We are happy to report that over the past week the General Assembly has continued to advance Virginia REALTORS’ legislative priorities. Once again we have seen several bills pass out of committee and be considered on the floor of the House and Senate. We expect this trend to continue and by next week we hope to have all of our priorities out of committee and on to the floor for full votes.
As we have done in previous weeks, our legislative agenda is attached and has been completed updated to reflect all of the progress made so far during this year’s legislative session. You can see the status of each bill as well as read the bill summary to help you better understand what each piece of legislation is addressing.
Outside of the items listed on our legislative agenda, the REALTOR Association of Prince William is partnering with REALTOR associations throughout the region to identify a dedicated revenue source for METRO. In order to maintain a state of good repair, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. must identify a revenue source equalling $500 million with Virginia’s share being approximately $154 million per year.
In his budget proposal, Governor McAuliffe proposed generating this revenue through increasing regional taxes including the transient occupancy tax and the grantors’ tax. He also proposed dedicating state revenue and revenue that is currently utilized by our regional transportation planning body, the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. Legislators are continuing to have discussions with stakeholders and taking in to account REALTORS concerns about a disproportionate reliance on real estate. The funding proposal continues to evolve and will need to be agreed upon by both the House and the Senate.
This past Thursday, PWAR President David Bridges and I, along with representatives from NVAR and DAAR, continued this conversation with Virginia’s Secretary of Transportation, Shannon Valentine. This issue is at the top of her priority list and she assured us that the Northam administration is diligently working to find an equitable solution.
Next Wednesday, our Legislative Committee will welcome Prince William County Supervisor and Chairman of the NVTA, Marty Nohe to discuss the issue further. If you are interested, I hope you will join us to learn more.
Legislative Committee Meeting
Wednesday, February 7, 11:00am-12:00pm
PWAR
4545 Daisy Reid Ave, Ste. 150
Woodbridge, Va 22192
Listed below are several resources to help you navigate the legislative session. You will find resources to help determine who your elected representative is and how to contact them, how to determine who serves on which committees, as well as when our legislative priorities will be considered. If you care to do so, you can even watch online as these meetings take place!
Brendon Shaw serves as our full-time representative in Richmond and advocates on our behalf. Should you have any questions about legislation, the legislative process, or Virginia REALTORS legislative priorities, he can be reached by email at BShaw@cardinalstrategiesva.com.
Daily floor calendars (voting schedule)