HB 886

            
2020 SESSION

20104081D

HOUSE BILL NO. 886


Offered January 8, 2020


Prefiled January 7, 2020

A BILL to amend and reenact � 10.1-204.1 of the Code of 
 Virginia and to repeal the second enactment clause of 
 Chapter 461 of the Acts of Assembly of 2015, relating to the State 
 Trails Advisory Committee; sunset.
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Patron-- Plum

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Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources

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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
 
 
1. That � 10.1-204.1 of the Code 
 of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
 
 
� 10.1-204.1. (Expires January 1, 2021) State Trails Advisory 
 Committee established; report.
 
 
A. The State Trails Advisory Committee (the Committee) is 
 hereby established as an advisory committee of the Department of Conservation 
 and Recreation to assist the Commonwealth in developing and implementing a 
 statewide system of attractive, sustainable, connected, and enduring trails for 
 the perpetual use and enjoyment of the citizens of the Commonwealth and future 
 generations. The Committee shall be appointed by the Director of the Department 
 of Conservation and Recreation and shall be composed of a representative from 
 the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, the Virginia Department of 
 Transportation, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, the U.S. Forest Service, and 
 the U.S. National Park Service; the Virginia Director of the Chesapeake Bay 
 Commission; and nonlegislative citizen members, including representatives from 
 the Virginia Outdoors Plan Technical Advisory Committee and the Recreational 
 Trails Advisory Committee and other individuals with technical expertise in trail 
 creation, construction, maintenance, use, and management. The Committee shall 
 meet at least twice each calendar year.
 
 
B. The Advisory Committee shall examine and provide 
 recommendations regarding (i) options to close the gaps in a statewide system 
 of trails as described in � 10.1-204; (ii) creative public and private funding 
 strategies and partnerships to leverage resources to fund the development of 
 trails; (iii) integrated approaches to promote and market trail values and 
 benefits; (iv) the development of specialty trails, including concepts related 
 to old-growth forest trails across the Commonwealth; (v) strategies to 
 encourage and create linkages between communities and open space; (vi) 
 strategies to foster communication and networking among trail stakeholders; 
 (vii) strategies to increase tourism and commercial activities associated with 
 a statewide trail system; (viii) strategies to enhance the involvement of 
 organizations that promote outdoor youth activities, including the Boy Scouts 
 of the U.S.A. and Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. and the 4-H program of the Virginia 
 Cooperative Extension; and (ix) other practices, standards, statutes, and 
 guidelines that the Director of the Department of Conservation and Recreation 
 determines may enhance the effectiveness of trail planning across the 
 Commonwealth, including methods for receiving input regarding potential trail 
 impacts upon owners of underlying or neighboring properties.
 
 
C. No later than October 1 of each year, the Director shall 
 provide a status report on the work of the Committee to the Chairman of the 
 House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources; the Chairman 
 of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources; and 
 the Chairman and members of the Virginia delegation to the Chesapeake Bay 
 Commission. The report shall include, 
 (i) current and future plans for a statewide system of attractive, sustainable, 
 connected, and enduring trails across the Commonwealth and (ii) any 
 recommendations from the Committee that will be incorporated into the Virginia 
 Outdoors Plan, which plan shall serve as the repository for recommendations 
 from the Committee. The Virginia Outdoors Plan updates shall be used to capture 
 and advance the concepts developed by the Committee.
 
 
D. Members of the Committee shall receive no compensation for 
 their service and shall not be entitled to reimbursement for expenses incurred 
 in the performance of their duties.
 
 
E. For the purposes of this section, "old-growth 
 forest" means a forest ecosystem distinguished by trees older than 150 
 years and tree-related structures that naturally contribute to biodiversity of 
 the forested ecosystems and provide habitat to native Virginia wildlife 
 species, including wildlife species that have been approved for introduction by 
 the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
 
 
F. The provisions of this section shall expire on January 1, 2021 2027.
 
 
2. That the second enactment of Chapter 
 461 of the Acts of Assembly of 2015 is repealed.