Focus on Fairfax

Feb. 5, 2016

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I am looking forward to hosting my annual Town Hall meeting this Saturday, February 6th at Fairfax City Hall. Joining me will be Senator Chap Petersen. We will kick-off at 9:00 a.m. with an overview of the 2016 session and then open the floor to questions and comments. It has always been a point of pride that we usually have more than 100 residents turn out. I hope that you will be able to join us!

Update on My Bills

Thanks to everyone who provided feedback on my 2016 legislative agenda. So far, three of my bills have passed the full House. This includes HB438, which establishes a trading program that will help localities meet Chesapeake Bay sediment pollution reduction requirements in a more cost-efficient manner. Also passed was HB190. This measure was requested by the City of Fairfax and makes sure that the voting formula of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, which is based partly on population, reflects the most up-to-date figures.

In addition, my HB407 to prevent premature conversion of I-66 from HOV-2 to HOV-3 for the purpose of tolling passed Transportation Subcommittee #3 and is now being considered in full committee. Conversion to HOV-3 is scheduled to occur in 2020 as part of a larger federal Clean Air Act requirement. My bill would ensure that this doesn't happen before then. Most other I-66 bills (including my own) have been tabled with the expectation that we will work on a single bill that will move forward to the full House.

Land Use, AirBnB, and More!

This has been a busy week on the House floor as bills have begun to report out of committees. Many of these will have direct or indirect impacts on Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax. Two of the more significant bills included HB770 and HB812.

HB770 would make major changes to the way that land development is negotiated in Virginia. Known as the "proffer system," localities now have the authority to negotiate voluntary concessions in exchange for added density. This can include off-site improvements to deal with anticipated impacts on transportation, parks, and schools, as well as on-site improvements. In Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax, the proffer system has largely been a collaborative process with developers that has been used to transform areas like Tysons, Merrifield, and Springfield. While there are some areas of the state where proffers may be abused, HB770 is a very blunt instrument that severely restricts the use of proffers. The bill has changed multiple times over the past few days as more and more issues have been raised. For now, I was a no vote when it came up on the House floor. The bill passed the House and now goes to the Senate where I anticipate that even more changes will be made.

HB812 would create a regulatory framework for so-called limited residential lodging - better known by most folks as AirBnB. The way AirBnB works is similar to Uber. An app is used to connect a person whose home will be temporarily vacant with a person who is looking for a short-term stay in the area. The upside of the bill is that this is already happening and will provide a mechanism for localities to collect transient occupancy taxes - which apply in this case but are not usually remitted. The downside of the bill is that it pre-empts most local regulation of limited residential lodging, which is the level that will have to deal with any impacts. Again, this one is a work in progress and I voted no with the hope that some of the problems can be fixed as the bill makes its way through the process.

Of course, Virginia is an exceptionally diverse state. Nowhere is that more evident than the Natural Resources subcommittee, to which I have been newly appointed. So while I started the day on Wednesday at 7:00 a.m. debating tolling on I-66, I ended the day embroiled in a one hour discussion about an odiferous landfill in Campbell County near Rustburg. I even made the local paper! Subjects at last week's subcommittee meeting included feral pigs and regulations governing the use of turkey feathers and toes.

Constituent Day at the General Assembly

I hope you will join me on February 15th for my Constituent Day and see our democracy in action! We will gather between 9:30 and 10:00 a.m. and then start a tour of the General Assembly Building and the State Capitol. We will wrap up with a visit to the Governor's Mansion. Send me an email at [email protected] for more information or to RSVP.

It is not too late to fill out my Constituent Survey. I hope to see you this Saturday!

Sincerely,