Local Government Attorneys of Virginia: Considerations regarding COVID-19 vaccinations for local government employees
NOTICE: The following summary is provided by the Local Government Attorneys of Virginia, Inc. as general guidance. It is not to be considered legal advice. Officials should seek advice and direction from their county, city or town attorney on any specific questions. Issued 2/2/2022. Dear Local Government Attorney Colleagues: The COVID-19 Committee endeavors to assist […]
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SOQ Support Position Bill Survives
As previously reported, legislation seeking to enact prescriptions from the Virginia Board of Education (VBOE) has been reduced in scope to focus on creating staffing ratios in the Standards of Quality (SOQs) for certain K-12 support positions. SB 1257 (McClellan) would require local school divisions to employ or contract to provide at least three specialized […]
Electric school bus legislation stuck in neutral
SB 1380 (Lucas) would authorize Dominion Energy to implement projects to encourage the proliferation of electric school buses and charging infrastructure to reduce the use of traditional diesel school buses and help with electric grid stabilization. This is the second year this legislation has been filed after the previous iteration of this bill was defeated […]
Absentee voting bills advance
Several bills under consideration this session stem from the significant increase in absentee voting in the November 2020 election, which was a result of the General Assembly’s action during the 2020 session to establish 45 days of no-excuse absentee voting. Two omnibus bills, SB 1245 (Deeds) and HB 1888 (VanValkenburg), make permanent several changes to […]
New requirements for community outreach for air, water, and waste permits fail
Legislation that proposed robust new community and environmental justice outreach for certain applications for permits from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) failed to report out of the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee on Thursday, February 18. The result was not unexpected as a similar measure, SB 1373 (McClellan), failed to report […]
Funding mechanism for local flood mitigation and protection passes House
Legislation introduced by Senator Adam Ebbin establishing a new funding mechanism for local governments seeking to embrace flood mitigation and protection projects has finished its journey through the General Assembly, passing the House of Delegates unanimously on February 17. SB 1309 (Ebbin) authorizes grants from a local Stormwater Management Fund to be used for flood […]
Compromise wetland and stream mitigation bank credits bill heads to Senate floor
A compromise bill dealing with wetland and stream mitigation bank credits has passed cleared its first hurdle in the Senate, reporting out of the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee by a unanimous 13-0 vote. HB 1983 (Bulova) is the result of a series virtual workgroup meetings that featured developers, environmental organizations, and local […]
Environmental permit fee study groups bill passes House and Senate
SB 1210 (Petersen), which directs the Director of the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to convene working groups to study annual fee schedules for nonhazardous solid waste management facilities and annual maintenance fees for certain water withdrawal permits, has now passed the House and Senate. As initially introduced, SB 1210 directed the Virginia Waste Management […]
New erosion and sediment control practices for solar projects referred to House Appropriations
Legislation proposing new erosion and sediment control practices for solar projects has reported out of the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee and been rereferred to the House Appropriations Committee. SB 1258 (Marsden) makes changes to § 62.1-44.15:55.1 of the Code of Virginia, which deals with localities and solar projects. Specifically, SB 1258 requires that […]
Carbon Sequestration Workgroup passes the House, returns to the Senate
Legislation introduced by Senator Lynwood Lewis establishing a Carbon Sequestration Task Force has now passed the House and will be sent back to the Senate so two small amendments can be considered. SB 1374 (Lewis) directs the Secretary of Natural Resources, jointly with the Secretary of Agriculture and Consumer Services, to convene a task force […]
Increased fine for littering ready for Governor’s signature
A bill increasing possible fines for dumping or littering has now passed the House and Senate and will be sent to the Governor for consideration. HB 1801 (Edmunds) doubles the current possible minimum fine for dumping or disposing of litter, trash, refuse or other specified items on public property or on private property without permission, […]
School Construction and Maintenance Financing Legislation Encounters Mixed Fortunes
As previously reported, several pieces of legislation seeking to address K-12 school construction and maintenance needs are making their way through the General Assembly. On February 15, SB 1106 (Stanley), which creates the Public School Assistance Fund and Program to be administered by the Department of Education for the purpose of providing grants to school […]
Governor announces mid-session revenue reforecast
On February 15, Governor Ralph Northam notified the chairs of the “money committees” that revenue collections had performed well enough to warrant a mid-session reforecast. General Fund revenues are now expected to increase by $730.2 million over the biennium relative to estimates included in the December introduced budget – $410.1 million in FY 2021 and […]
‘Return to School’ bill modified in House subcommittee
On February 15, SB 1303 (Dunnavant) was heard and modified by the House Education Committee’s SOL and SOQ Subcommittee. As previously reported, the bill that passed the Senate would require that each local school division in the Commonwealth make virtual and in-person learning available to all students by choice of the student’s parent or guardian. […]
SLAF expansion ready for Governor’s signature
Having now passed the House and Senate, a helpful bill proposing expansions of project eligibility for Stormwater Local Assistance Fund (SLAF) projects is ready to be sent to Governor Ralph Northam for signing. As previously reported in Capitol Contact, SB 1404 (Lewis) proposes two changes to SLAF. First, the bill authorizes SLAF awards for projects […]