Authorizes the Virginia Beach Wetlands Board to adopt a General Permit for Sand Management and Placement Profiles for properties in the Sandbridge Beach Subdivision of Virginia Beach and authorizes the Norfolk Wetlands Board to adopt such a permit for properties in the City of Norfolk. The bill requires the General Permit and Placement Profiles to include the permissible cost-effective sand management practices that property owners shall implement to protect and enhance the value of their property and to protect coastal primary sand dunes and public beaches. Any sand that is to be removed by the owner from his property must be judged to be "clean beach" sand prior to being transferred and placed in a spreading zone location.
Approved by Governor-Chapter 347 (effective 7/1/17)
Extends the deadline from July 1, 2016, to December 31, 2018, or to within 90 days of the effective date of the relevant regulations promulgated by the Board, whichever is later, by which individuals who have at least 20 years of documented work experience practicing genetic counseling and meet other certain requirements may receive a waiver from the Board of Medicine of the requirements of a master's degree and American Board of Genetic Counseling or American Board of Medical Genetics certification for licensure as a genetic counselor.
Requires petitions for candidates for the governing body or elected school board of towns to contain a minimum of (i) 125 signatures of qualified voters in towns with more than 3,500 registered voters and (ii) 50 signatures of qualified voters in towns with at least 1,500 but not more than 3,500 registered voters. No candidate petition is required for local offices in towns with fewer than 1,500 registered voters.
Expands the category of flags required to be flown at half staff or mast when a service member, police officer, firefighter, or emergency medical services provider is killed in the line of duty to include flags flown at any building owned and operated by any political subdivision of the Commonwealth. In addition, the bill adds state correctional officers to the list of public safety personnel for whom such flags are flown at half staff or mast.
Extends the sunset date from January 1, 2018, to January 1, 2020, for the local gas severance tax that is dedicated to (i) the local Coal and Gas Road Improvement Fund, (ii) the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Fund, and (iii) water, sewer, and natural gas systems and lines. This bill is identical to
Provides that the common-law doctrine known as the fireman's rule, as described in the bill, shall not be a defense to certain claims. The fireman's rule is based on assumption of the usual risks of injury in such employment, whether caused by a negligent or a nonnegligent act of the defendant.
Approved by Governor-Chapter 357 (effective 7/1/17)
Provides that no family member of a resident of a nursing home or other resident representative shall be restricted from participating in meetings in the facility with the families or resident representatives of other residents in the facility.
Provides that a wireless services authority may fix rates, fees, and charges for services provided, or facilities owned, operated, or maintained by the authority, for which the authority has received loan funding. Currently, an authority may do so only if it has issued revenue bonds. A similar change authorizes rates to be set at levels to provide for payment of loans. The measure also requires each authority to maintain records demonstrating compliance with certain provisions and to make the records available for inspection and copying by the public pursuant to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.
Provides that in cases in which inspections of emergency medical services agencies and vehicles, hospitals, hospices, home care organizations, restaurants, summer camps, campgrounds, and hotels are required, no licensee shall receive additional inspections until every other licensee in that category has been inspected, unless the additional inspection is (i) necessary to follow up on a preoperational inspection or one or more violations, (ii) required by a uniformly applied risk-based schedule established by the Department of Health, (iii) necessary to investigate a complaint, or (iv) otherwise deemed necessary to protect the public health and safety.
Expands the types of crimes victims of which are eligible to apply for the address confidentiality program to include sexual violence. The bill provides that such programs may also include specialized services for victims of human trafficking. Current law permits victims of domestic violence and stalking to apply to this program. The bill requires that sexual or domestic violence programs be accredited by the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Program Professional Standards Committee to accept applications and authorizes crime victim and witness assistance programs to accept applications. The bill increases program participants' certification period from one to three years. The bill contains technical amendments.
