Bill Text: VA HJR94 | 2020 | Regular Session | Prefiled
Bill Title: Rental dwelling units; Virginia Housing Commission to study.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-02-11 - Left in Rules [HJR94 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2020-HJR94-Prefiled.html
WHEREAS, family day homes are programs through which at least one child receives care for compensation in the residence of a provider or the home of a child in the care of such provider; and
WHEREAS, up to 12 children under the age of 12, exclusive of the provider's own children and any children who reside in the home, may participate in such program; and
WHEREAS, families need safe, affordable child care options in order to work and further their education; and
WHEREAS, child care currently comes at a high cost and limited availability, with nearly half of families in the United States reporting difficulty finding child care; and
WHEREAS, there is a link between access to child care, parental employment, and overall economic growth; and
WHEREAS, American businesses lose an estimated $12.7 billion annually because of their employees' child care challenges; and
WHEREAS, the operation of family day homes in a rental dwelling unit may present liability concerns for a landlord; and
WHEREAS, the mortgage or insurance policy of a landlord may prohibit or present special challenges to the operation of family day homes from the rental dwelling unit; and
WHEREAS, the operation of family day homes from a rental dwelling unit may increase street traffic, limit the availability of parking, increase noise, increase wear and tear on a dwelling unit beyond that which would normally be expected for a dwelling unit, and increase the use of utilities, such as water, electricity, Internet, and phone lines; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Virginia Housing Commission be directed to study whether individuals residing in a rental dwelling unit shall be permitted to operate a family day home from within such rental dwelling unit.
In conducting its study, the Commission shall study (i) the need of families to have access to high-quality, affordable child care; (ii) the unique challenges presented by the operation of a family day home from within a rental dwelling unit; (iii) the concerns of landlords stemming from the use of a dwelling unit as a family day home; and (iv) ways in which the needs of families to have access to affordable, high-quality child care can be reconciled with the concerns of landlords stemming from the use of dwelling units as family day homes.
The Virginia Housing Commission shall complete its meetings by November 30, 2020, and the chairman shall submit to the Division of Legislative Automated Systems an executive summary of its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the 2021 Regular Session of the General Assembly. The executive summary shall state whether the Virginia Housing Commission intends to submit to the General Assembly and the Governor a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.
