Virginia Bills

Creates the mixed beverage annual live entertainment license to allow any person operating a live entertainment venue to sell, on the dates of performances and one hour prior to any such performance and one hour after the conclusion of any performance, but no later than 2:00 a.m. alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption in areas upon the licensed premises approved by the Board. The bill stipulates that the live entertainment venue (i) must be owned by the licensee or be occupied under a bona fide long-term lease or concession agreement, the original term of which was more than five years, and (ii) must have monthly gross receipts from the sale of food cooked, or prepared, and consumed on the premises and nonalcoholic beverages served on the premises of at least $4,000. The bill defines a live entertainment venue as an establishment devoted exclusively to the bona fide live performance of the performing arts, which establishment is open to the public no more than four days in any calendar week and where (a) at least 75 percent of the ticket sales for any performance at such venue is required to be purchased at least 12 hours in advance of the performance and (b) the ticket price for the performance is based on the fair market value of the performance.. The bill contains technical amendments.

Affirms the rights of localities to regulate the short-term rental of property, defined as the provision of space suitable for sleeping or lodging for fewer than 30 days. If a locality allows short-term rentals, the locality shall require that the person offering property for rental notify adjacent landowners in writing, obtain local permission to offer the property for rental, and carry a minimum of $500,000 of commercial premises liability insurance. If a locality prohibits short-term rentals, any person or entity, including an online hosting platform, that advertises the availability of a short-term rental in the locality shall be subject to a $10,000 fine per violation. This bill was incorporated into

Requires certain call centers that intend to relocate operations from the Commonwealth to a foreign country to give the Commissioner of Labor and Industry at least 120 days' prior notice. An employer that fails to do so is subject to a civil penalty not to exceed an amount of $10,000 for each day of the violation. The measure requires the Commissioner to compile a semiannual list of all employers that relocate a call center from the Commonwealth to a foreign country and to distribute the list to state agencies. Subject to exceptions, an employer that appears on the list is (i) ineligible for five years for any direct or indirect grants of state funds, any loans guaranteed by the state, or any tax credit or reduction in tax liability and (ii) required to remit the unamortized value of such grants, loans, or tax benefits, or any other governmental support the employer has previously received, to the Secretary of Commerce and Trade. The measure requires new state agency contracts for the performance of state business-related call center and customer service work to provide that such work shall be performed entirely within the Commonwealth. Finally, the measure requires that, to the extent permitted, (a) state contractors who perform state business-related call center and customer service work outside the Commonwealth under an existing contract perform such work entirely within the Commonwealth by July 1, 2019, and (b) any new customer service employees hired to work under an existing contract be employed within the Commonwealth.

Authorizes any foreign health insurer to sell individual or group health benefit plans in the Commonwealth if it is approved to sell such plans in the foreign health insurer's domiciliary state. The measure establishes requirements applicable to such benefit plans, including provisions for registration, disclosure, marketing, and financial condition. The measure has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2018.

Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the feasibility of providing Virginians the opportunity to attend comprehensive community college without paying tuition or fees.

Requests the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to study the availability and effectiveness of spay-neuter programs in Commonwealth.