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GENERAL ASSEMBLY UPDATE 01.21.20252025 General Assembly Week 2 update Brent McKenzie, Legislative Affairs Director 2 2025 General Assembly Update Today’s update: •Status of Legislative Agenda items •Legislation of interest •Budget amendments •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 Code Amendments Bill & Patron Status “Good Friday” First Responders Fund HB 2494 Delegate Askew SB 972 Senator Rouse SB 972 Reported from General Laws and Technology and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) ABC Store Larcenies HB 1925 Delegate Ward SB 1297 Senator Craig HB 1925 to be heard in Committee Tuesday afternoon SB 1297 Referred to Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services Increase the Fire Programs Fund HB 2069 Delegate Garrett Assigned L & C sub: Subcommittee #1 Property Title Report in Eminent Domain Proceedings HB 1690 Delegate Convirs-Fowler Reported from the Civil Subcommittee 7-1 and from the Courts of Justice Full Committee 22-1; Will be on the House floor for a full vote this week Obstruction of Right-of-Way Violations HB 1966 Delegate Tata Failed to pass the Counties, Cities, and Towns Subcommittee #3 by a 5-3 vote Short-Term Rental Delisting HB 1688 Delegate Convirs-Fowler Likely to be heard in Counties, Cities, and Towns Subcommittee on Friday Zero Waste Awareness Week HJ 446 Delegate Feggans Committee Referral Pending 4 Legislation of interest Legislation of Interest Bill and Patron Update Mass Violence Care Fund established HB1711 Delegate David Bulova City supports this legislation Reported from Courts of Justice with amendment(s) and referred to Appropriations (12-Y 10-N) Telework by local government employees HB2127 Delegate Paul Milde City opposed this legislation Defeated in Subcommittee 5-3 Charter; City of Virginia Beach. Amends the charter for the City of Virginia Beach to reflect the City's transition to a city council consisting solely of single-member districts and the mayor. HB1687 Delegate Kelly Convirs-Fowler Subcommittee recommended reporting (5-Y 3-N) Zoning; by-right multifamily development in areas zoned for commercial use SB 839 Senator VanValkenburg City opposed this legislation Failed to report (defeated) in Local Government (5-Y 7-N 3-A) Statewide housing targets; requires localities to increase their total housing stock SB 975 VanValkenburg City opposed this legislation Failed to report (defeated) in Local Government (4-Y 8-N 3-A) Real property tax exemption; surviving spouses of members of the armed forces who died in the line of duty. Clarifies that the exemption is available when such deaths were the result of suicide. HB 1868 Delegate Feggans Subcommittee recommends reporting (8-Y 0-N) Sales and use tax, local; additional tax authorized in all counties and cities to support schools SB 1307 Senator McPike City supports this legislation Passed Senate 27-13 5 Legislative Agenda budget items Budget amendments Patron Language Workforce Development Delegate Bloxom Senator Rouse This amendment provides $500,000 for the Hampton Roads Workforce Council to launch the Regional Healthcare Talent Pipeline program Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center Renovation/Expansion Senator DeSteph This amendment provides $10.0 million GF the first year to the City of Virginia Beach to support the renovation and expansion of the Virginia Aquarium Stormwater Local Assistance Fund Delegate Bulova This amendment provides $50.0 million gf for the Stormwater Local Assistance Fund Workforce Development Delegate Feggans This amendment provides $1.0 million to the Department of Energy to establish the Offshore Wind Industry Workforce Program Economic Development Delegate Price Senator Locke This amendment provides $5.0 million for the Department of Housing and Community Development to award economic development grants in designated Military Community Zones 6 Budget amendments of interest Patron Budget amendments language Delegate Askew $3,000,000 the second year from the general fund is provided to the City of Virginia Beach to support the Virginia African American Cultural Center Delegate Askew Senator Rouse $500,000 provided to the Emergency Response Exposure Grant Fund to initiate a pilot program with the City of Virginia Beach and provide grants to other eligible localities consistent with the provisions of §9.1-600,Code of Virginia Delegate Knight $18,970,000 provided to raise and make upgrades to Pungo Ferry Road in Virginia Beach to address frequent flooding issues on the road Senator DeSteph $10,000,000 provided to the City of Virginia Beach for water and wastewater infrastructure projects $1,000,000 provided to the City of Virginia Beach for the construction, maintenance, and improvement of bike trails. $5.0 million from the general fund for City of Virginia Beach information technology systems modernization Delegate Askew Delegate Feggans $75,000 provided to the City of Virginia Beach to replace or rehabilitate basketball courts and for programming at College Day Park. $200,000 to Virginia Beach to develop a multipurpose sports court, suitable for basketball, volleyball, and pickleball, for residents of the Hallow by Samaritan House Delegate Tata $2,500,000 from the general fund each year to support the Virginia Military Community Infrastructure Grant Program. The program provides matching grants to military communities competing for Department of Defense grants in support of military infrastructure related projects Delegate McQuinn $3,000,000 the second year from the general fund is provided to support payment for cancer screening for full-time firefighters employed by local governments Delegate Hernandez This amendment provides $50.0 million from the general fund in fiscal year 2026 to continue support for the City of Norfolk's Coastal Storm Risk Management Project 7 Legislation recommended for support Bill & Patron Summary HB 2153 SB 1178 Faith and housing; comprehensive plan; zoning; Department of Housing and Community Development.Grants authority to localities to adopt a variety of strategies intended to encourage and facilitate the development of affordable housing on property owned by religious organizations or tax-exempt nonprofit organizations. The bill allows localities to request administrative support from the Department of Housing and Community Development in the preparation of a faith and housing ordinance. HB 2029 Real property tax; exemption for elderly and disabled individuals.Revises various provisions of the local real property tax exemption and deferral program for elderly and disabled individuals. The bill allows a locality to require that an individual (i) pay all delinquent taxes, penalties, and interest assessed by the locality and incurred prior to becoming eligible for an exemption or deferral, (ii) enter into an installment agreement with the locality for the payment of all such delinquent amounts in installments over a period that is reasonable under the circumstances, but that in no event shall exceed 72 months, (iii) enter into an agreement to settle and pay for less than the full amount of delinquent taxes, penalties, and interest, or (iv) a combination thereof. Additionally, the bill provides that the treasurer of any county, city, or town may include notice of the terms and conditions of the exemption and deferral program in any notice of change in assessment and shall post such information on the locality's website. Finally, the bill allows a locality to provide a prorated exemption or deferral for the portion of the taxable year during which the taxpayer would have qualified for such exemption or deferral but had not yet filed an application. 8 Legislation recommended for opposition Bill Summary SB 974 Subdivision ordinance; plan review by designated agent. Removes planning commission and governing body approval authority for the administrative review process for plats and plans and assigns such authority solely to a designated agent HB 2331 Chesapeake Bay Preservation Areas; acceptance of signed and sealed plan in lieu of local plan review. Authorizes a locality subject to the provisions of the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act to accept a set of plans and supporting calculations prepared by a licensed professional, as described in the bill, for any land-disturbing activity that disturbs 2,500 square feet or more but less than one acre in an area of a locality designated as a Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area. The bill provides that such plans and supporting calculations shall satisfy the requirement that the locality retain a certified plan reviewer or conduct a plan review. SB 1294 HB 2616 Regional emergency medical services councils.Provides that 55 percent of certain funds distributed to the Department of Health from motor vehicle registration fees shall be distributed to the designated regional emergency medical services councils for their operational support. The bill also specifies that there shall be 11 designated regional emergency medical services councils. Under current law, there is no specified number. 9 Discussion & Questions