At their respective meetings on November 15, 2018, the HRPDC and HRTPO approved their 2019 Regional Legislative Agendas. Each year, the HRPDC and HRTPO adopt regional legislative agendas to convey to the General Assembly and Federal delegation issues of regional significance that should be addressed on behalf of the Hampton Roads region.

In preparing the 2019 Hampton Roads Regional Legislative Agendas, staff considered input from several meetings, including the August 2018 Legislative Workshop with the Hampton Roads Caucus of the General Assembly, and employed guiding principles that have been successful in previous legislative sessions, such as:

• Developing a short and targeted list of regional legislative priorities
• Including items of regional significance that benefit all jurisdictions

Please note that items can be added on an as needed basis by action of the HRPDC and HRTPO.

2019 HRPDC Legislative Agenda

• Pursue Federal/State funding for recurrent flooding/sea level rise projects particularly those projects that protect the mission of our region’s military installations.

• Support the appropriation and retention of matching funding for US Army Corps of Engineers 3X3X3 Studies for flood mitigation and other resiliency projects.

• Support state funding in the amount of $500,000 for the Virginia Shoreline Resiliency Fund that was created during the 2016 General Assembly session but received no appropriations.

• Recommends increasing state funding to the Stormwater Local Assistance Fund (SLAF) to support localities’ work to implement stormwater controls that have been instrumental in reducing pollution to the Chesapeake Bay.

• Requests the Commonwealth consider new State funding sources to assist localities in addressing Chesapeake Bay nutrient reduction requirements.

• Support the continuation of efforts to provide increased state funding for K-12 Public Education.

• Support legislation that continues to appropriate funding of the Virginia Housing Trust Fund (VHTF) for housing programs and projects.

• Requests assistance from our state and federal partners to increase the level of Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) funding provided to the Hampton Roads region.

• Support the ability of localities to ensure orderly, rational, and fiscally prudent growth appropriate  for  their  communities by restoring a viable process for conditional zoning and enabling the use of impact fees to offset the capital cost created by new development.

2019 HRTPO Legislative Agenda:

• Pursue federal and state funding for the $3.66 billion I-64 Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion Project.

• Promote higher-speed passenger rail service between Hampton Roads and Richmond, including the completion of a TIER II Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Southside and Peninsula corridors.

• Pursue federal and state funding for the widening of I-64 between Hampton Roads and Richmond from Exit 205 (Bottoms Bridge) to Exit 234 (Route 199 – Lightfoot).

• Recommend that the Commonwealth increase funding to the Virginia SMART SCALE Program.

For more information regarding the 2019 Hampton Roads Regional Legislative Agenda topics, visit the HRPDC and HRTPO websites.