Del. Alfonso Lopez

Single-use plastic and expanded polystyreneproducts; local prohibition; local tax. Authorizes a localityto prohibit by ordinance the purchase, sale, or provision, whetherfree or for a cost, of certain single-use products that are not recyclable or compostable and for which there is a suitable and cost-effectivecompostable or recyclable alternative product available, with certainexceptions. The bill also authorizes any locality to impose a five-centper item tax on single-use plastics and polystyrene products providedto customers by certain retailers, with certain products being exemptfrom the tax. The bill directs revenue from the local tax to be usedby the locality imposing the tax for cleanup or education programsdesigned to reduce waste. The bill allows every restaurant or retailerthat collects the tax to retain one cent of the five-cent tax if the tax is paid in a timely manner.

Transit funding. Raises the existing regional transportation fee, a grantor's tax, from $0.15 per $100 to $0.20 per $100 for localities in the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority that are also members of the Northern Virginia Transportation District. The bill requires half of the revenues to be deposited in the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority Fund and half to be deposited in the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Capital Fund. The rate of tax in the other localities will remain at $0.15 per $100, with one-third of the revenues to be retained by the locality to be used for transportation purposes and the other two-thirds to be deposited in the Northern Virginia Transportation District Fund. The bill also raises the existing transient occupancy tax in the localities located in the Northern Virginia Transportation District from $2 to $3, with all of the revenues from the tax being used to support WMATA. This bill incorporates HB 977.

Virginia Urban Agriculture Advisory Councilcreated; report. Creates the Virginia Urban Agriculture AdvisoryCouncil as an advisory council in the legislative branch of stategovernment to encourage urban agriculture and contribute to buildinga local food economy. The bill has an expiration date of July 1,2023.

Dairy Producer Margin Coverage Premium AssistanceProgram. Directs the Commissioner of Agriculture and ConsumerServices to establish and administer the Dairy Producer Margin CoveragePremium Assistance Program (the Program). The bill provides that anydairy farmer that has a resource management plan or nutrient managementplan and participates in the federal margin coverage program fordairy producers at the Tier 1 level as contained in the federal Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 is eligible to participate in the Program.Under the bill, each year a Program participant will receive a refundof its annual premium payment paid into the federal program.

Study; Office of Drinking Water; Commonwealth'sdrinking water infrastructure and oversight of the drinking waterprogram; report. Requests the Office of Drinking Water of theDepartment of Health to study the Commonwealth's drinking water infrastructureand oversight of the drinking water program. In conducting its study,the Office shall (i) identify problems or issues that may resultin contamination of drinking water with lead, copper, or other substancesor organisms or increase the likelihood of contamination of drinkingwater with lead, copper, or other substances or organisms and (ii)develop recommendations for addressing such problems or issues.

Celebrating the life of William Griffith Thomas.

Alcoholic beverage control; annual mixed beverage performing arts facility license. Creates an annual mixed beverage performing arts facility license that (i) may be granted to persons operating food concessions at any corporate and performing arts facility located in Fairfax County, provided that the corporate and performing arts facility (a) is occupied under a bona fide long-term lease, management, or concession agreement, the original term of which was more than one year and (b) has a total capacity in excess of 1,400 patrons and (ii) authorizes the licensee to sell, on the dates of performances or events, alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption. This bill is identical to SB 212.

Celebrating the life of the Honorable GeraldL. Baliles.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Virginia Initiative for Education and Work; hardship exception. Requires the Department of Social Services to (i) keep records of the number of Virginia Initiative for Education and Work participants who receive an exception to the time limitations on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits due to hardship and the specific circumstances relied upon to grant such exceptions and (ii) annually publish nonidentifying statistics regarding such information.

Legal custodian; parties to a pending custodyor visitation case; notice of adoption proceeding. Provides thata legal custodian of a child being placed for adoption, and any othernamed parties in pending cases in which the custody or visitationof such child is at issue, shall be entitled to proper notice of anyadoption proceeding and an opportunity to be heard.