Manufactured Home Lot Rental Act; manufactured home park; notice of sale and relocation expenses. Requires a manufactured home park owner to provide notice to the Department of Housing and Community Development and each manufactured home park tenant 90 days prior to unconditionally accepting an offer to purchase a manufactured home park. The bill permits an entity of tenants to negotiate for purchase of the manufactured home park. The bill also requires the manufactured home park owner provide notice to the locality in which the manufactured home park is located if the locality delivers a proposed purchase agreement with substantially similar terms and conditions as the entity of tenants to the manufactured home park owner. The bill provides an additional 60-day period for an entity to obtain financing for the purchase of a manufactured home park. The bill requires that its provisions be liberally construed to preserve affordable housing and expand the opportunities for owners of manufactured homes to purchase a manufactured home park. The bill provides for $5,000 in relocation expenses for a manufactured home owner if a rental agreement is terminated due to the sale of the manufactured home park to a buyer that is going to redevelop the park and change its use. The provisions of the bill do not become effective unless reenacted by the 2025 Session of the General Assembly.
Sponsored bills
Parental admission of minors for inpatient treatment. Clarifies that for the purposes of admission of a minor to a willing mental health facility for inpatient treatment, the finding required to be made by a qualified evaluator that the minor appears to have a mental illness serious enough to warrant inpatient treatment may include a finding of substance abuse and such inpatient treatment may be related to such mental illness, which may include substance abuse. The bill also specifies that a temporary detention order shall not be required for a minor 14 years of age or older who objects to admission to be admitted to a willing facility upon the application of a parent. As introduced, this bill was a recommendation of the Virginia Commission on Youth. This bill is identical to SB 460.
Manufactured home parks; resident rights.Provides that a rental agreement with a term of one year or more will not be automatically renewed if the tenant notifies the landlord60 days prior to the expiration date of such tenant's intent to notrenew the agreement. The bill permits a tenant to not renew a rentalagreement due to a change in terms of the agreement by the landlordif such tenant notifies the landlord of his intent to not renew therental agreement within 30 days of receiving the notice of the changein terms. The bill allows a landlord to include in a written rentalagreement a late fee, not to exceed 10 percent of the amount of therent due and owed, for unpaid rental payments. The bill increasesfrom 60 days or more to less than one year the term of a rental agreementthat may be terminated by written notice at least 60 days prior tothe termination date of the agreement. Finally, the bill removes theright of a landlord to evict a tenant for two or more violationsof any rule or provision of the rental agreement occurring withina six-month period.
Eligibility for participation in community corrections alternative program; evaluation and diagnosis; referral to the Departmentof Corrections. Provides that a probation and parole officermay refer a defendant on probation to the Department of Correctionsfor evaluation and diagnosis to determine eligibility and suitabilityfor participation in the community corrections alternative programprior to the approval of the court. Under current law, such referralmay take place with the approval of the court. The bill also makestechnical amendments.
Veterans' Services Protection Act; prohibited practices; penalty. Creates the Veterans' Services Protection Act to prohibit any person from receiving compensation for preparing, presenting, prosecuting, advising, consulting, or assisting any individual regarding any veterans' benefits matter, as defined in the bill, except as permitted under federal law. The bill provides that a violation of its provisions constitutes a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.
Reporting of medical debt to consumer reportingagencies by certain health care providers; prohibited. Prohibitscertain medical care facilities, certain health care professionals,and emergency medical services agencies from reporting any portionof a medical debt, defined in the bill, to a consumer reporting agency.The bill requires such facilities, professionals, and agencies toinclude a provision in any contract entered into with a collectionentity, defined in the bill, for the purchase or collection of medicaldebt that prohibits the reporting of any portion of such medicaldebt to a consumer reporting agency. The bill provides that any portionof a medical debt reported to a consumer reporting agency in violationof such prohibition or requirement is void.
Baccalaureate public institutions of higher education; provision of physical evidence recovery kits. Requires each baccalaureate public institution of higher education to either (i) staff its on-campus student health center with at least one on-campus certified sexual assault forensic examiner for the purpose of administering a physical evidence recovery kit to any student who is in need of such a kit or (ii) enter into a memorandum of understanding with a local organization or entity that is capable of providing the services of a certified sexual assault forensic examiner for the purpose of administering a physical evidence recovery kit to any student who is in need of such a kit.
Local departments of social services; employeecriminal background checks. Establishes a process for local departmentsof social services to conduct background checks for current or prospectiveemployees and prohibits local departments from employing any personwho has been convicted of a criminal offense that relates to hisemployment. The bill includes criteria for the local department toconsider when deciding if a criminal offense related to employmentis relevant when hiring a specific employment position.
Multi-jurisdiction grand jury; elder abuse crimes.Adds the following to the list of crimes that a multi-jurisdictiongrand jury may investigate: (i) financial exploitation of a vulnerableadult, (ii) financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult by an agent,and (iii) abuse and neglect of a vulnerable adult. This bill is arecommendation of the Virginia Criminal Justice Conference.
Charitable gaming. Amends charitable gaming law to allow, as a condition of receiving a charitable gaming permit or authorization to conduct electronic gaming, certain organizations to use a predetermined percentage of its receipts for expenses related to the rental of real property where such real property is involved in the operation of the organization and used for lawful religious, charitable, community, or educational purposes. The bill prohibits the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services from promulgating electronic gaming regulations that prohibit (i) devices that display spinning, rotating, or rolling reels or animations or flashing lights; (ii) devices that accept vouchers; or (iii) the purchase and play of an electronic pull tab with a single press or touch of a button. The bill also requires qualified organizations and electronic gaming manufacturers to pay one-quarter of one percent of its gross receipts or adjusted gross receipts, as appropriate, to be deposited by the Department into the Problem Gambling Treatment and Support Fund and prohibits any qualified social organization that is subject to Department regulations from conducting electronic gaming in a separately demised premises that has a direct or indirect means of ingress to or egress from any adjacent space unless such space is used exclusively by members or guests of such qualified organization.