States / Virginia / HB 256

HB 256 Enacted

Comprehensive plan; environmental justice strategy.

Introduced
In Committee
Floor
Crossed Over
Passed
Enacted

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 SB 425.

Chamber
House
Introduced
Jan 9, 2026
Last action
Apr 13, 2026 — Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0581)
Session
2026
Momentum
100 · Very high