License Reciprocity Bills for Waterworks Pass the General Assembly
SB 999 (Mason) and its companion bill, HB 1940 (Runion), would allow for waterworks employees licensed in other states to be issued the equivalent license in Virginia. The bills help localities recruit and retain these necessary public works employees as staffing issues continue at the local level. As previously reported, VACo supports the passage of […]
House and Senate Differ on Bill to Create a State Economic Development Acquisition Fund
The Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee significantly altered legislation to create a state acquisition and development fund for economic development for sites of at least 250 acres. HB 1842 (Knight), which creates the Virginia Business Ready Sites Acquisition Fund and Program, was changed into a study directing the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) to convene […]
Modified PFAs Bill Addressing VACo’s Concerns Dies in House Sub
SB 1013 (Edwards), as introduced, would have required a public waterworks owner to notify customers via mailings and newspaper publication when a water quality analysis reveals that PFAS chemicals are present in a water supply or when a PFAS contaminant exceeds maximum contaminant levels. VACo opposed the initial iteration of the bill because of the […]
Freedom of Information Act Bills of Note Advancing and Retreating
HB 1569 (Walker) Virginia Freedom of Information Act; disclosure of personnel records. Clarifies that personnel records excluded from disclosure under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act include those of persons employed by (i) a public body engaged in emergency medical services or fire protection services, (ii) a law-enforcement agency, or (iii) an emergency 911 system or […]
Conflict of Interest Act Bills Advancing and Vanquishing
HB 2122 (Watts) State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act; Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council; training for members of appointed school boards. Adds members of appointed school boards to the list of persons for whom the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council is required to provide certain training sessions. The bill also […]
Fire Services Needs Work Group Bill Advances
On February 17, the Senate Committee on Rules voted unanimously (15-0) to report HB 2175 (Sickles), which directs the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security to establish a work group composed of representatives from the Department of Fire Programs, the Department of Planning and Budget, the Office of Emergency Medical Services, the Virginia Fire […]
Update on Elections Bills
Although a significant number of bills dealing with elections were considered this session, only a handful have met with approval in both chambers. Among the bills that are expected to pass this session are the following: HB 1948 (Bloxom) eliminates the requirement for a witness to sign an absentee ballot’s return envelope. Instead, the voter […]
Workforce Development Reform Bills Advance
HB 2195 (Byron) / SB 1470 (Ruff) would create the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement (the Department) to administer workforce development services and training programs. The bills consolidate various statewide workforce program evaluation and data sharing under the Department and provides protections against improper disclosure of data. The bills also (i) transfer administration of […]
State General Fund Revenues on Track, but Slowdown Still Expected
On February 15, Secretary of Finance Stephen E. Cummings reported to the House Appropriations Committee on January state General Fund revenues, notifying Committee members that revenues are ahead of the December forecast, but highlighting several areas of uncertainty in the months ahead. After adjusting for timing issues for collections and certain policy changes, such as […]
Capitol Contact ALERT! Oppose Bill that May Result in Negative Impacts on Local Water Quality
Bill to be heard on Friday, February 17 – Call Your Senators Now to Oppose HB 2282 (Edmunds), as amended, would allow forest harvesting activities to be exempt from the Virginia Stormwater Management Program even if the land does not intend to be reforested or turned into agricultural use. In effect, these changes in the […]
House and Senate Pass Budgets
The House and Senate passed their respective budget proposals on Thursday, with the House approving its budget by 63-36 and the Senate approving its proposal by 32-8. The deadline for the budget bills to be placed in conference is Wednesday, February 15. Following is an overview of the major elements of both proposed budgets of […]
Teacher Compensation Bill Modified to Become Study
SB 1215 (Lucas), as originally drafted, would require the Commonwealth to compensate its public-school teachers at a rate that is competitive, defined in current law as at or above the national average teacher salary, in order to attract and keep highly qualified teachers. Currently, the Code of Virginia declares it the policy of the Commonwealth to […]
Problematic Bill Creating New Liability for Local Enforcement Action Passes House Subcommittee
After passing the senate by a wide margin, SB 1495 (Surovell) cleared its first hurdle by unanimous vote in the House Courts of Justice Committee’s Subcommittee #2 on February 13. The legislation provides that any person aggrieved by an enforcement action by a locality, where the enforcement action was based upon a willful disregard for […]
Transportation Partnership Opportunity Fund Bills Amended to Address VACo’s Concerns
SB 1106 (Newman) and HB 2302 (Adams, L), as introduced, were similar to budget language in the Governor’s introduced budget regarding the Transportation Partnership Opportunity Fund (TPOF). The introduced bills required the Governor to include in the Budget Bill an appropriation of up to $200 million, limited to $100 million each year, from the Commonwealth […]
Bill Requiring School Divisions to Spend ESSER Funds Goes to the Senate
HB 2269 (Greenhalgh) would require local school divisions to return any unspent or unobligated Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) or Governor Emergency Education Relief Funds (GEER) state set-aside funds exceeding 20 percent of its total awarded allocations, awarded to the local school division by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to VDOE […]
Return to Work Bills Advance
Several items of legislation that seek to incentivize return to work by certain public employees are advancing through the General Assembly. They primarily incentivize retirees in law enforcement or specialized school division positions by reducing the length of the Virginia Retirement System’s required break in service. These bills are intended to help reduce the ongoing […]