Among other bills, the Committee considered a measure to designate October 15, 2018, and in each year forward as General Thaddeus Kosciuszko Day; legislation to revise appointing authorities for the members of the Secure and Resilient Commonwealth Panel; […]
VACo Supports Modernizing the Communications Sales and Use Tax
VACo calls on its County Members to adopt a resolution supporting HB 1051 (Watts), legislation that modernizes the Communications Sales and Use Tax (CSUT) to reflect the present-day telecommunications world. Here’s a template of a resolution counties may use. Please send a copy of your resolutions to Dean Lynch at dlynch@vaco.org. VACo detailed the need […]
Adopt a Resolution to Oppose Harmful Wireless Bills
HB 1258 (Kilgore) and SB 405 (McDougle) substantially limit the ability of local-elected officials to determine how wireless infrastructure is incorporated into their communities, and effectively remove citizen input from decisions on the siting of towers and poles. Action Required – Please adopt a resolution in opposition to HB 1258 and SB 405. Here’s a […]
Oppose Repeal of the Pretrial Services Act
VACo opposes HB 997 (Gilbert), which repeals the Pretrial Services Act established in 1995. The bill is assigned to the House Courts of Justice Committee’s Subcommittee #1. The bill has not appeared on the docket. Action Required – Contact your Delegates to oppose HB 997. TALKING POINTS • Repealing the Pretrial Services Act will cause […]
County taxing authority measures heard in Senate Finance Committee
On January 17, the Senate Finance Committee took up several measures to provide additional taxing authority to counties. SB 115 (Locke), along with the identical SB 527 (Mason), would eliminate the requirement for counties to receive voter approval in a referendum before imposing a meals tax, and would increase the maximum tax rate from 4 […]
Status Update on Juvenile Justice Transformation
Andy Block, Director of the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), spoke before the Senate Finance Public Safety Subcommittee on January 17 about DJJ Transformation and related budget requests. In 2016, the Senate Finance Committee authorized DJJ to maintain and reinvest savings for state treatment programs and alternative placements, close the Beaumont facility, establish a task […]