CONTENTS | < PREVIOUS | NEXT > | BILL INDEX

Agriculture, Horticulture and Food

P Passed

P HB552

Protection of farm and forest lands. Revises the Important Farmlands law, which requires state agencies to evaluate the impacts of their actions on farm and forest lands. The bill replaces the definition of "important farmlands" with a set of characteristics that are exhibited by farm and forest lands that are worthy of protection, and clarifies that the requirement of evaluating impacts on farm and forest lands applies to highway and road construction projects. With regard to state agency farmland protection plans, the bill requires annual updates, review by the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, and that the Secretary submit an annual report to the standing committees of jurisdiction in the General Assembly. This is a recommendation of the Commission on the Future of Virginia's Environment. This bill is identical to SB396.

Patron - Deeds

P HB638

Local animal ordinances. Provides that an animal control officer shall confine an animal believed to be a dangerous or vicious dog until a decision is made by a magistrate as to whether or not the animal is a dangerous or vicious dog. The bill provides that an animal control officer may permit the owner or custodian to confine the animal until a decision is made if the animal control officer determines that the owner or custodian can confine the animal in a manner that protects the public safety. Currently, the owner of the animal may confine the animal until a decision is made without a determination by the animal control officer that the owner can confine the animal in a manner that protects the public safety. This bill is identical to SB 440.

Patron - Williams

P HB973

Local retail farmers markets. Allows localities to establish, operate, and maintain local retail farmers markets.

Patron - Van Yahres

P HB1037

Cotton handlers. Establishes a new law concerning cotton handlers, which includes cotton gins, merchants and warehouses. The bill contains requirements for licensing and bonds to be furnished by handlers, recordkeeping requirements, and provisions on the inspection and enforcement authority of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Patron - Bloxom

P HB1038

Farmers markets. Requires that persons operating farmers markets pursuant to a contract with the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services annually submit to the Commissioner and the Farmers Market Board a plan for, and a report on, the operation of the market. The plan is to describe the operator's goals for the coming year, and the report is to describe the extent to which the goals for the previous year were met. The Commissioner must annually submit a report summarizing the market operators' reports and plans to the chairmen of the standing committees of jurisdiction in the General Assembly. There are currently four wholesale farmers markets to which this bill would apply. This is a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee Studying Virginia's Farmers Market System.

Patron - Bloxom

P HB1288

Virginia Farmer Major Drought, Flood and Hurricane Disaster Act. Allows localities to develop grant programs to supply emergency financial assistance to farmers to offset a portion of any operating losses resulting from a major disaster as declared by the Governor. This is emergency legislation.

Patron - Black

P HB1514

Animal pounds. Allows the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services to impose civil penalties on animal shelters and county and city pounds that are violating Board regulations. The penalties may not exceed $1,000 per violation, and each day is considered a separate offense. In determining the amount of any civil penalty, the Board shall consider (i) the history of previous violations at the pound; (ii) whether the violation has caused injury to, death or suffering of, an animal; and (iii) the demonstrated good faith of the locality to achieve compliance after notification of the violation. This bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2001.

Patron - Morgan

P SB162

Noxious weeds. Declares the Purple Loosestrife, and its hybrids and cultivars, a noxious weed and requires the Commissioner and the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services to regulate the transport and sale of this weed under the Noxious Weed Law.

Patron - Watkins

P SB396

Protection of farm and forest lands. Revises the Important Farmlands law, which requires state agencies to evaluate the impacts of their actions on farm and forest lands. The bill replaces the definition of "important farmlands" with a set of characteristics that are exhibited by farm and forest lands that are worthy of protection, and clarifies that the requirement of evaluating impacts on farm and forest lands applies to highway and road construction projects. With regard to state agency farmland protection plans, the bill requires annual updates, review by the Secretaries of Commerce and Trade and Natural Resources, and that the Secretary of Commerce and Trade submit an annual report to the standing committees of jurisdiction in the General Assembly. This is a recommendation of the Commission on the Future of Virginia's Environment. This bill is identical to HB 552.

Patron - Hanger

P SB440

Local animal ordinances. Provides that an animal control officer shall confine an animal believed to be a dangerous or vicious dog until a decision is made by a magistrate as to whether or not the animal is a dangerous or vicious dog. The bill provides that an animal control officer may permit the owner or custodian to confine the animal until a decision is made if the animal control officer determines that the owner or custodian can confine the animal in a manner that protects the public safety. Currently, the owner of the animal may confine the animal until a decision is made without a determination by the animal control officer that the owner can confine the animal in a manner that protects the public safety. This bill is identical to HB 638.

Patron - Rerras

P SB534

Virginia Pest Law. Repeals the requirement that the Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services must appoint a State Entomologist and Plant Pathologist. The bill also authorizes the Commissioner to cooperate with public and private organizations to suppress, control, eradicate, or to prevent or retard the spread of any pest.

Patron - Watkins

P SB674

Milk and milk products; penalty. Provides that the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services may impose civil penalties on individuals who violate the provisions of regulations adopted by the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services regarding standards of quality, permits, and sanitary requirements for milk, milk products, and milk production. Civil penalties imposed by the Commissioner are to be paid into the general fund of the state treasury.

Patron - Hanger

F Failed

F HB413

Equine infectious anemia. Requires the State Veterinarian to order any animal infected with equine infectious anemia to be destroyed.

Patron - Phillips

F HB639

Local animal ordinances. Permits localities to adopt more stringent ordinances to control dangerous or vicious dogs than are set forth in the dangerous or vicious dog provisions in the Code of Virginia.

Patron - Williams

F HB972

Weights and measures. Exempts scales used in the selling of food products at community farmers' markets from inspections by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. "Community farmers' market" is defined as a retail farmers' market that is managed by a locality, is open fewer than five days a week, and at which fresh fruits or vegetables or other agricultural products are sold by five or more vendors, each of whom produced the products he is selling.

Patron - Van Yahres

F SB439

Local animal ordinances. Permits localities to adopt more stringent ordinances to control dangerous or vicious dogs than are set forth in the dangerous or vicious dog provisions in the Code of Virginia.

Patron - Rerras

C Carried Over

C HB957

Food and drink; penalties. Allows the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services to impose civil penalties of up to $1,000 in lieu of pursuing criminal prosecution prescribed by the food and drink laws. In deciding whether to assess a civil penalty or pursue criminal prosecution and in determining the amount of any civil penalty, the Board is to consider (i) the history of previous violations of the person, (ii) the seriousness of the violation, and (iii) the demonstrated good faith of the person charged in attempting to achieve compliance with the chapter after notification of the violation. Penalty money will be placed in the Food Safety Fund, which is created by the bill to be used for the administration of the food and drink laws.

Patron - Larrabee

C HB1252

License tax on ownership of dogs or cats. Increases the maximum amount that the governing body of a county or city may impose as a license tax on the ownership of a dog or cat from $10 per year to $25 per year.

Patron - Brink