SB 278 (Petersen) requires that condemning authorities pay agreed settlements or court awards in condemnation cases to the landowners or their attorneys within 30 days. VACo worked with Senator Chap Petersen to add language insuring that the recipients of such payments are responsible for getting outstanding liens on the property released. The bill passed out of the Senate unanimously and has been referred to the House Courts of Justice Committee.
SB 809 (Petersen), which incorporates SB 911 (Chase), corrects a drafting error from the 2017 Session that resulted in business owners affected by condemnation proceedings being eligible for three years of lost profits if a part of the business property is taken, but for only one year of lost profits if the entire property is taken despite the added cost of increasing the compensable time period. The bill passed out of the Senate 39-0.
VACo Contact: Khaki LaRiviere