Sen. Lynwood Lewis

Provides an exception to the prohibition against contracts between employing agencies and their officers or employees for contracts by an officer or employee of a soil and water conservation district or an immediate family member of such officer or employee to participate in a cost-share program for the installation of best management practices to improve water quality. The exception does not apply to subcontracts or other agreements entered into to provide services for implementation of a cost-share contract established under such program. This bill is identical to

Classifies commercial fishing vessels and property permanently attached to such vessels as a separate class of property for the purpose of local personal property tax.

Provides that unless expressly authorized by the Property Owners' Association Act (§ 55-508 et seq.) or the declaration or as otherwise provided by law, no association may require the use of any for sale sign that is (i) an association sign or (ii) a real estate sign that does not comply with the requirements of the Real Estate Board. An association may, however, prohibit the placement of signs in the common area and establish reasonable rules and regulations that regulate (a) the number of real estate signs, (b) the geographical location of real estate signs, (c) the manner in which real estate signs are affixed to real property, and (d) the period of time after settlement when the real estate signs must be removed. In addition, no property owners' association may require any lot owner to execute a formal power of attorney if the lot owner designates a person licensed by the Real Estate Board to serve as his authorized representative in the sale of a lot. The bill provides that if a request has been made to an association or its common interest community manager to furnish the disclosure packet and such packet is not provided within 14 days of the request, it shall be deemed a waiver of any claim for delinquent assessments or of any violation of the declaration, bylaws, rules and regulations, or architectural guidelines existing as of the date of the request with respect to the subject lot. The bill also authorizes the Common Interest Community Board to assess a monetary penalty for failure to deliver the association disclosure packet within 14 days against the association or its common interest community manager. The bill also authorizes the Common Interest Community Board to receive a complaint directly from any person aggrieved by an association's failure to deliver a resale certificate or disclosure packet within the time period required under the Condominium Act, the Virginia Real Estate Cooperative Act, or the Property Owners' Association Act. This bill is identical to

Removes a provision that allows a tenant to remain in a dwelling unit that has been foreclosed upon pursuant to the federal Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act because the Act expired on December 31, 2014, and is no longer in effect. The bill provides that the foreclosure of a residential rental property shall act as a termination of the rental agreement by the owner of such property. In such case, the tenant may remain in possession of such dwelling unit as a month-to-month tenant on the terms of the terminated rental agreement until the successor owner gives a notice of termination of such month-to-month tenancy. The bill also provides how rental payments may be made during the period of the month-to-month tenancy. In addition, the bill requires a current owner of rental property who has entered into a written property management agreement with a managing agent and who has subsequently entered into a purchase agreement with a new owner to give written notice to the managing agent requesting payment of security deposits to the current owner prior to settlement with the new owner. The bill requires the managing agent to transfer the security deposits to the current owner and provide written notice to each tenant that his security deposit has been transferred. This bill is identical to

Provides that any officer who is convicted of a felony under the laws of any state or the United States shall be automatically suspended upon such conviction, regardless of any appeals, pleadings, delays, or motions. The bill contains an emergency clause. This bill is identical to