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HB388/SB89 Invasive Plants Service District Bills

Enable local funding for invasive plant control by expanding the powers of service districts to include invasive plants

SB89 passed in the Senate on 1/26/26 with 38 yeas and 2 not voting

HB388 passed the House of Delegates on 2/5/26 with 90 yeas and 8 nos

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CONTACTED THEIR LEGISLATORS

Now we wait for crossover on Feb 18 where the final bill will be drafted and then Governor Spanberger’s approval

See one-pager for more information on the bill

Managing Invasive Plants at the Local Level

Support local governments in funding invasive plant control

Despite serving as the front line on invasive species management, Virginia’s cities and counties have limited options to fund invasive plant control.

Invasive species are expensive. Estimated economic losses due to invasive species in Virginia may be as high as $1 billion annually.¹Local governments foot the bill for downed trees, degraded stream channels, wildfires, roadside maintenance, and removing invasive plants from parks, playgrounds, and schools.

● Invasive plants harm infrastructure. Examples include clogging of important waterways, increasing stormwater runoff and erosion, infiltrating sewer lines, and causing expensive maintenance and repairs for various structures, from power lines to buildings.

● Invasive plants destroy local tree canopy. Every day, invasive plants overtake another 4,600 acres²in the United States, damaging and even tearing down our forest canopy trees and leaving a tangled mess that can prevent birds from nesting, pollinators from nectaring, and wildlife from accessing water and food.

A SIMPLE SOLUTION: EXPAND POWERS OF SERVICE DISTRICTS Local governments should be provided with the tools to raise necessary funds to manage and control invasive plants that affect their communities. ● The Code of Virginia (§15.2-2400) allows for Public Service Districts that provide localities with the authority to “provide additional, more complete or more timely services of government.”

● Currently, the powers of public service districts include managing water, sewerage, garbage removal, beautification and landscaping, and control of infestations of insects and other pests, among many listed services.

● A simple change to add control of invasive plants to the listed powers of service districts (§15.2-2403) would allow localities more flexibility to effectively manage invasive plants by enabling collaboration among neighboring jurisdictions, and establishing dedicated local funding sources.

Characteristics of Public Service Districts: Local adoption, regional coordination: Service districts may be adopted by any locality by ordinance. Adjacent cities and counties may pool resources to establish joint public service districts to address issues impacting resources shared by multiple jurisdictions.

Allow localities to raise or accept funds for a specific need: If approved by residents of a service district, dedicated revenue can be raised from an annual tax on any property or classes of real property. Service districts are empowered to collect and direct federal, state, local and private resources dedicated to address specific needs for which the service district was established.

¹Pimentel, D., L. Lach, R. Zuniga, and D. Morrison. 2005. Update on the environmental and economic costs associated with alien invasive species in the United States. Ecological Economics 52:273–288. ²Federal Interagency Committee for Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds (eds). “Pulling Together: A National Strategy for Management of Invasive Plants.” 2nd edition. 1998. U.S. Government Printing Office. 22 pages.

CONTACT Christopher Leyen | Leyen@southcliffstrategies.com | 925.354.1433

For information about two other important invasive plant bills, go to
virginiainvasives.org/policy

Please support House Bill 388. Invasive vines kill mature native trees, often resulting in damaged infrastructure. Invasive plants do not provide food and adequate habitat for our pollinators. Local jurisdictions do not have enough funds to effectively tackle the invasive plants crisis. HB388 creates the possibility of a dedicated revenue source for managing invasive plants in our community.
Vote yes on House Bill 388

➢ Be Polite and Respectful: Even if you feel strongly about the issue, maintain a professional and courteous tone throughout the call.

➢ Follow Up: If you don’t get to speak with your legislator directly, leave a message with the staff member and consider sending a follow-up email or letter with your contact information and in-district address.

Script 1: Short and Sweet

“Hello, my name is [Your Name], and I’m a constituent from [Your City/Town]. I’m calling today to encourage [Delegate Name] to support legislation that enables control and removal of invasive plants. In particular, I am asking for support on HB388

Currently, localities can establish Public Service Districts to manage water, sewerage, garbage removal, beautification and landscaping, and even control infestations of insects and other pests. A simple change to add control of invasive plants to the listed powers of public service districts would allow localities the flexibility they need to effectively manage invasive plants by establishing dedicated local funding sources.”

Please support HB388

Thank you!