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2015 SESSION

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House Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns
Subcommittee Subcommittee #2

Marshall, D.W. (Chairman), Stolle, Wilt, Morris, Hodges, DeSteph, Pillion, Spruill, Torian, Krupicka, Mason

Clerk: Becky Cottrell
Staff: Jeffrey Sharp, Scott Meacham
Date of Meeting: February 4, 2015
Time and Place: 4:00 p.m.; 7th Floor West Conference Room, General Assembly Bldg.

H.B. 1424

Patron: Marshall, D.W.

Virginia Water and Waste Authorities Act; delinquent payment. Repeals the provisions of the Act that make the non-occupant owner of a property liable for up to 90 days of delinquent payments under certain circumstances.

H.B. 1446

Patron: Marshall, D.W.

Financing of clean energy programs; development of underwriting guidelines. Expands the requirements of a local ordinance authorizing contracts to provide loans for clean energy improvements. The bill adds water efficiency improvements to the list of improvements for which loans may be offered; allows a locality to contract with a third party to administer the loan program; and requires a locality to identify any administrative fee it intends to impose on participants and sets parameters for the imposition of that fee. The bill also details the priority, enforceability, and other characteristics of the lien, now called a voluntary special assessment lien, that a locality is permitted to place against the property where the clean energy systems are installed. Finally, the bill directs the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME) to develop underwriting guidelines for local loans made to finance clean energy improvements. The bill requires DMME to finalize the guidelines by December 1, 2015, incorporating input from certain groups representing real estate, energy efficiency, banking, and other interests or industries and evaluating certain specific criteria. This bill is a recommendation of the Virginia Housing Commission.

H.B. 1665

Patron: Minchew

Financing of clean energy programs; development of optional underwriting guidelines. Expands the requirements of a local ordinance authorizing contracts to provide loans for clean energy improvements. The bill adds water efficiency improvements to the list of improvements for which loans may be offered; allows a locality to contract with a third party to administer the loan program; and requires a locality to identify any administrative fee it intends to impose on participants and sets parameters for the imposition of that fee. The bill also details the priority, enforceability, and other characteristics of the lien, now called a voluntary special assessment lien, that a locality is permitted to place against the property where the clean energy systems are installed. Finally, the bill directs the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME) to develop optional underwriting guidelines for local loans made to finance clean energy improvements. The bill requires DMME to finalize the guidelines by December 1, 2015, incorporating input from certain groups representing real estate; banking, including community banking; energy efficiency; and other interests or industries and evaluating certain specific criteria.

H.B. 1849

Patron: Marshall, D.W.

Variances. Changes the standard by which a board of zoning appeals shall grant an application for a variance by eliminating or altering several of the requirements.

H.B. 2316

Patron: Kilgore

Southwest Virginia Health Authority; cooperative agreements. Allows the Southwest Virginia Health Authority (the Authority) to review and approve cooperative agreements among two or more hospitals for the sharing, allocation, consolidation by merger or other combination of assets, or referral of patients, personnel, instructional programs, support services, and facilities or medical, diagnostic, or laboratory facilities or procedures or other services traditionally offered by hospitals. The Authority shall approve a cooperative agreement if it determines that the parties to the cooperative agreement have demonstrated by a preponderance of the evidence that the benefits likely to result from the agreement outweigh the disadvantages likely to result from a reduction in competition from the agreement. The bill also provides that activities conducted pursuant to cooperative agreements approved by the Authority and supervised by the Secretary of Health and Human Resources are immunized from challenge or scrutiny under the Commonwealth's antitrust laws.  Furthermore, the City of Bristol is added to the Authority.

H.B. 2327

Patron: Leftwich

Offsite improvements or land dedications. Provides that localities shall not require a landowner to make offsite improvements or make dedications of land as a condition of use of an existing parcel when such use is a permitted use pursuant to the zoning ordinance and when existing public facilities are available to such parcel.

H.B. 2351

Patron: Leftwich

Land subdivision and development; approval not to be conditioned on consent of easement holder. Provides that no locality shall condition the approval of a subdivision plan, site plan, plat, or construction plan, or condition the issuance of any required occupancy permit for occupancy of such property or the structures thereon, upon the consent or permission of any person or entity holding an easement over, under, or through the property that is the subject of such plan or plat.