This bill seems to single out heritage organizations that the author don’t like. A Confederate heritage organization is not equivalent to the defeated army itself. It is not rebelling against the Union or proposing to overhaul anything in Virginia by force or even mere words. These "clubs" are for local (and often elderly) history buffs with a penchant for genealogy and cultural memories. Importantly, they care for the graves of the dearly departed. When we honor the dead, we honor all dead indiscriminately. This bill is not forthcoming, in that it really proposes to evict the meek ladies that gather in a beautiful building on Arthur Ashe Boulevard, which they cannot afford to pay real estate taxes on. Not only have they suffered much vitriol and outright mob attack on those venerable halls, the property tax skyrocketed around them because the Sons of Confederate Veterans were nice enough to donate the land to the VMFA for the neighborhood’s general improvement. A tax exemption sounds like a nice gesture. However, this club generates no real money from outside. Real Estate tax is justifiable for homeowners whose families benefit from city services (schools, roads, etc.) but the members concerned here are most likely already paying real estate taxes on their individual homes. The bill should be opposed.

Honorable Delegate, I respectfully object to HB 167 currently before the House Finance Committee. I realize I live in a different state, however my family is from VA, some fought and died for the state. It is our heritage, not hate! Thank you

Honorable Members, I'm writing in opposition to HB167. I see it as yet another attempt to rewrite history according to a particular viewpoint. The organizations affected do not promote divisiveness and simply attempt to present the history of our State as seen through the eyes of the people who actually lived it, good or bad. Those who choose to change or ignore the lessons of history are truly doomed to repeat it.

Honorable Delegates, I respectfully object to HB 167 currently before the House Finance Committee. This bill is an act of aggression and will cause greater division among Virginians than any perceived benefit to the Commonwealth.

I implore you to oppose HB 167. It singles out a specific demographic based solely on its history, heritage, and culture. Therefore, HB 167 is a blatant violation of the provisions of equal protection under the law provided by the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

I'm writing to oppose HB167. This bill singles out certain Confederate organizations because they look at the war period from the Southern point of view. The times were different in the 1860s and at that time it was honorable for men to be "Virginia First". I know many members of these organizations. They are good people, not political activists, and harbor no hate. They deserve to keep their tax exemption.

As a member of the Virginia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans who has engaged in considerable volunteer work over the past couple of years for the organization, I question the intention and purpose behind HB167. To what end does it serve to tax an organization who's main task for the past one hundred years has been to honor and memorialize the men lost in a terrible civil war? I ask this question because our main task - as an organization - has been the preservation and remembrance of individual soldiers. The main project of the Virginia SCV has been the restoration of Oakwood Cemetery's Confederate Section in Richmond, Virginia. This includes the maintenance of the grounds and the installation of headstones upon the grounds. Across its boundaries, over 16,000 Confederate dead are buried in this section; men from every Southern State. My role in this has been to help with the installation of these headstones and to recant the story of these men; why and how they ended up here - in Virginia - and why they lie in Oakwood today. These men were from every walk of life in the south; from the sons of wealthy plantation owners to humble, yeoman farmers conscripted to fight in that war. All of these men buried in Oakwood never made it home; they came to find their eternal rest there. Gone, but not forgotten. The SCV took it upon themselves to maintain the grounds of that section and to encourage families and relatives to fund the installation of headstones for their ancestors buried there. This - by all measures - is a good and noble task that the Virginia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans has taken upon themselves to fulfill. By removing the tax exemption status for the SCV, it inadvertently harms the memorialization of these men. It would be wrong for such a bill to be passed into law because it impedes a noble and honorable deed conducted by an organization who has taken this burden upon themselves.

I respectfully write to express my opposition to pending House legislation HB 167, which targets individual organizations based on prejudices and seeks nothing more than to penalize heritage organizations, of which any person, regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation, are welcome to join, and of whose sole purpose is to honor and protect the shared heritage of all Virginians. Such bills as HB 167 set forth a dangerous precedence which would allow law makers to discriminate against any citizens of their choosing, rather than seeking the common good for all citizens and protecting our individual rights. I make this statement solely on behalf of myself. This is not a partisan issue, but a matter of historical preservation, fairness, and civic duty. I respectfully ask that you oppose HB 167.

Honorable Delegate, I respectfully write to express my opposition to pending House legislation including HB 167, HB 1344, HB 1377, and HB 1374, which remove monuments, penalize heritage organizations, or defund or alter historic institutions such as the Virginia Military Institute. I make this statement solely on behalf of myself and my family. This is not a partisan issue, but a matter of historical preservation, fairness, and civic duty. I respectfully ask that you oppose these bills.

I respectfully write to express my opposition to pending House legislation including HB 167, HB 1344, HB 1377, and HB 1374, which remove monuments, penalize heritage organizations, or defund or alter historic institutions such as the Virginia Military Institute. I make this statement solely on behalf of myself and my family. This is not a partisan issue, but a matter of historical preservation, fairness, and civic duty. I respectfully ask that you oppose these bills and carefully consider the concerns of Virginians who believe our shared heritage deserves thoughtful and respectful treatment.

Please vote NO on this bill which strips the tax exempt status for UDC and Sons of Confederate Veterans. These organizations provide valuable community service resulting in thousands of volunteer hours as well as monetary support. These volunteer services include helping at food banks; supporting veteran organizations, both financially and in person; contributing to the flooding disaster last year in western North Carolina by sending significant contributions to Mercy Chefs to provide hot meals to our affected North Carolina neighbors to name just a few. These acts rarely, if ever, make it into the newspapers to let people know the good that is done by these organizations. Most newspapers refuse to print submitted articles. By stripping the tax exempt status of these organizations and losing their financial impact, our commonwealth will be the loser. Thank you.

This Bill violates agreements made by the state to obtain property from the United Confederate Veterans in the 1950s. The state should be forced to keep its agreements. If passed, litigation paid for by the taxpayers will surely commence. I for one will assist in financing the legal cost to the United Daughters of the Confederacy. This is a historical organization of ladies that has existed since 1896. It preserves graves and monuments, nothing more. I must admit that if they are forced to leave Richmond, I do not know why they would be too sad, they are too honorable and forthright to want to stay in such a city.