Hanover Democratic Committee of Virginia

Each year, the Board of Supervisors adopts a legislative agenda.  The Board’s Legislative Committee presents the legislative agenda to Hanover County’s representatives in the General Assembly. The legislative agenda consists of policy statements and actions items that the Board would like for the State Legislature to adopt in its coming session.

This year’s legislative agenda includes four policy statements and 22 action support statements.

On behalf of Hanover County, the Board of Supervisors supports:

• Protection of its authority regarding local budget decisions. It opposes any shift of funding responsibility from the State to localities for existing mandated programs.
• Protection of current local authorities, including but not limited to eminent domain, revenue authority and authority to make land use decisions.

• Environmental regulations and programs that are based on sound science, can be implemented in a cost-effective manner and in a reasonable time period, and will result in meaningful and demonstrable improvements in the environment.
• An equitable re-allocation of revenue and service responsibilities between the State and local governments to provide for ongoing stability in taxation and the delivery of government services.

The Board is also requesting that the General Assembly support a budget appropriation of $10 million for the replacement of the Lewistown Road bridge over I-95. Replacement of this bridge is the Board’s top transportation priority.

Other action support statements for this session of the General Assembly:

• Amend the State Code to include a provision clarifying that when any act of the General Assembly requires action to be taken on or before a certain deadline, such time period is extended to the next business day when the specified deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday.
• Amend the State Code to codify previous Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act interpretations of administrative code definitions of RPA and RMA.
• Amend the State Code to clarify that no contractor or owner shall engage in regulated soil disturbing activity without first having obtained an erosion and sediment control permit.
• Repeal the State Code section which requires localities to provide notification to landowners when FEMA makes changes to the Special Flood Hazard Area map. In the alternative, amend statute to permit notification to be made via newspaper.
• Amend the State Code to clarify that public utility departments are responsible only for marking their main lines and not responsible for marking “laterals” owned by landowners.
• Amend the State Code to require that the Virginia Department of Transportation expedite review of zoning and site plan applications for economic development prospects when requested by the locality.
• Support legislation granting localities general authority to prescribe civil penalties for violations of local ordinances.
• Support legislation to direct the Virginia Marine Resources Commission to develop emergency response procedures including an expedited permit process in response to local government emergency infrastructure repair situations.
• Amend the State Code to authorize law enforcement agencies to report to school officials Class 1 misdemeanors committed by juveniles off of school grounds.
• Amend the State Code to permit the disclosure of protective orders concerning juveniles to school officials.
• Support the Virginia Supreme Court’s request for state funding of $182,500 to fund the Hanover Juvenile Drug Treatment Court.  The Hanover Juvenile Drug Treatment Court is currently recognized by the Virginia Supreme Court but not state-funded.
• Amend the State Code to increase from $50,000 to $62,000 the income limit in Hanover County for eligibility for elderly and permanently disabled real estate tax relief programs.
• Amend the State Code to authorize Hanover County to prohibit the solicitation of persons in motor vehicles in public rights of way.
• Amend the State Code to permit localities to share registered vehicle information with third parties only in connection with the issuance of summons and institution of court proceedings pursuant to this statute.
• Amend the State Code to establish a separate category of “dangerous dog” determination for dogs that have injured or killed another companion animal but have not attacked a human.
• Amend the State Code to permit charging an animal’s owner for the actual expenses incurred in impounding an animal regardless of the reason the animal is impounded.
• Request that the General Assembly increase available Medicaid waivers to localities in the Commonwealth in an amount sufficient to meet the need determined by the state urgent waiting list.
• Support that the General Assembly relax the Dillon Rule by enacting legislation giving counties greater local autonomy, particularly concerning land use regulation and local revenue measures.