RICHMOND, VIRGINIA – Governor Glenn Youngkin signed more than 40 bills into law Friday including legislation strengthening school safety audits, cutting fees for sportsmen, and establishing training for law enforcement to recognize signs of human trafficking. (Governor Glenn Youngkin Signs 45 Bills Into Law)
Of particular importance to the Northern Neck are:
- HB 1224 Stormwater management; proprietary best management practices.
Stormwater management; proprietary best management practices; emergency. Directs the State Water Control Board to update its regulations providing for the certification and use of a proprietary best management practice (BMP) if another state, regional, or national program has verified its nutrient or sediment removal effectiveness and its having met or exceeded all of such program's established test protocol requirements. Currently, the BMP may only be used if another state, regional, or national certification program has verified and certified its nutrient or sediment removal effectiveness. The bill also directs the Department of Environmental Quality to prioritize review of any proprietary BMP that was on the Virginia Stormwater BMP Clearinghouse prior to December 31, 2021, and that submits documentation of verification of effectiveness by another state, regional, or national program. The bill contains an emergency clause. Effective on passage - HB 120 Disabled veterans, certain; special hunting and fishing licenses.
Special hunting and fishing license for certain disabled veterans. Authorizes resident veterans who have a service-connected disability of at least 30 percent to receive from the Department of Wildlife Resources, at no cost or a reduced cost depending on the veteran's disability rating, a lifetime license to hunt and freshwater fish. Current law authorizes the provision of such license at no cost to a veteran who is totally and permanently disabled and at half-cost to a veteran who is 70 percent disabled. - HB 463 Boat ramps; removes authorization for Department of Wildlife Resources to charge a fee for use.
Department of Wildlife Resources; boat ramp fees. Removes the authorization for the Department of Wildlife Resources to charge a fee for the use of facilities that it manages but does not own and for the use of boat ramps that it owns or manages. This bill is identical to SB 141.Use DWR's Public Boating Access search to find access by county or body of water.
- HB 179 Permanent farm use placard; an owner or lessee to obtain for vehicle from DMV.
Department of Motor Vehicles; permanent farm use placard. Requires an owner or lessee of a vehicle claiming a farm use exemption from the registration, licensing, and decal requirements for a motor vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer to obtain a nontransferable permanent farm use placard from the Department of Motor Vehicles and to display the farm use placard on the vehicle at all times. The bill requires the applicant to provide specified information about the vehicle and its usage, pay a $15 fee, and certify that the vehicle is insured. The provisions of the bill requiring the owner or lessee of a farm vehicle to obtain and display a farm use placard have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2023. This bill incorporates HB 33. This bill is identical to SB 186. - HB 246 School attendance; 4-H educational programs and activities.
School attendance; 4-H educational programs and activities. Provides that students who miss a partial or full day of school while participating in 4-H educational programs and activities shall not be counted as absent for the purposes of calculating average daily membership and shall receive course credit in the same manner as they would for a school field trip. The bill directs each local school board to develop policies and procedures for students to make up missed work and may determine the maximum number of school days per academic year that a student may spend participating in 4-H educational programs and activities to not be counted absent. This bill is identical to SB 596. - HB 470 Common interest communities; prohibition on refusal to recognize a licensed real estate broker.
Common interest communities; prohibition on refusal to recognize a licensed real estate broker. Clarifies the prohibition on property owners' associations and unit owners' associations pursuant to the Property Owners' Association Act (§ 55.1-1800 et seq.) and the Virginia Condominium Act (§ 55.1-1900 et seq.), as the case may be, refusing to recognize a licensed real estate broker that is designated by the lot owner or unit owner as such lot owner's or unit owner's authorized representative, provided that the property owners' association or unit owners' association is given a written authorization signed by the lot owner or unit owner designating such licensed individual as his authorized representative and containing certain information for such designated representative. The bill also expands the list of authorized persons to whom a seller or seller's authorized agent may provide a written request for the delivery of the association disclosure packet or resale certificate. The bill contains a technical amendment.
