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County Board Approves Legislative Priorities for 2016

State General Assembly (via Virginia General Assembly)The Arlington County Board gave final approval of the county’s legislatives priorities for 2016 at its meeting Tuesday.

The county’s 2016 legislative priorities will be sent to and considered by Arlington’s state legislative delegation.

It includes a series of legislative proposals compiled by Board members and county staff, outlining key issues the county would like local lawmakers to address in legislation.

This year’s legislative priorities include:

  • Reauthorization of the 0.25% hotel tax, with revenue to be used for tourism promotion
  • Ensuring the state continues long-term funding commitments to WMATA
  • Lifting a prohibition on flashing lights on Metrobuses
  • Renaming Jefferson Davis Highway
  • Supporting nonpartisan redistricting
  • Opposing any state mandates “requiring local law enforcement officers to evaluate the immigration status of individuals encountered during lawful stops or other routine police activities.”
  • Supporting the policy that allows police departments to retain data from license plate readers to assist with investigations
  • Allowing a summons to be issued after a camera catches a driver illegally passing a stopped school bus
  • Allowing localities to impose a small tax on single-use bags, in order to encourage use of reusable bags
  • Supporting full Medicaid expansion in Virginia under the Affordable Care Act
  • Avoiding any additional unfunded mandates for localities
  • Retaining all local taxing authority, including the business license (or BPOL) tax

In total, there are more than 50 priorities in the package, divided into eight categories.

Virginia’s 2016 General Assembly session will last for 60 days, beginning on Jan. 13 and ending on March 12.

Photo via Virginia General Assembly

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