Legislation to assist in Marcus Alert implementation moves forward
SB 1302 (McPike) would provide additional funding for the crisis call center that will support implementation of last year’s Marcus Alert legislation and designate the call center as the 9-8-8 Crisis Hotline Center for purposes of participating in the national suicide prevention network. In July 2020, the Federal Communications Commission designated 988 as the new […]
A flurry of procurement bills
HB 2001 (Helmer) would require localities to design certain buildings and renovations with Virginia Energy Conservation and Environmental Standards to include charging stations and tracking of energy efficiency and carbon emissions. The bill applies to new buildings in excess of 5,000 square feet or any building renovated that would increase the value of the building […]
Expansion of Stormwater Local Assistance Fund (SLAF) eligibility passes Senate committee
SB 1404 (Lewis) proposes a slight expansion of project eligibility for Stormwater Local Assistance Fund (SLAF) projects. Specifically, the bill authorizes SLAF awarded for projects related to Chesapeake Bay total maximum daily load (TMDL) requirements to consider total phosphorus reductions or total nitrogen reductions. Additionally, SB 1404 authorizes grants awarded for eligible projects in localities […]
Bill establishing Carbon Sequestration Task Force reports out of committee
Legislation seeking to establish a Carbon Sequestration Task Force has reported favorably out of committee and will now be heard by the full Senate. SB 1374 (Lewis) directs the Secretary of Natural Resources, jointly with the Secretary of Agriculture and Consumer Services, to convene a task force for the purpose of studying carbon sequestration in […]
Senate set to vote on new erosion and sediment control practices for solar projects
New erosion and sediment control practices for solar projects are set to be voted on by the Senate this week. 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 the State Water Control Board administer a Virginia Erosion and Sediment […]
State Parks funding bill unanimously passes House, referred to Senate committee
Legislation introduced by Delegate Bobby Orrock that seeks to address funding issues for Virginia’s state parks unanimously passed the House of Delegates and will now be heard by the Senate. 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 […]
Increased fine for littering passes House
A bill increasing possible fines for dumping or littering has passed the House of Delegates. 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, raising the fine from $250 to $500. Initially the bill […]
Capitol Contact ALERT – Cigarette Taxing Authority Being Compromised: Call Senators to Oppose
SB 1326 (Hanger) requires that any locality that was not already imposing a cigarette tax on January 1, 2021, must be a member of a regional cigarette tax board in order to impose the tax. A regional cigarette tax board is defined in the bill as encompassing at least 10 member localities. The bill was […]
VACo Members – Encourage Your House of Delegates Members to Pass Helpful Public Notice Bill
VACo supports HB 2114 (Ransone), which provides that in any instance in which a locality has submitted a timely notice of public hearing to a newspaper published or having general circulation in the locality and the newspaper fails to publish the notice, such locality shall be deemed to have met certain notice requirements so long […]
Bills eroding governmental immunity defeated in House and Senate
Two bills that sought to erode longstanding principles of governmental immunity – HB 2045 (Bourne) and SB 1440 (Surovell) – have been defeated. VACo previously wrote about these bills in the 2021 Legislative Bulletin as well as a January 29 Capitol Contact Alert. HB 2045 (Bourne) was heard by the House Courts of Justice Committee’s […]
School construction and maintenance financing legislation overview
Many localities continue to face significant challenges raising local funding necessary to undertake school construction and renovation projects. Numerous factors impact the educational achievement of K-12 students, including the state of the facilities in which they are taught. Concern over the physical condition of schools in Virginia is not a recent development and several bills […]
Compromise wetland and stream mitigation bank credits bill passes House
A compromise bill dealing with wetland and stream mitigation bank credits has passed the House of Delegates and will now be taken up in the Senate. HB 1983 (Bulova) is the result of a series virtual workgroup meetings that featured developers, environmental organizations, and local governments. The bill proposes that when a water protection permit […]
Bill placing 60-day limit on Planning Commission review fails
A bill, which would have mandated that any application for a rezoning, special use permit or special exception must be acted upon by a local planning commission within 60 days of official submission, was passed-by-indefinitely in the Senate Local Government Committee on January 25. SB 1249 (Stuart) also included problematic language that would have been […]
Troubling environmental permit fee bill amended in Committee
Concerning and potentially very expensive legislation dealing with environmental permit fees has been favorably amended in Committee. As introduced, SB 1210 (Petersen) directed the Virginia Waste Management Board to adopt regulations to collect from any person operating certain facilities permitted for the disposal, storage, or treatment of nonhazardous solid waste such annual fees as are […]
Path forward found for broadband mapping bill
On February 1, the House Communications, Technology, and Innovation Committee considered HB 2214 (O’Quinn), which would require the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) in coordination with the Commonwealth Broadband Chief Advisor to develop and maintain a map of statewide broadband availability, showing locations served and unserved by providers of fixed or mobile […]
Body-worn cameras system fund passes Senate unanimously
A bill, which seeks to create a non-reverting fund to assist law enforcement with the deployment of body-worn cameras, has passed the Senate and will now be referred to the House. SB 1119 (Reeves) creates the “Body-Worn Camera System Fund,” which will provide funding to state and local law enforcement to assist with the costs […]