Edit: 2026_General_Assembly_Rural_Virginia_Recap

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= 2026 General Assembly Rural Virginia Recap =

== Purpose ==

This article summarizes 2026 General Assembly actions that are especially relevant to rural Virginians, rural communities, agriculture, forestry, conservation, working lands, rural health access, and rural infrastructure.

The focus is on legislation outside of Delegate Cole's own legislation that can be discussed in a rural Democratic session recap.

== Core Message ==

<blockquote>
* The 2026 session produced several practical wins for rural Virginia: stronger wage protections for farmworkers, better tools for preserving working lands, progress on invasive species control, support for forestry and conservation easements, electric co-op modernization, and attention to rural pharmacy access.
* At the same time, several larger conservation and land-preservation proposals did not pass. Those remain important unfinished work for future sessions.
</blockquote>

== Bills That Will Be Law ==

=== Farmworker Wage Protections ===

* '''HB20 / SB121: Minimum wage; farm laborers and farm employees'''
** '''Status:''' Approved by Governor. HB20 became Chapter 357. SB121 is the identical Senate bill.
** '''Effective date:''' July 1, 2026, with the farmworker wage coverage taking effect January 1, 2027.
** '''What it does:''' Removes the exemption that excluded farm laborers and farm employees from Virginia minimum wage requirements.
** '''Rural significance:''' This is a direct rural labor issue. It extends wage protections to more people doing agricultural work in Virginia.

'''Suggested line:'''

<blockquote>
* We made sure more of the people who do the hard work of Virginia agriculture are covered by Virginia's minimum wage.
</blockquote>

=== Agricultural and Forestal Districts ===

* '''HB292: Agricultural and forestal districts advisory committee; membership'''
** '''Status:''' Approved by Governor, Chapter 101.
** '''Effective date:''' July 1, 2026.
** '''What it does:''' Allows the commissioner of revenue or local chief property assessment officer to designate a representative to serve on the agricultural and forestal districts advisory committee.
** '''Rural significance:''' This is a procedural but useful working-lands bill. Agricultural and forestal districts are local tools that help preserve farms, forests, and rural land.

=== Conservation Easements and Land Preservation ===

* '''HB846: Virginia Land Conservation Foundation; purposes of foundation, easements'''
** '''Status:''' Approved by Governor, Chapter 433.
** '''Effective date:''' July 1, 2026.
** '''What it does:''' Allows the Virginia Land Conservation Board of Trustees to waive certain joint-holding requirements for conservation easements.
** '''Rural significance:''' Reduces administrative barriers for conservation easements and land trusts working to preserve rural land.

* '''HB1081: Office of Working Lands Preservation; small renewable energy project fees'''
** '''Status:''' Approved by Governor, Chapter 810.
** '''Effective date:''' July 1, 2026.
** '''What it does:''' Requires the Office of Working Lands Preservation to administer in-lieu fees from small renewable energy projects and use those funds for conservation easements and related expenses.
** '''Rural significance:''' Helps tie renewable energy mitigation dollars back to land preservation.

'''Suggested line:'''

<blockquote>
* We strengthened the legal and administrative tools that help keep rural land rural: farms, forests, open space, and conserved working land.
</blockquote>

=== Invasive Plant Control ===

* '''HB109: Noxious weeds; commercial viability'''
** '''Status:''' Approved by Governor, Chapter 66.
** '''Effective date:''' July 1, 2026.
** '''What it does:''' Removes the exclusion that prevented commercially viable or commercially propagated plants from being treated as noxious weeds.
** '''Rural significance:''' Harmful invasive plants should not be shielded from regulation just because they are sold commercially. This matters for farms, forests, native habitat, and rural land management.

'''Suggested line:'''

<blockquote>
* We closed a loophole that made it harder to control invasive plants just because someone was selling them.
</blockquote>

=== Forestry and Working Lands ===

* '''HB543 / SB522: Forest Sustainability Fund; Office of Working Lands Preservation'''
** '''Status:''' Approved by Governor. HB543 became Chapter 801; SB522 became Chapter 824.
** '''Effective date:''' July 1, 2026.
** '''What it does:''' Adds management of the Forest Sustainability Fund to the powers and duties of the Office of Working Lands Preservation within the Department of Forestry.
** '''Rural significance:''' Supports forestland preservation and recognizes forestry as part of Virginia's working lands economy.

=== Rural Energy and Electric Cooperatives ===

* '''HB562 / SB487: Electric cooperatives; virtual power plant programs'''
** '''Status:''' Approved by Governor. HB562 became Chapter 44.
** '''Effective date:''' July 1, 2026.
** '''What it does:''' Authorizes electric cooperatives to establish and implement virtual power plant programs.
** '''Rural significance:''' Electric co-ops are central to rural infrastructure. This gives co-ops more tools to manage demand, improve reliability, and make use of distributed energy resources.

'''Suggested line:'''

<blockquote>
* We gave electric co-ops more tools to improve reliability, manage demand, and help rural households participate in modern energy systems.
</blockquote>

=== Rural Pharmacy Access and 340B Review ===

* '''SB278: Federal 340B Drug Pricing Program; work group'''
** '''Status:''' Approved by Governor, Chapter 887.
** '''Effective date:''' July 1, 2026.
** '''What it does:''' Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to convene a work group to evaluate the impacts of the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program in Virginia, including governance, transparency, and pharmacy services in rural and underserved areas.
** '''Rural significance:''' This is not a direct service expansion, but it puts rural pharmacy access and underserved communities into a formal state review process.

'''Suggested line:'''

<blockquote>
* We advanced a serious review of how drug pricing and pharmacy access affect rural and underserved communities.
</blockquote>

=== Agriculture-Specific Operational Bills ===

* '''SB302: Peanuts; excise tax sunset'''
** '''Status:''' Approved by Governor, Chapter 493.
** '''Effective date:''' July 1, 2026.
** '''What it does:''' Extends the sunset date for the excise tax on peanuts grown in and sold in Virginia for processing.
** '''Rural significance:''' Relevant to peanut-growing regions and agricultural commodity policy.

* '''HB646: Green warning lights; certain farm vehicles'''
** '''Status:''' Approved by Governor, Chapter 190.
** '''Effective date:''' July 1, 2026.
** '''What it does:''' Authorizes green warning lights on certain farm vehicles, farm tractors, farm utility vehicles, and vehicles with permanent farm use placards while operating on or along highways.
** '''Rural significance:''' A practical farm safety measure for rural roads.

* '''HB749: Fertilizer and lime permit requirements'''
** '''Status:''' Approved by Governor, Chapter 419.
** '''Effective date:''' July 1, 2026.
** '''What it does:''' Amends provisions governing fertilizer and lime permit requirements.
** '''Rural significance:''' Relevant to agricultural supply chains and farm operations.

* '''HB859: Farm to School Program Task Force; membership requirements'''
** '''Status:''' Approved by Governor, Chapter 684.
** '''Effective date:''' July 1, 2026.
** '''What it does:''' Changes membership requirements for the Farm to School Program Task Force.
** '''Rural significance:''' Supports the connection between schools, local food systems, and Virginia agriculture.

== Introduced But Did Not Become Law ==

=== Virginia's Great Outdoors Act ===

* '''HB641 / SB393: Virginia's Great Outdoors Act'''
** '''Status:''' Did not pass. HB641 was continued.
** '''What it would have done:''' Created a data center land conservation tax and dedicated major funding for land conservation, public lands, trails, parks, and outdoor recreation.
** '''Rural significance:''' This would have been a major rural land and conservation investment.
** '''Recap framing:''' This should be discussed as unfinished work, not as a win.

'''Suggested line:'''

<blockquote>
* We should also be honest about unfinished work: the Virginia's Great Outdoors Act did not pass, but the idea remains important for rural communities that want conservation funding, outdoor recreation investment, and protection from unchecked land conversion.
</blockquote>

=== Land Preservation Tax Credit Expansion ===

* '''HB805: Land preservation tax credit; maximum amount increase'''
** '''Status:''' Did not become law.
** '''What it would have done:''' Increased the annual cap for land preservation tax credits from $75 million to $100 million.
** '''Rural significance:''' Would have expanded one of Virginia's major tools for voluntary land conservation.

'''Suggested line:'''

<blockquote>
* An effort to expand the land preservation tax credit cap did not pass, so that remains a future fight for rural land conservation.
</blockquote>

=== Permanent Land Conservation Goal and Needs Assessment ===

* '''SB519: Land conservation goals and needs assessment'''
** '''Status:''' Did not become law.
** '''What it would have done:''' Directed the Department of Conservation and Recreation to assess how to achieve permanent conservation of 20 percent of Virginia's land area and 10 percent of urban areas by 2036.
** '''Rural significance:''' Would have helped create a clearer statewide plan for land conservation.

'''Suggested line:'''

<blockquote>
* A broader planning bill around permanent land conservation goals also did not pass, which means the Commonwealth still needs a stronger long-term plan for protecting rural land.
</blockquote>

== Short Version for Remarks ==

<blockquote>
* Outside of our own legislation, the 2026 session produced several rural wins. Farmworkers will be covered by Virginia minimum wage protections. We improved tools for agricultural and forestal districts, conservation easements, working lands preservation, and forest sustainability. We closed a loophole that made it harder to regulate harmful invasive plants. We gave electric cooperatives more tools for reliability and distributed energy. We advanced a serious look at rural pharmacy access through the 340B program. And we passed several practical agriculture bills, from peanut policy to farm vehicle safety.
*
* But we should also be honest about what did not get done. The Virginia's Great Outdoors Act did not pass, the land preservation tax credit expansion did not become law, and broader long-term land conservation planning did not become law. Those are not losses to ignore. They are the next rural agenda.
</blockquote>

== Source Links ==

* HB20: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB20
* SB121: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB121
* HB109: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB109
* HB292: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB292
* HB543: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB543
* SB522: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB522
* HB562: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB562
* SB487: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB487
* HB846: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB846
* HB1081: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB1081
* SB278: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB278
* SB302: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB302
* HB646: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB646
* HB749: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB749
* HB859: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB859
* HB641: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB641
* HB805: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB805
* SB519: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB519