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2015 SESSION

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Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources

Chairman: Emmett W. Hanger, Jr.

Clerk: Maribeth Turner
Staff: Martin Farber, Scott Meacham
Date of Meeting: January 22, 2015
Time and Place: Thursday, 1/2 hour after adjournment, Senate Room B

S.B. 693 Feral cats; trapping, neutering, and returning to site activity.

Patron: Martin

Trap, Neuter, and Return activity. Permits a person or organization, such as an animal shelter or humane society, to trap and sterilize a feral cat before returning it to the site where it was trapped, or to a suitable alternative site. The bill excludes a participant in such an activity from the definition of "owner" regarding custody of the subject cat; under current law, abandonment of an animal by an owner is a misdemeanor. The bill also exempts a participant from liability to the owner of a feral cat for capturing, sterilizing, releasing, or providing medical care to the cat.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 3.2-6500, 3.2-6504, 3.2-6551, and 3.2-6585 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 3.2-6504.1, relating to the trapping, neutering, and returning of feral cats.

15100927D

S.B. 698 Companion animal; surgical sterilization program, fund, penalty.

Patron: Stanley

Companion animal surgical sterilization program; fund; penalty. Establishes a fund to reimburse participating veterinarians for the surgical sterilizations they perform on eligible cats or dogs. The bill provides that a surcharge of $50 per ton of pet food distributed in the Commonwealth be deposited in the fund and such pet food be exempted from the existing litter tax. An animal will be eligible for sterilization under the program if it is a feral or free-roaming cat or is owned by a low-income individual or a releasing agency such as an animal shelter. The bill establishes penalties for providing false information or submitting false payment requests.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 3.2-6500 and 58.1-1708 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding sections numbered 3.2-6504.1, 3.2-6504.2, 3.2-6504.3, and 58.1-1707.1, relating to companion animals; surgical sterilization program; penalty.

15100718D

S.B. 699 Community cat programs; localities to authorize operation of programs.

Patron: Stanley

Community cat programs. Allows localities to authorize the operation of community cat programs. In a community cat program, a caregiver who has an outdoor, free-roaming cat sterilized and returns it to the area where it was captured is not considered the legal owner or custodian of the cat. The bill exempts a community cat caregiver from criminal and civil liability for any decisions made or services rendered as part of a community cat program, except for willful and wanton misconduct.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 3.2-6500, 3.2-6551, and 32.1-48.06 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 3.2-6504.1, relating to community cat programs.

15100729D

S.B. 700 Animal Cruelty Conviction List established.

Patron: Stanley

Animal Cruelty Conviction List established. Requires the Superintendent of State Police to establish and maintain an Animal Cruelty Conviction List available to the public on the website of the Department of State Police by 2017. The list shall include the names of persons convicted of certain felony animal cruelty offenses on or after July 1, 2015. Persons so convicted will be required to pay a fee of $50 per conviction to fund the maintenance of the list. The bill requires the State Police to remove a person from the list after 15 years if he has no additional felony conviction of a relevant animal cruelty offense.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 9 of Chapter 65 of Title 3.2 a section numbered 3.2-6573.1, relating to the establishment of an animal cruelty conviction list.

15100730D

S.B. 771 Toxic waste site; to inventory Department of Environmental Quality.

Patron: McEachin

Department of Environmental Quality; toxic waste site inventory. Directs the Department of Environmental Quality to inventory by July 1, 2016, nonfederally managed toxic waste sites in Virginia and publish the inventory at that time and annually thereafter. The bill also makes technical amendments.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 10.1-1186.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to the Department of Environmental Quality; toxic waste site inventory.

15102512D

S.B. 811 Water Protection and Toxic Chemicals Advisory Committee; established, report, sunset provision.

Patron: Watkins

Water Protection and Toxic Chemicals Advisory Committee; established. Establishes the Water Protection and Toxic Chemicals Advisory Committee to make recommendations for the protection of state water resources from toxic chemical contamination. The bill contains a one-year sunset.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 3.1 of Chapter 3.1 of Title 62.1 a section numbered 62.1-44.17:5, relating to establishment of the Water Protection and Toxic Chemicals Advisory Committee.

15102939D

S.B. 1001 Dogs or cats; sale and procurement prohibited on or in a roadside, parking lot, etc.

Patron: Stanley

Sale and procurement of certain pets. Prohibits the sale or display of a dog or cat on or in a roadside, parking lot, flea market, or similar place and limits the sources of pet shop dogs to humane societies, public animal shelters, and breeders who meet certain qualifications. The bill also establishes a record-keeping requirement for pet shops selling dogs and applies the existing misdemeanor penalty for a violation of the section to each dog sold or offered for sale. Localities are empowered to adopt ordinances more stringent than the provisions of the bill.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 3.2-6511.1 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 3.2-6508.1 and by adding in Article 3 of Chapter 65 of Title 3.2 a section numbered 3.2-6517.1, relating to the sale of certain pets.

15101860D

S.B. 1006 Virginia Marine Resources Commission; submerged lands, permit fees.

Patron: Watkins

Virginia Marine Resources Commission; submerged lands; permit fees. Clarifies the requirement of a permit application to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (Commission) for the placement of certain piers and provides that certain applications for permits to use state-owned submerged lands shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable processing fee of $100. The bill raises the existing fees for the issuance of such a permit from $25 to $100 for small projects and from $100 to $300 for projects costing more than $10,000. The bill establishes a permit fee of $600 for projects costing $500,000 or more. The bill also increases the range of royalties for removal of each cubic yard of bottom material from $0.20-$0.60 to $0.40-$0.80. Finally, the bill authorizes the Commission to increase fees beginning in 2018 and once every three years thereafter.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 28.2-1203 and 28.2-1206 of the Code of Virginia, relating to use of subaqueous beds; permit fees.

15101465D

S.B. 1081 Equines; prohibits intentional roping of or interference with the legs of an equine.

Patron: Vogel

Intentional tripping of equines prohibited; penalty. Prohibits the intentional roping of or interference with the legs of an equine in order to cause it to trip or fall for any purpose, including as part of a rodeo or other contest or entertainment. The bill makes a violation of the ban a Class 1 misdemeanor, with a second or subsequent violation constituting a Class 6 felony. The bill exempts from the prohibition a person who causes the animal to trip or fall for the purpose of allowing the administration of veterinary care.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 3.2-6570 of the Code of Virginia, relating to intentional tripping of equines; penalty.

15101331D

S.B. 1306 Battlefield property; authority to acquire.

Patron: Watkins

Battlefield property; authority to acquire. Authorizes the Director of the Department of Historic Resources and the Board of Historic Resources to acquire and administer Virginia battlefield properties, including properties listed in certain official reports on the battlefields of the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War. Under current law, the Director and the Board are authorized to acquire only designated historic landmarks.

A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 10.1-2200, 10.1-2202, and 10.1-2204 of the Code of Virginia, relating to acquisition of battlefield properties.

15101359D

S.B. 1317 Virginia Shoreline Resiliency Fund.

Patron: Lewis

Virginia Shoreline Resiliency Fund. Establishes the Fund for the purpose of creating a low-interest loan program to help residents and businesses that are subject to recurrent flooding. Moneys from the Fund may be used to mitigate future flood damage.

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 6 of Title 10.1 an article numbered 1.3, consisting of sections numbered 10.1-603.24 through 10.1-603.27, relating to the Virginia Shoreline Resiliency Fund.

15103552D