Here you will find all of the legislation for the General Assembly's 2010 Session for which Delegate Armstrong is the Chief Sponsor. Many of these bills were written because of concerns of citizens in the 10th District. If you are interested in reading the full text of the bills, please click on the hyperlink below the title of the Bill. Bills that have passed the House of Delegates will be denoted by ** in front of the bill number. Bills that are highlighted have passed both the House of Delegates and the Virginia Senate. Bills with * have been incorporated into Bills of other members, and have gained passage in the House of Delegates.
HB 636 Appeal of bail decision; court is determined based on where initial determination was made, etc
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB636
Appeal of bail decision.Specifies the
court to which a bail decision, bond amount, or term of recognizance
should be appealed. The proper court is determined based on where
the initial determination was made and the court in which the charge
is pending. The bill also provides that the attorney for the Commonwealth
may appeal any bail, bond or recognizance decision, consequently a
decision made by a judicial officer (including a magistrate or clerk)
will be appealable. Current law limits such appeals from a court
decision only, and only upon objection in court by the attorney for
the Commonwealth.
HB 637 Concealed handgun permit; waives fee for certain members of United States Coast Guard
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB637
Concealed handgun permit; fees. Waives the concealed handgun permit fee (maximum $50) for certain designated boarding team members and boarding officers of the United States Coast Guard.
HB 638 Bipartisan Redistricting Commission; created
http://le g1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB638
Bipartisan Redistricting Commission created. Establishes a seven-member temporary commission to prepare redistricting plans in 2011 and each tenth year thereafter for the House of Delegates, state Senate, and congressional districts. Appointments to the Commission shall be made one each by the four majority and minority party leaders of the House and Senate and by the state chairmen of the two major political parties. Those six appointees shall appoint the seventh member and chairman for the Commission. If they cannot agree, they shall submit the names of the two persons receiving the most votes to the Supreme Court for the Court to select the chairman. The Commission will prepare plans and submit them as bills to the General Assembly. The General Assembly shall then proceed to act on the bills in the usual manner. The bill provides for Commission comments on plans as they change in the legislative process. It also spells out the standards and process to be followed by the Commission in preparing plans, including limitations on the use of political data and opportunities for public comment on the plans.
HB 639 Investor-owned electric utilities; regulation of rates by State Corporation Commission
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB639
Investor-owned electric utility regulation. Reinstates, only for those investor-owned electric utilities that, as of July 1, 1999, were not bound by a rate case settlement adopted by the State Corporation Commission that extended in its application beyond January 1, 2002, provisions governing the authority of the State Corporation Commission (SCC) to regulate their rates. For these utilities, the measure restores major elements of the ratemaking procedures that existed prior to the enactment of the Electric Utility Restructuring Act in 1999 and of electric utility re-regulation legislation in 2007. Specifically, the measure eliminates, for rate cases initiated after January 1, 2011, rules that authorize such utilities to earn a rate of return on common equity that is not lower than the average of such returns for a majority of peer group utilities, and to recover certain costs through rate adjustment clauses. In rate cases initiated in 2011 and thereafter the SCC is directed to determine rates, terms, and conditions for the provision of generation, distribution, and transmission services for each investor-owned incumbent electric utility that are just, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory. These proceedings shall be governed by the provisions of Chapter 10 of Title 56 and shall provide fair rates of return on common equity. In such proceedings, the SCC may use any methodology to determine rates of return on common equity that it finds consistent with the public interest. The SCC is authorized to permit a utility to recover its actual costs, if the Commission finds such recovery is just, reasonable, and in the public interest, of peak-shaving programs, energy efficiency programs, participating in the renewable energy portfolio standard program, and environmental projects.
HB 640 Governor's Development Opportunity Fund; changes name to Commonwealth Economic Development Fund
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB640
Governor's Development Opportunity Fund; name change. Changes the name of the Governor's Development Opportunity Fund to the “Commonwealth Economic Development Fund.”
HB 641 Freedom of Information Act; requests may be made by any citizen of United States
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB641
Freedom of Information Act; requests for records. Provides that FOIA requests may be made by any citizen of the United States and not just citizens of the Commonwealth. The bill contains a technical amendment.
HB 642 General Assembly; allowance to members for office expenses and supplies
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB642
General Assembly; allowance for office expenses and supplies. Provides that payments to a member for office expenses and supplies may be made only upon the member's submission of a voucher for the expenses. This bill also provides that five percent of the accounts for office expenses and supplies will be audited at random each year, and that the allowance for office expenses and supplies will not be counted toward retirement.
*HB 643 House and Senate Ethics Advisory Panels; completion of inquiry once initiated
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB643
General Assembly Conflicts of Interests Act; former members. Provides that once the House or Senate Ethics Advisory Panel has initiated an investigation into the conduct of a legislator, it must complete its inquiry, report its findings, and dispose of the matter as provided by law, notwithstanding the death or resignation of the legislator during the course of the Panel's work.
**HB 644 General Assembly Conflicts of Interests Act; clarifies that member commits knowing violation of Act.
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB644
General Assembly Conflicts of Interests Act; knowing violations. Clarifies that a member of the General Assembly commits a knowing violation of the Act if he should have known that his conduct violated the provisions of the Act.
HB 645 Enterprise zone job creation grants; business firm is eligible for up to five years for each grant.
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB645
Enterprise zone job creation grants. Provides that a business firm is eligible for an enterprise zone job creation grant of $500 per year for up to five years for each grant eligible position that during such year is 150 percent of the federal minimum wage, if the locality where the business firm is located has an unemployment rate of two percent or higher than the statewide average.
HB 646 Candidates; qualification of considered a case decision and subject to Administrative Process Act.
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB646
Elections; qualification of candidates. Requires that any action of the State Board in accepting or failing to accept the qualification of any candidate shall be considered a case decision and subject to the Administrative Process Act.
HB 647 Unemployment benefits; eligibility of individuals part-time employed and in training programs.
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB647
Unemployment benefits; part-time employment and training programs. Provides that certain individuals who have exhausted eligibility for unemployment benefits and who are enrolled in approved training programs are eligible for up to 26 weeks of additional benefits. The measure also provides that an individual who was employed part time during at least one-half of the weeks of work in the individual’s base period is deemed to satisfy the requirement that he be available for work and actively seeking and unable to obtain suitable work if he is available for and actively seeking work that is comparable to his part-time work experience in his base period.
HB 648 Candidates in election; required filings to be submitted to State Board of Elections.
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB648
Elections; candidates; required filings; to whom submitted and deadlines. Designates the State Board of Elections as the recipient of any paperwork required of candidates for statewide office and the General Assembly. Deadlines for submitting paperwork are uniform for the primary and November elections.
HB 649 Governor's Development Opportunity Fund; lowers minimum private investment to qualify therefor.
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB649
Governor's Development Opportunity Fund. Lowers the minimum private investment to qualify for incentives from the Governor's Development Opportunity Fund for localities with a population of 100,000 or less with unemployment rates in excess of 150 percent of the state average.
**HB 650 Funeral services; disputes between next of kin
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB650
Funeral services; disputes between next of kin. Provides a judicial process for determining who makes the decision for the arrangements for a decedent's funeral or the disposition of his remains when there is a dispute between the next of kin.
HB 651 Eminent domain cases; reinstates option of landowner to choose between commissioner & jury to hear.
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB651
Use of commissioners in eminent domain cases. Reinstates the option of the landowner to choose between commissioners and juries to hear an eminent domain case. The option to choose commissioners was eliminated by Chapter 586 of the 2006 Acts of Assembly.
HB 652 Eminent domain; restriction of access to or from property taken thereunder shall be considered.
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB652
Eminent domain; just compensation; restricted access. Provides that any restriction, change, or loss of access to or from property taken under the power of eminent domain shall be considered as an element in assessing the damages to the property for the purposes of determining just compensation.
*HB 653 Investor-owned electric utilities; establishes process used by SCC in reviews of rates, etc.
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB653
Investor-owned electric utilities; ratemaking. Establishes a process to be used by the State Corporation Commission in conducting biennial reviews of the rates, terms, and conditions of service of investor-owned electric utilities that, as of July 1, 1999, were not bound by a rate case settlement that extended in its application beyond January 1, 2002. These utilities will not be authorized to petition the Commission for approval of rate adjustment clauses to recover certain transmission costs, deferred environmental and reliability costs, costs of peak-shaving and energy efficiency programs, costs of participation in the renewable energy portfolio standard program, costs of environmental compliance projects, and costs of new and expanded generation facilities. This category of electric utility will be able to seek recovery of such costs as part of its biennial rate review. Currently, all investor-owned electric utilities are authorized to recover these costs through rate adjustment clauses on a stand-alone basis, not more frequently than once in a 12-month period, and without regard to other costs, revenues, investments, or earnings of the utility. The existing process will continue to apply to investor-owned electric utilities that, as of July 1, 1999, were bound by a rate case settlement that extended in its application beyond January 1, 2002.
HB 654 Administrative Process Act; final decision reviewable by a de novo appeal.
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB654
Administrative Process Act; review of agency decision. Makes a final decision under the Administrative Process Act reviewable by a de novo appeal.
HB 655 Conflicts of Interests Act; revisions applicable to House and Senate Ethics Advisory Panels.
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB655
General Assembly Conflicts of Interests Act; House and Senate Ethics Advisory Panels. Revises the process for the appointment of House Panel members and provides for public access to House Panel proceedings. The bill makes other revisions applicable to both Panels.
HB 656 Protective orders; judicial officer require protective order respondent subject to GPS monitoring.
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB656
Protective orders; GPS devices. Authorizes a judicial officer to require that a protective order respondent be subject to GPS monitoring that notifies the person to be protected and law enforcement when the monitored person is in violation of the order. The cost of the monitoring is to be paid by the monitored person.
*HB 657 General Assembly Conflicts of Interests Act; establishment of General Assembly Ethics Review Panel.
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB657
General Assembly Conflicts of Interests Act; establishment of a General Assembly Ethics Review Panel. Establishes one five-member Review Panel in place of the present separate House and Senate Ethics Advisory Panels. The Panel will investigate complaints of violations of the GACOIA, and its proceedings following its preliminary investigation will be public.
HB 658 Enterprise Zone Grant Program; lowers threshold for qualified real property investments.
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB658
Enterprise Zone Grant Program; threshold for real property investment grants. Lowers the threshold for qualified real property investments under the Enterprise Zone Grant Program for distressed localities from $100,000 to $50,000 for the rehabilitation or expansion of a single building and from $500,000 to $250,000 for new construction of a single building. Under the bill, distressed locality is defined as any locality with an annual average unemployment rate that is one and one half times or more the state average unemployment rate.
HB 659 Funeral services; burial power of attorney.
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB659
Funeral services; burial power of attorney. Provides that a person may designate in a signed and notarized writing an individual who shall make arrangements for his funeral and the disposition of his remains, including cremation, upon his death. Such designee shall have priority over all persons entitled to make such arrangements. The bill further provides that notwithstanding the above, any contract made by a decedent's next of kin with a funeral establishment or cemetery for the decedent's funeral and burial shall be an obligation of the decedent's estate, to the extent that goods have been provided and services have been rendered without knowledge by the funeral establishment or cemetery of such designation. This bill is in response to an opinion of the Office of the Attorney General.
*HB 660 Enterprise zone job creation grants; business firm is eligible for up to five years for each grant.
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB660
Enterprise zone job creation grants. Provides that a business firm is eligible for an enterprise zone job creation grant of $500 per year for up to five years for each grant eligible position that during such year is 150 percent of the federal minimum wage, if the locality where the business firm is located has an unemployment rate of 1.5 percent or higher than the statewide average.
HB 1052 Electric utilities; prevents temporary and interim increase of rates
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB1052
Electric utility rates; temporary and interim increases. Prevents an electric public utility from changing its rates on an interim or temporary basis, and states that the scheduled rates of such a utility shall not be changed unless and until approved by the State Corporation Commission.
**HB 1053 Legislative study commissions; staffing support for certain Commissions
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB1053
Staffing for certain legislative study commissions. Provides that staffing support for the Virginia State Crime Commission, the Joint Commission on Health Care, the Virginia Commission on Youth, and the Virginia Housing Commission will be provided by the Division of Legislative Services and Clerks Offices of the General Assembly.
HB 1055 Retirement System; increases amount of monthly health insurance credits
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB1055
HB 1056 Animal control officers; clarifies duties and responsibilities
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB1056
Animal control officers. Clarifies the duties and responsibilities of animal control officers, who shall be sworn law-enforcement officers with jurisdiction over animal control and protection laws. All sheriffs, police officers, conservation police officers, or other peace officers of the Commonwealth shall be ex officio animal control officers. When in uniform or upon displaying a badge or other credentials of office, animal control officers and deputy animal control officers shall have the power to issue a summons or obtain and execute a search warrant or a felony warrant as necessary. Currently, felony warrants must be executed by police officers. Localities must notify the State Veterinarian within 30 days of any change in the employment and training status of the animal control officers employed by the locality. Such reporting does not currently need to be done within a specific timeframe.
HB 1057 Qualifications of candidates; evaluate whether a person meets residency requirements
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB1057
Elections; qualifications of candidates. Directs the State Board of Elections, local electoral boards, or the general registrar, as appropriate, to evaluate whether a person meets the residency requirements to qualify as a candidate and entitle him to have his name printed on the ballot in a general, primary, or special election. In determining residency, the Board, electoral board, or general registrar may consider the applicant's driver's license, motor vehicle registration, and the state and locality to which income and personal property taxes are filed as prima facie evidence of domicile. The State Board, in accepting or failing to accept the qualification of any candidate for election to statewide office, the United States House of Representatives, or the General Assembly shall be considered a case decision and subject to the Administrative Process Act. Any proposed candidate whose statement of qualification was not accepted, or the opponent of a candidate whose statement of qualification was accepted, shall have standing to challenge the action of the State Board in such instance.
HB 1237 Economic development incentive rates; electric utilities to offer service to certain customers
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB1237
Economic development incentive rates. Requires certain incumbent electric utilities to offer electric service at an economic development incentive rate to certain nonresidential customers. To be eligible for an economic development incentive rate, a customer shall have a new load of at least 1,000 KW and either increase employment by at least 75 full-time equivalent employees per 1,000 KW of new load or make a capital investment of $400,000 per 1,000 KW of new load. An economic development incentive rate provides eligible customers the option of either (i) a monthly credit of $6 per KW for three years or (ii) a monthly credit of $6 per KW for the first year, reduced by $0.75 per KW in each of the following years of an eight-year term.
HJ 102 Celebrating the life of First Lieutenant Leevi K. Barnard
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HJ102
HJ 159 Celebrating the life of J. Lloyd Gregory
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HJ159
HJ 160 Celebrating the life of Robert Henkel Spilman, Sr
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