2016 General Assembly Session Adjourns
June 2016
By Kim McClellan, Government Affairs Director This year turned out to be a busy one for the Virginia Association of REALTORS® (VAR) team. VAR staff and the volunteer member Public Policy Committee (PPC) reviewed and acted on more than 200 pieces of legislation that impacted the real estate industry and property rights in the Commonwealth. The PPC took a “support” position on 55 bills. Forty-four of those passed the legislature, while 11 failed to be adopted, mainly due to budget concerns or need of further study. Just as important, the PPC recommended VAR oppose 21 bills. Fortunately, all 21 were defeated, continued for further study or successfully amended to remove VAR’s concerns.
The success of VAR’s legislative priorities in 2016 was due in large part to the advocacy of REALTORS® like you. In addition to the more than 700 Virginia REALTORS® who participated in VAR’s Day on the Hill during the February Legislative Conference, VAR members sent more than 3,800 emails to delegates and senators asking for their support of bills important to consumers and property owners. Your grassroots advocacy was critical to the legislative victories we realized this year. Out of the hundreds of bills we supported, opposed or monitored, there were six that rose to the level of being on VAR’s Legislative Report Card.
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VAR Legislative Report Card Bills:
House Bill 684, patroned by Delegate Chris Peace, makes changes to Virginia Property Owners and Condominium Owners Association Acts. Among other things, the legislation sets limits on fees that POAs and COAs can charge owners who want to rent their property, better defines the process of and people involved in the delivery of disclosure packets, and prohibits associations from evicting tenants of property owners. The bill passed the House 99-0 and the Senate 39-0. House Bill 567, patroned by Delegate Jackson Miller, amends Virginia’s real estate agency law. Among other things, the bill allows the Virginia Real Estate Board (VREB) to grant waivers or exemptions for continuing education credits when a licensee has a certified illness or undue hardship. It also allows VREB to utilize deferred judgments and remedial requirements to keep violations from going on a licensee’s permanent record. The legislation passed the House 97-0 and the Senate 40-0. Senate Bill 453, patroned by Senator Bill Stanley, is a consumer Continued on pg 4
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