Virginia Bills

Clarifies that the Real Estate Board (the Board) may establish criteria delineating the permitted activities of unlicensed individuals employed by, or affiliated as an independent contractor with, real estate licensees or under the supervision of a real estate broker. Current law only permits the Board to establish such criteria for unlicensed individuals employed by or under the supervision of a real estate broker. The bill also specifies that a real estate team may hire one or more unlicensed assistants as an employee or an independent contractor. Current law does not specify the method by which real estate teams may hire independent contractors. Finally, the bill permits an independent contractor affiliated with a disabled or deceased broker to carry on the business of the disabled or deceased broker for 180 days following the death or disability of the broker solely for the purpose of concluding the business of the deceased or disabled broker under certain circumstances. The bill contains a technical amendment and is identical to

Allows certain Class A driver training schools to be third party testers for the skills test component of the commercial driver's license examination. This bill has a delayed effective date of October 1, 2019, and is identical to

Allows VIEW participants whose Temporary Assistance for Needy Families financial assistance is terminated to receive child care assistance for up to 12 months after termination if the individual is enrolled in an accredited public institution of higher education or other postsecondary school licensed or certified by the Board of Education or the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and is taking courses as part of a curriculum that leads to a postsecondary credential, such as a degree or an industry-recognized credential, certification, or license. Under current law, such child care assistance is only available if it enables the individual to work. This bill is identical to

Provides that, notwithstanding the requirement for a referendum for liquor by the drink, the Board of Directors of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority may issue a mixed beverage license to establishments located (i) on property fronting Doe Creek Farm Road, located approximately 1,310 feet southeast of the intersection of State Route 613 and Doe Creek Farm Road, and listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, (ii) on property adjacent to the southeast side of the intersection of Route 58 Alternate and Skaggs Hill Road within the boundary of any town incorporated in 1891, (iii) on property along River Bend Drive and 805 feet directly north of Route 58 Alternate within the boundary of any town incorporated in 1891, and (iv) on property fronting the north side of Mullins Avenue to the west of the intersection of Mullins Avenue and Chase Street and located in a town incorporated in 1884.

Adds Martinsville to the list of cities with different requirements for the appointment of a special commissioner to execute the necessary deed to convey property with delinquent taxes or liens to the locality in lieu of a sale at public auction.

Authorizes local departments of social services to foster, when practicable, the creation, maintenance, and coordination of hospital and community-based multidisciplinary teams focused on the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of adults 60 years of age or older or 18 years of age or older who are physically or mentally incapacitated. The bill provides that such teams may: (i) assist the local department of social services in identifying abused, neglected, and exploited adults; (ii) coordinate medical, social, and legal services for abused, neglected, and exploited adults and their families; (iii) develop innovative programs for detection and prevention of the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of adults; (iv) promote community awareness and action to address adult abuse, neglect, and exploitation; and (v) disseminate information to the general public regarding the problem of adult abuse, neglect, and exploitation, strategies and methods for preventing such abuse, neglect, and exploitation, and treatment options for abused, neglected, and exploited adults. The bill also allows the attorney for the Commonwealth in each jurisdiction to establish a multidisciplinary adult abuse, neglect, and exploitation response team to review cases of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of adults. Such multidisciplinary team may be established separately or in conjunction with any already existing multidisciplinary team. This bill is identical to

Allows the sale of mixed beverages by licensed restaurants and the sale of alcoholic beverages by the Board of Directors of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority in any county, town, or supervisor's election district unless a referendum is held and a majority of the voters voting in such referendum vote to prohibit such sales. Under current law, such sales are prohibited unless they have been approved through the referendum process. The bill includes a grandfathering provision that allows the granting of a mixed beverage license to any establishment described in § 4.1-126, as it was in effect prior to the effective date of this bill, notwithstanding the provisions of the bill related to local referendums but subject to other applicable laws and regulations. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2020, but allows localities to hold anticipatory referendums between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020, and provides that the results of such referendums shall become valid and enforceable on July 1, 2020. The bill provides that the result of any referendum held prior to July 1, 2019, shall remain valid and enforceable for a period of five years. This bill is identical to

Authorizes the Commissioner of the Marine Resources Commission to assign to a land owner who is eligible to apply for riparian planting grounds only a planting ground that the Commissioner, in his discretion, deems appropriate to encompass as much as one-half acre of ground. The bill authorizes the Commissioner to consider assigning an area that the owner designates within his riparian waters and provides that the assignment shall not extend farther than the nearest edge of the channel or the middle of the body of water, whichever is the shorter distance. The bill removes a provision stating that the fee for such assignment shall be $1.50.