eNews February 23, 2018
Friday, February 23, 2018 - 02:26pm
In this issue…
- Bills that need attention
- Oppose land use assessment bill
- Wireless: Call your delegates and senators
- House budget items change juvenile justice transformation
- Party ID bill amended
- Sunscreen bill carried over
Bills that need attention
This chart identifies bills that need your attention by Monday. These bills are discussed in greater detail below.
Bills that need attention
Senate Calls Needed
| Bill |
Shortcut description |
Oppose/Support |
Committee Assignment |
Act by … |
| HB1204 | Use value assessment | Oppose | Senate Finance | Monday afternoon |
| HB1427 | Statewide fees for use of public rights-of-way | Oppose | Senate Finance | Monday afternoon |
| HB1258 | Wireless infrastructure; Eliminate most local control | Oppose | Senate Commerce & Labor | Monday noon |
Delegate calls needed
| SB405 | Wireless infrastructure; Eliminate most local control | Oppose | House Commerce & Labor | Tuesday noon |
Oppose preferential treatment under land use assessment bill
The Senate Finance Committee votes Tuesday morning on HB 1204 (Hugo), a bill that has the purpose of reducing the real estate bills for two privately owned golf courses in Arlington County. But the bill goes beyond that, and every local government should be concerned about this precedent. Please call members of the committee in opposition to this bill!
HB1204 uses a fabricated population formula to identify and force assessing officials in Arlington and Loudoun Counties to determine fair market value by specially and separately assessing any real estate devoted to open-space use, that contains at least five acres. The bill mandates this special treatment regardless of whether the locality has adopted an ordinance to provide for use value assessment of real estate dedicated to open-space. However, the bill goes way beyond preferential tax treatment for golf courses. Residential and commercial properties would also be eligible provided that the properties had at least five acres of undeveloped land.
Additional talking points are in the Feb. 23 eNews.
VML contact: Neal Menkes, nmenkes@vml.org
Wireless: Call your delegates and senators
Adopt a resolution; Keep up the pressure
Thank you for your work in opposing the wireless infrastructure bills (HB1258 and SB405) and the bills setting statewide fees for the use of state and local rights-of-way (HB1427 and SB823).
We can’t stop now: Please keep up the pressure on these bills! Here’s what you can do:
- Call your senator in opposition to HB1258 and HB1427, please do so! HB1258 will be heard Monday in Senate Commerce and Labor and HB1427 will be heard next week in Senate Finance
- Call your delegate in opposition to SB405, which will be heard Tuesday in House Commerce and Labor.
- Adopt a resolution or send a letter to your senators and delegates and Governor Ralph Northam in opposition to these bills. Talking points and a resolution template are posted on VML’s website.
VML contact: Michelle Gowdy, mgowdy@vml.org
House budget items change juvenile justice transformation
Two amendments in the House-approved budget, Item 412 #1h and Item C-47 #1h, would change the Department of Juvenile Justice’s (DJJ) transformation plan to serve youth committed to the state in two smaller, therapeutic facilities and instead concentrate this population in one facility in Powhatan County.
The DJJ transformation plan, which has been in the works for the last four years, would locate a state facility in the southeastern area of the state, which would be closer to home and family for a significant number of youth committed to the state. The projected site in Chesapeake did not work out, and the state has been looking at Isle of Wight County as another possible location.
The House budget amendments would scuttle that plan, as well as the plan to build a smaller facility at the current Bon Air correctional facility in Chesterfield County. It would instead concentrate the entire state juvenile correctional population in one facility on the grounds of the former Beaumont juvenile correctional facility in Powhatan County. The Senate budget does not change the transformation plan. VML’s policy supports the state’s efforts to provide a continuum of services and treatment options, and to allow the Department to reinvest savings from the transformation process or otherwise provide stable funding for a continuum of services to result in better outcomes and lower recidivism.
VML contact: Janet Areson, jareson@vml.org
Party ID bill amended
Still in committee
The Party ID bill, SB144 (Spruill), was amended in a House Privileges and Elections sub-committee to apply only to local races for constitutional offices (treasurer, commissioner of the revenue, etc.). The bill will come before the full committee at its March 2 meeting.
The amendment came about after Sen. Spruill told the subcommittee that he had learned that the Governor planned to veto the bill that applied to all local elections. Sen. Spruill’s original bill applied only to constitutional officers, so the subcommittee changed it back to the bill as introduced.
VML contact Mike Polychrones, mpolychrones@vml.org
Sunscreen bill carried over
HB330 (Yancey), which would allow K-12 students to carry and use sunscreen during the school day and for school activities without a medical prescription, was carried over for the year in the Senate Education and Health Committee. The FDA considers sunscreen to be an over the counter medication. As such, some schools will not allow children to carry it without a prescription. VML supported the bill.
VML contact: Janet Areson, jareson@vml.org
VML legislative staff and assignments
Michelle Gowdy – Local government authority, planning and zoning, legal matters, housing, Freedom of Information, telecommunications and technology. mgowdy@vml.org; 804-523-8525
Janet Areson – Health and human services, and the state budget. jareson@vml.org; 804-523-8522
Mike Polychrones – Environment, land use, natural resources, elections and transportation policy. mpolychrones@vml.org; 804-523-8530
Neal Menkes (under contract) – Taxation and finance, the state budget, transportation funding, retirement, education funding and community and economic development. nmenkes@vml.org; 804-523-8523
Roger Wiley (under contract) – Courts, criminal law, civil law, and procurement. roger@heftywiley.com; 804-780-3143
Chris LaGow (under contract) –Insurance and workers’ compensation. chris@lagowlobby.com; 804-225-8570
