Legislation providing flexibility for teacher licensure clears Senate Finance
HB 1776 (Ward) would require the Virginia Board of Education (VBOE) to grant a two-year extension of licenses for teachers and school personnel whose licenses expire on June 21, 2021, in order to provide additional time for individuals to complete the requirements for licensure. This is meant to provide additional flexibility to school personnel as […]
Local government funding mechanism for flood mitigation and protection reports to House floor
Legislation introduced by Senator Adam Ebbin establishing a new funding mechanism for flood mitigation and protection has advanced, reporting out of the House Counties, Cities and Towns Committee, 22-0. SB 1309 (Ebbin) authorizes grants from a local Stormwater Management Fund to be used for flood mitigation and protection measures that are part of a comprehensive […]
VACo supports allowing counties to finance renewable energy and energy efficiency investments through ‘green banks’
HB 1919 (Kory) authorizes local governments to create green banks, an emerging finance mechanism that leverages public funding to attract private capital for investment in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other distributed energy resources. The legislation specifies that a locality may, by ordinance, establish a green bank to promote the investment in “clean energy technologies” […]
Legislation addressing taxation of room rentals by online travel companies moves forward
SB 1398 (Norment) addresses a long-standing issue with the collection of sales and use and lodging taxes on accommodations arranged by an intermediary, such as hotel stays booked through an online travel company. The legislation would require sales and use and transient occupancy taxes to be calculated based on the total charges or the total […]
New elements for local and interjurisdictional emergency operations plans pass Senate, head to the Governor’s desk
Legislation codifying new elements for local and interjurisdictional emergency operations plans has passed the Senate by a vote of 36-3. HB 2085 (Askew) adds a requirement to § 44-146.19(E) of the Code of Virginia, stipulating that a local or interjurisdictional emergency operations plan shall “contain provisions to ensure that the plan is applied equitably and that […]
Bill establishing duties to render aid and report wrongdoing by law enforcement officers fails in Senate Judiciary
Legislation that would have established both a duty to render aid and a duty to report wrongdoing for law enforcement officers has been narrowly defeated, failing to report out of the Senate Judiciary Committee by a vote of 6-9. HB 1948 (Levine) took a multipronged approach to new requirements for law enforcement officers. First, it […]
‘Money Committees’ Release Budgets
The House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee met on February 10 and reported their respective amendments to the Governor’s introduced budget. The Wednesday meeting marked a departure from the traditional “Budget Sunday” unveiling of the committee budgets, which was originally scheduled for February 7, but was delayed until later in the […]
General Assembly transitions to Special Session
The 2021 General Assembly convened in special session on February 10. Governor Ralph Northam issued a proclamation calling for the special session last week as part of a planned effort to extend what would otherwise be a 30-day regular session to the traditional 46-days allotted for the short session in odd-numbered years. To ensure continuity […]
WIP III wastewater bill received favorably by House committee
SB 1354 (Hanger) has been heard for the first time in the House, reporting favorably out of the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday, February 11. SB 1354 is one of a pair of bills that establishes a framework and timeline for wastewater treatment plants to undertake improvement projects to achieve specific […]
SLAF eligibility expansion clears House committee
Legislation proposing expansions of project eligibility for Stormwater Local Assistance Fund (SLAF) projects has cleared its first hurdle in the House, reporting of the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee by a vote of 21-0. SB 1404 (Lewis) proposes two changes to SLAF. First, the bill authorizes SLAF awards for projects related to Chesapeake […]
Carbon Sequestration Workgroup one step closer to reality
Legislation introduced by Senator Lynwood Lewis establishing a Carbon Sequestration Task Force has cleared its first hurdle in the House, reporting out of committee on February 10 by a vote of 17-4. The bill will now head to the House floor, where it will be voted on early next week. SB 1374 (Lewis) directs the […]
Cigarette tax legislation overhauled; regional board participation mandate removed
Legislation that would have mandated county participation in regional cigarette tax boards before the imposition of a cigarette tax has been significantly amended on the Senate floor. As reported from the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, SB 1326 (Hanger) would have mandated that any locality that was not already imposing a cigarette tax on January […]
Legislation reducing the number of required Standards of Learning assessments passes Senate
SB 1401 (Pillion) would reduce the total number and type of required Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments to the minimum required by the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). SOLs are used by the Virginia Department of Education to assess student learning and achievement, as well as factoring largely into the Standards […]
Virginia Voting Rights Act bills pass in chambers of origin
HB 1890 (Price) and SB 1395 (McClellan), which impose state oversight over certain local voting practices, have each passed their respective chambers of origin – HB 1890 by a vote of 55-45 and SB 1395 by a vote of 21-17. The bills provide broad authority to the Attorney General to file a civil action in […]
School board employee striking bill left in committee
Legislation that would have exempted employees of local school boards from the prohibition on striking and from termination of employment for striking did not make it past the deadline for bills to crossover between the House and Senate. HB 1780 (Carter) was left in the House Labor and Commerce Committee without being acted upon. The […]
Property tax exemption legislation amended to limit local revenue impact
HB 2308 (Brewer) amends a Code section that deals with the amount of acreage that may be owned by certain benevolent or charitable associations. As reported by the House General Laws Committee, the bill increases the amount of property that may be owned by an association or post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American […]