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HomeMy WebLinkAboutGeneral Assembly Update Council Presentation 01232024Brent McKenzie, Legislative Affairs Liaison January 23, 2024 General Assembly Legislative Update 2 2024 General Assembly Update Today’s update: •Reminder: Registration for Local Government Day closes on January 25 •Budget Update •Status of Legislative Agenda items •Legislation of interest •Legislation from the Virginia Beach Delegation •Bill position requests Goal of today’s presentation is to provide an update on the General Assembly session and to ascertain the Council’s position on key bills coming up for a vote. 3 Status of Legislative Agenda items Budget requests Patron HB 30 SB 30 5/31 Memorial Senator Rouse Delegate Convirs-Fowler •$2.0 million GF the first year to support construction of the 5/31 Memorial •$2.0 million GF each year to support the building of the 5/31 Memorial Stormwater Operations Center Delegate Feggans & Delegate Convirs-Fowler •$15.0 million GF the first year to build a Flood Protection Control Center n/a Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center Renovation/Expansion Senator DeSteph; co-patrons Craig, Jordan, Rouse n/a •$20 million ($10.0 million each year) GF to support the Aquarium renovation and expansion •Governor’s introduced budget = $177,073,004,088 •Amendments to HB 30 = $27,185,001,037 increase •Amendments to SB 30 = $27,577,680,177 increase 4 Budget amendments of interest Budget requests Patron HB 30 SB 30 (Dept of Health) Annual cancer screenings for public employee responders to the 2012 Virginia Beach Navy Jet Crash Rouse •$350,000 GF each year to the City of Virginia Beach to provide an annual cancer screening for public employees who responded to the 2012 Navy Jet Crash who may have been exposed to toxic materials (Va Tourism Authority) Development of a Hampton Roads African American Heritage travel guide Askew •$100,000 GF the first year for the city of Virginia Beach to develop a Hampton Roads African American Heritage travel guide (Dept of Transportation) Birthplace of America Trail Batten •$20 million GF the first year to support the completion of the South Hampton Roads Trail and the Birthplace of America Trail both of which are in Hampton Roads Virginia Military Community Infrastructure Grant Program Tata •$7.5 million in each year to fund the Virginia Military Community Infrastructure Grant Program 5 Status of Legislative Agenda items Charter Amendments Bill & Patron Status Adopt the ten single-member district system used in the 2022 elections and adopted by the City Council in its decennial redistricting ordinance HB 416 Convirs-Fowler SB 189 Rouse •HB 416 passed Counties Cities & Towns 12-9 •SB 189 passed the Senate unanimously Increase the membership of the City of Virginia Beach Board of Equalization from four members to five members and add an alternate HB 415 Convirs-Fowler SB 262 Craig •HB 415 passed Counties Cities & Towns unanimously •SB 262 passed the Senate unanimously 6 Status of Legislative Agenda items Code Amendments Bill & Patron Status Reflect Election System Adopted by Council HB 409 Askew SB 188 Rouse •HB 409 referred to P&E Committee (meets Friday mornings) •SB 188 passed Senate unanimously Emergency Response Toxic Exposure Grant Fund and Program; (Formerly known as the "Good Friday” First Responders Fund) HB 133 Convirs-Fowler SB 650 Rouse •HB 133 reported out of the General Laws Subcommittee #1 8-0 and was rereferred to the Committee on Appropriations •SB 650 referred to Rules committee Photo Speed Monitoring Devices on Local Highways 3 versions of this legislation have been introduced by members in other parts of the Commonwealth •Referred to Committee on Transportation Photo Speed Monitoring and Failure of Recipient to Respond HB 1032 Bloxom •Referred to Committee on Transportation Opioid and Fentanyl Awareness Education HB 134 Convirs-Fowler •Reported out of the House Education - K-12 Subcommittee unanimously and rereferred to the Rules Committee Local Taxing Authority for Vaping and E-Cigarette Products HB 1036 Bloxom •Referred to Committee on Finance Establish the Virginia Creative Economy Grant Fund and Program HB 642 Glass •Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce Obstruction of Right-of-Way Violations HB 235 Tata •Referred to Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns Re-Establish the Virginia Minority Business Commission HB 374 Feggans •Referred to Committee on Rules Violation of a Short-Term Rental Ordinance HB 1034 Bloxom •Referred to Committee on General Laws 7 Legislation of interest Va Beach Delegation Bill title Summary Delegate Tata Senator DeSteph HB 101/SB 180 Alcoholic beverage control; annual mixed beverage performing arts facility licenses. •Allows Virginia ABC to issue annual mixed beverage performing arts facility licenses to persons operating food concessions at any performing arts amphitheater, arena, or similar facility that has a total capacity in excess of 3,000 patrons and is located in the City of Virginia Beach. Delegate Knight HB 1054 Vegetative growth on certain property; maintenance. •Provides that a locality may require the owner of property that (i) was formerly used as a golf course and (ii) abuts an area zoned for residential purposes to maintain the vegetative growth on the former golf course property in a manner that (a) prevents such property from becoming a detriment to the health, safety, or welfare (b) does not change the character of the former golf course property so as to be incompatible with the surrounding residential area. •The bill further provides that whenever the locality deems it necessary, after reasonable notice as determined by the locality, the locality may have its agents or employees cut or maintain the vegetative growth, in which event the cost and expenses thereof shall be chargeable to and paid by the owner of such property and may be collected by the locality as taxes are collected. Delegate Knight HB 1053 Abandoned watercraft; destruction and disposal by localities and state agencies. •Allows localities and state agencies to apply,under certain conditions, to the Department of Wildlife Resources for an authorization to destroy and dispose of an abandoned watercraft. 8 Legislation of interest Va Beach Delegation Bill title Summary Senator Craig SB 171 Zoning; enhanced civil penalties for violations involving nonpermitted commercial uses. •Allows enhanced civil penalties for zoning violations involving nonpermitted commercial uses. •The bill also requires that for any violation involving nonpermitted commercial uses, a person who admits liability shall be required to abate or remedy the nonpermitted commercial use violation within a period of time specified by the locality that is no less than 30 days but no more than 24 months from the date of admission of liability. Delegate Convirs-Fowler HB 1386 Firearms; workplace rules of localities. •Requires that any workplace rules of a locality relating to the control of firearms be consistent with related local ordinances and other rules that apply to members of the general public. Senator DeSteph SB 268 Marine Resources Commission; permits, public notice. •Requires the Commissioner of Marine Resources to ensure that for any project under consideration for a Commission issued permit the Commission sends public notice electronically to any business, residence, or civic organization that has requested to be added to the Commission's public notice email list. Senator DeSteph SB 275 Marine Resources Commission; certain permits in the Lynnhaven River and its tributaries prohibited. •Prohibits the Marine Resources Commission from issuing any permit for any floating oyster cage in a water column, rack-and-bag, or other similar apparatus for oyster aquaculture in the Lynnhaven River or its tributaries. 9 Legislation recommended for support Economic Development Summary SB 135 Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority; eligible site for site development grant. •Reduces from 100 acres to 50 acres the minimum number of contiguous acres required for a site that is not a brownfield to satisfy the acreage requirement to be considered eligible to receive a site development grant from the Virginia Business Ready Sites Program Fund by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority. •The bill also exempts from the minimum acreage requirement any site that exists in a locality that has three or fewer eligible sites that are at least 100 acres. SB 343 – Senator Rouse Military centered community zones; local designation •Allows localities to establish, by ordinance, one or more military centered community zones, defined in the bill as a community that has a significant presence of military personnel living or working in the designated area and where such presence drives, or has the potential to drive, significant economic activity. The bill provides that a locality, or another political subdivision acting on behalf of the locality, may offer unique benefits to businesses looking to locate within a zone for the purpose of serving the needs of the military personnel, including reduction of certain fees and taxes. •In addition, the bill provides that local governing bodies are authorized to enter into agreements for the payment of economic development incentive grants to such businesses. The bill also allows a governing body to provide for certain regulatory flexibility and incentives and provides that the establishment of a military centered community zone shall not preclude the area from also being designated as an enterprise zone or from receiving support under the Virginia Military Community Infrastructure Grant Program. SB 496 Virginia Growth and Opportunity Act; Virginia investment performance grants. •Reduces the local funding match requirement for GO Virginia grants from being equal to the grant amount to being at least equal to half of the grant amount. The bill also allows payouts for the Virginia investment performance grant and the Virginia economic development incentive grant programs to begin in the first year after reaching performance targets. •Under current law, payouts for such grant programs generally cannot begin until the third year after projects achieve their performance targets. The bill also requires projects seeking grants from the Virginia investment performance grant program to pay at least the prevailing average wage if job creation is included in a grant award determination. 10 Legislation recommended for support Va Beach Delegation Bill & title Summary Delegate Tata Senator DeSteph HB 101/SB 180 Alcoholic beverage control; annual mixed beverage performing arts facility licenses. •Allows Virginia ABC to issue annual mixed beverage performing arts facility licenses to persons operating food concessions at any performing arts amphitheater, arena, or similar facility that has a total capacity in excess of 3,000 patrons and is located in the City of Virginia Beach. Delegate Knight HB 1053 Abandoned watercraft; destruction and disposal by localities and state agencies. •Allows localities and state agencies to apply,under certain conditions, to the Department of Wildlife Resources for an authorization to destroy and dispose of an abandoned watercraft. Delegate Knight HB 1054 Vegetative growth on certain property; maintenance. •Provides that a locality may require the owner of property that (i) was formerly used as a golf course and (ii) abuts an area zoned for residential purposes to maintain the vegetative growth on the former golf course property in a manner that (a) prevents such property from becoming a detriment to the health, safety, or welfare (b) does not change the character of the former golf course property so as to be incompatible with the surrounding residential area. •The bill further provides that whenever the locality deems it necessary, after reasonable notice as determined by the locality, the locality may have its agents or employees cut or maintain the vegetative growth, in which event the cost and expenses thereof shall be chargeable to and paid by the owner of such property and may be collected by the locality as taxes are collected. 11 Legislation recommended for opposition Land Use Summary SB 304 Zoning; development and use of accessory dwelling units •Requires a locality to include in its zoning ordinances for residential zoning districts accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, as defined in the bill, as a permitted accessory use. The bill requires a person to seek a permit for an ADU from the locality, requires the locality to issue such permit if the person meets certain requirements enumerated in the bill, and restricts the fee for such permit to $100 or less. The bill prohibits the locality from requiring (i) dedicated parking for the ADU; (ii) lot sizes or setbacks for the ADU greater than that of the primary dwelling; (iii) consanguinity or affinity between the occupants of the ADU and the primary dwelling; (iv) owner occupancy of the ADU or the primary dwelling; and (v) redundant water, sewer, or septic capacity for the ADU. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2025. 12 Discussion