Accomplishments
During the 2009 General Assembly Session I was able to pass seven pieces of legislation that I hope will make the everyday lives of my constituents easier. These bills range from encouraging the development of wind and renewable energy to helping protect police officers and firefighters from infectious diseases.
Here is a sampling of the seven bills that I sponsored which are scheduled to become law later this year:
HB 2525- Small Wind Energy Project: The measure establishes an investment tax credit whereby a taxpayer is allowed a credit against income taxes equal to 35 percent of the cost of constructing, purchasing, or leasing wind turbines and towers. The credit may be claimed over a five-year period. The amount of income tax credits in any taxable year shall not exceed 50 percent of the tax liability otherwise due, and a taxpayer is ineligible to claim a credit of more than $500,000 in any year. Finally the measure declares that wind turbines and towers are tangible personal property used primarily for the purpose of abating or preventing pollution of the atmosphere and waters of the Commonwealth and exempts 80 percent of their value from state and local taxation.
HB 2141 - Infectious Disease; Deemed Consent For Testing: Ensures that law enforcement officers, firefighters, and paramedics/EMTs will be able to obtain a blood test from persons they come in contact with in the course of their official duties when the circumstances of the contact cause the person to be exposed to bodily fluids in a manner that could transmit HIV or Hepatitis B or C. In essence, this bill would eliminate some definitional problems in the Code and help to protect our emergency personnel while they are working to protect us.
HB 2135: Recordation taxes; basis. Changes from a Class 2 to a Class 1 misdemeanor the criminal penalty for knowingly misrepresenting the consideration for the interest in property conveyed for purposes of recordation and grantor taxes. The bill also would provide a penalty equal to 100 percent of the tax due on the understatement of the consideration in cases in which the understatement is false or fraudulent with the intent to evade a tax.
HB 2132 - Workforce Housing: Provides local school boards greater flexibility in helping teachers pursue the American dream of home ownership within their school district.
HB 2138 - Graffiti Abatement; Permits Localities to Charge Property Owner for Cost Thereof: Defines "defacement" to mean the unauthorized application by any means of any writing, painting, drawing, etching, scratching, or marking of an inscription, word, mark, figure, or design of any type. Permits localities to charge a property owner for the cost or expenses of removing defacement that occurs on a public or private building, wall, fence, or other structure located on an unoccupied property. Every charge that remains unpaid shall constitute a lien against such property, but no lien shall be chargeable to the owners of such property unless the locality shall have given a minimum of 15 days notice to the property owner prior to the removal of the defacement.
For information on all thirteen of my bills for the 2009 Legislative Session please go to the Virginia General Assembly Legislative Homepage: http://leg1.state.va.us/lis.htm.
With the 2009 General Assembly session now history, we’ve returned home to district. If you need to reach my office now, please call us at 703-244-6172 or e-mail us at Jackson@delegatemiller.com.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions, concerns or comments. It is truly an honor to serve you in Richmond.
