Water and sewer services; liens, owners, lessees, or tenants. (SB1189)

Introduced By

Sen. John Edwards (D-Roanoke) with support from co-patron Sen. Emmett Hanger (R-Mount Solon)

Progress

Introduced
Passed Committee
Passed House
Passed Senate
Signed by Governor
Became Law

Description

Water and sewer services; liens; owners, lessees, or tenants. Separates Code provisions regarding water and sewer services provided to lessees or tenants of real property from Code provisions regarding water and sewer services provided to owners of real property. The bill removes a locality's authority to waive a required written authorization by an owner for water or sewer services provided by a locality to a lessee or tenant. A copy of the lease between the lessee or tenant and the owner is acceptable authorization. The bill provides that no lien can be placed on the property of an owner when a lessee or tenant has delinquent fees for water or sewer charges until the locality has made reasonable collection efforts and practices including (i) applying the security deposit to the payment of the outstanding balance and (ii) either filing for the Setoff Debt Collection Program ( 58.1-520 et seq.) or placing the account with a debt collection service. A lien against the lessee or tenant shall rank on a parity with a lien for unpaid taxes. When a locality does not require a security deposit from a lessee or tenant to obtain water and sewer services, the locality shall waive its lien rights against the property owner. The bill also authorizes the locality or authority to provide a partial credit where excessive water and sewer charges result from an intentional cause. A locality or authority cannot deny service to a new lessee or tenant when there are unpaid fees for services to a previous lessee or tenant unless a lien against the property owner is placed on the property. Read the Bill »

Outcome

Bill Has Passed

History

DateAction
01/10/2017Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/17 17103817D
01/10/2017Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
01/16/2017Rereferred from Courts of Justice (11-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
01/16/2017Rereferred to Local Government
01/24/2017Reported from Local Government with amendment (12-Y 1-N) (see vote tally)
01/26/2017Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
01/27/2017Read second time
01/27/2017Reading of amendment waived
01/27/2017Committee amendment agreed to
01/27/2017Engrossed by Senate as amended SB1189E
01/27/2017Printed as engrossed 17103817D-E
01/30/2017Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
02/02/2017Placed on Calendar
02/02/2017Read first time
02/02/2017Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
02/08/2017Assigned Courts sub: Civil Law
02/13/2017Subcommittee recommends reporting (9-Y 0-N)
02/20/2017Reported from Courts of Justice (21-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
02/21/2017Read second time
02/22/2017Read third time
02/22/2017Passed House BLOCK VOTE (100-Y 0-N)
02/22/2017VOTE: BLOCK VOTE PASSAGE (100-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
03/07/2017Enrolled
03/07/2017Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB1189ER)
03/07/2017Signed by Speaker
03/10/2017Signed by President
03/13/2017Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on 3/13/17
03/13/2017G Governor's Action Deadline Midnight, March 27, 2017
03/24/2017G Approved by Governor-Chapter 736 (effective 7/1/17)
03/24/2017G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0736)

Video

This bill was discussed on the floor of the General Assembly. Below is all of the video that we have of that discussion, 1 clip in all, totaling 1 minute.