Minimum wage legislation conference report
The House and Senate have agreed on the details of legislation to raise the minimum wage for workers in Virginia from the current rate of $7.25 per hour to $9.50 per hour beginning on January 1, 2021. The conference report for HB 395 (Ward)/SB 7 (Saslaw) represents a compromise between the House and Senate, a […]
Redistricting Constitutional amendment and criteria bills pass
After intense debate on the House floor, SJ 18 (Barker), the Constitutional amendment establishing a bipartisan commission to draw district lines, passed by a vote of 54-46 in the waning days of the session. The amendment had already passed the Senate in mid-February by a large margin. House members also considered, but ultimately rejected, a […]
General Assembly green lights marijuana decriminalization
The General Assembly has officially voted to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. After two months of amendments, hearings, and floor debate, Senator Adam Ebbin’s SB 2 finally passed both the Senate and House of Delegates on March 8, and will now be sent to Governor Ralph Northam for consideration. Under current law […]
School support staff health insurance credit bill headed to Governor’s desk
Legislation requiring school divisions to provide a health insurance credit (HIC) of $1.50 per year of service to all retired members of local school divisions (other than teachers) with at least 15 years of credible service will now be acted upon by Governor Ralph Northam. HB 1513 (McQuinn) requires school divisions to provide a health […]
Bill expanding municipal net metering for solar installations is limited to Fairfax County
HB 572 (Keam) and SB 710 (McClellan) as introduced would have allowed any locality to install up to a 5 megawatt (MW) solar, or wind, electric generating facility, and use all the electricity generated to credit any metered accounts of the locality regardless of whether such accounts serve building or facilities “… located at the […]
Preclearance bill fails to emerge from conference committee
HB 761 (VanValkenburg) will not move forward in 2020 after a conference committee failed to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. The bill would have established a state-level preclearance process to replace the federal preclearance that was previously required under the Voting Rights Act. For affected localities (any County or […]
Earned sick leave bill fails to pass
Legislation requiring public and private employers with 15 or more employees to provide employees with earned paid sick time failed to pass the Senate. SB 481 (Favola) would have required that employees accrue a minimum of one hour of earned paid sick time for every 30 hours worked, up to a minimum of 40 hours […]
Local governments granted authority to remove Confederate monuments
Legislation granting local governments the authority to remove, relocate, or alter Confederate monuments owned by the locality has passed the General Assembly and will be signed into law by Governor Ralph Northam. HB 1537 (McQuinn) provides that a locality may remove, relocate, contextualize, or cover any monument or memorial for war veterans located in its […]
General Assembly okays bills granting greater authority to localities for control of firearms
The General Assembly has approved legislation pertaining to expanded control of firearms by local governments. SB 35 (Surovell)/HB 421 (Price) authorizes any locality to adopt an ordinance to prohibit the possession or carrying of firearms, ammunition, or components in: Any building, or part thereof, owned or used by such locality for governmental purposes; In any […]
School Modernization 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 […]
General Assembly approaches scheduled adjournment
Nearly 500 bills and resolutions await final action by the General Assembly as March 7, the scheduled date of adjournment sine die, approaches. The state budget is among the major pieces of legislation still under discussion in a conference committee. If a budget agreement is not reached today, it is likely that adjournment will be […]
Virginia Food Access Investment Fund (VFAIF) ready to be signed into law
As the final days of the 2020 legislative session drawn near, the Virginia Food Access Investment Fund (VFAIF) is that much closer to reality. Senator Jennifer McClellan’s bill, SB 1073, has now passed both the Senate and House of Delegates. It first passed the Senate unanimously on February 5, and it just passed the House of […]
Important solar siting agreement plan bill heads to Governor’s desk
An important bill relating to local governments and siting agreements for solar energy facilities has cleared both the Senate and House of Delegates and will now be sent to Governor Northam. HB 1675 (Hodges) requires any applicant seeking to locate a commercial solar energy or storage facility on any census tract meeting the eligibility requirements for an […]
Postage mandate reverts to Senate approach with reenactment clause
HB 220 (Krizek), as introduced, would require absentee ballots to be sent to voters with postage prepaid. Due to concerns over the potential fiscal impact to localities, the bill was amended in the Senate to include a reenactment clause, so that the bill would need to be revisited next year in order to take effect. […]
Bill expanding terminology for a County’s presiding officer signed by Governor
A bill that broadens the terminology that a County’s presiding officer may use for his/her title has been signed into law by Governor Northam. HB 738 (Reid) specifies that the presiding officer of a board of supervisors shall be called “chairman,” “chairwoman,” “chair,” “chairperson,” or “chair-at-large,” at the presiding officer’s discretion. Prior to this bill’s […]
Clean energy project financing bill survives House and Senate, ready for Governor’s pen
A helpful bill that would enable more localities to embrace unique financing for energy and conservation projects has successfully finished its journey through the General Assembly and will be signed into law by the Governor. HB 654 (Guy) authorizes the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME) to sponsor a statewide clean energy financing program. […]