Recycling and solar equipment tax exemption bill amended to preserve local flexibility
SB 1039 (Vogel) deals with the local option property tax exemption for certified recycling or solar equipment and, as introduced, would provide that if a taxpayer installed qualifying equipment and obtained the appropriate certification within one year of its installation, the tax exemption would apply retroactively to the date of installation and the locality would […]
Mandate to provide postage with absentee ballots heading to conference
HB 220 (Krizek) would require absentee ballots to be sent to voters with postage prepaid and is intended to respond to concerns about college students and other voters having limited access to purchase stamps. With the significant expansion in absentee voting by mail recently authorized by the General Assembly, this requirement could potentially impose significant […]
Bill to cap liens for unpaid water and sewer bills fails
SB 826 (McDougle), which proposes a dollar limit on the lien a locality may place on real estate for unpaid water and sewer bills of tenants or lessees, failed in the House General Laws Committee. Under current law such lien may be “up to three months of delinquent water and sewer charges.” The bill proposed […]
Peer-to-peer vehicle rental bill proceeds to the Governor’s desk
After nearly two months of debates, amendments and hearings, legislation creating a comprehensive framework for peer-to-peer vehicle rentals in the Commonwealth has now passed both the House of Delegates and the Senate and will head to the Governor’s desk. SB 735 (Newman) is an all-inclusive, compromise bill developed and agreed to by all parties involved in […]
Virginia Food Access Investment Fund (VFAIF) inches closer to passage
Legislation establishing the Virginia Food Access Investment Fund (VFAIF) continues to inch closer and closer to passage, as both the House and Senate bills have each cleared their latest hurdles. Delegate Delores McQuinn’s bill passed out of the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday night and rereferred to the Senate Finance and […]
Car tax exemption mandate moving forward after all
The Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee reversed course earlier this week and reported HJ 103 (Helmer), which would mandate a personal property tax exemption for one motor vehicle owned by a veteran with a 100 percent service-connected, permanent, and total disability, and its companion legislation, HB 1268, which places the amendment on the ballot in […]
Perennial school support staff health insurance credit bill advances
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 has advanced to the Senate floor. HB 1513 (McQuinn) originally required school divisions to provide a health insurance credit […]
Important solar siting agreement legislation passes Senate
An important bill introduced by Delegate Keith Hodges relating to siting agreements for solar energy facilities has reported out of the Senate Local Government Committee and will now head to the Senate floor for consideration. HB 1675 (Hodges) requires any applicant seeking to locate a commercial solar energy or storage facility on any census tract […]
House and Senate enhance a local government’s ability to regulate drones
With just over a week remaining in the 2020 legislative session, both the House and Senate have approved legislation that enhances a local government’s ability to regulate the operation of unmanned aerial systems (colloquially referred to as UAS or, more simply, drones) on their own properties. HB 742 (Bulova) incorporated several other bills that were […]
Workers’ compensation employer notification requirement bill advances with amendments
Legislation requiring employers to notify employees who have filed a claim for workers’ compensation within 30 days was reported from the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee unanimously 14-0 with amendments. HB 46 (Carter) stems from a recommendation made by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) as part of its recent report on Virginia’s […]
Bill requiring comp plan modifications for climate change fails to advance
A bill seeking to establish climate change planning requirements for state and local government entities failed to report out of the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday night. HB 672 (Willett) sought to establish a policy to prevent and minimize any actions that contribute to the effects of climate change in the […]
Clean energy project financing bill survives Senate Finance
HB 654 (Guy) authorizes the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME) to sponsor a statewide clean energy financing program. More specifically, this legislation would enable DMME to engage with a private entity in order to develop and administer a statewide Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program. PACE is an innovative financing mechanism that enables […]
Tree preservation legislation passes both chambers, ready for Governor’s signature
Having already passed the House of Delegates once earlier this session, HB 520 (Bulova) successfully advanced in the House a second time this week – this time with amendments tacked on by the Senate. The bill will now head to the Governor’s desk. HB 520 directs the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to convene a stakeholder […]
Revenue fairness bills heading to conference
HB 785 (Watts and Kilgore) and SB 588 (Hanger, and incorporating bills by Senators Favola, Lewis, Mason, and Locke) are working their respective ways toward a conference committee to reconcile the differences between the two bills. HB 785 was heard in the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee last week and conformed to SB 588 as […]
Peer-to-peer vehicle rental bill steers out of House Finance and House Appropriations, reports to full House of Delegates
Legislation seeking to create a comprehensive framework for peer-to-peer vehicle rental platforms has successfully cleared both the House Finance Committee and the House Appropriations Committee and is now set to be considered by the full House. SB 735 (Newman) is an all-inclusive, compromise bill developed and agreed to by all parties involved in and affected […]
Luck likely running out for games of skill
Legislation prohibiting the use of “games of skill” is headed towards passage by both the House and Senate. HB 881 (Bulova) / SB 971 (Howell) specifically define games of skill and add them to the category of illegal gambling prohibited in code. The progress of these bills reflects the will of the General Assembly to […]