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2009 SESSION

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Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources

Chairman: Patricia S. Ticer

Clerk: Hobie Lehman
Staff: Martin Farber, Ellen Porter
Date of Meeting: January 19, 2009
Time and Place: 9AM, Senate Room B, GAB

S.B. 820

Patron: Locke

Local motorboat registration fee.  Authorizes a county, city, or town to impose a local motorboat registration fee on motorboats subject to the locality's tangible personal property tax.  Each registration would be for a period of 36 months.  For purposes of the fee, the bill also would create separate classifications for motorboats weighing less than five tons and motorboats weighing five tons or more.

S.B. 865

Patron: Edwards

Fossil fuel combustion products permit.  Requires a solid waste permit to authorize the placement of unamended coal combustion by-product as structural fill in a 100-year flood plain.

S.B. 871

Patron: Ticer

Reporting requirements; Department of Health. Relieves the Department of Health of its responsibility to report to the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry on the implementation of policies related to the protection of farm and forest lands. After the transfer of responsibilities for the land application of biosolids to the Department of Environmental Quality, the Department of Health no longer has duties that impact farmland preservation.

S.B. 880

Patron: Stuart

Department of Game and Inland Fisheries; disclosure of official records; exceptions.  Provides that records of the Department shall be subject to the disclosure provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, except that personal information, as defined in § 2.2-3801, of individual applicants for or holders of any hunting, fishing, boating, or trapping license issued by an agent of the Department shall be withheld from public disclosure, provided that such individuals have requested that the Department not disclose such information. However, statistical summaries, abstracts, or other records containing information in an aggregate form that does not identify individual applicants or licensees shall be disclosed. The bill provides, however, that such information may be released (i) in accordance with a proper judicial order, (ii) to any law-enforcement agency, officer, or authorized agent thereof acting in the performance of official law-enforcement duties, or (iii) to any person who is the subject of the record.

S.B. 897

Patron: McDougle

Companion animals; releasing agencies. Allows the immediate administration of vaccinations and other veterinary care to any animal confined by a releasing agency. Currently a releasing agency could provide for the immediate euthanasia of a critically injured, critically ill, or unweaned animal for humane purposes, but could not provide routine veterinary care until the expiration of minimum five-day waiting period.

S.B. 931

Patron: Ticer

Animal cruelty; enforcement authority.  Clarifies that animal control officers, humane investigators, and employees of the State Veterinarian, who are obligated to prevent the perpetration of any act of cruelty upon any animal in their presence, shall enjoy the protection of sovereign immunity for those actions taken in good faith with reasonable cause. The clarification does not differ from current policy and jurisprudence.

S.B. 950

Patron: Howell

Dangerous and vicious dogs.  Authorizes persons who have reason to believe that a canine or canine crossbreed is a dangerous or vicious dog to apply to a magistrate for the issuance of a summons requiring the owner or custodian to appear in court at a specified time. Currently, the authority to go to the magistrate to obtain a summons is the responsibility of law-enforcement and animal control officers.

S.B. 957

Patron: Deeds

Scenic river. Expands the Rivanna Scenic River, a component of the Virginia Scenic Rivers System, almost 10 miles to include the length of the waterway from the South Fork Rivanna River reservoir to the junction of the Rivanna with the James River.

S.B. 971

Patron: Blevins

Plastic bag recycling; penalty.  Requires that, effective January 1, 2010, certain stores provide on-premises recycling for plastic bags. Stores that are part of a chain or occupy more than 5,000 square feet and distribute plastic bags to consumers must provide reusable bags for sale and take back and recycle used plastic bags.  If requested by a store owner, the manufacturer of plastic bags must offer to arrange for the transportation and recycling services. Any violation is punishable by a civil penalty of up to $100.

S.B. 973

Patron: Stuart

Virginia Resources Authority; loans for renewable energy.  Authorizes the Virginia Resources Authority to finance renewable energy projects and permits localities to lend funds obtained through the assistance of the Virginia Resources Authority to any person for the purpose of producing or purchasing renewable energy or renewable energy related equipment, systems, or products.

S.B. 1024

Patron: Hanger

Conservation easements; Open-Space Lands Preservation Trust Fund.  Removes the requirement to have an additional "local coholder" of a conservation or open-space easement when grants from the Open-Space Lands Preservation Trust Fund are used to mitigate the costs of the easement. The primary holder of the easement in such cases will continue to be the Virginia Outdoors Foundation.

S.B. 1026

Patron: Hanger

Nonprofit corporation.  Authorizes the Foundation for Virginia's Natural Resources to establish a nonprofit, nonstock corporation to (i) foster collaboration and partnerships; (ii) raise money to finance projects providing environmental education, pollution prevention, and citizen monitoring; and (iii) promote the mission of the Foundation.

S.B. 1050

Patron: Whipple

Virginia Natural Resources Commitment Fund; funding.  Provides that beginning with the 2010-2011 fiscal year and for each fiscal year thereafter, the Governor through the budget process would propose appropriations for funding of the Virginia Natural Resources Commitment Fund (the Subfund). For each fiscal year the Governor would propose appropriations for funding of the Fund in an aggregate amount that would not be less than (i) 150 percent of the greatest, aggregate appropriation to the Fund included in any prior act of the General Assembly or (ii) $30 million, whichever is greater. The bill would also change the formula for distributions from the Fund.