---
type: "Bill"
title: "Beehive distribution program; changes process for granting of basic beehive units."
description: "Beehive distribution program. Changes the process for the granting of basic beehive units by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services from a first-come, first-served process to one based on random selection and limits applicants to three beehive units per household per year."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2020"
identifier: "HB 1237"
citation: "Virginia HB 1237 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Tony O. Wilt"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 32
vote_count: 10
first_action: "2020-01-08"
last_action: "2020-03-23"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/d84ea4d7-9919-404f-8afc-9a041ea50317"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+HB1237"
source_hash: "ba82838acc01aa08c070f8282cc39302011680aaa094b61ef484a5117ab3a024"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-va"]
---

# Virginia HB 1237 (2020) — Beehive distribution program; changes process for granting of basic beehive units.

Beehive distribution program. Changes the process for the granting of basic beehive units by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services from a first-come, first-served process to one based on random selection and limits applicants to three beehive units per household per year.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0407)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+CHAP0407)
2. **Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1237ER)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB1237ER)
3. **Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB1237H1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB1237H1)
4. **Impact statement from DPB (HB1237)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB1237)

## Votes

- VOTE: Block Vote Passage (99-Y 0-N) — **98–0** (pass) · lower
- Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources (14-Y 0-N) — **14–0** (pass) · upper
- Reconsideration of Senate passage agreed to by Senate (37-Y 0-N) — **37–0** (pass) · upper
- Reconsideration of passage agreed to by Senate (36-Y 0-N) — **36–0** (pass) · upper
- Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (7-Y 0-N) — **7–0** (pass) · lower
- Passed Senate (37-Y 0-N) — **37–0** (pass) · upper
- Passed Senate (37-Y 0-N) — **37–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources with substitute (21-Y 0-N) — **21–0** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Passed Senate (36-Y 0-N) — **36–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Tony O. Wilt — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2020-01-08** Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20102846D `introduction`
- **2020-01-08** Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-15** Assigned ACNR sub: Agriculture `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-29** House committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
- **2020-01-29** Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (7-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-04** Impact statement from DPB (HB1237)
- **2020-02-05** Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources with substitute (21-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-05** Committee substitute printed 20106186D-H1 `substitution`
- **2020-02-06** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2020-02-07** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2020-02-07** Committee substitute agreed to 20106186D-H1
- **2020-02-07** Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB1237H1
- **2020-02-10** Read third time and passed House BLOCK VOTE (99-Y 0-N) `passage, reading-3`
- **2020-02-10** Impact statement from DPB (HB1237H1)
- **2020-02-10** VOTE: Block Vote Passage (99-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-11** Constitutional reading dispensed
- **2020-02-11** Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2020-02-25** Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources (14-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2020-02-27** Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-28** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2020-02-28** Passed Senate (37-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2020-02-28** Reconsideration of Senate passage agreed to by Senate (37-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-28** Passed Senate (36-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2020-02-28** Reconsideration of passage agreed to by Senate (36-Y 0-N)
- **2020-02-28** Passed Senate (37-Y 0-N) `passage`
- **2020-03-05** Enrolled
- **2020-03-05** Impact statement from DPB (HB1237ER)
- **2020-03-06** Signed by Speaker
- **2020-03-06** Signed by President
- **2020-03-12** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 12, 2020
- **2020-03-12** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 11, 2020
- **2020-03-23** Approved by Governor-Chapter 407 (effective 7/1/20) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/d84ea4d7-9919-404f-8afc-9a041ea50317`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).