Summary: Deeds of trust; amendment to loan document;statement of interest rate of a refinanced mortgage. Providesthat a deed of trust that has been recorded and that states thatit secures indebtedness or other obligations under a loan documentand that it also secures indebtedness or other obligations undersuch loan document as it may be amended, modified, supplemented,or restated shall secure such loan document as so amended, modified,supplemented, or restated from time to time, without the necessityof recording an amendment to such deed of trust. The bill further requires that the interest rate of a prior mortgage be stated onthe first page of a refinance mortgage.

Summary: Property Owners' Association Act; CondominiumAct; rulemaking authority of property owners' associations and unitowners' associations; smoking. Permits (i) except to the extentthat the declaration provides otherwise, the board of directors ofa property owners' association to establish reasonable rules thatrestrict smoking in the development, including (a) rules that prohibitsmoking in the common areas and, (b) for developments that includeattached private dwelling units, rules that prohibit smoking withinsuch dwelling units, and (ii) except to the extent that the condominium instruments provide otherwise, the executive board of a condominiumunit owners' association to establish reasonable rules that restrictsmoking in the condominium, including rules that prohibit smokingin the common elements and within units. The bill clarifiesthe authority of executive boards of condominium unit owners' associationsto establish, adopt, and enforce rules and regulations with respectto the use of the common elements of the condominium and with respectto such other areas of responsibility assigned to the unit owners'association by the condominium instruments, except where expresslyreserved by the condominium instruments to the unit owners. The billalso permits unit owners, by a majority of votes cast at a meetingof the unit owners' association, to repeal or amend any rule or regulationadopted by the executive board. This bill is a recommendation ofthe Virginia Housing Commission.

Summary: Property Owners' Association Act; Condominium Act; use of electronic means for meetings and voting. Allows meetings of property owners' associations, boards of directors, unit owners' associations, executive boards, and committees to be held entirely or partially by electronic means, provided that the board of directors, unit owners' association, or executive board, as applicable, has adopted guidelines for the use of electronic means for such meetings. The bill requires that such guidelines ensure that persons accessing such meetings are authorized to do so and that persons entitled to participate in such meetings have an opportunity to do so. The bill grants authority for determining whether any such meeting may be held entirely or partially by electronic means with the board of directors or executive board, as applicable. Under current law, if a meeting of a board of directors or executive board is conducted by telephone conference or video conference, at least two members of the board of directors or executive board, as applicable, are required to be physically present at the meeting place included in the meeting notice. The bill amends the definition of "electronic means" to provide that meeting conducted by electronic means includes a meeting conducted via teleconference, videoconference, Internet exchange, or other electronic methods. The bill allows members of property owners' associations or unit owners' associations to vote at meetings of such associations by absentee ballot, and allows such members to vote in person, by proxy, or by absentee ballot by electronic means, provided that the board of directors or executive board, as applicable, has adopted guidelines for such voting. Finally, the bill provides that if a vote, consent, or approval required to be obtained by secret ballot is accomplished through electronic means, the electronic means shall protect the identity of the voter, and that if the electronic means cannot protect the identity of the voter, another means of voting shall be used.  

Summary: Alcoholic beverage control; license fee reform;delay; emergency. Delays the effective date of the 2020 alcoholicbeverage control license and fee reform from July 1, 2021, to January1, 2022. During the period of delay and subject to certain requirements,the bill allows on-premises wine or beer licensees to sell wine orbeer for off-premises consumption and allows such licensees, as wellas off-premises wine or beer licensees, to deliver wine or beer thatthe licensee is authorized to sell without a delivery permit. The bill contains a technical amendment and an emergency clause.

Summary: Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; noncompliance with rental agreement; prohibition on using negative credit information that arose during a closure of the United States Government against certain applicants for tenancy; penalty. Prohibits a landlord who owns more than four rental dwelling units or more than a 10 percent interest in more than four rental dwelling units in the Commonwealth from taking any adverse action against an applicant for tenancy based solely on payment history or an eviction for nonpayment of rent that occurred during a closure of the United States government when such applicant was a directly affected individual, defined as an individual who was furloughed or otherwise did not receive payments as a result of a closure of the United States government and was (i) an employee of the United States government, (ii) an independent contractor of the United States government, or (iii) an employee of a company under contract with the United States government. If such a landlord denies an applicant for tenancy, the bill requires the landlord to provide the applicant written notice of the denial and of the applicant's right to assert that his failure to qualify was based solely on payment history or an eviction based on nonpayment of rent that occurred during the proscribed period when such applicant was a directly affected individual. If a landlord does receive a response from the applicant asserting such a right, and the landlord relied upon a consumer or tenant screening report, the landlord must make a good faith effort to contact the generator of the report to ascertain whether such determination was due solely to the applicant for tenancy's payment history or an eviction for nonpayment that occurred during the proscribed period and that such applicant was a directly affected individual. The bill permits an applicant for tenancy to recover damages of up to $1,000, along with attorney fees, from landlords who do not comply with these requirements.