HB 390: Habitat Policy Oversight Committee; established, membership, powers and duties, report. - Virginia

Chesapeake Subcommittee Substitute → Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was revised to reflect a Senate substitute version, changing the proposing committee from the House to the Senate and updating the bill's date. The most significant policy change is the expansion of the Habitat Policy Oversight Committee from 10 to 11 voting members, adding a new seat for industry representatives under specific Commission chapters. Additionally, the text was updated to use consistent hyphenation in the phrase 'decision-making processes' and adjusted the numbering format for the initial term appointments.

Scope change

The scope of the committee's membership was expanded to include a new representative from the aquaculture, commercial fisheries, or related industry sectors subject to the Commission's authority.

REQUIREMENT

The number of voting members on the Habitat Policy Oversight Committee increased from 10 to 11.

ELIGIBILITY

A new voting member position was created for an individual representing industry subject to the Commission's authority under Chapters 12 or 13.

MODIFIED

The initial term appointment structure was updated to reflect the new 11-member composition, shifting the staggered term categories from subdivisions 6-10 to 6-11.

TECHNICAL

Minor formatting updates were made, including adding a hyphen to 'decision-making' and adjusting the list numbering style in subsection D.

Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Substitute → Chaptered · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill was converted from a Senate substitute amendment into an officially enacted chapter of the Virginia Code. The substantive policy content regarding the new Habitat Policy Oversight Committee remains unchanged, though the formatting was updated to match official legislative standards.

TECHNICAL

The document status changed from a proposed substitute bill to an enacted law (Chapter 131), approved by the General Assembly.

Formatting and spacing were adjusted to conform to the official style of the Virginia Code of 2026.

Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Substitute → Chesapeake Subcommittee Substitute · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill text was reformatted from a standard legislative layout to a 'House Substitute' format with added page numbers and tracking codes, but the actual policy language, committee composition, and duties remained identical. No substantive changes to the law's scope, eligibility, or requirements were made.

TECHNICAL

The document structure was updated to include 'House Substitute' headers, page numbering, and internal tracking codes (e.g., 26106934D, HB390HC2), while the core legal text was preserved without modification.

Enrolled → Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Substitute · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to replace the original 'Enrolled' version with a House substitute version, resulting in significant changes to the committee's composition and term lengths. The most critical policy change is the reduction of voting committee members from 11 to 10, which removes the representative for the aquaculture or commercial fisheries industry. Additionally, the staggered term schedule for initial appointments was adjusted to reflect the new membership count, and the list of duties was slightly edited for formatting consistency.

Scope change

The scope of the committee's membership was narrowed by removing the specific seat for the aquaculture or commercial fisheries industry, while the overall purpose of establishing the Habitat Policy Oversight Committee remains unchanged.

ELIGIBILITY

The number of voting members on the Habitat Policy Oversight Committee was reduced from 11 to 10, specifically removing the seat designated for the private marine construction or consulting sector.

REQUIREMENT

The initial staggered term schedule for committee members was updated to align with the new 10-member structure, changing the reference from subdivisions 1-5 and 6-11 to subdivisions 1-5 and 6-10.

TECHNICAL

Minor formatting and punctuation adjustments were made throughout the text, including changing 'decision-making' to 'decision making' and renumbering the list of committee duties.

Introduced → Enrolled · 3 edits · Mar 10, 2026

MINOR

The bill was enacted into law with significant substantive changes to the composition and duties of the new Habitat Policy Oversight Committee. The number of voting members increased from nine to eleven, and the specific industries represented were altered to include mitigation banking and general industry sectors while removing higher education and aquaculture representatives. Additionally, the committee's duties were expanded to explicitly consider project benefits like flood prevention and resilience when reviewing mitigation strategies.

Scope change

The committee's scope was broadened to include a wider range of industry stakeholders and to explicitly evaluate project benefits such as flood prevention and resilience in its reviews.

ELIGIBILITY

The number of voting committee members increased from nine to eleven, and the specific membership categories were changed to include mitigation banking and general industry representatives while removing the aquaculture and higher education representatives.

REQUIREMENT

The committee's duties were expanded to explicitly require consideration of project benefits, such as flood prevention and resilience, when reviewing mitigation strategies for natural resources.

The term structure for initial appointments was updated to reflect the new eleven-member composition, with the first five members serving two-year terms and the remaining six serving four-year terms.

Habitat Policy Oversight Committee; established, membership, powers and duties, report.

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