HB 500: New state park; Dept. of Conservation & Recreation to acquire prop. to establish in Loudoun County. - Virginia

Commerce Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee Substitute → Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to transfer authority from the House Appropriations Committee to the Senate Agriculture Committee, changing the bill's title from 'House Substitute' to 'Senate Substitute.' The language regarding the acquisition of land was modified to include a requirement for the Governor's approval and to use the term 'accept or acquire' instead of just 'acquire,' broadening the Department's potential actions regarding the property transfer.

Scope change

The bill's procedural scope changed from a House-initiated substitute to a Senate-initiated substitute, and the substantive scope regarding land acquisition was expanded to include the Governor's approval as a condition.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement that the Governor must approve the property conveyance before the Department of Conservation and Recreation can proceed.

Changed the authorization language from 'acquire' to 'accept or acquire,' allowing the Department to formally accept the property in addition to acquiring it.

Added a specific legal citation to § 10.1-104 of the Code of Virginia as the basis for the General Assembly's approval.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill header to reflect the Senate Committee as the proposer and changed the date to February 24, 2026.

Appropriations Substitute → Commerce Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill underwent formatting and layout changes during its progression through the legislative process, moving from an Appropriations Substitute to a Commerce, Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee Substitute. The substantive content of the bill remains unchanged, as it still authorizes the Department of Conservation and Recreation to acquire up to 1,240 acres of property in Loudoun County to establish Oak Hill Farm as a new state park. The changes are primarily technical, involving the addition of bill tracking numbers, session information, and formatting adjustments rather than policy modifications.

TECHNICAL

Added bill tracking number 26107137D and session information (2026 Session) to the header section

Changed the title from 'OFFERED FOR CONSIDERATION' to 'HOUSE SUBSTITUTE' with updated formatting and spacing

Added timestamp information (2/5/26 11:13) and document identifier (HB500HC2) at the end of the document

Reformatted the bill text with adjusted line breaks and spacing while maintaining identical legal content

Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Substitute → Appropriations Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was re-substituted from the Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee to the Appropriations Committee, indicating a shift in legislative review focus. The text was reformatted with line numbers and spacing adjustments typical of appropriation bills. The substantive content regarding the Oak Hill Farm state park acquisition remains largely the same, though the authorization language was slightly simplified by removing specific statutory references.

TECHNICAL

The bill was moved from the Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Substitute to an Appropriations Substitute, changing which committee reviews the legislation.

Formatting changes were applied including the addition of line numbers and spacing adjustments consistent with appropriation bill formatting standards.

REQUIREMENT

The specific reference to § 10.1-104 of the Code of Virginia was removed from the authorization language, though the General Assembly approval requirement remains.

The phrase 'upon terms and conditions the Department deems proper' was removed, and the authorization now explicitly references § 2.2-1149 provisions.

Introduced → Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Substitute · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended from its original introduced version to a House substitute version, primarily changing the formatting and presentation style while keeping the core legislative text identical. The substantive policy content regarding property acquisition for Oak Hill Farm State Park remains unchanged.

TECHNICAL

Changed the bill title from 'Introduced' to 'House Substitute' indicating it was amended by the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources on January 28, 2026

Added patron information showing Delegates McAuliff and Lopez as sponsors, with reference to HB 239 as the original bill

Reformatted the bill with line numbers and different spacing, but the actual legislative text about acquiring 1,240 acres for Oak Hill Farm State Park remains identical

New state park; Dept. of Conservation & Recreation to acquire prop. to establish in Loudoun County.

What changed between versions

How they voted

Actions timeline

Sponsors