Some rapid-fire updates on advocacy efforts…
An Advocacy Summit was held on Thursday, March 14. We spent the time reviewing our activities and discussing how we can more effectively pursue our interests at both the State and Federal levels. Thanks to all who participated. The fruit of those discussions will begin to emerge shortly.
Some of those opportunities to engage, along with an update on the results of the General Assembly session, will be highlighted during an Advocacy Town Hall Meeting via Zoom from 3-4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 24. 1 LU (pending) Register here>> https://www.aiava.org/event/advocacy-town-hall/
The Joint Legislative Committee (the JLC; composed of members from AIA Virginia and ACEC Virginia) did a great job marshaling the bills. We’ll review the outcome more fully during the Advocacy Town Hall. But here are some bills that we supported, have passed, and are due to become law on July 1, 2024:
- Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits (HB 960, SB 556): increases the maximum credit per year from $5M to $7.5M (without establishing an annual cap on the overall program)
- Single Stair Study (HB 368, SB 195): directs DHCD to convene an advisory group to study the possibility of allowing Group R-2 occupancies to be served by a single exit in buildings not more than six stories above the grade plane
- APELSCIDLA Quorum (HB 350): lowers the quorum requirement of the Board so that the progress of the Board is impeded less frequently
No advocacy update would be complete without a request to support the AIA Virginia PAC. Contributions can be made here www.aiavapac.org