Virginia Law

A. The Commonwealth, all public officers, municipal corporations, other political subdivisions and all other public bodies of the Commonwealth may invest any and all moneys belonging to them or within their control, other than sinking funds, in the following:

1. Stocks, bonds, notes, and other evidences of indebtedness of the Commonwealth and those unconditionally guaranteed as to the payment of principal and interest by the Commonwealth.

2. Bonds, notes and other obligations of the United States, and securities unconditionally guaranteed as to the payment of principal and interest by the United States, or any agency thereof. The evidences of indebtedness enumerated by this subdivision may be held directly, or in the form of repurchase agreements collateralized by such debt securities, or in the form of securities of any open-end or closed-end management type investment company or investment trust registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, provided that the portfolio of such investment company or investment trust is limited to such evidences of indebtedness, or repurchase agreements collateralized by such debt securities, or securities of other such investment companies or investment trusts whose portfolios are so restricted.

3. Stocks, bonds, notes and other evidences of indebtedness of any state of the United States upon which there is no default and upon which there has been no default for more than 90 days, provided that within the 20 fiscal years next preceding the making of such investment, such state has not been in default for more than 90 days in the payment of any part of principal or interest of any debt authorized by the legislature of such state to be contracted.

4. Stocks, bonds, notes and other evidences of indebtedness of any county, city, town, district, authority or other public body in the Commonwealth upon which there is no default, provided that if the principal and interest be payable from revenues or tolls and the project has not been completed, or if completed, has not established an operating record of net earnings available for payment of principal and interest equal to estimated requirements for that purpose according to the terms of the issue, the standards of judgment and care required in Article 9 (§ 64.2-780 et seq.) of Chapter 7 of Title 64.2, without reference to this section, shall apply.

In any case in which an authority, having an established record of net earnings available for payment of principal and interest equal to estimated requirements for that purpose according to the terms of the issue, issues additional evidences of indebtedness for the purposes of acquiring or constructing additional facilities of the same general character that it is then operating, such additional evidences of indebtedness shall be governed by the provisions of this section without limitation.

5. Legally authorized stocks, bonds, notes and other evidences of indebtedness of any city, county, town, or district situated in any one of the states of the United States upon which there is no default and upon which there has been no default for more than 90 days, provided that (i) within the 20 fiscal years next preceding the making of such investment, such city, county, town, or district has not been in default for more than 90 days in the payment of any part of principal or interest of any stock, bond, note or other evidence of indebtedness issued by it; (ii) such city, county, town, or district shall have been in continuous existence for at least 20 years; (iii) such city, county, town, or district has a population, as shown by the federal census next preceding the making of such investment, of not less than 25,000 inhabitants; (iv) the stocks, bonds, notes or other evidences of indebtedness in which such investment is made are the direct legal obligations of the city, county, town, or district issuing the same; (v) the city, county, town, or district has power to levy taxes on the taxable real property therein for the payment of such obligations without limitation of rate or amount; and (vi) the net indebtedness of such city, county, town, or district (including the issue in which such investment is made), after deducting the amount of its bonds issued for self-sustaining public utilities, does not exceed 10 percent of the value of the taxable property in such city, county, town, or district, to be ascertained by the valuation of such property therein for the assessment of taxes next preceding the making of such investment.

6. Bonds and other obligations issued, guaranteed or assumed by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, by the Asian Development Bank or by the African Development Bank.

B. This section shall not apply to funds authorized by law to be invested by the Virginia Retirement System or to deferred compensation plan funds to be invested pursuant to § 51.1-601 or to funds contributed by a locality to a pension program for the benefit of any volunteer fire department or volunteer emergency medical services agency established pursuant to § 15.2-955.

C. Investments made prior to July 1, 1991, pursuant to § 51.1-601 are ratified and deemed valid to the extent that such investments were made in conformity with the standards set forth in Chapter 6 (§ 51.1-600 et seq.) of Title 51.1.

1956, c. 184, § 2-298; 1966, c. 677, § 2.1-328; 1980, c. 596; 1988, c. 834; 1991, c. 379; 1992, c. 810; 1996, c. 508; 1999, c. 772; 2001, c. 844; 2007, c. 67; 2008, c. 295; 2015, cc. 502, 503.