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Delegate Adams, senator update Petersburg on bills affecting evictions, parking authority and casino hiring
Summary
Delegate Kim Pope Adams and the senator for the district briefed council on 2026 General Assembly outcomes: HB15 extends pay-or-quit notices to 14 days; HB1448 authorized a Petersburg Parking Authority (authorization not a mandate); HB218 reduces lookback periods for certain casino hiring disqualifications to eight years and allows some 18+ hires off the gaming floor.
State legislative leaders briefed the council on several bills likely to affect Petersburg residents and local policy.
Delegate Kim Pope Adams said House Bill 15 will expand the time tenants have to respond to pay-or-quit notices from five to 14 days, effective July 1. "You will have 14 days that a tenant has until eviction proceedings will take place," Adams told the council, adding the change was intended to give households a better chance to align with pay periods and avoid eviction.
Adams also summarized HB1448, which authorizes a Petersburg Parking Authority but does not mandate the city to create one. "This bill does not mandate the parking authority. It authorizes it," she said, and added that local public comment is required before any local establishment of an authority or related action.
On gaming employment reforms, Adams described HB218 changes that narrow the lookback period for certain convictions to eight years and allow applicants to include explanations and character references on employment applications; separate language will allow some 18-year-old hires for non-floor casino positions.
Senator Charisse Eyre also summarized session results, noted multiple vetoes from the governor and highlighted enacted items including steps toward a higher minimum wage by 2029 and bills strengthening local enforcement tools for housing that could affect how local code or health hazards are handled. Both legislators urged the council to monitor the state budget process because allocations affecting schools and local programs remain unsettled.
