Sen. Creigh Deeds

Authorizes a qualified county to impose, after holding a public hearing, an additional transient occupancy tax not to exceed five percent of the amount of the charge for the occupancy of any room or space occupied at eligible historic lodging properties. An eligible historic lodging property is defined as a structure that (i) contains 450 or more rooms for overnight lodging, (ii) is located on land exceeding 700 acres, and (iii) at least a portion of which was built prior to 1930. A qualified county is one in which at least 40 percent of employment is in accommodations and food services. Any revenue generated by the tax would be used by the local government to incentivize other entities to invest in substantial rehabilitation, renovation, and expansion projects at eligible historic lodging properties.

Authorizes the Department of Environmental Quality (the Department) to conduct inspections of the land-disturbing activities of interstate and intrastate natural gas pipeline companies that have approved annual standards and specifications as such land-disturbing activities relate to construction of any natural gas transmission pipeline greater than 36 inches inside diameter to determine (i) compliance with such annual standards and specifications, (ii) compliance with any site-specific plans, and (iii) if there have been or are likely to be adverse impacts to water quality as a result of such land-disturbing activities. The bill authorizes the Department to issue a stop work instruction on the relevant part of the site when the Department determines that there has been a substantial adverse impact to water quality or that a substantial and imminent adverse impact to water quality is likely to occur as a result of such land-disturbing activities. The bill requires that upon written documentation of completion by the company and approval by the Department in writing of the corrective measures specified in the stop work instruction, the instruction shall be immediately lifted. Such stop work instruction may be appealed to the circuit court of the jurisdiction where the violation was alleged to have occurred or other appropriate court.

Authorizes a member of a governing body of a locality to be elected or appointed by that governing body to be a member of a local convention, visitors, or tourism board, authority, or agency.

Authorizes any county with a population of less than 3,000 to adopt an ordinance, after holding a public hearing, imposing a fee to fund the provision of emergency medical services in the county.

Requires fire departments and emergency medical services agencies to develop curricula for mental health awareness training for their personnel. The bill provides that such personnel who receive the training shall receive appropriate continuing education credits. This bill is identical to

Authorizes any county outside Planning District 8 that has adopted the county executive form of government (Albemarle County) to provide by ordinance reasonable criteria and requirements for the removal of accumulations of snow and ice from public sidewalks by the owner or other person in charge of any occupied property. Currently, only counties within Northern Virginia Planning District 8 may adopt such an ordinance. This bill is identical to