2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 23
Directing the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the need for and feasibility of creating a Secretariat of Rural Affairs in the Commonwealth. Report.
Agreed to by the Senate, February 11, 2026
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 11, 2026
WHEREAS, rural Virginians, on average, experience lower quality of life as measured in educational, economic, and health outcomes and lower life expectancy in comparison to other populations in the Commonwealth, with Black Virginians in rural areas experiencing the greatest of these disparities; and
WHEREAS, in rural areas of Virginia, larger percentages of individuals face lower levels of educational attainment than in urban areas, with fewer individuals attaining a high school diploma or bachelor's degree; in addition, such areas, having lower tax bases than wealthier areas, lack the financial means to attract and retain quality educators; and
WHEREAS, the rate of deaths outpaces the rate of births in rural Virginia, resulting in declines in rural population sizes; rural Virginians demonstrate comparatively worse health outcomes than individuals in urban areas, as larger percentages of rural residents lack health insurance and experience hospitalizations that might be avoided with improved health care; and
WHEREAS, health infrastructure is inadequate in rural Virginia, due in large part to chronic health care worker shortages and the fact that approximately 33 percent of rural hospitals are at risk of closing; and
WHEREAS, metropolitan areas alone account for Virginia's job growth over the last two decades; rural economies experience weaker economic growth than their urban counterparts as they suffer from climbing unemployment, declining wages, and the loss of industries such as coal mining, tobacco, and textiles; and