Sen. Mark Obenshain

Allows for the limited use of discovery depositions and affidavits in support of or in opposition to a motion for summary judgment, provided that the only parties to the action are business entities and the amount at issue is $50,000 or more. This bill is identical to

Authorizes financial institution staff to refuse to execute a transaction, to delay a transaction, or to refuse to disburse funds if the financial institution staff (i) believes in good faith that the transaction or disbursement may involve, facilitate, result in, or contribute to the financial exploitation of an aged or incapacitated adult or (ii) makes, or has actual knowledge that another person has made, a report to the local department of social services or adult protective services hotline stating a good faith belief that the transaction or disbursement may involve, facilitate, result in, or contribute to the financial exploitation of an aged or incapacitated adult. This bill incorporates

Specifies that a lease agreement or other written document conveying a non-freehold estate in land is not invalid, unenforceable, or subject to repudiation by the parties to such agreement on account of, or otherwise affected by, the fact that the conveyance of the estate was not in the form of a deed. Current law requires a lease for a term of more than five years to be in the form of a deed. The bill further replaces all references throughout the Code to "deed of lease" with the term "lease." This bill is in response to

Makes various changes to provisions related to entry upon private property in an eminent domain proceeding, including (i) requiring that the number of persons for whom permission to inspect the premises is sought be included in a request for permission to inspect private property for the purposes of a project wherein the power of eminent domain may be exercised; (ii) requiring the notice of intent to enter the property to include all of the information contained in the request for permission to inspect the property; (iii) requiring the court to award fees for at least three expert witnesses if the petitioner damages the property during its entry; (iv) removing the requirement that the damage must be done maliciously, willfully, or recklessly for the owner to be reimbursed for his costs; and (v) removing the option that the owner may be reimbursed for his costs if the court awards the owner actual damages in an amount 30 percent or more greater than the petitioner's final written offer made no later than 30 days after the filing of an answer in circuit court or the return date in general district court.

Requires the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council to provide, and local elected officials to complete, an online training session on the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. The bill requires local elected officials to complete such training at least once every two years while they are in office. The bill also eliminates the three-day notice requirement for an expedited hearing on a petition for mandamus or injunction where violations relating to the open meeting requirements of the Act are alleged. The requirement of the bill for online training for local officials has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2020.