Agriculture Subcommittee

Wednesday, February 4, 2026·2h 39m·▶ Watch / Listen

The Agriculture Subcommittee advanced a heavily contested hunting-with-dogs permit bill (HB 1396) after adopting multiple amendments, defeating a motion to kill it, and passing it 6-2; meanwhile, a Right-to-Farm solar bill (HB 1091) was carried over amid broad opposition, a dangerous dog bill (HB 1160) failed 3-7, and several bills passed without substantive debate.

Key Actions

·HB 1396 – Hunting with Dogs Permit SystemPassed

+ 4 more actions

Controversies

HB 1396 – Whether the permit bill creates new criminal penalties

Chuck Slimp argued the bill 'is not creating new crimes' and that 'any penalties would be purely administrative.' Kirby Burch (Virginia Hunting Dog Alliance) directly countered: 'Mr. Slimp, in your statement about this not being a criminal bill, everything in 29.1 is a class 3 misdemeanor unless it says otherwise in this specific code section.'

+ 4 more controversies

Notable Quotes

“I'll be brief. My name is Gary Kimmerland. I live in Allegheny County, Virginia. I am a hunter, landowner, and wildlife conservationist. I'm also the president of the Virginia Property Rights Alliance. I strongly urge you to support HB 1396, which addresses the urgent need for accountability in deer and bearhounding hunting with dogs. This bill is vital for Protecting Virginia landowners rights while upholding hunting traditions. HP 1396 provides a balanced solution and fosters trust,”
Colonel Chris Patton (public testimony in favor of HB 1396) — Patton cited these statistics to support the need for a permit system for hunting with dogs under HB 1396, arguing that DWR's enforcement resources are being overwhelmed by complaints.

+ 3 more quotes

Votes

Motion to pass HB 1396 by indefinitelyFailed

Final passage of HB 1396 with substitute as amendedPassed

Report HB 1160 (dangerous dog deferred adjudication)Failed

Report HB 1465 and refer to AppropriationsPassed

Report HB 1365 (free fishing days)Passed

Lay HB 1169 on the tablePassed

Strike HB 1435 from docketPassed

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TranscriptPreview

The committee will come to order. The committee will be at ease. Okay, I'm going to call us. Call us back to order. Delegate Rodney Willett, chairing our subcommittee today. We're going to go right to HB 1396 with Delegate Martinez and ask him to present. How are we doing? Attendance? Yeah. Did we do. We didn't do it. I apologize. We didn't do attendance earlier because we went out east. So let's do attendance first. I'm sorry. You keep walking, Martin. We'll get you on there. Thanks, Jeff. Okay, we've got a quorum. Thank you, Delegate Martinez. If you don't mind, I also like to thank the audience for participating in this process and I really appreciate you all being here. You may not think I know about house hound hunting, but I'm very familiar with that. I've been chased by ruddy moose, bears and all that. So I am familiar with the hunting aspect of all of this. So I want you to know that and that we as a group have been listening. And so what I'd like to do first is I'd like to move the substitute. We have a motion that's been properly seconded to…

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