General Assembly Adopts Budget Compromise
Legislators approved a set of revisions to the biennium budget on Saturday evening, agreeing to the budget compromise by a vote of 29-10 in the Senate and 67-32 in the House. A key element of budget negotiations was the tax treatment of business expenses that were funded with federal Paycheck Protection Program loans that were […]
General Assembly votes to legalize marijuana
After months of debate and over a year of preliminary study and analysis, the General Assembly has voted to legalize marijuana in the Commonwealth. HB 2312 (Herring) and SB 1406 (Ebbin) passed the House of Delegates and Senate late on Saturday, February 27, paving the way for the legalization and subsequent commercialization of marijuana throughout […]
Conference report agreed to on COVID-19 workers’ compensation presumption legislation
The House and Senate adopted recommendations from two committees of conference on legislation that would establish COVID-19 as a presumptive illness. As previously reported, SB 1375 (Saslaw) and HB 2207 (Jones) would establish a presumption that COVID-19 causing the death or disability of firefighters, EMS personnel, law-enforcement officers, and correctional officers and regional jail officers […]
Bill to incentivize procurement of electric school buses runs out of fuel
In the waning moments of the 2021 special legislative session, attempts to authorize Dominion Energy to implement an ambitious capital project to replace existing K-12 diesel buses with electrically powered vehicles failed. This is the second year in a row such legislation was defeated by the House of Delegates. Building on the 2019 launch of […]
Regulation regarding state intervention in local departments of social services open for public comment
The State Board of Social Services is considering a proposed regulation that would authorize the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Social Services to intervene in situations where a local department is failing to provide public assistance or social services. Current Code allows the Board to authorize the Commissioner to step in and provide for […]
Opioid Abatement Authority bills pass House and Senate
HB 2322 (Herring) and SB 1469 (Barker) have passed both houses and are expected to be signed into law by the Governor. This legislation creates a new body called the Opioid Abatement Authority as a means of receiving, approving and disbursing funds that are forthcoming as a result of potential opioid litigation settlements involving Virginia […]
Capitol Contact ALERT! COVID-19 Workers’ Compensation Presumption Bills in Conference – Call Conferees to Support Prospective Version of the Bill
SB 1375 (Saslaw) as passed by the Senate, establishes a presumption that COVID-19, causing the death or disability of firefighters, EMS personnel, law-enforcement officers, and correctional officers, is an occupational disease compensable under the Workers’ Compensation Act. The Senate language stipulates a prospective presumption effective July 1, 2021. The House passed substitute language for the […]
Children’s Services Act legislation heads to the Governor
Several bills were introduced during the 2021 session to implement recommendations from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) report on the Children’s Services Act (CSA), which was released in November 2020. The successful legislation this session addressed private day placements and the relationship between the Office of Children’s Services (OCS) and local CSA […]
License plate reader study bill sent back to committee, effectively dead for the year
SB 1198 (Petersen), a bill creating a workgroup to study the use of license plate readers by law enforcement agencies, has been sent back to committee after several days of waiting for a vote on the full House floor. As reported in the previous edition of Capitol Contact, this legislation originally sought to prohibit law-enforcement […]
Outdoor refreshment area bills sent to conference
Two bills authorizing localities to create outdoor refreshment areas have been sent to conference after the House and Senate failed to reach a consensus on the measures. HB 2266 (Ayala) and SB 1472 (Dunnavant) would form a framework that would allow localities to establish up to three outdoor refreshment areas, or areas where people can […]
‘True Cost’ of education study resolution aces tests in committee
SJ 294 (Lewis) would require the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to study the true cost of education in the Commonwealth and provide an accurate assessment of the costs to implement the Standards of Quality (SOQs). As VACo has previously reported, the SOQs prescribed by the Virginia Board of Education (VBOE) and enacted […]
Please Contact Legislators to Support Key County Priorities in Budget Conference
The House and Senate budgets have been placed in a conference committee to resolve differences between the two proposals in advance of the session’s scheduled completion of legislative business on February 27. Both proposals contain items of importance to county government; a short list of priority items is provided below. VACo encourages members to contact […]
Update on social services legislation
Bills addressing a variety of aspects of social services, from foster care to public benefits, have been considered this session. Several bills of interest to local governments are discussed below. HB 1820 (Helmer) makes modifications to benefits programs that are administered by local departments of social services. The bill makes post-secondary education a qualifying work […]
License plate reader bill converted to a study, awaits fate on House floor
Legislation that initially sought to prohibit law-enforcement and regulatory agencies from using license plate readers to collect and maintain personal information on individuals without a warrant has been converted to a study bill and currently awaits a final vote in the House of Delegates. SB 1198 (Petersen) was substantially amended by the House Public Safety […]
Paid sick leave bill narrowed in scope
HB 2137 (Guzman) as originally written would have required employers of certain essential workers, including local governments, to allow these employees to accrue up to 40 hours of paid sick leave to respond to individual health conditions or care for a family member. The types of local employees originally covered under the bill included law-enforcement, […]
Compromise wetland and stream mitigation bank credits bill passes Senate, ready for Governor’s signature
HB 1983 (Bulova), a compromise bill dealing with wetland and stream mitigation bank credits, has successfully completed its journey through the General Assembly and will now be sent to the Governor. HB 1983 is the result of a series virtual work group meetings that featured developers, environmental organizations, and local governments. The bill proposes that […]