Provides the Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs (the Secretary) with greater direct oversight of the Department of Veterans Services (the Department). The bill requires (i) that the current cost-benefit and value analysis of existing programs and services and for new programs and services before they are established and implemented be conducted annually, with the results provided to the Secretary, and (ii) that the Department submit an annual report through the Secretary to the Governor and the General Assembly on or before December 1 of each year. The bill contains technical amendments.
Provides that a hearing officer conducting a formal hearing on behalf of an agency shall render a recommendation or conclusion within the time period specified in such agency's written regulations or procedures. If the agency does not have regulations or procedures specifying a time period, the recommendation or conclusion must be rendered by the hearing officer within 90 days. This bill is the recommendation of the Administrative Law Advisory Committee and has been approved by the Virginia Code Commission.
Allows localities to establish by ordinance one or more abandoned school revitalization zones for the purpose of providing incentives to private entities to purchase or develop real property or to assemble parcels suitable for economic development that include an abandoned school site. Each locality establishing an abandoned school revitalization zone may grant incentives and provide regulatory flexibility. The incentives may include, but not be limited to, (i) reduction of permit fees, (ii) reduction of user fees, (iii) reduction of any type of gross receipts tax or any other type of local tax as permitted by state law, and (iv) waiver of tax liens to facilitate the sale of property, if deemed appropriate. A school located in an abandoned school revitalization zone shall be eligible for participation in the Virginia Shell Building Initiative. This bill is identical to
Expands from vehicles operated on a highway to vehicles operated or parked on a highway the class of vehicles subject to registration, licensing, and titling requirements. The bill contains technical amendments.
Clarifies that the authority of the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council (Council) to grant extensions from the deadline for filing disclosure forms does not extend to filings made by a candidate for public office, as such candidate filings are not filed with the Council. This bill is identical to
Authorizes the Virginia Coalfields Expressway Authority to apply for and accept grants and gifts to carry out its powers and duties.
Directs the Department of Aviation to convene a work group with stakeholders to explore issues related to unmanned aircraft system activities in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration and other responsible federal agencies. The bill defines "unmanned aircraft" and "unmanned aircraft system" for application to Title 5.1 (Aviation), but such definitions shall not become effective unless reenacted by the 2019 Session of the General Assembly.
Requires the Board of Education (Board) to (i) establish content standards and curriculum guidelines for courses in career investigation; (ii) develop, in consultation with certain stakeholders, resource materials that are designed to ensure that students have the ability to further explore interest in career and technical education opportunities in middle and high school; and (iii) disseminate such career investigation resource materials to each school board. The bill directs each school board to require each middle school student to take at least one course or alternative program of instruction in career investigation.
Adds the Cities of Chesapeake and Portsmouth to those localities that may require payment by a subdivider or developer of land of a pro rata share of the cost of reasonable and necessary road improvements, located outside the property limits of the land owned or controlled by him but serving an area having related traffic needs to which his subdivision or development will contribute, to reimburse an initial subdivider or developer who has advanced such costs or constructed such road improvements. The City of Chesapeake appears to have been inadvertently dropped from this statute during a 2007 Code title revision.
Directs the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a review of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Board of Directors membership provisions.
Authorizes counties to enact ordinances providing that bonds shall be repaid from food and beverage tax revenues. The bill provides that if a county enacts such an ordinance, the referendum submitted to the voters shall include as a single question the issuance of bonds and the enactment of a food and beverage tax. Under current law, the questions of bond issuance and tax enactment are submitted as separate ballot questions.
Requires the Board of Education, in establishing high school graduation requirements, to permit students to exceed a full course load in order to participate in courses offered by an institution of higher education that lead to a degree, certificate, or credential at such institution.
