The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About2024 GENERAL ASSEMBLY UPDATEBrent McKenzie, Legislative Affairs Liaison February 20, 2024 General Assembly Legislative Update 2 2024 General Assembly Update Today’s update: •Status of Legislative Agenda items •Status of legislation to support & oppose •Appropriations Committees Budget reports Goal of today’s presentation is to provide a brief update on the General Assembly session. 3 Status of Legislative Agenda items Bill Status HB 416 10-1 Charter Passed the House 75-24-1 SB 189 10-1 Charter Crossed over to the House and passed House CCT 16-5 SB 262 Board of Equalization Passed Senate 40-0 HB 415 Board of Equalization Passed the House 100-0 4 Status of Legislative Agenda items Bill Status HB 409 10-1 General Law Failed to pass in House P & E (11-11) SB 188 10-1 General Law Passed Senate 40-0 HB 133 Toxic Exposure Fund Amended version passed House 98-0 The Committee removed funding request and moved forward with the workgroup to put together guidelines. Will come back for funding next year after there is a better understanding of the full scope. SB 650 Toxic Exposure Fund Senate made same amendment that the House did and it passed the Senate 40-0 SB 336 Speed Cameras Passed the Senate 22-18 and now will head to the House. HB 1032 Mailing tickets for speed cameras Failed to report out of Committee 5 Status of Legislative Agenda items Bill Status HB 134 Fentanyl Education Passed House 99-0 HB 1036 Local authority to tax vaping products Was struck by the patron. Issues arose on how to implement the tax. There is legislation that would require vaping products retailers to register with the Commonwealth. The thought is that once that is codified, there may be an option to do a local tax. HB 642 Creative Economy Grant Fund Left in Appropriations HB 235 Right-of-way violations Failed to report 5-3 in the Counties, Cities, and Towns Committee HB 1034 STR enforcement Failed to pass in General Laws Committee HB 374 Minority Business Council Passed House 99-0 6 Update on legislation Council authorized support Bill Summary Status SB 135 Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority; •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. •Passed Senate 38-0 SB 343 and HB 619 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. •SB 343 passed Senate 40-0 and crossed over to the House where it passed CCT 12-1 •HB 619 passed 94-2 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. •Passed Senate 40-0 7 Update on legislation Council authorized support Bill Summary Status 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. •SB 180 passed Senate 40-0 •House passed a Commonwealth- wide version 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. •Passed House 99-0 and crossed over to the Senate where it passed Senate Ag Committee 12- 0 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. •Passed House 75-23 8 Update on legislation Council authorized opposition Bill Summary Status 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. •Passed Senate 22- 18 HB636/SB 567 Siting of energy facilities; •Establishes a procedure under which an electric utility or independent power provider (applicant) is able to obtain approval for a certificate from the State Corporation Commission for the siting of an energy facility rather than from the governing body of a locality. •Failed to pass in Committee SB 233 Faith in Housing for the Commonwealth •Permits a religious organization to construct affordable housing on real estate owned by that religious organization •Supersedes a locality’s authority •Continued to 2025 HB 1328 Transient occupancy taxes; administration. •Centralizes the collection of the transient occupancy tax with the Commonwealth rather than locally •Failed to pass in Committee SB 544 Short-term rental property; locality's ability to prohibit use of accessory dwelling unit •Prohibits a locality from barring the use of or requiring that a special exception, special use, or conditional use permit be obtained for the use of an accessory dwelling unit for a short-term rental in an area zoned for residential use where the primary dwelling unit on the site is occupied by the property owner. •Passed Senate 25- 15 9 House Budget report •Eliminated majority of Governor’s tax package •Retained the Governor’s proposal to expand the sales tax to the “new economy” •Increases education funding by $1 billion •Increases average teacher salary above the national average; 3.38% raise in each year of the biennium (localities must provide 2% raise to access funds) •$418 million in funding for childcare/pre-K initiatives •3% salary increase for state employees and state supported local employees in each year •$37.5 million increase for the Virginia Housing Trust Fund (Bringing total funding to $187 million) •$5.0 million each to three new programs to help address housing needs: •Down-payment assistance for low-income families •Purchase of manufactured home parks by tenants or non-profit •Incentives for localities adopting favorable zoning practices •Provides $100 million for Community Flood Preparedness Fund •Directs Secretary of Public Safety to assess funding adequacy and state-level organizational support for local fire and EMS programs 10 Senate Budget report •Eliminated majority of Governor’s tax package •Retained the Governor’s proposal to expand the sales tax to the “new economy” •Increases education funding by $1.6 billion •Increases average teacher salary by 3% in each year of the biennium •$400.6 million to fully remove the cap on support positions •$200 million to backfill funds lost due to the elimination of the grocery tax •Up to $300 million available for school construction •$138.0 million in the Water Quality Improvement Fund and $155.0 million for flood resilience •2.5% pay increase each year of the biennium for state employees •$92 million in toll relief for the Downtown and Midtown tunnels •14 free toll trips a week to those making less than $50,000 a year •Forgives unpaid toll charges for all drivers •Provides free E-Z Pass toll transponders 11 Discussion