State Del. John Chilton McAuliff’s newly introduced bill would authorize the creation of a state park designed to enhance opportunities for outdoor recreation and education, according to the Virginia State House.
The legislation, HB500, was introduced Jan. 14, 2026, as part of the 2026 regular session. The formal title describes it as: “New state park; Dept. of Conservation & Recreation to acquire prop. to establish in Loudoun County.”
Here is a summary based on the actual bill language, including interpretive details for clarity.
The bill gives the Department of Conservation and Recreation, with the consent of the governor and form approved by the attorney general, the authority to obtain up to 1,240 acres of Oak Hill Farm in Loudoun County from the Conservation Fund, situated between Little River Turnpike, James Monroe Highway, and Tail Race Road. It also charges the department with developing and operating a state park at the site, offering outdoor recreation, historic programming, and agricultural education activities.
Primary sponsors include Rep. John Chilton McAuliff (Democrat-30th District), Rep. Alfonso H. Lopez (Democrat-3rd District), Rep. David A. Reid (Democrat-28th District), and six additional sponsors.
Since the session started, Mcauliff has introduced eight other pieces of legislation.
McAuliff received his degree from the University of Richmond in 2014.
A Democrat, McAuliff was elected in 2026 to the Virginia State House as the 30th District representative, succeeding Geary Higgins.
In Virginia, the legislative process begins when a bill is submitted in either chamber. After assignment to relevant committees for review and potential modification, it goes to the chamber floor for debate and voting. Bills approved by both chambers move to the governor, who can sign, veto, or let them become law without action. The General Assembly officially starts regular session on the second Monday in January, considering hundreds of bills each year, though not all measures are enacted as law.
| Patron(s) | Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Chilton McAuliff, Alfonso H. Lopez, David A. Reid, JJ Singh, Russet Perry, Atoosa R. Reaser, Gretchen M Bulova, Kannan Srinivasan, and Marty Martinez | HB500 | 01/14/2026 | New state park; Dept. of Conservation & Recreation to acquire prop. to establish in Loudoun County. |
| John Chilton McAuliff, Gretchen M Bulova, and JJ Singh | HB503 | 01/14/2026 | Electric utilities; cost recovery, costs substantially related to serving data center customers. |
| John Chilton McAuliff | HB504 | 01/14/2026 | Income tax, state; tax credit for certain small businesses. |
| John Chilton McAuliff | HB505 | 01/14/2026 | Counties, cities, & towns; members of governing body, continuing personal interest in transactions. |
| John Chilton McAuliff, JJ Singh, Joshua E. Thomas, and Shelly A. Simonds | HB507 | 01/14/2026 | Data centers; permit requirements, emission limits for certain engine-generator sets. |
| John Chilton McAuliff, Amy J. Laufer, Irene Shin, Richard C. “Rip” Sullivan, Jr., Betsy B. Carr, Briana D. Sewell, Dan I. Helmer, Destiny LeVere Bolling, Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker, JJ Singh, Karen Keys-Gamarra, Kathy K.L. Tran, Katrina Callsen, Nicole Cole, Rae Cousins, and Wren M. Williams | HB508 | 01/14/2026 | Small renewable energy projects; agrivoltaics definition. |
| John Chilton McAuliff | HB509 | 01/14/2026 | Zoning; agricultural operations, rental of accessory dwellings. |
| John Chilton McAuliff | HB510 | 01/14/2026 | Uniform Power of Attorney Act; agent’s duty of disclosure, execution of initial power of attorney. |
| John Chilton McAuliff, Jackie H. Glass, Karen R. “Kacey” Carnegie, and Virgil Thornton | HB693 | 01/14/2026 | Workforce development programs; apprenticeship program. |
