Sen. A. Benton "Ben" Chafin

Provides that the governing body of a town, in addition to the governing body of a county or city as in current law, may authorize a housing authority to contract for the construction of additional housing or acquire land for, or purchase material for the construction or installation of, any sewerage, streets, sidewalks, lights, power, water, or any other facilities for such additional housing. This bill is identical to

Includes a single original metal can in the list of allowable disposable containers that a beer licensee, a wine and beer licensee, and certain mixed beverage licensees may use to sell alcoholic beverages. This bill is identical to

Designates the State Route 143 bridge in the City of Newport News at exit 255 over Interstate 64 the "Trooper Chad Phillip Dermyer Memorial Bridge." This bill is identical to

Provides that if a surviving spouse of a decedent dying on or after January 1, 2017, claims and receives an elective share, the homestead allowance available to the spouse shall be in addition to any benefit or elective share passing to such surviving spouse. The bill provides consistency with other provisions of Article 1.1 (§ 64.2-308.1 et seq.) of Chapter 3 of Title 64.2, which governs the elective share of the surviving spouse of a decedent dying on or after January 1, 2017, which was enacted in 2016. The bill contains an emergency clause. This bill is identical to

Requires that any arbitration proceeding regarding the exercise of an employer's right of subrogation to an employee's claim against a third party shall be limited solely to arbitrating the amount and validity of the employer's lien and shall not affect the employee's rights in any way. Such arbitration shall not be held unless (i) any contested expenses remaining have been submitted to the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission (the Commission) for a determination of their validity and the Commission has made such determination of validity prior to the commencement of the arbitration; (ii) prior to the commencement of such arbitration the employer has provided the injured employee and his attorney, if any, with an itemization of the expenses associated with the lien that is the subject of the arbitration; (iii) upon receipt of the itemization of the lien, the employee shall have 21 days to provide a written objection to any expenses included in the lien to the employer, and if the employee does not do so any objections to the lien to be arbitrated shall be deemed waived; and (iv) the employer shall have 14 days after receipt of the written objection to notify the employee of any contested expenses that the employer does not agree to remove from the lien, and if the employer does not do so any itemized expense objected to by the employee shall be deemed withdrawn and not included in the arbitration. This bill is identical to

Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to convene a workgroup that shall include representatives of the Departments of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, Health, and Health Professions as well as representatives of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and each of the Commonwealth's medical schools, dental schools, schools of pharmacy, physician assistant education programs, and nursing education programs to develop educational standards and curricula for training health care providers, including physicians, dentists, optometrists, pharmacists, physician assistants, and nurses, in the safe and appropriate use of opioids to treat pain while minimizing the risk of addiction and substance abuse. The workgroup shall report its progress and the outcomes of its activities to the Governor and the General Assembly by December 1, 2017. The bill contains an emergency clause. This bill is identical to

Allows cemetery companies to request the trustee of a perpetual care trust fund to elect a total return distribution method for distributions from the trust. The bill provides that a total return distribution method allows the distribution of an amount not to exceed five percent of the fair market value of the perpetual care trust fund at the close of its preceding fiscal year. The bill contains notice and reporting requirements for the election and implementation of this method to the trustee, Cemetery Board, and commissioner of accounts. The bill sets forth requirements that a trustee using such method must meet, including adoption of a written investment and distribution policy, responsible investment decision making, and monitoring of the trust's fair market value. The bill prohibits a trustee from making distributions from the trust under the total return distribution method if (i) the fair market value of the trust after the distribution would be less than the aggregate of 80 percent of the fair market value of the trust at the close of the preceding fiscal year plus the total contributions made to the trust principal from such date to the date that the method of distribution is elected or (ii) beginning with the third year of using a total return distribution method, a three-year analysis of investment returns and distribution practices indicates insufficient protection of the trust principal. The bill requires the Cemetery Board to review conversions of perpetual care trust fund distribution methods for compliance with the requirements of the bill and allows the Cemetery Board to limit or prohibit conversions to and distributions under the total return distribution method under certain circumstances, including where the trustee or investment manager is without sufficient knowledge and expertise regarding implementation of this method. Under current law, a trustee of a perpetual care trust fund may make distributions only from the trust's net income and, absent approval by the Cemetery Board or a court, the trust principal may be used only for investment purposes. The bill refers to this method as the "net income distribution method" and establishes this as the default distribution method in the event that a cemetery company does not elect a distribution method. This bill is identical to

Provides that the provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code establishing a six-year limitations period on actions to enforce the obligation of a party to pay the instrument apply to negotiable and non-negotiable certificates of deposit. This bill is identical to