The House General Laws subcommittee voted 7-0 to report House Bill 1707, which updates monetary thresholds under the Contractor Transaction Recovery Act, changes the application fee process, and increases recovery amounts available to consumers.

Sponsor Delegate Bulova said the monetary limits for class A, B and C contractor licensure have not been adjusted since 2010 and should be updated to reflect inflation. She described the current $25 registration fee as effectively a regulatory fee that requires staff to refund the amount when an application is not granted; HB 1707 would convert that into a true application fee to streamline administrative processing.

Witnesses from the Virginia Manufacturers and Modular Housing Association and the Home Builders Association of Virginia spoke in favor, saying the changes would help small contractors keep appropriate licensure tiers. The bill was moved and seconded; the clerk opened and closed the roll and reported the bill out of committee, 7-0.

The bill will move forward as reported by the subcommittee.