Virginia Brownfield and Coal Mine Renewable Energy Grant Fund and Program; handbook. Establishes the Virginia Brownfield Renewable Energy and Coal Mine Grant Fund and Program. The fund and program shall be administered by the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy for the purpose of awarding grants to renewable energy projects that are located on brownfields or previously coal mined lands. Grants are to be awarded on a basis of $500 per kilowatt of nameplate capacity from renewable energy sources that are located on previously coal mined lands and $100 per kilowatt of nameplate capacity from renewable energy sources that are located on brownfields.No more than $10 million shall be awarded to any previously coal mined lands project and no more than $5 million to any single brownfield project. No more than $35 million shall be allocated per year by the grant program. Of the $35 million, $20 million shall be reserved for previously coal mined lands projects. If less than $20 million is distributed to such projects, the remaining funds may be reallocated to brownfield projects. The bill also provides that, subject to appropriation, the Department shall, in consultation with stakeholders, develop a guidebook for renewable energy and energy storage development on brownfields and previously coal mined lands.
Del. Tony Wilt
Sponsored bills
General Assembly; legislation increasing regulationor establishing initial regulation of a profession or occupation;required evaluation by Board for Professional and Occupational Regulation.Provides that whenever a legislative bill requiring the Departmentof Professional and Occupational Regulation to increase or begin regulation of a profession or occupation is filed during any sessionof the General Assembly, the chairman of the committee to which the bill is referred is required to request the Board for Professionaland Occupational Regulation to prepare an evaluation of the legislationusing the statutory criteria for professional and occupational regulation.The bill removes the current requirement that the Division of LegislativeServices identify and forward to the Board bills requiring such evaluation.The bill requires the Board to submit its evaluation to the appropriateClerk within 10 months for transmittal to the patron of the bill andthe chairman of the committee to which the bill was referred.
Lane filtering; motorcycles. Authorizesthe operator of a two-wheeled motorcycle to pass another vehiclethat is stopped or traveling at no more than 10 miles per hour inthe same lane, provided that there are at least two lanes of travelin each direction, such motorcycle does not exceed a speed of 20miles per hour, and the operator executes such passing safely.
Persons permitted to work in mines; age requirements. Removes a prohibition on persons under 18 years of age working in or around any mine, and requires the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy to conform its regulations to federal law with respect to such age requirements.
Study; Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission; cost-effective care for individuals with intellectual disabilities; report. Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study costs of care for individuals with intellectual disabilities. In conducting its study, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission shall analyze the Commonwealth's per capita costs of care for individuals with intellectual disabilities and per capita costs of care and cost-effective methods used by other states to provide care for individuals with intellectual disabilities and shall make recommendations regarding how the Commonwealth can reduce such costs or make more efficient use of the services provided for individuals with intellectual disabilities to increase its efficiency in the provision of such care and services.
Group Violence Intervention Board; Divisionof Group Violence Intervention; Project Ceasefire Grant Fund; ProjectExile Grant Fund. Establishes the Group Violence InterventionBoard to coordinate and assist federal, state, and local group violenceintervention efforts. The bill also establishes within the Departmentof Criminal Justice Services (the Department) the Division of Group Violence Intervention (the Division), to be headed by an executivedirector appointed by the Director of the Department. The bill providesthat the Division is responsible for (i) coordinating the effortsof members of state and local law enforcement, community members,and social services providers to combat group violence; (ii) serving as a clearinghouse for research, best practices, and strategies thatmay be utilized in the implementation, execution, and evaluationof group violence interventions; and (iii) implementing and administeringvarious federal, state, and local grant funds that aid group violenceintervention efforts. Finally, the bill creates the Project CeasefireGrant Fund, which provides money to organizations that are involvedin group violence intervention efforts, and creates the Project ExileGrant Fund, which provides money to organizations that assist formergang members or individuals attempting to leave gangs.
Tax credit; agricultural best management practices.Creates an enhanced individual and corporate income tax creditbeginning in taxable year 2020 for the implementation of certainagricultural best management practices by the taxpayer that are requiredas part of a certified resource management plan. The enhanced taxcredit is equal to 75 percent of the first $100,000 expended in implementingcertain agricultural best management practices, and each amount shallbe consistent with the rate offered for each eligible practice underthe Virginia Agricultural Best Management Practices Cost-Share Program.The amount of the enhanced credit shall not exceed $75,000. The billretains a tax credit for 25 percent of expenses made for all otheragricultural best management practices that are not eligible forthe enhanced credit rate, but increases the maximum amount of expensesto which one can apply the 25 percent credit to $100,000.
Virginia National Guard; state active duty for emergency response; pay and allowances for members. Establishes rates of pay and allowances for members of the Virginia National Guard and Virginia Defense Force.
Virginia taxable income; subtractions; volunteer firefighters and volunteer emergency medical services personnel.Provides a state income tax subtraction of $20 per hour, up toa maximum of 300 hours per taxable year, for bona fide volunteerswho perform qualifying services, defined in the bill as volunteerfirefighting and fire prevention services, emergency medical services,ambulance services, emergency rescue services, and all training andtraining-related activities required by law.
Possession, purchase, and transport of certainfirearms in certain localities; withholding state funds. Allowsa person to lawfully possess, purchase, or transport a firearm orfirearms magazine that he would otherwise be lawfully permitted to possess, purchase, or transport on January 1, 2020, while he isin a locality that has adopted or enforced any ordinance, resolution,or motion that declares such locality a sanctuary for Second Amendmentrights. The bill also provides that no funds payable by the Commonwealthto a locality for any and all purposes shall be withheld from a localitysolely on the basis of such locality adopting or enforcing any ordinance,resolution, or motion that declares such locality a sanctuary for Second Amendment rights.