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2020 SESSION

20104545D
SENATE BILL NO. 1006
Offered January 16, 2020
A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 13.1-775.1, 13.1-936.1, and 13.1-1062, as it shall become effective, of the Code of Virginia, relating to business entities; annual registration.
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Patron-- Reeves
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Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §§ 13.1-775.1, 13.1-936.1, and 13.1-1062, as it shall become effective, of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 13.1-775.1. Annual registration fees to be paid by domestic and foreign corporations; penalty for failure to pay timely.

A. Every domestic corporation and every foreign corporation authorized to transact business in the Commonwealth shall pay into the state treasury on or before the last day of the twelfth month next succeeding the month in which it was incorporated or authorized to transact business in the Commonwealth, and by such date in each year thereafter, an annual registration fee as prescribed by this section, provided that the initial annual registration fee to be paid by a domestic corporation created by entity conversion shall be due in the year after the calendar year in which it converted. At the discretion of the Commission, the annual registration fee due date for a corporation may be extended, on a monthly basis for a period of not less than one month nor more than 11 months, at the request of its registered agent of record or as may be necessary to distribute annual registration fee due dates of corporations as equally as practicable throughout the year on a monthly basis.

Any such corporation whose number of authorized shares is 5,000 or less shall pay an annual registration fee of $50. Any such corporation whose number of authorized shares is more than 5,000 shall pay an annual registration fee of $50 plus $15 for each 5,000 shares or fraction thereof in excess of 5,000 shares, up to a maximum of $850.

The annual registration fee shall be irrespective of any specific license tax or other tax or fee imposed by law upon the corporation for the privilege of carrying on its business in the Commonwealth or upon its franchise, property or receipts.

B. Each year, the Commission shall ascertain from its records the number of authorized shares of each domestic corporation and each foreign corporation authorized to transact business in the Commonwealth, as of the first day of the second month next preceding the month in which it was incorporated or authorized to transact business in the Commonwealth and, except as provided in subsection A, shall assess against each such corporation the annual registration fee herein imposed. In any year in which a corporation's annual registration fee due date is extended pursuant to subsection A, the annual registration fee assessment shall be increased by a prorated amount to cover the period of extension. A statement of the assessment, when made, shall be forwarded by the clerk of the Commission to the Comptroller and to each such corporation.

C. Any domestic or foreign corporation that fails to pay the annual registration fee herein imposed within the time prescribed shall incur a penalty of 10 percent of the annual registration fee, or $10, whichever is greater, which shall be added to the amount of the annual registration fee due. The penalty shall be in addition to any other penalty or liability imposed by law.

D. Notwithstanding any provisions of this section or other provisions of law to the contrary, any domestic or foreign corporation whose number of authorized shares is 5,000 or less may prepay up to five years of its annual registration fee. If the number of authorized shares of any such corporation that has paid in advance increases to more than 5,000 during the prepaid period, such corporation shall pay any additional registration fee amount on an annual basis.

E. The fees paid into the state treasury under this section shall be set aside as a special fund to be used only by the Commission as it deems necessary to defray all costs of staffing, maintaining and operating the office of the clerk of the Commission, together with all other costs incurred by the Commission in supervising, implementing and administering the provisions of Part 5 (§ 8.9A-501 et seq.) of Title 8.9A, this title, except for Chapters 5 (§ 13.1-501 et seq.) and 8 (§ 13.1-557 et seq.) and Article 7 (§ 55.1-653 et seq.) of Chapter 6 of Title 55.1, provided that one-half of the fees collected shall be credited to the general fund. The excess of fees collected over the projected costs of administration in the next fiscal year shall be paid into the general fund prior to the close of the fiscal year.

§ 13.1-936.1. Annual registration fees to be paid by domestic and foreign corporations; penalty for failure to pay timely.

A. Every domestic corporation and every foreign corporation authorized to conduct its affairs in the Commonwealth shall pay into the state treasury on or before the last day of the twelfth month next succeeding the month in which it was incorporated or authorized to conduct its affairs in the Commonwealth, and by such date in each year thereafter, an annual registration fee of $25. At the discretion of the Commission, the annual registration fee due date for a corporation may be extended, on a monthly basis for a period of not less than one month nor more than 11 months, at the request of its registered agent of record or as may be necessary to distribute annual registration fee due dates of corporations as equally as practicable throughout the year on a monthly basis.

The annual registration fee shall be irrespective of any specific license tax or other tax or fee imposed by law upon the corporation for the privilege of carrying on its business in the Commonwealth or upon its franchise, property or receipts. Nonstock corporations incorporated before 1970 which were not liable for the annual registration fee therefor shall not be liable for an annual registration fee hereafter.

B. Each year, the Commission shall ascertain from its records each domestic corporation and each foreign corporation authorized to conduct its affairs in the Commonwealth, as of the first day of the second month next preceding the month in which it was incorporated or authorized to conduct its affairs in the Commonwealth and shall assess against each such corporation the annual registration fee herein imposed. In any year in which a corporation's annual registration fee due date is extended pursuant to subsection A, the annual registration fee assessment shall be increased by a prorated amount to cover the period of extension. A statement of the assessment, when made, shall be forwarded by the clerk of the Commission to the Comptroller and to each such corporation.

C. Any domestic or foreign corporation that fails to pay the annual registration fee herein imposed within the time prescribed shall incur a penalty of $10, which shall be added to the amount of the annual registration fee due. The penalty shall be in addition to any other penalty or liability imposed by law.

D. Notwithstanding any provisions of this section or other provisions of law to the contrary, any domestic or foreign corporation may prepay up to five years of its annual registration fee.

E. The fees paid into the state treasury under this section shall be set aside as a special fund to be used only by the Commission as it deems necessary to defray all costs of staffing, maintaining and operating the office of the clerk of the Commission, together with all other costs incurred by the Commission in supervising, implementing and administering the provisions of Part 5 (§ 8.9A-501 et seq.) of Title 8.9A, this title, except for Chapters 5 (§ 13.1-501 et seq.) and 8 (§ 13.1-557 et seq.) and Article 7 (§ 55.1-653 et seq.) of Chapter 6 of Title 55.1, provided that one-half of the fees collected shall be credited to the general fund. The excess of fees collected over the projected costs of administration in the next fiscal year shall be paid into the general fund prior to the close of the fiscal year.

§ 13.1-1062. (Effective July 1, 2020) Assessment of annual registration fees; annual registration fees to be paid by domestic and foreign limited liability companies.

A. Each domestic limited liability company, each protected series, each foreign limited liability company registered to transact business in the Commonwealth, and each foreign protected series registered to transact business in the Commonwealth shall pay into the state treasury on or before the last day of the twelfth month next succeeding the month in which it was organized, established, or registered to transact business in the Commonwealth, and by such date in each year thereafter, an annual registration fee of $50, provided that the initial annual registration fee to be paid by a domestic limited liability company created by entity conversion shall be due in the year after the calendar year in which it converted.

The annual registration fee shall be imposed irrespective of any specific license tax or other tax or fee imposed by law upon the domestic or foreign limited liability company or any protected series thereof for the privilege of carrying on its business in the Commonwealth or upon its franchise, property or receipts.

B. Each year, the Commission shall ascertain from its records each domestic limited liability company, each protected series, each foreign limited liability company registered to transact business in the Commonwealth, and each foreign protected series registered to transact business in the Commonwealth, as of the first day of the second month next preceding the month in which it was organized, established, or registered to transact business in the Commonwealth, and, except as provided in subsection A, shall assess against each such limited liability company and each such protected series the annual registration fee herein imposed.

C. At the discretion of the Commission, the annual registration fee due date for a limited liability company may be extended, on a monthly basis for a period of not less than one month nor more than 11 months, at the request of its registered agent of record or as may be necessary to distribute annual registration fee due dates of limited liability companies as equally as practicable throughout the year on a monthly basis.

D. A statement of the assessment, when made, shall be forwarded by the clerk of the Commission to the Comptroller and to each domestic and foreign limited liability company and each protected series thereof.

E. Any domestic limited liability company that has ceased to exist in the Commonwealth because of the issuance of a certificate of cancellation of existence, certificate of organization surrender, or certificate of entity conversion, any protected series that has been canceled, any foreign limited liability company that has obtained a certificate of cancellation, or any foreign protected series that has obtained a certificate of cancellation, effective on or before its annual registration fee due date pursuant to subsection A in any year, shall not be required to pay the annual registration fee for that year. Any domestic or foreign limited liability company that has merged, effective on or before its annual registration fee due date pursuant to subsection A in any year, into a surviving domestic or foreign corporation, limited liability company, business trust, limited partnership, or partnership that files with the Commission an authenticated copy of the instrument of merger on or before such date, shall not be required to pay the annual registration fee for that year. Any foreign limited liability company that has converted, effective on or before its annual registration fee due date pursuant to subsection A in any year, to a different entity type that files with the Commission an authenticated copy of the instrument of entity conversion on or before such date, shall not be required to pay the annual registration fee for that year. The Commission shall cancel the annual registration fee assessments specified in this subsection that remain unpaid.

F. Registration fee assessments that have been paid shall not be refunded.

G. Notwithstanding any provisions of this section or other provisions of law to the contrary, any domestic or foreign limited liability company may prepay up to five years of its annual registration fee.

H. The fees paid into the state treasury under this section and the fees collected under § 13.1-1005 shall be set aside and paid into the special fund created under § 13.1-775.1, and shall be used only by the Commission as it deems necessary to defray the costs of the Commission and of the office of the clerk of the Commission in supervising, implementing, administering and enforcing the provisions of this chapter. The projected excess of fees collected over the costs of administration and enforcement so incurred shall be paid into the general fund prior to the close of each fiscal year, based on the unexpended balance of the special fund at the end of the prior fiscal year. An adjustment of this transfer amount to reflect actual fees collected shall occur during the first quarter of the succeeding fiscal year.