Virginia HB 866: Food insecurity/hunger; Department of Social Services, et al., to develop statewide survey, report.

Bill Text

2026 SESSION

INTRODUCED

26104691D

HOUSE BILL NO. 866

Offered January 14, 2026

Prefiled January 13, 2026

A BILL to direct the Department of Social Services, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Department of Health, and the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services to convene a work group to develop a survey on food insecurity and hunger; report.

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Patron—Cousins

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Referred to Committee on Rules

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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. § 1. That the Department of Social Services, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Department of Health, the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, and any other relevant state agencies shall convene a stakeholder work group to develop a statewide survey on food insecurity and hunger. In designing the survey, the work group shall coordinate, where possible, with statewide and national anti-hunger groups to consider appropriate survey questions to replace data lost from the discontinuation of the United States Department of Agriculture Household Food Security Report. Additionally, the work group shall prioritize efforts to align survey questions with states of similar population and diversity to the Commonwealth in order to establish comparative benchmarks. The work group shall report its findings to the Governor and the General Assembly by December 1, 2026.