Virginia Bills

Creates a new retail on-premises wine and beer license for nonprofit historic cinema houses. The bill defines "historic cinema house" and sets out the privileges of the license and imposes a $200 annual state license tax and a $20 annual local license tax.

Authorizes the board of trustees of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation to enter into contracts for the use and rental of agency facilities, structures, spaces, and personal property under the control of the Foundation. This bill is identical to

Changes the standard a locality may use to calculate the charges for water and sewer connection services from fair and reasonable to practicable and equitable defined by a number of factors. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2018.

Provides that the Chief Medical Examiner may appoint a medical examiner for each county or city in the Commonwealth. Under current law, the Chief Medical Examiner is required to do so. The bill authorizes appointed medical examiners to assist the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner with cases requiring medicolegal death investigations. Finally, the bill clarifies that the appointment of a medical examiner to fill a vacancy is not required to start on October 1 of the year of appointment, and the term length of such appointment is for the unexpired term.

Provides that notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, persons granted a wine and beer license may deliver such wine or beer in closed containers for off-premises consumption (i) to a person's vehicle if located in a designated parking area of the retailer's premises where such person has electronically ordered wine or beer in advance of the delivery or (ii) if the licensee holds a delivery permit issued by the ABC Board, to such other locations as may be permitted by Board regulation. The bill contains technical amendments.

Provides that banquet licensees that are nonprofit corporations or associations conducting fundraisers (i) shall also be authorized to sell wine, as part of any fundraising activity, in closed containers for off-premises consumption to persons to whom wine may be lawfully sold and (ii) shall be limited to no more than one such fundraiser per year.

Allows a local board of social services to take a child into immediate custody pursuant to an emergency removal order in cases in which the child is alleged to have been abused or neglected and allows a court to issue certain orders in such cases, without requiring that reasonable efforts be made to prevent removal of the child from his home if (i) the parental residual rights of the child's parent over a sibling were involuntarily terminated; (ii) the parent was convicted of murder or voluntary manslaughter, or a felony attempt, conspiracy, or solicitation to commit any such offense, if the victim was a child of or resided with the parent or was the other parent of the child; (iii) the parent was convicted of felony assault resulting in serious bodily injury or felony bodily wounding resulting in serious bodily injury or felony sexual assault, if the victim was a child of or resided with the parent; or (iv) on the basis of clear and convincing evidence, the parent has subjected any child to aggravated circumstances or abandoned a child under circumstances that would justify the termination of residual parental rights. The bill provides that, in each permanency planning hearing and in any hearing regarding the transition of the child from foster care to independent living, the court shall consult with the child, unless the court finds that such consultation is not in the best interests of the child. The bill makes other changes related to foster care to comply with federal requirements.