Agriculture Animal Care And Food
Virginia 2025 Regular Session
Companion Animal Surgical Sterilization Program and Fund; established and created. [SB-31]
Companion Animal Surgical Sterilization Program and Fund established. Establishes the Companion Animal Surgical Sterilization Program and Fund to reimburse participating veterinarians for the surgical sterilizations they perform on eligible cats or dogs. The bill provides that a surcharge of $50 per ton of pet food distributed in the Commonwealth be deposited in the Fund and such pet food be exempted from the existing litter tax. An animal will be eligible for sterilization under the Program if it is a feral or free-roaming cat or is owned by a
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Sponsored by: Sen. Jennifer Boysko
Left In Finance And Appropriations on 11/19/2024
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Gettr Virginia 2025 Regular Session
Animal control officers; additional training. [HB-9]
Animal control officers; additional training. Increases the number of hours of required additional training in animal control and protection from 15 to 24 every three years for all animal control officers and deputy animal control officers employed by a locality.
Sponsored by: Sen. Emily Brewer
Left In Agriculture, Chesapeake And Natural Resources on 11/18/2024
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Virginia 2025 Regular Session
Pet shops; notice of deceased animals. [HB-206]
Pet shops; notice of deceased animals; report. Requires pet shops to annually submit a summary of records indicating any time a dog or cat in their possession dies or is euthanized to the State Veterinarian in a format prescribed by him.
Sponsored by: Rep. Shelly Simonds
Left In Agriculture, Chesapeake And Natural Resources on 11/18/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Cruelty to elephants; pain-inflicting training tools prohibited, civil penalty. [HB-1531]
Cruelty to elephants; pain-inflicting training tools prohibited; actions for attachment; civil penalty. Prohibits using devices such as a bullhook, axe handle, or block and tackle or engaging in certain practices in order to discipline, train, or control the behavior of an elephant. The bill provides that any person who uses such devices or engages in certain practices that inflict fear or pain on or cause physical injury to an elephant is subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $2,500 for the first offense and not to exceed $5,000 for subsequent
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Sponsored by: Rep. Sam Rasoul
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0333) on 04/02/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Industrial hemp; increases maximum THC concentration. [HB-1485]
Industrial hemp; maximum THC concentration. Increases from 0.6 percent to one percent, in the definition of industrial hemp, the maximum allowable concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the plant Cannabis sativa. The bill allows the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services to destroy Cannabis sativa found to have a THC concentration greater than one percent only if such Cannabis sativa is intended for human consumption; reduces the application and registration requirements for any person seeking to grow, deal in, or process industrial
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Sponsored by: Rep. Tony Wilt
Tabled In Agriculture, Chesapeake And Natural Resources (12-y 10-n) on 02/07/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Virginia Verified Meat; certification, labeling of product. [HB-1460]
Virginia Verified Meat certification. Prohibits any person from labeling any product as Virginia Verified Meat if it does not meet the definition of that term in the bill and allows any person not employed by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to be eligible to certify Virginia Verified Meat claims if approved by the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Virginia Verified Meat certification. Prohibits any person from labeling any product as Virginia Verified Meat if it does not meet the definition of that term in the
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Sponsored by: Rep. Tony Wilt
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0420) on 04/04/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Potato Board; reduces membership. [HB-1399]
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; Potato Board; membership. Reduces from seven to five the number of members that serve on the Potato Board. The bill provides that the terms of persons serving as members of the Potato Board prior to the effective date of the bill shall expire on the effective date of the bill and that five members shall be appointed in accordance with the staggered terms set out in the bill. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; Potato Board; membership. Reduces from seven to five the number of members
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Sponsored by: Rep. Robert Bloxom
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0223) on 03/28/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Meat food products; misbranding. [HB-1382]
Meat; misbranding.
Sponsored by: Rep. Thomas Garrett
Left In Agriculture, Chesapeake And Natural Resources on 02/13/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Soybean Board; assessment from sale of soybeans. [HB-1377]
Soybean Board; assessment from sale of soybeans. Changes the amount of the assessment for research, education, publicity, and the promotion of the sale and use of soybeans, currently at $0.02 per bushel, to a rate of one half of one percent of the net market price per bushel.
Sponsored by: Rep. Alfonso Lopez
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0149) on 03/26/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Cats; prohibition on declawing. [HB-1354]
Declawing cats; prohibition. Makes unlawful the practice of declawing cats for any person engaged in the practice of veterinary medicine except as necessary for a therapeutic purpose, as defined in the bill. Declawing cats; prohibition. Makes unlawful the practice of declawing cats for any person engaged in the practice of veterinary medicine except as necessary for a therapeutic purpose, as defined in the bill.
Sponsored by: Rep. Irene Shin
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0748) on 04/08/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Farmland Preservation, Office of; transfers Office to Dept. of Forestry. [SB-616]
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; Department of Forestry; Office of Farmland Preservation transferred. Transfers from the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to the Department of Forestry the Office of Farmland Preservation and its powers and duties and reporting requirements, the Virginia Farm Link Program, the Century Farm Program, and the Virginia Farmland and Forestland Preservation Fund. The bill renames the Office as the Office of Working Lands Preservation. The bill makes technical amendments to effectuate the transfer
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Sponsored by: Sen. Todd Pillion
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0010) on 03/08/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Animal testing facilities; DACR shall convene task force to identify potential deficiencies. [SB-411]
Task Force on Transparency in Publicly Funded Animal Testing Facilities; report. Requires the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to convene a Task Force on Transparency in Publicly Funded Animal Testing Facilities, consisting of legislators and stakeholders, for the purpose of identifying potential deficiencies in publicly funded animal testing facilities in the Commonwealth and recommending methods and context for making certain information about such animal testing facilities publicly available. The bill requires the Task Force to
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Sponsored by: Sen. Jennifer Boysko
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0675) on 04/08/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Rabies clinics; animal vaccination and microchip services. [SB-412]
Rabies clinics; animal vaccination and microchip services. Allows rabies clinics approved by local health departments and governing bodies to offer microchipping and additional animal health vaccines at the discretion of the licensed veterinarian or veterinarians participating in the clinic. The bill requires any licensed veterinarian who administers animal health vaccinations at the clinic to provide the owner or custodian of an animal a vaccination record for each vaccinated animal and ensure that a licensed veterinary establishment retains a
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Sponsored by: Sen. Jennifer Boysko
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0241) on 03/28/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption Act (PRIME Act); U.S. Congress encouraged to pass. [HR-12]
Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption Act; PRIME Act. Encourages the United States Congress to pass the Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption (PRIME) Act to allow intrastate distribution of custom-slaughtered meat.
Sponsored by: Rep. Eric Zehr
Left In Rules on 02/13/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Electric vehicle battery suppliers; certification, penalty. [HB-1155]
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; electric vehicle battery suppliers; certification; penalty. Requires each supplier of electric vehicle batteries operating in the Commonwealth to certify under penalty of perjury to the Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services that no electric vehicle batteries sold in consumer transactions, as defined in the bill, are manufactured in or sourced from African cobalt mines and that the manufacture or sourcing of such electric vehicle batteries involves no child or slave labor.
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Sponsored by: Rep. Aijalon Cordoza
Left In Agriculture, Chesapeake And Natural Resources on 02/13/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Food inspections; pickles and acidified vegetables, gross sales. [HB-759]
Food inspections; private homes; pickles and acidified vegetables; gross sales. Increases from $3,000 to $9,000 the gross sales annual revenue cap for sales of pickles and other acidified vegetables that have an equilibrium pH value of 4.6 or lower and are processed and prepared in a private home without an inspection as otherwise required to operate a food establishment. The bill expands the exemption for private homes where the resident processes and prepares certain food products to allow for such person to sell the food at a temporary event
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Sponsored by: Rep. James Leftwich
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0131) on 03/25/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Farmland Preservation, Office of; transfers Office to Dept. of Forestry. [HB-892]
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; Department of Forestry; Office of Farmland Preservation transferred. Transfers from the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to the Department of Forestry the Office of Farmland Preservation and its powers and duties and reporting requirements, the Virginia Farm Link Program, the Century Farm Program, and the Virginia Farmland and Forestland Preservation Fund. The bill renames the Office as the Office of Working Lands Preservation. The bill makes technical amendments to effectuate the transfer
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Sponsored by: Rep. Michael Webert
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0146) on 03/26/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Agricultural best management practices & agricultural equipment purchase tax credits; sunset date. [HB-1015]
Agricultural best management practices tax credit; agricultural equipment purchase tax credit; sunset date. Extends from January 1, 2025, to January 1, 2030, the sunset date of the individual and corporate agricultural best management practices income tax credit and extends from January 1, 2026, to January 1, 2030, the sunset date of the individual and corporate income tax credit for the purchase of conservation tillage and precision agricultural application equipment.
Sponsored by: Rep. Vivian Watts
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0212) on 03/28/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Dangerous dog; extending the time for adjudication. [HB-804]
Dangerous dog; extending the time for adjudication. Requires the court, unless good cause is determined by the court, to hold the evidentiary hearing pursuant to the dangerous dog summons within 30 days or as soon as practicable from the issuance of the summons. Under current law, the court is required to hold such hearing not more than 30 days from the issuance of the summons.
Sponsored by: Rep. Sam Rasoul
Governor: Acts Of Assembly Chapter Text (chap0145) on 03/26/2024
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Virginia 2024 Regular Session
Animal control officers; additional training. [SB-266]
Animal control officers; additional training. Increases the number of hours of required additional training in animal control and protection from 15 to 24 every three years for all animal control officers and deputy animal control officers employed by a locality.
Sponsored by: Sen. Bill DeSteph
Failed To Report (defeated) In Agriculture, Conservation And Natural Resources (6-y 9-n) on 01/23/2024