Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; return of security deposit. Requires the landlord to return the tenant's security deposit, minus any deductions or charges, within 45 days of the termination of the tenancy or the date the tenant vacates the dwelling unit, whichever occurs last. Under current law, the 45-day period to return the security deposit begins on the date of the termination of the tenancy. This bill is identical to HB 594.
Charter; City of Richmond. Requires a council member to reside in the election district from which the member was elected throughout the member's term on the council. A council member may be removed from office for failure to comply with the residency requirement. This bill is identical to HB 1064.
Private schools; sexual misconduct; employment assistance prohibited. Requires the governing boards or administrators of private elementary and secondary schools accredited on behalf of the Board of Education by the Virginia Council for Private Education to adopt and implement policies prohibiting any individual who is a governing board member, administrator, employee, contractor, or agent of such school to assist a governing board member, administrator, employee, contractor, or agent of such school in obtaining a new job if such individual knows or has probable cause to believe that the individual seeking new employment engaged in sexual misconduct regarding a minor or student in violation of law.
Electric utilities; retail competition. Shortens from five years to three years the period that a customer who switches from an investor-owned electric utility to a licensed competing supplier is barred from returning as a customer of the utility. The measure provides that if a single person purchases electric energy from a licensed supplier and such electric energy is composed of a percentage of renewable energy equal to or greater than the percentages of the renewable energy portfolio standard program goals as of January 1, 2020, and no less than the percentage of renewable energy that the licensed supplier is required to provide pursuant to any renewable energy portfolio standard that is subsequently established, such person will constitute a single retail customer, notwithstanding that service is provided to noncontiguous sites. Under current law, for the purposes of purchasing energy from a licensed competing supplier, noncontiguous sites are considered individual retail customers and cannot be aggregated to meet the energy demand threshold regardless of common ownership or control. The measure provides that for cooperative customers the lockout period remains five years and noncontiguous sites are still considered individual retail customers. The measure also allows individual retail customers of an electric utility to purchase electric energy provided 100 percent from renewable energy from any licensed supplier. The measure eliminates the condition that permits such purchases only if the electric utility serving the applicable exclusive service territory does not offer a tariff for 100 percent renewable energy. Finally, the measure directs the State Corporation Commission to update its consumer protection regulations relating to the availability of service through licensed suppliers.
Additional transient occupancy tax in Prince George County. Authorizes Prince George County to impose an additional transient occupancy tax at a rate of up to two percent, for a total maximum rate of seven percent. The revenue from the additional tax shall be used solely for tourism purposes.
Transportation of bait fish for sale; penalty. Prohibits the transportation for sale outside of the Commonwealth of river herring, alewife, threadfin shad, or gizzard shad, or the carcass or any part thereof, collected from the inland waters for use as bait fish. A violation of the provisions of the bill constitutes a Class 1 misdemeanor. The bill contains an emergency clause.
Public School Security Equipment Grant Act of2013; eligible security equipment. Classifies security-relateddevices located outside of the school building on school propertyand security-related devices located on school buses as eligiblesecurity equipment under the Public School Security Equipment GrantAct of 2013.
Passing stopped school bus; vendor; administrative fee. Authorizes a private vendor operating a video monitoring system for a school division for the purpose of recording those illegally passing stopped school buses to impose and collect an administrative fee to recover the cost of collecting the civil penalty to be paid by the operator of the vehicle. The bill contains technical amendments.
Compensation of counties for certain constructionand improvement of primary and secondary highways. Allows theDepartment of Transportation to pay a locality up-front for eligible expenses related to certain transportation projects administeredby the locality, instead of being reimbursed after completion ofthe project. The bill also removes language related to an obsoletefunding formula.
Campaign finance; reporting of certain contributions received immediately prior to legislative session. Requires anysingle contribution of $1,000 or more that is knowingly received or reported by a candidate for statewide office or the General Assemblyduring the period beginning January 1 and ending on the day immediatelybefore the first day of a regular session of the General Assemblyto be reported to and received by the State Board of Elections bythe end of the following day. The bill requires these contributionsto also be reported on the first regular report following the dateof the contribution.
Campaign Finance Disclosure Act of 2006; applicability to nominations and elections for directors of soil and water conservation districts. Removes the exemption to the applicability of the provisions of the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act of 2006 for directors of soil and water conservation districts, so that such candidates will be subject to campaign finance reporting requirements. The bill further provides that such a candidate may qualify for the exemption from reporting requirements if he does not solicit or accept campaign contributions and does not contribute personally to, or spend more than $1,000 on, his campaign.
Health benefit plans; special exception. Repeals a provision of the Code of Virginia authorizing health carriers to sell, issue, or offer for sale any health benefit plan that would otherwise not be permitted to be sold, issued, or offered for sale due to conflict with the requirements of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), to the extent that the(a) the appropriate federal authority has suspended enforcement of provisions of the PPACA or (b) the requirements of the PPACA are amended by any federal law.
