Del. Rae Cousins

Virginia Community Flood Preparedness Fund; Resilient Virginia Revolving Fund; Advisory Review Committees. Requires the Director of the Department of Conservation and Recreation to convene an Advisory Review Committee to assist in the distribution of loans and grants from the Virginia Community Flood Preparedness Fund (the Preparedness Fund) and adds the Advisory Review Committee to the list of those with whom the Department is required to consult in establishing guidelines regarding the distribution and prioritization of loans and grants from the Preparedness Fund. The bill also requires the Director to convene an Advisory Review Committee to assist in the distribution of loans and grants from the Resilient Virginia Revolving Fund (the Revolving Fund) and adds the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources and the Advisory Review Committee to the list of those with whom the Virginia Resources Authority is required to consult in directing the distribution of grants or loans from the Revolving Fund to particular local governments and establishing the interest rates and repayment terms of such loans. The bill requires the Department to make available for public inspection at the office of the Department and on a publicly accessible website records of each application for grants and loans from the two Funds and the actions taken thereon, post such applications within 15 calendar days of the loan or grant round application deadline, and provide an opportunity for a 30-day public comment period prior to each new loan offering to solicit feedback on proposed revisions to the funds' manuals. This bill was incorporated into HB 1458.

Real property tax; assessment of real propertyused for affordable housing. Requires the duly authorized real estate assessor of a locality to appraise affordable rental housingin accordance with the income approach, as described by the bill.The bill provides that, should the duly authorized real estate assessorfail to follow generally accepted appraisal practices, the assessmentwill not be entitled to a presumption of correctness, and if theowner then successfully appeals such assessment, the locality shallreimburse the owner for attorney fees and costs incurred.

Child tax credit. Creates a tax credit for taxable years 2024 through 2028 for individuals whose households include dependents younger than the age of 18. The bill provides that the amount of the credit will be equal to $500 for each such dependent for an individual or married persons filing a joint return whose family Virginia adjusted gross income, as defined by Virginia code, does not exceed $100,000. The bill provides that if the taxpayer is a resident of the Commonwealth for the full taxable year, and the amount of such credit exceeds the taxpayer's liability for the taxable year, the excess shall be refunded by the Tax Commissioner.

Local anti-rent gouging authority; civil penalty. Provides that any locality may by ordinance adopt anti-rent gougingprovisions. The bill provides for notice and a public hearing priorto the adoption of such ordinance and specifies that all landlordswho are under the ordinance may be required to give at least two months'written notice of a rent increase and cannot increase the rent bymore than the locality's calculated allowance, described in the billas the maximum amount a landlord can increase a tenant's rent duringany 12-month period, in effect at the time of the increase. The bill sets such allowance as equal to the annual increase in the ConsumerPrice Index or seven percent, whichever is less, states that suchallowance is effective for a 12-month period beginning July 1 each year, and requires the locality to publish such allowance on itswebsite by June 1 of each year. Certain facilities, as outlined inthe bill, are exempt from such ordinance. The bill also allows alocality to establish an anti-rent gouging board that will developand implement rules and procedures by which landlords may apply forand be granted exemptions from the rent increase limits set by theordinance. Finally, the bill provides that a locality may establisha civil penalty for failure to comply with the requirements set outin the ordinance.

Commending Dr. Willis L. Lonzer III.

Celebrating the life of Janet Marie Brooking.

Commending Peter A. Blake.

Commending Scott McGeary.

Commending the S. Delois Mayes Scholarship Foundation.

Recording of proceedings in district courts; juvenile and domestic relations district court. Allows an audio recording of proceedings in a juvenile and domestic relations district court to be made by a party or his counsel.