Del. Mike Webert

Land use assessment; parcels with multiple owners. Allows the owner of a majority interest in an undivided parcel ofreal estate that is eligible for land use assessment to file theapplication on behalf of himself and for owners of any minority interest.The bill also provides that such majority owner shall be responsiblefor paying any roll-back taxes imposed due to a reclassificationof such property.

Slaughter and meat-processing facilities. Establishes that it is the policy of the General Assembly to encourage, expand, and develop slaughter and meat-processing facilities through strategic planning and financial incentive programs. The bill directs the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to develop a five-year strategic plan to increase total combined throughput capacity of slaughter and meat-processing facilities. This bill is identical to SB 726.

Comprehensive water supply planning process. Directs the State Water Control Board to consider existing interjurisdictional arrangements in designating comprehensive water supply regional planning areas and to provide a mechanism for a locality to request, subject to approval by the Department of Environmental Quality, a change of its designated regional planning area to an adjoining planning area.

Automatic renewal or continuous service offerto consumer; cancellation and online opt-out. Requires that the supplier of automatic renewals or continuous service offers thatinclude a free trial notify the consumer of the automatic renewalseven days prior to expiration of the free trial and obtain the consumer'saffirmative consent to the automatic renewal beyond the trial period.The bill also requires that suppliers of automatic renewals or continuousservice offers through an online website must make available a conspicuousonline option to cancel a recurring purchase of a good or servicewithin the website by which such purchase was made.

Evaluation of legislation increasing or beginning regulation of an occupation; committee chairman to request. Providesthat when any bill that would require the Department of Professionaland Occupational Regulation to increase or begin regulation of anoccupation is filed, the chairman of the committee having jurisdictionover the bill shall forward it to the Board for Professional andOccupational Regulation for evaluation. The Board shall completesuch evaluation by November 1 of the same year for requests receivedduring a regular session or as soon as practicable for requests receivedduring a special session. Currently, the Division of Legislative Servicesidentifies and forwards such bills to the Board for evaluation.

Financial institutions; qualified education loan servicers; definition. Provides that "qualified education loan servicer" means any person that meets all of the following criteria: (i) receives any scheduled periodic payments from a qualified education loan borrower or notification of such payments or applies payments to the qualified education loan borrower's account pursuant to the terms of the qualified education loan or the contract governing the servicing; (ii) during a period when no payment is required on a qualified education loan, maintains account records for the qualified education loan and communicates with the qualified education loan borrower regarding the qualified education loan, on behalf of the qualified education loan's holder; and (iii) interacts with a qualified education loan borrower, which includes conducting activities to help prevent default on obligations arising from qualified education loans or to facilitate certain activities. Under current law, "qualified education loan servicer" means a person that meets any one or more of such criteria.The bill provides that "servicing" means undertaking all of the following activities: (a) receiving any scheduled periodic payments from a qualified education loan borrower or notification of such payments or applying the payments of principal and interest and such other payments, with respect to the amounts received from a qualified education loan borrower, as may be required pursuant to the terms of a qualified education loan; (b) during a period when no payment is required on a qualified education loan, maintaining account records for the loan and communicating with the qualified education loan borrower regarding the qualified education loan, on behalf of the qualified education loan's holder; and (c) interacting with a qualified education loan borrower, including conducting activities to help prevent default on obligations arising from qualified education loans or to facilitate any such activity. Under current law, "servicing" means undertaking any one or more of such activities. This bill is identical to SB 496.

Credit unions; activity authorized for a federally chartered credit union. Provides that a credit union has the power to engage in any activity, service, or other practice that is authorized for a federally chartered credit union and that has not otherwise been authorized for a state-chartered credit union, provided that (i) the credit union provides the State Corporation Commission with written notice at least 45 calendar days prior to engaging in any such activity, service, or practice and (ii) the credit union engages in the activity, service, or practice subject to the same terms, conditions, and limitations as applicable to a federally chartered credit union. Additionally, the bill authorizes the Commissioner of the State Corporation Commission to prohibit or restrict the activity, service, or practice at any time. This bill is identical to SB 329.

Small renewable energy projects; impact on natural resources. Requires, as a condition for a permit by rule for a small energy project, that the applicant conduct an analysis of the beneficial and adverse impacts of the proposed project on natural resources. The bill requires that if the Department of Environmental Quality determines that there will be a significant adverse impact on wildlife, historic resources, prime agricultural soils, or forest lands, the applicant must also submit a mitigation plan with a 90-day public comment period. The bill specifies that a disturbance of (i) more than 10 acres of prime agricultural soils, (ii) more than 50 acres of contiguous forest lands, or (iii) forest lands enrolled in a forestry preservation program is deemed to be a significant adverse impact on natural resources. The bill directs the Department to convene an advisory panel to assist in developing regulations to further develop criteria for determining significant adverse impact on natural resources and guidelines for plans to mitigate such adverse impacts. Any application for a small renewable energy project received by the promulgation of new regulations or December 31, 2024, whichever is earlier, would not be subject to the act.

Limited liability companies; prepayment of annual registration fees. Permits domestic and foreign limited liabilitycompanies to prepay annual registration fees for two or three years.Under the bill, a domestic or foreign limited liability company mustmake the election to prepay its annual registration fees before itsannual registration fee would otherwise be due and seek approvalfrom the State Corporation Commission to engage in prepayment fortwo or three years. The bill provides that such optional prepaymentdoes not apply to the initial annual registration fees assessed againsta limited liability company that is newly formed or recently convertedfrom another entity. The bill requires that, if applicable, the Commissionprovide notice of this prepayment option to a foreign or domesticlimited liability company that has failed to pay its annual registrationfee as a method of avoiding future delinquencies.

Real property tax; exemptions. Providesthat the property of an organization that is tax exempt by classificationshall include the property of a single member limited liability companywhose sole member is such an organization.