Counties Cities And Towns
Virginia 2017 Regular Session
Gas severance tax. [HB-2169]
Gas severance tax. Extends the sunset date from January 1, 2018, to January 1, 2020, for the local gas severance tax that is dedicated to (i) the local Coal and Gas Road Improvement Fund, (ii) the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Fund, and (iii) water, sewer, and natural gas systems and lines. This bill is identical to SB 886.
Sponsored by: Rep. Israel O'Quinn
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0052) on 02/20/2017
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Gettr Virginia 2017 Regular Session
Electric personal delivery devices; operation on sidewalks and shared-use paths. [SB-1207]
Electric personal delivery devices. Allows for the operation of electric personal delivery devices on the sidewalks and shared-use paths and across roadways on crosswalks in the Commonwealth unless otherwise prohibited by a locality. The bill directs that such devices shall not be considered vehicles and are exempt from the motor carrier provisions of Title 46.2 (Motor Vehicles). This bill is identical to HB 2016.
Sponsored by: Sen. Bill DeSteph
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0251) on 02/24/2017
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Virginia 2017 Regular Session
Water and sewer services; liens, owners, lessees, or tenants. [SB-1189]
Water and sewer services; liens; owners, lessees, or tenants. Separates Code provisions regarding water and sewer services provided to lessees or tenants of real property from Code provisions regarding water and sewer services provided to owners of real property. The bill removes a locality's authority to waive a required written authorization by an owner for water or sewer services provided by a locality to a lessee or tenant. A copy of the lease between the lessee or tenant and the owner is acceptable authorization.
Sponsored by: Sen. John Edwards
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0736) on 03/24/2017
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Virginia 2017 Regular Session
Localities; regulation of firearms in government buildings. [HB-2094]
Localities; regulation of firearms in government buildings. Allows localities to regulate the possession of firearms, ammunition, or components or combination thereof in, or the carrying of firearms, ammunition, or components or combination thereof into, any building owned or used by such locality for governmental purposes. Current law prohibits localities from adopting or enforcing any ordinance, resolution, or motion regarding firearms, ammunition, or components or combination thereof unless expressly authorized by statute.
Sponsored by: Rep. Vivian Watts
Left In Militia, Police And Public Safety on 02/07/2017
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Virginia 2017 Regular Session
Libraries; assessment for costs in civil actions, disbursement for law libraries. [HB-2131]
Libraries; assessment for costs in civil actions; disbursement for law libraries. Increases from $4 to $7 the assessment a county, city, or town may make as part of the costs incident to each civil action filed in the courts located within its boundaries.
Sponsored by: Rep. Mark Levine
Left In Courts Of Justice on 02/07/2017
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Virginia 2017 Regular Session
Law-enforcement agencies, local; body-worn cameras. [HB-2134]
Local law-enforcement agencies; body-worn cameras. Requires localities to adopt and establish a written policy for the operation of a body-worn camera system, as defined in the bill, that conforms to the model policy established by the Department of Criminal Justice Services (the Department) prior to purchasing or deploying a body-worn camera system. The bill requires the Department to establish a model policy for the operation of body-worn camera systems and the storage and maintenance of body-worn camera system records.
Sponsored by: Rep. Joesph Lindsey
Left In Militia, Police And Public Safety on 02/07/2017
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Virginia 2017 Regular Session
Police service; civil penalty when excessive number of calls from same property. [SB-1183]
Excessive calls for police service; civil penalty. Provides that any locality may by ordinance declare that when a property requires an excessive number of calls for police service within a specified time period, the owner of the property is subject to a civil penalty. The locality shall determine in its ordinance the number of calls that is excessive, but no owner shall be cited under such ordinance for fewer than five calls in a 12-month period. The bill requires the ordinance to contain an exclusion for all calls related to domestic violence.
Sponsored by: Sen. Rosalyn Dance
Passed By Indefinitely In Local Government With Letter (13-y 0-n) on 01/31/2017
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Virginia 2017 Regular Session
Machinery and tools tax; valuation, appeal of certain local taxes. [HB-2104]
Machinery and tools tax; valuation; appeal of certain local Machinery and tools tax; valuation; appeal of certain local taxes. Permits the commissioner of the revenue to utilize any method that may reasonably be expected to determine actual fair market value of machinery and tools, in addition to specific methods required under current law. The bill also requires the commissioner of the revenue, upon request, to take into account the condition of the machinery and tools, all forms of depreciation, including obsolescence, and any other factor that
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Sponsored by: Rep. Kathy Byron
Left In Appropriations on 02/08/2017
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Virginia 2017 Regular Session
Inoperable vehicles James City County. [SB-1135]
Inoperable vehicles; James City County. Authorizes James City County to prohibit any person from keeping, unless shielded or screened from view, on any property zoned or used for residential purposes, or on any property zoned for commercial or agricultural purposes, any inoperable motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer.
Sponsored by: Sen. Taylor Mason
Left In Counties, Cities And Towns on 02/21/2017
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Virginia 2017 Regular Session
Northern Virginia Transportation Authority; use of certain revenues by localities. [HB-2121]
Use of certain revenues by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA). Allows revenues of the NVTA distributed to localities to be used, as determined solely by the applicable locality, to fund new sidewalk projects.
Sponsored by: Rep. Mark Keam
Left In Transportation on 02/07/2017
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Virginia 2017 Regular Session
Transportation planning, state and local; adoption of comprehensive plan in Northern Virginia. [HB-2138]
State and local transportation planning. Provides that prior to the adoption of or amendment to any comprehensive plan that substantially affects transportation on state-controlled highways in Planning District 8 (Northern Virginia), the Department of Transportation shall specify by name and location any transportation facility having a functional classification of minor arterial or higher for which an increase in traffic volume is expected to exceed the capacity of such facility as a result of the proposed plan or amendment.
Sponsored by: Rep. James LeMunyon
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0536) on 03/16/2017
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Virginia 2017 Regular Session
Vehicle license fees and taxes, local; collection by counties and adjoining towns. [SB-1211]
Local vehicle license fees and taxes. Allows counties and adjoining towns to enter into reciprocal agreements to collect each other's vehicle license fees and taxes. Currently, such collection is limited to nondelinquent license fees and taxes.
Sponsored by: Sen. Jennifer Wexton
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0119) on 02/21/2017
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Virginia 2017 Regular Session
Sanctuary policies; enforcement of federal immigration laws [HB-2236]
Sanctuary policies prohibited. Provides that no locality shall adopt any ordinance, procedure, or policy that restricts the enforcement of federal immigration laws to less than the full extent permitted by federal law. The General Assembly shall reduce state funding to the extent permitted by state and federal law to any locality found to have violated the provisions of the bill.
Sponsored by: Rep. Benjamin Cline
Left In Courts Of Justice on 02/07/2017
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Virginia 2017 Regular Session
Vienna, Town of; conservation and replacement of trees. [HB-2123]
Conservation and replacement of trees; land development processes; Town of Vienna; Planning District 8. Authorizes the Town of Vienna, by ordinance, to require a site plan for certain development processes to include the planting or replacement of trees such that certain tree canopies or covers will be provided at 10 years, rather than the current 20 years. The bill authorizes any locality in Planning District 8, by ordinance, to require a site plan for certain development processes to provide for the preservation or replacement of trees such that
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Sponsored by: Rep. Mark Keam
Left In Counties, Cities And Towns on 02/07/2017
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Virginia 2017 Regular Session
Running bamboo; locality may, by ordinance, provide for control, civil penalty. [HB-2154]
Running bamboo; cutting by localities; ordinance prohibiting spread; designation of certain plants as noxious weeds; civil penalties. Authorizes any locality to adopt an ordinance requiring proper upkeep of running bamboo and prohibiting the spread of running bamboo from a landowner's property, with violations punishable by a civil penalty not to exceed $50 for a first violation and not to exceed $200 for a subsequent violation within 12 months. The bill includes running bamboo in the "other foreign growth" category that current law allows localities
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Sponsored by: Rep. Sam Rasoul
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0392) on 03/13/2017
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Virginia 2017 Regular Session
Vested property rights; nonconforming uses. [SB-1139]
Vested property rights. Provides that if a structure is one that requires no building permit, and an authorized local government official informs the property owner that the structure will comply with the zoning ordinance, and the owner relies upon the representation and constructs the improvements, a zoning ordinance may provide that the structure is nonconforming but shall not provide that such structure is illegal and subject to removal solely due to such nonconformity. The provisions of the bill are declared to not be deemed retroactive.
Sponsored by: Sen. Mark Obenshain
Stricken At Request Of Patron In Local Government (13-y 0-n) on 01/24/2017
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Virginia 2017 Regular Session
Personal property tax; business property. [HB-2193]
Personal property tax; business property. Requires localities to permit taxpayers to provide an aggregate estimate of the total cost of all personal property used in a business that has an original cost of less than $500, in lieu of a specific, itemized list. Under current law, localities are permitted to allow taxpayers to provide such estimate of aggregate cost for property whose original cost is less than $250.
Sponsored by: Rep. Timothy Hugo
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0116) on 02/21/2017
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Virginia 2017 Regular Session
Encouraging localities to develop a more uniform and streamlined permitting process. [HJR-705]
Encouraging localities to develop a more uniform and streamlined permitting process. Expresses the sense of the General Assembly that localities be encouraged to develop a more uniform and streamlined permitting process. Such an effort would benefit from having the Virginia Association of Counties and the Virginia Municipal League take the lead in developing a model application and permitting process while utilizing the best practices from localities throughout the Commonwealth.
Sponsored by: Rep. David Yancey
Tabled In Rules By Voice Vote on 01/31/2017
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Virginia 2017 Regular Session
Virginia Public Procurement Act; cooperative procurement for construction projects. [HB-2122]
Virginia Public Procurement Act; cooperative procurement; construction. Allows public bodies to utilize cooperative procurement for construction projects not exceeding $200,000.
Sponsored by: Rep. Mark Keam
Left In General Laws on 02/08/2017
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Virginia 2017 Regular Session
Virginia Coal Train Heritage Authority; established. [HB-2168]
Virginia Coal Train Heritage Authority. Creates the Virginia Coal Train Heritage Authority (the Authority) with rights and powers to be exercised by a 25-member board, which will consist of three representatives from the governing body of each of the Counties of Dickenson, Russell, and Wise; two citizen members from each of those three counties; one citizen member from each of the Towns of Clinchco, Haysi, and St. Paul; three commissioners of the Breaks Interstate Park Commission; two citizen members with experience in the excursion train business;
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Sponsored by: Rep. Israel O'Quinn
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0834) on 04/26/2017