Update on Constitutional Amendments
After reviewing proposals on topics ranging from the expansion of real property tax exemptions to authorizing a two-term Governor, the General Assembly has selected two Constitutional amendments to advance to the next step of the process. Members of the subcommittee of House Privileges and Elections that reviewed Constitutional amendments before crossover aimed to limit the […]
Carbon sequestration work group ready to be signed into law
Legislation introduced by Senator Lynwood Lewis establishing a Carbon Sequestration Task Force has now passed the House and Senate and will be sent to Governor Ralph Northam for review and eventual signing. SB 1374 (Lewis) directs the Secretary of Natural Resources, jointly with the Secretary of Agriculture and Consumer Services, to convene a task force […]
‘Return to School’ bill further modified in committee; graduates to House Floor
On February 22, SB 1303 (Dunnavant) was heard and further modified by the House Education Committee. As previously reported, the bill was modified with substitute language developed with the patron by the Chair of the House Education Committee’s SOL and SOQ Subcommittee that would require local school boards to offer either fully in-person instruction or […]
State Parks funding bill ready to be signed by Governor
Legislation introduced by Delegate Bobby Orrock that seeks to address funding issues for Virginia’s state parks unanimously passed the Senate on February 19. HB 1804 (Orrock) requires the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to develop recommendations for one or more dedicated, stable sources of funding for the state parks system. DCR shall convene […]
‘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 […]
Visit Grayson County and the historic log cabins at Grayson Highlands State Park
The park is open daily from 8 a.m. – 10 p.m. The park office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. The Visitor Center and Country Store are closed for the season. Be sure to plan in advance for your trip: click here. The Backpackers Lot is open for overnight parking, but reservations […]
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 […]
2nd Step on the Pathway to Recovery®
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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 […]