SEARCH SITE
VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL
- Code of Virginia
- Virginia Administrative Code
- Constitution of Virginia
- Charters
- Authorities
- Compacts
- Uncodified Acts
- RIS Users (account required)
SEARCHABLE DATABASES
- Bills & Resolutions
session legislation - Bill Summaries
session summaries - Reports to the General Assembly
House and Senate documents - Legislative Liaisons
State agency contacts
ACROSS SESSIONS
- Subject Index: Since 1995
- Bills & Resolutions: Since 1994
- Summaries: Since 1994
Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.
2018 SESSION
Co-Chair: Thomas K. Norment, Jr. - Co-Chair: Emmett W. Hanger, Jr.
Clerk: John Garrett
Staff: Lisa Wallmeyer
Date of Meeting: February 21, 2018
Time and Place: 9:00 AM Committee Room B Ground Floor Pocahontas Building
Patron: Edmunds
Maximum speed limit on U.S. Route 501. Increases from 55 miles per hour to 60 miles per hour the maximum speed limit on U.S. Route 501 between the Town of South Boston and the North Carolina state line.
Patron: Thomas
Maximum speed limits on certain highways. Increases from 55 miles per hour to 60 miles per hour the maximum speed limit on U.S. Route 301, the entirety of U.S. Route 17, and State Routes 3 and 207.
Patron: Hope
Real property tax; boards of equalization. Provides that applications for relief from real property assessments sent electronically to boards of equalization are deemed received on the date applicants send the applications.
Patron: Bell, John J.
Wineries; dogs allowed inside. Provides that dogs may be allowed inside or on the premises of a licensed winery or farm winery, except in any area used for the manufacture of food products. Current law provides that no animal shall be permitted in any area used for the manufacture of food products, with certain exceptions for guard or guide animals.
Patron: Simon
Virginia Debt Collections Act; public institutions of higher education. Requires a public institution of higher education to provide a debtor who is currently enrolled in such institution, the option to pay his debt in periodic payments over the course of the term or semester in which the account became past due or, at the discretion of such institution, over a longer period provided that such periodic payments are promptly paid until the account is satisfied.
Patron: Rush
Department of Criminal Justice Services; definition of "law-enforcement officer"; security division of the Virginia Lottery. Removes from the definition of law-enforcement officer, as it applies to an investigator who is a sworn member of the security division of the Virginia Lottery, the requirement that such investigator be full time.
Patron: Rush
Income tax subtraction; Virginia real estate investment trust income. Establishes an individual and corporate income tax subtraction for income attributable to an investment in a Virginia real estate investment trust, defined in the bill as an investment fund that is certified by the Department of Taxation as investing at least 90 percent of trust funds in Virginia and at least 40 percent of trust funds in localities that are either distressed or double distressed. The bill defines a distressed locality as one where the unemployment rate is greater than the statewide average or the poverty rate exceeds the statewide average. The bill defines a double distressed locality as one that satisfies both of the preceding criteria. An income tax subtraction would be available only for an investment made on or after January 1, 2019, but before December 31, 2024.
Patron: Davis
Membership in Multistate Tax Commission. Requires the Tax Commissioner to take such steps as are necessary for Virginia to become an associate member of the Multistate Tax Commission and to participate in Multistate Tax Commission discussions and meetings concerning model tax legislation and uniform tax policies. The Commission was formed in 1967 and charged under the Multistate Tax Compact with, among other things, facilitating the proper determination of state and local tax liability of multistate taxpayers, promoting uniformity or compatibility in significant components of tax systems, facilitating taxpayer convenience and compliance in the filing of tax returns, and avoiding duplicative taxation.
Patron: Mullin
Standards of Quality; instructional programs and positions; dual language. Provides that (i) the instructional programs for students with limited English proficiency implemented by each local school board may include dual language programs whereby such students receive instruction in English and in a second language and (ii) the additional full-time equivalent instructional positions for students identified as having limited English proficiency that are funded pursuant to the general appropriation act may include dual language teachers who provide instruction in English and in a second language.
Patron: Freitas
Unemployment insurance tax reports and payments; filing. Directs the Department of Taxation and the Virginia Employment Commission to consider the feasibility of permitting taxpayers to submit tax reports and payments electronically for both the Virginia Employment Commission and the Department of Taxation using a single sign-on. The Department and the Commission shall also consider the feasibility, merits, and costs of developing and implementing an identity management system or retaining a contractor to do so
Patron: Bloxom
Transient occupancy tax; state parks. Permits localities to impose transient occupancy taxes on transient room rentals and travel campgrounds in state parks. The bill authorizes the Department of Conservation and Recreation to retain up to 15 percent of the amount it collects on behalf of localities from July 2018 through June 2020 to cover its administrative costs.
Patron: Carr
Real property tax; assessment or exemption of property conveyed or owned by a community land trust. Requires the assessor, in determining the fair market value of structural improvements conveyed by a community land trust, subject to a ground lease having a term of at least 90 years, while retaining a preemptive option to purchase such structural improvements at a price determined by a formula that is designed to ensure that the improvements remain affordable to low-income and moderate-income families in perpetuity, to consider (i) certain restrictions on the price at which the improvements may be sold and (ii) the amount of loans of the owner of the improvements as evidenced by a deed of trust or leasehold deed of trust on the improvements or underlying real property owned by the community land trust and that earns no interest and requires no repayment prior to satisfaction of any interest-earning promissory note or a subsequent transfer of the property, whichever comes first.
Patron: Carr
Land bank entities; real property tax exemption for certain leasehold interests. Exempts from real property taxation leasehold interests in property acquired or used by a land bank entity.
Patron: Pogge
Motor vehicle sales and use tax; semitrailers. Reduces the minimum motor vehicle sales and use tax on semitrailers from $75 to $35.
Patron: Ransone
Maximum speed limits on certain highways. Increases from 55 miles per hour to 60 miles per hour the maximum speed limit on State Route 3 between the corporate limits of the Town of Warsaw and the unincorporated area of Emmerton.
Patron: McGuire
Department of Motor Vehicles documents; veteran indicator. Requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue driver's licenses, permits, and identification cards displaying an indicator signifying that the holder is a veteran, provided that the applicant requests such indicator and provides poof of veteran status. The bill repeals the authority of the Department to issue veterans identification cards.
Patron: Jones, S.C.
Motor vehicle fuels sales tax in certain areas of the Commonwealth; price floor. Establishes a floor on the 2.1 percent sales tax imposed on motor vehicle fuels sold in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. The average distributor price of gasoline, as determined by the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles, on June 1, 2018, shall be the initial floor. If the average distributor price rises in future determinations, the new higher average will become the floor, until such time as the average distributor price of gasoline is determined to be equal to or greater than the average wholesale price of gasoline in the Commonwealth on February 20, 2013, which is the date of the floor used for the calculation of the state gasoline tax. After this threshold is met, the average distributor price used for the calculation of the regional tax will be the same as the average price used to calculate the state tax.
Patron: Jones, S.C.
Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority. Clarifies (i) that the members of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) Authority appointed by the Governor and the Joint Rules Committee are voting members of the Authority, and (ii) the authority of VEDP to direct the Attorney General to enforce contracts related to the award of economic incentives. The bill increases the number of members on: (i) VEDP's Committee on Business Development and Marketing from nine to 10, and (ii) the Committee on International Trade from eight to nine. The bill also extends to the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) the existing closed meeting exemption for discussion of portions of the VEDP strategic, marketing, and operational plans that are exempt from public disclosure. Current law requires that VEDP report on these plans to the JLARC subcommittee on economic development but does not provide an exemption for discussion of the portions of those plans not subject to public disclosure.
Patron: Webert
Department of Planning and Budget; regulatory reduction pilot program; report. Directs the Department of Planning and Budget (the Department), under the supervision of the Secretary of Finance (the Secretary), to administer a three-year regulatory reduction pilot program aimed at reducing by 25 percent the regulations and regulatory requirements, as defined in the bill, of the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation and the Department of Criminal Justice Services by July 1, 2021. The bill requires the Secretary to report annually to the Speaker of the House and the Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee no later than October 1, 2019, and October 1, 2020, on the progress of the regulatory reduction pilot program. The bill also requires the Secretary to report by August 15, 2021, to the Speaker of the House and the Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee (i) the progress towards identifying the 25 percent reduction goal, (ii) recommendations for expanding the program to other agencies, and (iii) any additional information the Secretary determines may be helpful to support the General Assembly's regulatory reduction and reform efforts. The bill provides that if, by October 1, 2021, the program has achieved less than a 25 percent total reduction in regulations and regulatory requirements across both pilot agencies, the Secretary shall report on the feasibility and effectiveness of implementing a 2-for-1 regulatory budget providing that for every one new regulatory requirement, two existing regulatory requirements of equivalent or greater burden must be streamlined, repealed, or replaced for a period not to exceed three years. Lastly, the bill directs all executive branch agencies subject to the Administrative Process Act (§ 2.2-4000 et seq.) to develop a baseline regulatory catalog and report such catalog data to the Department, which shall then track and report on the extent to which agencies comply with existing requirements to periodically review all regulations every four years.
Patron: Freitas
Forfeiture of property used in connection with the commission of crimes; finding of guilt required. Requires that any action for the forfeiture of property used in connection with the commission of a crime be stayed until the person whose property is the subject of the forfeiture action has been found guilty of the crime authorizing the forfeiture, regardless of whether he has been sentenced. The bill provides that property may be forfeited even though no finding of guilt is made if (i) the forfeiture is ordered by the court pursuant to a plea agreement, or (ii) the owner has not submitted a written demand for the return of the property within 21 days from the date the stay terminates.
Patron: Landes
Reporting on economic growth-sharing agreements. Provides that all economic growth-sharing agreements between localities shall require, at least annually, a report from each locality that is a recipient of funds pursuant to the agreement to each of the other governing bodies of the participating localities that includes (i) the amount of money transferred among the localities pursuant to the agreement and (ii) the uses of such funds by the localities. The bill also provides that the parties to any growth-sharing agreement that has been in effect for at least 10 years and which has annual payments that exceed $5 million shall convene an annual meeting to discuss anticipated future plans for economic growth in the localities.
Patron: Jones, S.C.
Virginia Research Investment Committee; membership; emergency. Replaces the Secretary of Technology with the Secretary of Commerce and Trade on the Virginia Research Investment Committee. The bill contains an emergency clause.
EMERGENCY
Patron: Landes
Department of Criminal Justice Services; definitions; law-enforcement officer. Adds members of the investigations unit designated by the State Inspector General to investigate allegations of criminal behavior affecting the operations of a state or non-state agency to the definition of law-enforcement officer.