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SB155 • 2026

Brown-belted bumblebee (Bombus griseocollis); designating as the official state native pollinator.

<p class=ldtitle>A BILL to amend and reenact § 1-510 of the Code of Virginia, relating to official emblems and designations; state native pollinator; brown-belted bumblebee.</p>

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Peake
Last action
2026-03-06
Official status
Continued
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill's status indicates it has been enacted but does not provide an effective date.

Designating the Brown-Belted Bumblebee as Virginia's Official State Native Pollinator

This bill designates the brown-belted bumblebee (Bombus griseocollis) as Virginia's official state native pollinator.

What This Bill Does

  • Adds the brown-belted bumblebee to the list of official emblems and designations for Virginia.
  • Updates § 1-510 of the Code of Virginia to include this new designation.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The people of Virginia, who will now have an additional official symbol representing their state.
  • State agencies responsible for maintaining lists and recognizing symbols of Virginia.

Terms To Know

Pollinator
An animal that helps plants reproduce by moving pollen from one plant to another, such as bees or butterflies.
Emblem
A symbol representing a state or organization, often used in official contexts.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not provide funding for any activities related to the new designation.
  • It is unclear how this designation will be promoted or utilized by the state.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-06 Rules

    Continued to 2027 in Rules (Voice Vote)

  2. 2026-03-02 Studies Subcommittee

    Subcommittee recommends continuing to 2027 (Voice Vote)

  3. 2026-03-01 Studies Subcommittee

    Assigned HRUL sub: Studies Subcommittee

  4. 2026-02-03 House

    Placed on Calendar

  5. 2026-02-03 House

    Read first time

  6. 2026-02-03 Rules

    Referred to Committee on Rules

  7. 2026-01-27 Senate

    Read third time and passed Senate (36-Y 2-N 0-A)

  8. 2026-01-26 Senate

    Read second time

  9. 2026-01-26 Senate

    Engrossed by Senate

  10. 2026-01-26 Senate

    Engrossed by Senate (Voice Vote)

  11. 2026-01-23 Senate

    Rules suspended

  12. 2026-01-23 Senate

    Passed by for the day

  13. 2026-01-23 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A)

  14. 2026-01-23 Senate

    Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  15. 2026-01-21 General Laws and Technology

    Reported from General Laws and Technology (11-Y 0-N 4-A)

  16. 2026-01-07 General Laws and Technology

    Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology

  17. 2026-01-07 Senate

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102697D

Official Summary Text

Official emblems and designations; state native pollinator; brown-belted bumblebee.
Designates the brown-belted bumblebee (Bombus griseocollis) as the official state native pollinator.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
A BILL to amend and reenact §
1-510
of the Code of Virginia, relating to official emblems and designations; state native pollinator; brown-belted bumblebee.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §
1-510
of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§
1-510
. Official emblems and designations.

The following are hereby designated official emblems and designations of the Commonwealth:

Artisan Center — "Virginia Artisans Center," located in the City of Waynesboro.

Bat — Virginia Big-eared bat (Corynorhinos townsendii virginianus).

Beverage — Milk.

Bird — Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis).

Blue Ridge Folklore State Center — Blue Ridge Institute located in the village of Ferrum.

Boat — "Chesapeake Bay Deadrise."

Cabin Capital of Virginia — Page County.

Coal Miners' Memorial — The Richlands Coal Miners' Memorial located in Tazewell County.

Covered Bridge Capital of the Commonwealth — Patrick County.

Covered Bridge Festival — Virginia Covered Bridge Festival held in Patrick County.

Dog — American Foxhound.

Fish (Freshwater) — Brook Trout.

Fish (Saltwater) — Striped Bass.

Flag of Remembrance of September 11, 2001 — Freedom Flag, designed by a Virginian, as the flag of remembrance of September 11, 2001.

Fleet — Replicas of the three ships, Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery, which comprised the Commonwealth's founding fleet that brought the first permanent English settlers to Jamestown in 1607, and which are exhibited at the Jamestown Settlement in Williamsburg.

Flower — American Dogwood (Cornus florida).

Folk dance — Square dancing, the American folk dance that traces its ancestry to the English Country Dance and the French Ballroom Dance, and is called, cued, or prompted to the dancers, and includes squares, rounds, clogging, contra, line, the Virginia Reel, and heritage dances.

Fossil — Chesapecten jeffersonius.

Gold mining interpretive center — Monroe Park, located in the County of Fauquier.

Insect — Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio glaucus).

Maple Festival — The Highland County Maple Festival.

Motor sports museum — "Wood Brothers Racing Museum and Virginia Motor Sports Hall of Fame," located in Patrick County.

Opry — The Virginia Opry.

Outdoor drama — "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine Outdoor Drama," adapted for the stage by Clara Lou Kelly and performed in the Town of Big Stone Gap.

Outdoor drama, historical — "The Long Way Home" based on the life of Mary Draper Ingles, adapted for the stage by Earl Hobson Smith, and performed in the City of Radford.

Pollinator — Honey Bee (Apis mellifera).

Pollinator (Native
)
—
Brown-Belted Bumblebee
(
Bombus griseocollis
).

Pony — Chincoteague Pony.

Rock — Nelsonite.

Salamander — Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber).

Shakespeare festival — The Virginia Shakespeare Festival held in the City of Williamsburg.

Shell — Oyster shell (Crassostrea virginica).

Snake — Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis).

Song emeritus — "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny," by James A. Bland, as set out in the House Joint Resolution 10, adopted by the General Assembly of Virginia at the Session of 1940.

Song (Popular) — "Sweet Virginia Breeze," by Robbin Thompson and Steve Bassett.

Song (Traditional) — "Our Great Virginia," lyrics by Mike Greenly and arranged by Jim Papoulis with music from the original American folk song "Oh Shenandoah."

Spirit — George Washington's rye whiskey produced at Mount Vernon, Virginia.

Sports hall of fame — "Virginia Sports Hall of Fame," located in the City of Portsmouth.

Television series — "Song of the Mountains."

Tree — American Dogwood (Cornus florida).

War memorial museum — "Virginia War Museum," (formerly known as the War Memorial Museum of Virginia), located in the City of Newport News.