Del. Terry Austin

Maddy summaryThis House Resolution formally commends Bank of Botetourt for its 125-year history of providing financial services and community support in southwestern Virginia. The document highlights the bank's long-standing contributions, including charitable donations, employee volunteerism, and educational scholarships for local students. It directs the Clerk of the House to prepare a copy of the resolution to present to the bank's chief executive officer and president as a gesture of appreciation.

Maddy summaryThis legislative resolution formally commends Eddie L. Radden, Jr., a retired doorkeeper for the Virginia House of Delegates, for his two decades of service. The document highlights his personal history as a civil rights activist and his professional dedication to maintaining the decorum of the legislative chamber. Upon his retirement in June 2024, the House of Delegates directed its Clerk to prepare a copy of this resolution to present to Mr. Radden as a gesture of appreciation.

Public service companies; pole attachments;cable television systems and telecommunications service providers. Requires a public utility, as defined in the bill, to establish and adhere to pole attachment practices and procedures that comply with certain requirements, including determining whether an attachment request is complete before reviewing such request on its merits, complying with certain timelines, and providing notice of a rearrangement to affected existing attachers. The bill provides that a public utility shall not apportion to a telecommunications service provider or cable television system the cost of replacing a red-tagged pole, as defined in the bill, provided that such utility may apportion to such provider or system the incremental cost of a taller or stronger pole that is necessitated solely by the new facilities of such provider or system. The bill authorizes the State Corporation Commission to enforce its provisions and requires the Commission to resolve disputes involving pole access within 90 days and concerning certain other matters within 120 days. This bill is identical to SB 713.

Intercollegiate athletics; student-athletes; compensation for name, image, or likeness. Makes several changes to existing provisions of law relating to compensation of a student-athlete at a public or private institution of higher education in the Commonwealth (institution) for the use of the name, image, or likeness of such student-athlete, including (i) prohibiting any athletic association, athletic conference, or other organization with authority over intercollegiate athletics from preventing an institution, its supporting foundations, or an entity acting on its behalf from identifying, creating, negotiating, facilitating, supporting, engaging with, assisting with, or otherwise enabling a name, image, or likeness opportunity for a student-athlete; (ii) requiring each institution to develop and submit to the institution's governing board or similar governing body for approval institutional policies or procedures that govern the compensation of a student-athlete for the use of his name, image, or likeness; and (iii) permitting any institution to provide assets, resources, or benefits as an incentive to individuals, companies, or other entities to provide money, benefits, opportunities, or services to an outside entity that supports name, image, or likeness opportunities for the institution's student-athletes. The foregoing provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of November 15, 2024. The bill also requires the Intercollegiate Athletics Review Commission to review plans and implementation considerations for the provisions of the bill and provide a report on its review to the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2024.

Motor vehicle dealers; sale of franchise. Changesthe deadline for a vehicle manufacturer, factory branch, distributor,or distributor branch to reject the sale or transfer of a dealershipfrom 30 days prior to the effective date of the sale or transferto 60 days from the receipt of notice from the dealer of the proposedsale or transfer and lists requirements for such notice from thedealer. The bill provides that an objection to a sale or transferbased on an applicant's years of motor dealer management experienceis a reasonable objection but removes the right to object based onother applicant qualifications. The bill further provides that a franchisor's consent to a relocation of a business cannot be unreasonably withheld. Finally, the bill entitles dealers and applicants forsale or transfer to damages if a manufacturer, factory branch, distributor,or distributor branch willfully engages in prohibited conduct.

Virginia Public Procurement Act; Virginia resident preference. Provides preference as it relates to procurement for a bidder who is a resident of Virginia and then a bidder whose goods are produced in the United States. For the procurement of goods by manufacturers, when the lowest responsive and responsible bidder is not a resident of Virginia and the bid of any Virginia resident is within 10 percent of such bid, the bill gives the lowest responsive and responsible bidder that is a Virginia resident the option to match the price of the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. Furthermore, if the lowest responsive and responsible bidder is a resident of another state and such state allows a resident a percentage preference or price-matching preference for the procurement of goods, the bill grants a like preference to responsive and responsible bidders who are residents of Virginia. Under the bill, an eligible bidder that is a Virginia resident shall be granted the greater of either preference. The bill exempts a public body from the provisions of the bill if such public body is rendered ineligible to receive federal funding due to the provisions of the bill. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2027. Finally, the bill directs the Department of General Services to report to the General Assembly regarding the bill's efficacy, including any retaliatory action taken by other states, no later than the first day of the 2025 Regular Session.This bill incorporates HB 164, HB 341, and HB 1154.

Abandoned vehicles; owner and lienholder information. Provides that if an abandoned vehicle has been titled in anotherjurisdiction, the Department of Motor Vehicles, in its search for the owner or lienholder of such vehicle, may rely on informationprovided by a business in possession of the abandoned vehicle thatacquired such vehicle from an insurance company in connection witha total loss unresolved claim, provided that such information is obtainedfrom a nationally recognized title database with access to such jurisdiction'srecords about all entities having security interest in such vehicle.The bill requires the business to defend, indemnify, and hold theDepartment and the Commonwealth harmless for damages and costs resulting from such reliance.

Department of Environmental Quality; reviewand authorization of projects; hearing and appeal. Allows anyperson aggrieved by the final decision of the Department of EnvironmentalQuality and who has participated in a proceeding for a permit toconstruct or operate a small renewable energy project under proceduresadopted by the Department to seek judicial review of such actionin accordance with the Administrative Process Act in the Circuit Court of the City of Richmond. The bill requires the court to hearand decide such action as soon as practicable after the date of filing.The bill provides that a party in interest to such action will havethe right to appeal to the Supreme Court.

American Revolution 250 Commission; membership and staffing. Amends the membership of the American Revolution 250 Commission to allow for the appointment of ex officio members who are directors of historic homes, historic sites, or National Park Service sites or former legislative members of the Commission. The bill also provides for staff of the Commission to serve as the Commission's fiscal agent. This bill is identical to SB 117.

Virginia Growth and Opportunity Board. Modifies aspects of the Virginia Growth and Opportunity Board by adding a fourth Secretary to the Board's membership, to be appointed by the Governor, and providing that the Secretary of Labor may be one of the Secretaries appointed to the Board. The bill also reduces the amount of matching funds required for any grant awarded from the Virginia Growth and Opportunity Fund by requiring such funds to be equal to at least half of the grant awarded until July 1, 2028.