VA HB 407
Status unknownLight pollution education and dark sky preservation; DEQ shall serve as lead agency.
Virginia · 2026 Regular Session · lower
Quick answers
Did VA HB 407 pass?
The current status of VA HB 407 is not known from the official record. Latest recorded action (2026-02-18): Left in Committee Agriculture Chesapeake and Natural Resources
What is VA HB 407 about?
Light pollution education and dark sky preservation. Provides that the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) shall serve as the lead agency for public education and outreach related to light pollution. The bill requires DEQ, in coordination with the Department of Energy, the Department of Wildlife Resources, and the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), to develop and implement an education and outreach program to (i) inform the public about the impacts of light pollution on public health, safety, wildlife, and the environment; (ii) promote best practices for outdoor lighting, including energy-efficient and properly shielded outdoor lighting fixtures; and (iii) encourage voluntary adoption of lighting practices that reduce light pollution and energy waste. The bill further provides that DCR may designate qualifying areas within the Commonwealth as Dark Sky Preserves, as defined in the bill, and that a Dark Sky Preserve designation shall be voluntary and advisory and shall not create additional land use or lighting restrictions beyond those established by local ordinance. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027.
Who sponsors VA HB 407?
David A. Reid is the primary sponsor of VA HB 407.
Description
Light pollution education and dark sky preservation. Provides that the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) shall serve as the lead agency for public education and outreach related to light pollution. The bill requires DEQ, in coordination with the Department of Energy, the Department of Wildlife Resources, and the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), to develop and implement an education and outreach program to (i) inform the public about the impacts of light pollution on public health, safety, wildlife, and the environment; (ii) promote best practices for outdoor lighting, including energy-efficient and properly shielded outdoor lighting fixtures; and (iii) encourage voluntary adoption of lighting practices that reduce light pollution and energy waste. The bill further provides that DCR may designate qualifying areas within the Commonwealth as Dark Sky Preserves, as defined in the bill, and that a Dark Sky Preserve designation shall be voluntary and advisory and shall not create additional land use or lighting restrictions beyond those established by local ordinance. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027.
- Introduced
- 2026-01-12
- Latest action
- 2026-02-18 — Left in Committee Agriculture Chesapeake and Natural Resources
- Bill type
- bill
- Last updated
- —
Sponsors
- David A. Reidprimary
Committees
Not provided by source.
Action timeline
2026-01-12
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26104728D
filing,introduction
2026-01-12
Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources
referral-committee
2026-01-19
Assigned HACNR sub: Natural Resources
referral-committee
2026-01-28
House subcommittee offered
2026-01-28
Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (8-Y 2-N)
2026-02-18
Left in Committee Agriculture Chesapeake and Natural Resources
Versions
Documents
Votes
Subcommittee recommends laying on the table
2026-01-28 · pass · 8-2
Member-level votes (10)
- Kathy K.L. Tran: yes
- Charniele L. Herring: yes
- Jackie H. Glass: yes
- Nadarius E. Clark: no
- Phil M. Hernandez: yes
- John Chilton McAuliff: yes
- Lily V. Franklin: yes
- R. Lee Ware: no
- Thomas C. Wright, Jr.: yes
- Hillary Pugh Kent: yes
Related bills
No related bills recorded for this bill.
Official source
Attribution
Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T05:35:59.552682Z
Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:
Use this data
Every field on this page is available from the free public API — no key or licence required. Fetch this bill as JSON: GET /api/v1/bills?jurisdiction=VA&identifier=HB 407. See the API docs or the MCP server for AI assistants.
Known limitations
- Sponsor party and chamber affiliation are not yet captured by this API.
- Committee referrals are not yet captured.
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