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2017 SESSION
SB 1228 Va. Fair Housing Law; responsibilities with respect to use of an assistance animal in a dwelling.
Introduced by: George L. Barker | all patrons ... notes | add to my profiles
SUMMARY AS PASSED: (all summaries)
Virginia Fair Housing Law; rights and responsibilities with respect to the use of an assistance animal in a dwelling. Sets out the rights and responsibilities under the Virginia Fair Housing Law (§ 36-96.1 et seq.) with respect to maintaining an assistance animal in a dwelling. The bill establishes a process through which a person with a disability may submit a request for a reasonable accommodation to maintain an assistance animal in a dwelling, including any supporting documentation verifying the disability and disability-related need for an accommodation. Under the bill, a request for reasonable accommodation to maintain an assistance animal may be denied for any one of the following reasons: (i) the requester does not have a disability; (ii) the requester does not have a disability-related need for an assistance animal; (iii) the accommodation imposes an undue financial and administrative burden on the person receiving the request; or (iv) the accommodation would fundamentally alter the nature of the operations of the person receiving the request. The bill provides that whenever a request for a reasonable accommodation to maintain an assistance animal in a dwelling is denied for reasons other than that the requester does not have a disability or a disability-related need for an assistance animal, an interactive process shall be initiated to determine if there is an alternative accommodation that would effectively address the disability-related need. The bill also defines "assistance animal," "major life activities," "therapeutic relationship," and "physical or mental impairment." The bill provides that if any provision of its provisions is determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to be not substantially equivalent or otherwise inconsistent with the federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, 42 U.S.C. § 3601 et seq., as amended, such provision shall not be enforceable. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Virginia Housing Commission. This bill is identical to HB 2006.
FULL TEXT
- 01/10/17 Senate: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/17 17103819D pdf | impact statement
- 02/03/17 Senate: Committee substitute printed 17104922D-S1 pdf | impact statement
- 02/16/17 House: Committee substitute printed 17105525D-H1 pdf | impact statement
- 02/24/17 Senate: Conference substitute printed 17105773D-S2 pdf | impact statement
- 03/07/17 Senate: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB1228ER) pdf | impact statement
- 03/16/17 Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0575) pdf
AMENDMENTS
HISTORY
- 01/10/17 Senate: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/17 17103819D
- 01/10/17 Senate: Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology
- 02/03/17 Senate: Reported from General Laws and Technology with substitute (13-Y 0-N)
- 02/03/17 Senate: Committee substitute printed 17104922D-S1
- 02/06/17 Senate: Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- 02/07/17 Senate: Read second time
- 02/07/17 Senate: Reading of substitute waived
- 02/07/17 Senate: Committee substitute agreed to 17104922D-S1
- 02/07/17 Senate: Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB1228S1
- 02/07/17 Senate: Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- 02/07/17 Senate: Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N)
- 02/09/17 House: Placed on Calendar
- 02/09/17 House: Read first time
- 02/09/17 House: Referred to Committee on General Laws
- 02/14/17 House: Assigned GL sub: Subcommittee #1
- 02/14/17 House: Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendments (6-Y 0-N)
- 02/16/17 House: Reported from General Laws with substitute (22-Y 0-N)
- 02/16/17 House: Committee substitute printed 17105525D-H1
- 02/20/17 House: Read second time
- 02/21/17 House: Read third time
- 02/21/17 House: Committee substitute agreed to 17105525D-H1
- 02/21/17 House: Engrossed by House - committee substitute SB1228H1
- 02/21/17 House: Passed House with substitute BLOCK VOTE (98-Y 0-N)
- 02/21/17 House: VOTE: BLOCK VOTE PASSAGE (98-Y 0-N)
- 02/22/17 Senate: House substitute rejected by Senate (1-Y 39-N)
- 02/23/17 House: House insisted on substitute
- 02/23/17 House: House requested conference committee
- 02/23/17 Senate: Senate acceded to request (39-Y 0-N)
- 02/23/17 Senate: Conferees appointed by Senate
- 02/23/17 Senate: Senators: Barker, Suetterlein, Sturtevant
- 02/23/17 House: Conferees appointed by House
- 02/23/17 House: Delegates: Carr, Peace, Helsel
- 02/24/17 Senate: Conference report agreed to by Senate (40-Y 0-N)
- 02/24/17 Senate: Conference substitute printed 17105773D-S2
- 02/24/17 House: Conference report agreed to by House (92-Y 0-N)
- 02/24/17 House: VOTE: ADOPTION (92-Y 0-N)
- 03/07/17 Senate: Enrolled
- 03/07/17 Senate: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB1228ER)
- 03/07/17 House: Signed by Speaker
- 03/10/17 Senate: Signed by President
- 03/13/17 Senate: Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on 3/13/17
- 03/13/17 Governor: Governor's Action Deadline Midnight, March 27, 2017
- 03/16/17 Governor: Approved by Governor-Chapter 575 (effective 7/1/17)
- 03/16/17 Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0575)