Delegate Ian Lovejoy (R-22, Bristow) updated his legislative priorities at the end of the first week of the 2024 Virginia General Assembly.
Lovejoy emphasized his focus on two key issues: limiting the siting of data centers near certain areas and addressing potential conflicts of interest among local elected officials involved in land use proceedings.
Siting of Data Centers in Residential Areas:
Lovejoy introduced an amendment to the Code of Virginia, specifically adding a new section to address the siting of data centers. According to the proposed amendment:
– Any local government land use application required to build a data center must be approved only for areas one-quarter mile or more from federal, state, or local parks, schools, and property zoned or used for residential purposes.
The amendment came after the Prince William Board of County Supervisors in 2023 approved a data center complex on 990 acres next to Manassas Battlefield National Park and another next to a densely populated neighborhood at Linton Hall and Devlin roads in Bristow.
Disclosures in Land Use Proceedings:
Lovejoy also proposed amendments focusing on disclosures in land use proceedings.
– Members of the board of supervisors, planning commission, and board of zoning appeals involved in land use proceedings must fully disclose any business or financial relationships with the applicant or title owner of the land in question.
– A disclosure includes relationships within the 12 months before the hearing, and any member with a business or financial interest or a specific relationship shall be ineligible to vote or participate in such cases.
– Penalties, as a Class 1 misdemeanor, are outlined for individuals knowingly and willfully violating these disclosure provisions.is the most severe class of misdemeanor offenses and may include up to 12 months in jail and up to a $2,500 fine.
The proposed amendments aim to enhance transparency in land use proceedings by requiring elected officials to disclose relevant relationships, thereby minimizing potential conflicts of interest.
Lovejoy is serving his first term as a House of Delegates member. He previously served on the Manassas City Council.
The 2024 General Assembly session ends on March 10, 2024.
Roem has focused on legislation related to data centers, emphasizing the need for stringent approval processes. One of her proposed bills states that any local government land use application required for the siting of a data center must adhere to specific notice and noise abatement provisions. These provisions include notifying residents within a half-mile radius, scheduling and attending neighborhood meetings, and conducting sound studies to determine baseline and post-construction noise levels.
“I’m isolating at home in Manassas (albeit with my kitties, so not entirely alone). I plan to participate in committee and floor session remotely Monday,” Roem posted to X, formerly Twitter. “If I test negative Tuesday, I’ll mask up and return.”
In addition to her focus on data centers, Roem has filed bills addressing the availability of school meals to students at no cost. The proposed legislation requires each public elementary and secondary school to participate in federal meal programs, making lunch and breakfast available to any student who requests it, regardless of their ability to pay. The Department of Education would reimburse schools for meals served, with a maximum of one breakfast and one lunch per student per school day.
Roem’s bills also touch on the Community Eligibility Provision, aiming to maximize access to federal funds for school breakfast and lunch programs. Schools with a minimum identified student percentage may apply to participate in CEP, ensuring greater federal funding for meals served.
Roem is currently in her inaugural four-year term as a Virginia State Senator. Before her current role, she secured a significant victory in 2017 when she was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates.
During that election year, notable changes occurred as the seats for Prince William County’s General Assembly delegation shifted from a majority of Republicans to Democrats, marking a transformative moment in the county’s political landscape.
“A Virginia Senate committee narrowly defeated legislation Wednesday that would expand the circumstances in which a drug dealer could be charged with felony homicide in connection with a user’s death,” reports WTOP-FM. “The bill, a priority of Gov. Glenn Youngkin and fellow Republicans, was pitched as a deterrent to criminals that would save lives amid the rising tide of overdoses deaths, particularly those attributable to fentanyl. But the Democrats on the committee who voted it down voiced skepticism that stiffer penalties, rather than an approach focused on substance abuse treatment, would effectively address the root causes of the issue.”
Virginia Senator Danica Roem (D-30, Gainesville, Manassas) is encouraged about her bill to reform the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) fees.
Roem, who has been advocating for FOIA reform throughout her four terms in office, first in the House of Delegates and now in the State Senate, highlighted the progress made during a session in the Senate's General Laws committee in a video posted to Twitter on Wednesday, January 17, 2024.
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Delegate Candi Mundon King (D-Prince William, Stafford) introduced two bills in the General Assembly Session that deal with transportation.
The first would cap the total amount of tolls drivers pay on the E-ZPass Express Lanes in the state to $200 per month. The bill would also allow disabled military veterans to use the lanes at no charge.
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“As data centers continue to proliferate across Virginia, the General Assembly this winter is poised to take up a host of bills intended to address their impacts, including increased electricity costs and environmental pressures,” reports Charlie Paullin at The Virginia Mercury. “Virginia is home to the greatest concentration of data centers in the world. While the centers can be found around the state, most are in Northern Virginia, which has more than 300. Eastern Loudoun County, where the facilities cover roughly 573 acres, is known as Data Center Alley, and Prince William is increasingly becoming a hot spot after local officials recently approved a campus of 27 centers that would sit on 270 acres.”
“Kicking off the first day of Virginia’s 2024 legislative session, Gov. Glenn Youngkin gave the annual State of the Commonwealth address,” reports Morgan Sweeney at The Center Square.
