More Harmful Freedom of Information Act Bills Introduced
Delegate Rick Morris submitted two measures dealing with FOIA that will affect local governments. HB 2401 (Morris) mandates that minutes be taken in all closed meetings and also provides that audio recordings of all closed meetings be made. The bill is silent as to who can access these notes and recordings and what process can […]
Bill Expands Definition of Agritourism
SB 1491 (Stuart) defines “agritourism activity” to include the rental of a single-family residence for a period of at least one week. This measure, which appears to further reduce local land use regulatory authority, has been referred to the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee. VACo would like to receive feedback from counties on […]
Join us for a VACo Education Event
The #VACoEducation calendar is filling in quickly. Make sure to check out all VACo Education on our newly redesigned website or on the Education & Meetings schedule. The evening of Wednesday, February 1, VACo and Virginia Rural Center will team up to host the Rural Caucus Reception and Dinner. Majority Leader Kirk Cox will be […]
Visit Prince William County and the National Museum of the Marine Corps
The National Museum of the Marine Corps is a lasting tribute to U.S. Marines–past, present, and future. Situated on a 135-acre site adjacent to Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, and under the command of Marine Corps University, the Museum’s soaring design evokes the image of the flag-raisers of Iwo Jima and beckons visitors to this […]
Charter School Constitutional Amendments Introduced
HJ 629 (Bell, R.B.) and SJ 240 (Obenshain) would allow the state Board of Education to establish charter schools, subject to criteria and conditions that the General Assembly would prescribe. Currently this power rests with local school boards. VACo has historically opposed such measures because they would allow a state body to make decisions that […]
Constitutional Amendments of Interest to Localities Introduced
In addition to two measures regarding charter schools (discussed in a separate article), a number of constitutional amendments of interest to localities have been introduced. Prior to being placed before the voters in a statewide referendum, constitutional amendments must pass twice in identical form, once before a House of Delegates election and once afterwards. The […]
Proposed New Mandate on Landfills
HB 1600 (Fariss) requires any active sanitary landfill that receives more than 100,000 tons of solid waste per year and is located within one-half mile of any residence or residentially zoned property to install a landfill gas collection and control system by July 1, 2019. The bill has been referred to the House Agriculture, Chesapeake […]
Freedom of Information Act Omnibus Bills and other FOIA Legislation
The Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council completed its three-year study of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). During the study, every record and open meeting exemption of the act was examined and vetted, resulting in two Omnibus bills submitted by FOIA Council Chair Delegate James LeMunyon. The changes are numerous but the ones […]
Capitol Contact ALERT – Contact your Legislators NOW to oppose BPOL bill
Costly SB 836 in Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday SB 836 (Chase) would require localities to base the Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL) tax on the Virginia taxable income of a business instead of the current law that gives a locality the option to impose the tax upon gross receipts or Virginia taxable income. […]
VACo Weekly Legislative Wrap
For the week ending January 13
VACo opposes bill to curb local authority for the provision of broadband services
A legislative proposal by the Virginia Cable Telecommunications Association (VCTA) would impose an additional set of significant requirements (beyond those currently required by law) and burdensome limitations for a locality or municipal authority to bring broadband to unserved areas, particularly in rural parts of the state. Many VACo members have invested time, resources, and expense […]
Bills establish trade secret status for ‘fracking’ chemicals
By a 4-3 vote, the House General Laws Subcommittee #2 recommended the reporting of HB 1678 (Robinson), a measure that provides “trade secret” status for chemicals that might be used in the process of hydraulic fracturing or fracking. VACo testified against the bill because of it would prevent full disclosure of all chemicals and chemical […]
2017 GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONVENES; Look for Capitol Contact on Tuesdays and Thursdays
The 2017 General Assembly session will span from January 11 to February 25, and legislators will deliberate on many issues critical to local government, including tax, state budget, education funding, pension funding and other public policy matters. VACo will continually provide updates during the session through Capitol Contact. To ensure that you are receiving Capitol […]
Finance Forum sheds light on fiscal outlook for General Assembly Session
By Emily Branch | VACo Intern On January 4, VACo and VML cosponsored the 2017 Finance Forum, which provided insight from speakers with diverse expertise on the fiscal issues pressing localities in light of Governor Terry McAuliffe’s budget proposal and the coming General Assembly Session. Click on name to view video of speaker presentation Betsey […]
February is full of VACo Education and Legislative events
Make sure to check out all VACo Education on our website or on the Education & Meetings webpage. Every year, VACo and Virginia Rural Center host the Rural Caucus Reception and Dinner where rural counties gather to discuss issues and to make connections across the region. Join us at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 1 […]
We’re gearing up! Look for your invitation to join us on FlagPoll!
The General Assembly will start next week, and VACo has been busy preparing for the upcoming session. We invite you to join the legislative process by signing up for FlagPoll. Your invitation will be emailed on Friday, January 6. Signing up is quick and easy. You can even use your Facebook or Google account once […]