SB 958 Virginia Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Virginia Water Quality Improvement Fund; establishing a reserve fund within Fund, etc.

Summary
Virginia Water Quality Improvement Fund; Virginia Natural Resources Commitment Fund. Directs the Director of the Department of Conservation and Recreation to establish a reserve fund within the Virginia Water Quality Improvement Fund (the Fund) to be used when annual general fund revenue collections do not exceed the official revenue estimates contained in the general appropriation act and requires 15 percent of any amounts appropriated to the Fund due to annual general fund revenue collections in excess of the official estimates contained in the general appropriation act to be withheld from appropriation and held in the reserve fund unless otherwise specified. The bill also changes the formula for allocating moneys in the Virginia Natural Resources Commitment Fund and provides that, in any fiscal year, any funds distributed to the Virginia Agricultural Best Management Practices Cost-Share Program for the purpose of matching grants for agricultural best management practices on lands in the Commonwealth that cannot be obligated or are not used due to a cancelled contract by a grant recipient during such fiscal year, regardless of whether such lands are within or outside of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, may be reappropriated by the Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board to any soil and water conservation district with pending documented requests.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 6, 2025 Last action Feb 5, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Substitute · 5 edits
MODERATE
This bill was amended from its original introduction to a Senate substitute version, significantly narrowing its scope from amending three sections of the Code of Virginia to only amending one section (§ 10.1-2128.1) related to the Virginia Natural Resources Commitment Fund. The primary changes involve modifying how funds are distributed within the fund, removing references to the Virginia Water Quality Improvement Fund's broader purposes, and adjusting percentages for agricultural best management practices funding distribution.
Scope change
The bill's scope was narrowed from covering both the Virginia Water Quality Improvement Fund and the Virginia Natural Resources Commitment Fund to focusing solely on the Natural Resources Commitment Fund.
FISCAL

Changed the percentage of funds distributed to soil and water conservation districts for technical assistance from 15% to 8%.

Removed the distinction between Chesapeake Bay watershed and non-Chesapeake Bay watershed funding percentages, consolidating them into a single 55% allocation for watershed lands and 37% for non-watershed lands.

TIMELINE

Updated the deadline for reallocation of unobligated funds from July 1, 2028 to July 1, 2027.

SCOPE

Removed all provisions related to the Virginia Water Quality Improvement Fund, including definitions, reserve fund requirements, and funding allocations for water quality improvement grants.

REQUIREMENT

Added provisions allowing unobligated funds to be transferred between soil and water conservation districts within the same watershed during the same fiscal year.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
7
Key actions
1
Committee
2
Jan 21, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 0-N)
upper
Jan 6, 2025
Committee
Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Richard Stuart
Richard Stuart
RRepublican
VA
25