Hello Delegates, I am writing in opposition of HB1396. This bill had been brought fourth by landowners groups that falsely claim to represent and maximize property owners rights when in fact they are property owners that want to end the tradition of hound hunting. This is proven by these groups comments on their own social media pages. These groups have made claim that only 8 states allow the use of hounds to hunt, a stat quoted by delegates in the subcommittee, that is simply a false statement, currently only 9 states allow hounds to be used to hunt deer but nearly every state allows the utilization of dogs to hunt other game species many not requiring an special license to do so. I ask the delegates to understand that the vast majority of the members of the hound hunting organizations are land owners as well in addition to all of the landowners who lease or allow hound hunting on their land support the tradition of hound hunting. This bill creates a permit allowing the DWR create and issue permits on a may issue criteria with visual permit requirements for hounds and vehicles. If Additional funding is needed to police game laws the bill should be amended to a license just like an archery or muzzleloading license that is a shall issue. Additionally the cost for said license should be reduced and required for all that utilize or partcipate in any type of hunting that utilizes a dog. Dogs are already required to have owner contact info on their collar and their vehicles have state issued license plates therefore marking is not necessary. Lastly the only ones who should be exempt from license purchase are those that utilize dogs to hunt on their own land. This simplifies the requirements and makes it fair for all parties. Basically if big game is harvested and checked in and the use of dogs is checked as a part of big game license registering process they should be required to have a dog hunting license or be exempt as a land owner. I hope that you find this as a reasonable comprise. Additionally there needs to be some sort of recourse for false complaints or accusations. If this bill continues as is it will create more tensions between those who utilize dogs to hunt and those who don't like the use of hunting dogs. False complaints will continue to increase cause additional hunter harassment and tension between hunters and those that oppose it. Thank you for your time. V/R, B. C. Bunch

Chair and Members of the Committee, On behalf of Lynnhaven River NOW, a Virginia Beach-based nonprofit dedicated to protecting clean water and healthy coastal ecosystems, I write in strong support of HB1356 to establish climate-adjusted precipitation design standards for public infrastructure. As the climate warms, heavy downpours are becoming more common – and in many places more severe. The Fifth National Climate Assessment reports an upward trend in heavy precipitation across the contiguous U.S. since the 1950s, with the largest increases in extreme-rainfall days in the Northeast and Midwest and broader evidence of increasing frequency and intensity particularly east of the Rocky Mountains / across the eastern U.S., with clear implications for flood risk and infrastructure planning. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change similarly finds that extreme precipitation intensifies with warming, consistent with fundamental physical processes that increase atmospheric moisture. Despite these trends, engineering standards often rely on precipitation frequency estimates that are derived from historical observations. In Virginia, stormwater regulations explicitly reference site-specific precipitation frequency data recommended by NOAA Atlas 14. Atlas 14 remains the current national standard, but it does not provide future climate-adjusted estimates of precipitation frequency. NOAA Atlas 15 – intended to incorporate nonstationary methods and climate-model information to account for future trends – is under development, with preliminary peer review and publication milestones described by NOAA. Virginia should not delay strengthening design practices while federal updates proceed. HB1356 provides a prudent, science-based pathway. It designates the State Water Control Board as the lead agency to establish and maintain precipitation design standards that incorporate the most recent NOAA precipitation frequency atlas estimates and account for observed and projected changes, with at least annual review for adequacy. Importantly, the bill also directs interim guidance: until Atlas 15 is published and adopted, precipitation values derived from Atlas 14 must be increased by at least 20% for design purposes –helping ensure near-term projects reflect changing conditions and reduce long-term risk. Virginia Beach’s experience underscores feasibility and urgency. The City’s stormwater planning and design approach has incorporated an Atlas 14 + 20% rainfall adjustment as part of resilience-focused standards, demonstrating a workable model for reducing flood damage and protecting water quality. Finally, HB1356 aligns with work products posted by the General Assembly’s Joint Subcommittee on Recurrent Flooding, which has circulated draft rainfall design standards language incorporating climate-adjusted precipitation and an interim Atlas 14 + 20% approach. For these reasons, Lynnhaven River NOW respectfully urges you to report HB1356 with a recommendation to pass. Sincerely, Lynnhaven River NOW

Each year, DWR is spending over $1.25 million dollars responding to hunting dog related complaints with almost no enforcement tools available to address the presence of dogs on properties where they are not wanted. DWR currently lacks the legal authority, financial means, and personnel to adequately address this ongoing conflict. The proposed permit system outlined in HB1396 is purposely designed to respect the subject matter expertise of the DWR staff and its regulatory authority to create a framework allowing the department the ability to address the conflict at the agency level rather than returning to the General Assembly. HB1396 does not impact a single lawful hunter, it simply targets the bad actors. I believe that this permit system will resolve the issues created by the presence of hunting dogs where they are not desired. HB1396 balances the interests of landowners and the hunting community by allowing the tradition of dog hunting to continue while ensuring locations, such as my pastures, aren’t inundated by hunting dogs that have no business being there. I strongly urge you to support for HB 1396 and vote yes. Thank you.

Please support HB1356. Rainfall has changed in the last decade or so and we need to use the latest data.

I am asking you to vote NO on HB1396!! We do not need more restrictions on hound hunting! We already have regulations that have been set forth through the years. Adding more permits to our licenses will only make it more bureaucratic and add to the expense of hunting with hounds! It seems you are determined to remove another part of our heritage in Virginia and I see NO NEED TO FURTHER RESTRICT our right to lawfully run /hunt our hounds. I respectfully ask YOU to VOTE NO on this proposal!!

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I strongly oppose the bill Hb1369

Invasives should be pulled or killed by herbicide and not be permitted to be sold in nurseries