Post by High Priestess on Feb 23, 2016 19:45:18 GMT
See the article:
www.richmond.com/news/virginia/government-politics/article_9a5a548a-4db7-538f-8806-42a16dedadf6.html
ANd more on this issue here:
www.dailypress.com/news/politics/dp-nws-ga-airbnb-20160225-story.html
Legislation to regulate and tax Airbnb rentals throughout the entire state of Virginia could hit a snag after Senate leaders introduced budget language to stop any new short-term lodging law from taking effect until after a second vote in the 2017 General Assembly session.
Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr., R-James City, opposed the Airbnb legislation that came out of the Senate last week, and he is now backing a budget amendment to delay the law’s effective date and have the Virginia Housing Commission conduct a study of the fast-growing industry.
Jeff Ryer, a spokesman for Norment, called Airbnb “the single most important issue affecting the Williamsburg metro area” in the legislative session.
“This is the type of bill that’s of concern to areas that depend on tourism more than areas that do not,” Ryer said.
The hospitality industry and some cities have opposed the legislation, saying it supplants local authority to regulate Airbnb and lacks enforcement to ensure Airbnb operators abide by the same rules as existing hotels and bed and breakfasts. Backers of the Airbnb legislation say it would legitimize economic activity that’s already taking place by allowing the online platform to collect and pay taxes on behalf of its operators.
The budget amendment doesn’t necessarily doom the Airbnb bills to delay. The Senate still has to pass the budget, which will then be reconciled with the version coming out of the House of Delegates. But determined opposition by Norment — who wields considerable power as majority leader and co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee — likely means a tougher road ahead for the plan.
If signed by the governor, the Airbnb bills would take effect Sept. 1 and call for a housing commission study for follow-up legislation in 2017. Under the Senate budget amendment, the legislation would have to be passed again in the 2017 session before taking effect. The housing commission study would be due in December.
Del. Christopher K. Peace, R-Hanover, said a delay would leave Airbnb operators with “no guidance” and local governments with less revenue.
“Time is money,” said Peace, who carried the Airbnb legislation in the House. “The more you put it off, the more that will end up costing localities.”
Eric Terry, president of the Virginia Restaurant, Travel and Lodging Association, said that in light of the opposition to the bills, further study is “the wise path to take.”
“Right now there are just too many questions about the consequences of the Airbnb legislation and the lack of enforcement and accountability in those bills,” Terry said.
Airbnb allows property owners to rent out rooms, apartments and houses to travelers seeking short-term stays. The legislation approved by the legislature would establish a regulatory framework to legalize Airbnb throughout the state, while enacting some protections meant to minimize impacts to neighbors.
While the platform is not strictly legal in many areas, Virginia saw 133,000 Airbnb stays last year, an increase of 160 percent from the year before.
Airbnb spokesman Christopher Nulty said Virginia lawmakers have the state “poised to become the latest to embrace innovation.”
“Any attempt to derail these efforts would cost the state millions in new tax revenue and burden middle-class families,” Nulty said.
Ryer said the 20-19 vote in the Senate shows a clear split on the issue.
“This is a bill that I think kind of flew under the radar,” Ryer said. “Local governments, as they have become more aware of it, have become much more exercised about it.”
Norment has personal business interests in two hotels, one in Kilmarnock and one in York County, according to his most recent financial disclosure form. Each stake is worth more than $250,000, the form shows.
Ryer said Norment’s hotel interests didn’t impact the senator’s views on the Airbnb issue. The concerns of local governments, Ryer said, were “pretty major.”
“I think it was solely driven by the Williamsburg area,” Ryer said.
www.richmond.com/news/virginia/government-politics/article_9a5a548a-4db7-538f-8806-42a16dedadf6.html
ANd more on this issue here:
www.dailypress.com/news/politics/dp-nws-ga-airbnb-20160225-story.html
Legislation to regulate and tax Airbnb rentals throughout the entire state of Virginia could hit a snag after Senate leaders introduced budget language to stop any new short-term lodging law from taking effect until after a second vote in the 2017 General Assembly session.
Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr., R-James City, opposed the Airbnb legislation that came out of the Senate last week, and he is now backing a budget amendment to delay the law’s effective date and have the Virginia Housing Commission conduct a study of the fast-growing industry.
Jeff Ryer, a spokesman for Norment, called Airbnb “the single most important issue affecting the Williamsburg metro area” in the legislative session.
“This is the type of bill that’s of concern to areas that depend on tourism more than areas that do not,” Ryer said.
The hospitality industry and some cities have opposed the legislation, saying it supplants local authority to regulate Airbnb and lacks enforcement to ensure Airbnb operators abide by the same rules as existing hotels and bed and breakfasts. Backers of the Airbnb legislation say it would legitimize economic activity that’s already taking place by allowing the online platform to collect and pay taxes on behalf of its operators.
The budget amendment doesn’t necessarily doom the Airbnb bills to delay. The Senate still has to pass the budget, which will then be reconciled with the version coming out of the House of Delegates. But determined opposition by Norment — who wields considerable power as majority leader and co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee — likely means a tougher road ahead for the plan.
If signed by the governor, the Airbnb bills would take effect Sept. 1 and call for a housing commission study for follow-up legislation in 2017. Under the Senate budget amendment, the legislation would have to be passed again in the 2017 session before taking effect. The housing commission study would be due in December.
Del. Christopher K. Peace, R-Hanover, said a delay would leave Airbnb operators with “no guidance” and local governments with less revenue.
“Time is money,” said Peace, who carried the Airbnb legislation in the House. “The more you put it off, the more that will end up costing localities.”
Eric Terry, president of the Virginia Restaurant, Travel and Lodging Association, said that in light of the opposition to the bills, further study is “the wise path to take.”
“Right now there are just too many questions about the consequences of the Airbnb legislation and the lack of enforcement and accountability in those bills,” Terry said.
Airbnb allows property owners to rent out rooms, apartments and houses to travelers seeking short-term stays. The legislation approved by the legislature would establish a regulatory framework to legalize Airbnb throughout the state, while enacting some protections meant to minimize impacts to neighbors.
While the platform is not strictly legal in many areas, Virginia saw 133,000 Airbnb stays last year, an increase of 160 percent from the year before.
Airbnb spokesman Christopher Nulty said Virginia lawmakers have the state “poised to become the latest to embrace innovation.”
“Any attempt to derail these efforts would cost the state millions in new tax revenue and burden middle-class families,” Nulty said.
Ryer said the 20-19 vote in the Senate shows a clear split on the issue.
“This is a bill that I think kind of flew under the radar,” Ryer said. “Local governments, as they have become more aware of it, have become much more exercised about it.”
Norment has personal business interests in two hotels, one in Kilmarnock and one in York County, according to his most recent financial disclosure form. Each stake is worth more than $250,000, the form shows.
Ryer said Norment’s hotel interests didn’t impact the senator’s views on the Airbnb issue. The concerns of local governments, Ryer said, were “pretty major.”
“I think it was solely driven by the Williamsburg area,” Ryer said.