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Subcommittee approves substitute to create Virginia Fungi Task Force under DCR
Summary
The subcommittee voted 7–3 to report HB 14‑75 as substituted, moving the proposed Virginia Fungi Task Force into the Department of Conservation and Recreation and narrowing some task force goals after DCR feedback.
Delegate (speaker 13) presented HB 14‑75 and explained a substitute that places the Virginia Fungi Task Force under the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) rather than the Department of Wildlife Resources and narrows several task force goals based on DCR feedback.
Supporters including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and conservation groups said fungi play critical roles in forest health, water quality and carbon sequestration and that Virginia lacks a structure to monitor and manage fungal species. "Mushrooms sit at an integral part of each of these issues," Jay Ford of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation said.
The substitute was put before the committee and approved by roll call; the committee recommended reporting HB 14‑75 as substituted by a vote of 7 to 3.
The substitute refines agency placement and the scope of the task force’s duties; the bill will move forward with the subcommittee’s recommendation.
