SB425 • 2026

Comprehensive plan; environmental justice strategy.

An Act to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 15.2-2223.6, relating to comprehensive plan; environmental justice strategy.

Enacted

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

Sponsor: Bagby
Last action: 2026-04-13
Official status: Acts of Assembly Chapter
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not specify the exact requirements for prioritizing improvements and programs. The candidate explanation included more detailed specifics which are not fully supported by the provided official material.

Environmental Justice Strategy for Large Cities and Counties

This law requires cities with more than 20,000 people and counties with more than 100,000 people to consider adopting an environmental justice strategy in their comprehensive plans starting July 1, 2026.

What This Bill Does

Requires large cities and counties to consider adopting an environmental justice strategy when reviewing their comprehensive plan.
The strategy must identify environmental justice communities and fenceline communities within the jurisdiction of the local planning commission.
It requires identifying major sources of pollution or hazardous waste sites within the locality's jurisdiction.
Identifies objectives and policies to reduce health risks, improve air and water quality, promote public engagement, and prioritize improvements for specific needs like internet services, job training, healthy food access, and clean transportation options.

Who It Names or Affects

Cities with populations over 20,000
Counties with populations over 100,000

Terms To Know

Environmental justice community: A community that faces disproportionate environmental risks and health impacts.
Fenceline community: A community located near pollution sources or hazardous waste sites.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how the strategies will be enforced.
It is unclear what resources localities will receive to implement these strategies.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

SB425AC

2026-03-12 • Conference

Conference Report

Plain English: The amendment recommends rejecting a previous version of the bill and accepting a new version to address environmental justice in comprehensive plans.

Rejects the previously proposed House Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute (26107960D).
Accepts a new Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute (26109216D) to resolve disagreements.

The official amendment text does not provide details about the specific changes made by the new substitute amendment.
Further information is needed to understand the concrete changes proposed by Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute (26109216D).

SB425AS1

2026-01-27 • Committee

Local Government Amendment

Plain English: The amendment adds a requirement for local governments to establish baseline environmental and health conditions for certain communities.

Adds a new section that requires local governments to use existing public health data or gather additional information to identify any disproportionate public health issues in specific communities.

The amendment does not specify how the local governments should gather additional information if needed, leaving some details unclear.

SB425S1

2026-03-12 • Conference

Conference Report Substitute

Plain English: The amendment requires cities with more than 20,000 residents and counties with over 100,000 residents to consider adopting an environmental justice strategy during their regular reviews of comprehensive plans starting July 1, 2026.

Cities with a population greater than 20,000 and counties with more than 100,000 people must review their comprehensive plans and consider adding an environmental justice strategy.
The environmental justice strategy should identify communities affected by pollution and propose ways to reduce health risks and improve living conditions in these areas.

The amendment does not specify how the local planning commissions will implement or enforce the new requirements.
Details on funding for implementing the strategies are not provided in the amendment text.

Bill History

2026-04-13 Governor
Approved by Governor-Chapter 582 (effective 7/1/2026)
2026-04-13 Governor
Approved by Governor-Chapter 582 (effective 7/1/2026)
2026-04-13 Governor
Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0582)
2026-03-31 Senate
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026
2026-03-31 Governor
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
2026-03-31 House
Signed by Speaker
2026-03-31 Senate
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026
2026-03-31 Governor
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
2026-03-30 Senate
Signed by President
2026-03-30 Senate
Enrolled
2026-03-30 Senate
Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB425ER)
2026-03-13 Senate
Conference report agreed to by Senate (21-Y 18-N 0-A)
2026-03-12 Conference
Conference Report released
2026-03-12 House
Conference report agreed to by House (63-Y 34-N 0-A)
2026-02-24 House
Conferees appointed by House
2026-02-24 House
House Conferees: Simonds, Clark, Kent
2026-02-23 Senate
Conferees appointed by Senate
2026-02-23 Senate
Senate Conferees: Bagby, Aird, Stanley
2026-02-23 Senate
Senate acceded to request (38-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-02-19 House
House insisted on substitute
2026-02-19 House
House requested conference committee
2026-02-18 Senate
House substitute rejected by Senate
2026-02-16 House
Read third time
2026-02-16 House
committee substitute agreed to
2026-02-16 House
Engrossed by House - committee substitute
2026-02-16 House
Passed House with substitute (63-Y 35-N 0-A)
2026-02-15 House
Read second time
2026-02-13 Counties, Cities and Towns
Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns with substitute (15-Y 6-N)
2026-02-13 House
House committee offered
2026-02-13 Counties, Cities and Towns
Committee substitute printed 26107960D-H1
2026-02-04 House
Placed on Calendar
2026-02-04 House
Read first time
2026-02-04 Counties, Cities and Towns
Referred to Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns
2026-01-29 Senate
Read third time and passed Senate (21-Y 19-N 0-A)
2026-01-28 Senate
Read second time
2026-01-28 Senate
Local Government Amendments agreed to
2026-01-28 Senate
Engrossed by Senate as amended (Voice Vote)
2026-01-28 General Laws and Technology
Local Government Amendments agreed to
2026-01-28 Senate
Engrossed by Senate (Voice Vote)
2026-01-27 Senate
Rules suspended
2026-01-27 Senate
Passed by for the day
2026-01-27 Senate
Read first time
2026-01-27 Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (39-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-01-27 Senate
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
2026-01-26 Local Government
Reported from Local Government with amendments (8-Y 5-N 1-A)
2026-01-13 Senate
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26100586D
2026-01-13 Local Government
Referred to Committee on Local Government

Official Summary Text

Comprehensive plan; environmental justice strategy.
Requires cities with populations greater than 20,000 and counties with populations greater than 100,000 to consider, beginning July 1, 2026, at the next and all subsequent reviews of the comprehensive plan, adopting an environmental justice strategy. The bill provides that the locality's strategy shall be to identify environmental justice and fenceline communities within the jurisdiction of the local planning commission and identify objectives and policies to reduce health risks, to promote civic engagement, to prioritize improvements and programs that address the needs of environmental justice and fenceline communities, as those terms are defined in the bill, and to establish baseline environmental and health conditions to characterize any disproportionate public health conditions in the identified fenceline communities. This bill is identical to HB 256.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

An Act to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered
15.2-2223.6
, relating to comprehensive plan; environmental justice strategy.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered
15.2-2223.6
as follows:
§
15.2-2223.6
. Comprehensive plan shall consider adopting an environmental justice strategy.
A. For purposes of this section:
"Environmental justice community" means the same as that term is defined in §
2.2-234
, as determined by the most currently available demographic information compiled for census tracts or census blocks within the local planning commission's jurisdiction, provided that any discrete geographic area smaller than a census tract or census block within the local planning commission's jurisdiction may be designated as an environmental justice community in accordance with the definition set forth in §
2.2-234
.
"Fenceline community" means the same as that term is defined in §
2.2-234
.
B. Beginning July 1, 2026, each city with a population greater than 20,000 and each county with a population greater than 100,000 shall, during the next scheduled and all subsequent reviews of its comprehensive plan, as required in §
15.2-2230
, consider adopting an environmental justice strategy that meets the requirements of this section.
C. The environmental justice strategy shall:
1. Identify each environmental justice community and fenceline community within the local planning commission's jurisdiction;
2. Identify major sources of pollution or hazardous waste sites within the locality's jurisdiction, on the basis of data from any federal, state, or local environmental agency or health department;
3. Identify objectives and policies to reduce the unique or compounded health risks in environmental justice communities and fenceline communities by means that include the reduction of pollution exposure, the improvement of air and water quality, emergency management, resilience to increased flooding, excessive heat and other impacts of a changing climate, and the promotion of public facilities, food access, safe and sanitary homes, and physical activity;
4. Identify objectives and policies to promote civic engagement in public decision-making processes by members of environmental justice communities and fenceline communities;
5. Identify objectives and policies that prioritize improvements and programs that address the needs of environmental justice communities and fenceline communities, such as low-cost broadband internet programs and internet adoption initiatives encompassing digital literacy and device access, job training, access to healthy foods, access to aging in place assistance, equitable access to public parks and greenways, increased tree canopy, public transit services, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, electric vehicle charging, and other clean transportation options;
6. Identify objectives and policies that encourage linking public transit with community and health services and siting or co-locating health services in unconventional settings to ensure convenient access for all community members; and
7. Establish baseline environmental and health conditions using existing public health data or gathering additional information as needed to characterize any disproportionate public health conditions in the identified fenceline communities.