Bill > HB1297

This bill proposes to amend the Code of Virginia to create the "Virginia's Great Outdoors Act" and establish a distribution of up to $200 million in recordation tax revenues, beginning on July 1, 2026, for various land protection and preservation purposes. The key provisions include: 1. Establishing a policy to ensure the ongoing protection and preservation of lands of ecological, cultural, or historical importance, lands for recreational purposes, and working farm and forest lands. 2. Authorizing the distribution of up to $200 million in recordation tax revenues annually for various purposes, including the Virginia Land Conservation Fund, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, the Virginia Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Historic Preservation Fund, the Virginia Battlefield Preservation Fund, the Virginia Farmland Preservation Fund, the State Park Conservation Resources Fund, and the Department of Conservation and Recreation for trail development and the Virginia Department of Transportation for regional multi-use trails.