Transportation Partnership Opportunity Fund Bills Amended to Address VACo’s Concerns
SB 1106 (Newman) and HB 2302 (Adams, L), as introduced, were similar to budget language in the Governor’s introduced budget regarding the Transportation Partnership Opportunity Fund (TPOF). The introduced bills required the Governor to include in the Budget Bill an appropriation of up to $200 million, limited to $100 million each year, from the Commonwealth […]
Bill Requiring School Divisions to Spend ESSER Funds Goes to the Senate
HB 2269 (Greenhalgh) would require local school divisions to return any unspent or unobligated Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) or Governor Emergency Education Relief Funds (GEER) state set-aside funds exceeding 20 percent of its total awarded allocations, awarded to the local school division by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to VDOE […]
Return to Work Bills Advance
Several items of legislation that seek to incentivize return to work by certain public employees are advancing through the General Assembly. They primarily incentivize retirees in law enforcement or specialized school division positions by reducing the length of the Virginia Retirement System’s required break in service. These bills are intended to help reduce the ongoing […]
Visit Cumberland County and the Cumberland County Historic Courthouse
Location: 1 Court House Circle / Foster Road Built: 1818 – 1821 Style: Colonial Revival Architect: William A Howard Contractor: William A Howard Description: The building faces south and is a one story red colored brick structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Cumberland. The rectangular building is located on […]
Federal and Regional Economic Development Partnership to Invest in Virginia Localities
The Southeast Crescent Regional Commission (SCRC) is an economic development partnership of the Federal government and the seven state governments of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Florida. SCRC’s mission is to build sustainable communities and increase economic growth, particularly in economically distressed areas. Dr. Jennifer Clyburn Reed serves as the Federal […]
Online mapping resource to assist in siting of utility-scale solar facilities now available
The Virginia Land and Energy Navigator (VaLEN) is now available for public use. VaLEN brings together GIS information related to prime farm and forestland, conserved lands, brownfields and mined lands, transmission lines, and other topics to support land use planning and decision-making at the local level for energy projects including solar, wind, hydroelectric, and small modular […]
Welcome to VACo – Grimm + Parker Architects
Capitol Contact ALERT! Oppose Bill That Creates New Liability and Financial Remedy against Localities
Bill could be heard on Monday, February 13 – Call Your Delegates Now to Oppose SB 1495 (Surovell) provides that any person aggrieved by an enforcement action by a locality, where the enforcement action was based upon a willful disregard for applicable law, regulation, or ordinance, shall be entitled to an award of compensatory damages […]
Constitutional Amendments Advance in Senate, Stall in House
A handful of Constitutional amendments have been passed by the Senate and await action in the House. Of particular interest to local governments are the following: SJ 231 (McPike) would extend the current real property tax exemption for the surviving spouse of any member of the armed forces of the United States who was killed […]
VACo Supports Advance of False Reporting Bills
Legislation supported by VACo that aims to discourage and hold individuals accountable for making false reports that result in the deployment of law enforcement or other first responders is advancing through both chambers of the General Assembly. HB 1590 (Sullivan) / SB 1034 (McPike) modernize the harassing phone call statute to include any communications that […]
Update on Finance Legislation
After crossover, two finance-related bills of concern remain under consideration. HB 2200 (Robinson) deals with BPOL taxes for oncology practices and would require a deduction from gross receipts for any amount paid for anti-cancer drugs that are purchased by a medical practice and administered to patients whose treatment is paid for by Medicare, Medicaid, or […]
License Reciprocity Bills for Waterworks Make it to Crossover
SB 999 (Mason) and its companion bill, HB 1940 (Runion), would allow for waterworks employees licensed in other states to be issued the equivalent license in Virginia. These bills would help localities recruit and retain these necessary public works employees as staffing issues continue at the local level. As previously reported, VACo supports the passage […]
VACo Supports Advance of Early Childhood Education Bills
Legislation supported by VACo that aims to create a Commission on Early Childcare and Education is moving through the General Assembly without opposition. HB 1423 (Coyner) / SB 1404 (Barker) renames the School Readiness Committee as the Commission on Early Childhood Care and Education and makes several changes to the Commission, including adjusting its purpose, […]
Rural Electric Vehicle Fund Bill Survives the Senate but Dies in the House
VACo spoke in support of SB 1466 (Marsden) and HB 1588 (Sullivan), which would create the Electric Vehicle Rural Infrastructure Program and Fund. This Fund would make available up to $25 million each fiscal year and assist developers by offsetting up to 70 percent of the cost of electric vehicle charging stations. According to the […]
Bill to Mandate Live Broadcast and Video Archive of Board of Supervisors Meetings Fails
Legislation to require that localities provide a live video broadcast of public meetings of the local governing body and to archive such broadcasts on their websites failed on a close vote on the House floor earlier this week. HB 1487 (March), for those localities that do not currently live broadcast and archive, would have caused […]
Money Committees Release Budgets
The House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees met on Sunday and reported their respective amendments to the introduced budget. As has been the traditional practice on “Budget Sunday,” Committee leadership outlined the priority elements of their respective proposals and provided preliminary information on the proposed amendments. The actual text of the budget amendments […]