City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: JANUARY 23, 2017
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of an Update on the 2017 General Assembly Session.
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ISSUE: Update on the 2017 General Assembly Session.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council approve the legislative positions included in Attachment 2 (Recommended Positions on Bills of Importance to the City), as recommended by Council's Legislative Subcommittee.
DISCUSSION: The 2017 General Assembly Session began on January 11 and is scheduled to adjourn on February 25. The deadline for the introduction of legislation was Friday, January 20.1 As of that date, 2,355 bills and resolutions had been introduced. Many of them deal with perennial issues, such as absentee voting, restoration of civil rights to felons who have completed their prison time, guns, minimum wage, and domestic violence.
Combined Sewer Overflow Legislation. Alexandria's biggest issue in the 2017 Session has, of course, been CSOs (Combined Sewer Overflows). In 2016, City Council approved a plan to address 3 of the City's four CSO outfalls, and took action to begin planning for the way to deal with the fourth one. A number of downstream residents want the City to begin action on the fourth one (referred to as Outfall 001) immediately. In response, legislators introduced five bills pertaining to Alexandria's CSO outfalls.
The first of these, SB 819, was patroned by Senator Ebbin, whose district includes these outfalls.
It actually would have enacted into law the plan agreed to by City Council in November, 2016. SB 819 was defeated by the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources at its first meeting on the second day of the 2017 Session (January 12).
SB 818 was introduced by Senator Scott Surovell, whose district abuts the Potomac...
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