The Voluntary Agricultural Districts program was established by the 1985 General Assembly. House Bill 1190, A Bill To Be Entitled An Act To Establish Policies To Preserve Prime Farmland, was introduced on May 17, 1985 by Representative Anne Barnes of Orange County and referred to the Committee on Agriculture. A committee substitute bill was passed on June 25, 1985. Two days later, the bill was sent to the House floor and was passed with two amendments on the second reading 96-13. The bill, as amended, passed its third reading 69-3 and was sent to the Senate on June 28, 1985.

In the short session in 1986, H.B. 1190 was withdrawn from the Senate Agriculture Committee and re-referred to the Senate Judiciary I Committee on July 10, 1986. Four days later, a Senate committee substitute bill was placed before the Senate for immediate consideration and passed its second reading 39-2. On July 15, 1986, an amendment was offered and adopted and the bill passed its third reading 37-1. The Senate committee substitute bill, as amended, was sent to the House of Representatives for concurrence.

The bill was placed on the House of Representatives calendar for immediate consideration. The House of Representatives concurred in the Senate committee substitute, as amended, by a vote of 75-17. An Act To Establish Policies To Preserve Farmland was ratified on July 16, 1986.

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