Virginia Bills

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 it is a Class 1 misdemeanor for a person, without paying for, and with the intent to cheat or defraud the owner or keeper, to use a ski lift without a valid lift ticket or ski pass.

Directs the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) to establish a three-year Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Scholarship Pilot Program (the Program) for the purpose of providing access to postsecondary educational opportunities to students living in poverty. The Program would provide scholarships to select community colleges in the amount of $4,000 per year, to be applied toward the costs of tuition and books, to 200 selected students who meet TANF eligibility requirements. The Program would be funded with federal TANF block grant funds. The bill directs VCCS to (i) enter into a memorandum of understanding with the State Department of Social Services establishing the parameters of the Program and the method for selecting students to participate; (ii) monitor, record, and analyze the outcomes of all participants; and (iii) report to the Governor and the General Assembly no later than December 1 of each year regarding the effectiveness of and other information about the Program. The provisions of the bill are contingent on funding in a general appropriation act.

Amends the authority of the Governor to remove the political disabilities of persons convicted of felonies, thus restoring their civil rights. The resolution requires the Governor to automatically remove the political disabilities of a person convicted of a felony, other than a violent felony, who has completed service of his sentence and any modification of that sentence, and has met any other conditions that may be set by the General Assembly. The Governor retains the discretion to remove the political disabilities of persons convicted of violent felonies. A person convicted of a violent felony shall become eligible for the removal of his political disabilities once he has completed (i) the payment in full of any restitution, fines, costs, and fees assessed against him as a result of his conviction and (ii) service of his sentence and any modification of that sentence, including any period or condition of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence, and at least five years have passed since he completed such payment and service of sentence without any new felony convictions or any misdemeanor convictions involving moral turpitude.