General Laws committee advances eviction diversion, cocktails-to-go and landlord-tenant protections on crossover day

The Virginia General Laws Committee met on crossover day and re-referred one bill and reported a block of bills to the floor, moving measures on eviction diversion, cocktails-to-go, landlord-tenant screening protections, contractor recovery thresholds and economic development reporting.

The committee’s action advances bills that affect renters and landlords, liquor retail practices, licensed contractors and state economic development reporting at a busy point in the session. Some measures passed unanimously; others carried closer margins after amendments or substitutes.

The committee re-referred Senate Bill 801 (patron: Sen. Favola) to the House Committee on Health and Human Services after a motion and voice vote. The meeting then approved a block of bills reported from General Laws and the House, including Senate Bill 785 (real estate license transfer fee prohibition), Senate Bill 834 (ABC tied house exceptions cleanup), Senate Bill 1059 (contractor transaction recovery fund inflation-adjustment and bracket readjustments) and Senate Bill 1089 (Virginia Economic Development…