Virginia has some of the worst campaign finance laws in the country, which has allowed utility monopolies like Dominion Energy and other corporate polluters to exploit our political system and drown out the voices of everyday Virginians. We are not silent and we do pay attention. It is time to pay attention to those whom elected you to serve us, each other and our state.

It’s time for common sense campaign finance legislation to be introduced into the General Assembly. Thirty years ago reform was recommended by a Governor Wilder Commission which said that “integrity in government must be nurtured and never taken for granted”. Best practices exist across the country and Virginia has no excuse for not moving to get big money out of politics. No more excuses, please.

I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopt a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating, for example Dominion Energy. Thank you for taking this comment, and for the work you are doing on this important issue.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform. Your actions and inactions regarding this and all related concerns have been, are being and will be remembered by all of us who will live in the world that you are shaping with your decisions right now, in addition to being a matter of public record. We are all on it together.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform

I don't understand the equating of speech and money. If I could pay for things with speech, my life would have been different. It would be wonderful to see a system similar to the British one, where candidates have (at least roughly) the same amount to spend on a given campaign. But if there's no political taste for that (note that I don't say "if that's not possible"), it at least needs to be mandatory that all campaign contributions, from whatever source (including from the candidate's own funds), be publicly disclosed. There should be no exception for PACs or other organizations. There is no excuse for the continued purchase of the Government by "dark money".

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to please recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a very serious and direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of all Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy consistently overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a permanent ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, that I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these twp very highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

No comments right now.

Money does not belong in politics ,and bribes pervert the cause of just laws and policies.

Clean up Va !

I urge the Subcommittee to actually investigate and find ways to pass laws that will reform the campaign laws that allow corporate donors and others to control and influence legislators to work for their particular goals rather then the good of the communities they represent.

Please consider action to prohibit campaign contributions from utility and other monopolies as well as legislation to restrict personal use of campaign contributions. These actions are a conflict of interest and an opportunity for undue influence in our legislative process. Both moves would help restore confidence in government which is so needed at this time. Thank you!

Dark money in politics prevents our government from being responsive to voters like me. As a young person and a student at the College of William and Mary, I have seen how political corruption leads to policy outcomes that benefit the few, not the many. Wealthy interests donate to political campaigns, and politicians then lower taxes and cut social services and funding for education. The pharmaceutical industry and the health insurance lobby donate to politicians who then fail to pass universal health care, leaving poor and working class Americans without access to vital healthcare and medication. The fossil fuel industry has lobbied politicians for years, playing down the threat of climate change, and we are already seeing the effects of failing to address the climate crisis early. The climate crisis, healthcare, and education are all important issues for voters, yet our politicians fail to do enough about them. Therefore, it’s time for the General Assembly to listen to Virginia citizens and pass some common sense campaign finance legislation. Let’s improve our systems for disclosure and monitoring and enforcement as well as introducing caps on campaign contributions like those which are enforced in 45 other states. Policies like these will take power out of the hands of wealthy interests and put it back into the hands of the people.

Campaign Finance Reform is a must! Campaigns must be financed by the indivisible voters and the amount must be linited not financed by big donors or big corporations or PACS or the like with no limit on the amount donated. Voting must be independent of outside interests. One of the ways to get "fair elections" is to limit the power (money) of interests other than the individual voter. I would be in favor of shortening the election period and having publicly financed elections

Campaign finance reform is critical to a healthy Democracy in Virginia and nationwide. Sadly big money influences elections often beyond the democratic process. Given that Virginia has non-stop elections year after year after year, it's no wonder that there's campaign contribution fatigue among voters, whether for candidates or issues. On a personal level, I have to keep reviewing how much we've given to whom every time we receive a solicitation to donate. We go to fundraisers occasionally at a $100 and give $25 - $50 directly to candidates. This is frustrating because we know that candidates need substantial funding to run a campaign, run ads, reach out to people. I hear the stories about how people won with lots of small donations only but I also know that entities with big money can swing an election. And yes, that includes greedy Dominion Energy, criticized by Dems and Repubs alike https://www.propublica.org/article/dominion-virginia-legislation. Elections shouldn't be won by how much money a candidate takes in, which also takes time away from campaigning about issues, talking to voters about solutions and their positions.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by addressing the serious issue of campaign finance. I urge the subcommittee to recommend legislation banning political campaign contributions from all publicly-regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices these same legislators are tasked with regulating. Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually, and these contributions stand in direct opposition to the public’s interest. Campaign contributions from publicly-regulated utility monopolies is especially troubling given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds. I hope you will stand with Virginians in support of both of these highly overdue campaign finance reforms. Thank you in advance for your commitment to the public, supporting these common sense reforms. Best, Laura Breeden

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, First of all, thank you for focusing on the crucial issue of campaign finance reform, without which many other important legislative initiatives may essentially be impossible. In particular, I urge you to recommend that the General Assembly adopt two especially important reforms: • a prohibition on directly or indirectly receiving political campaign contributions from any publicly regulated monopolies such as Dominion Energy (along with any of their subsidiaries or holding companies, and including executives, employees and board members); and • a prohibition on the personal use of campaign funds. It is a clear conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose rates they directly or indirectly oversee – and allowing the personal use of campaign contributions creates not only the appearance of impropriety, but also a strong incentive for actual corruption. I might add that the General Assembly is often viewed, fairly or unfairly, as being a "captive legislature" unable to adopt any legislation that is not acceptable to Dominion. Adopting these needed reforms would help ensure the independence of the General Assembly, not only improving its reputation, but also leading to more trust in government in general. For all of these reasons, I hope you will recommend strong action to ensure that Virginia politics are clean and transparent, and that the interests of the electorate come before those of any special interest. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform. With best regards, John Clewett

Think of the people and not your own prurient self interests. Please reform our campaign financing laws to end the unfair influence of corporate dollars drowning out the voice of real people.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Campaign finance reforms are long overdue in Virginia. It's time to ban political campaign contributions from publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly , such as Dominion Energy. It's time to ban the personal use of campaign funds. (The ability to use campaign funds for personal use sounds like a bait and switch to me.) This Subcommittee can rebuild Virginians trust in government. Please do it. A concerned Virginian, Jessica Tava

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

To get corruption out of politics take 4 steps: no gerrymandering; only allowed to run after getting 5% of eligible voters to sign support; no private money (100% public funding); must get 50%+1 of the vote.

Ever since Dominion purchased the VEPCO electric power monopoly in the 1990s, it has used those monopoly profits to fund everything else it does, notably its forays into Virginia’s “competitive” natural gas market. For a generation, from the time that it acquired VEPCO, until 2019, Dominion had formulated Virginia’s energy policy, and the legislature and local governments fell dutifully in line. Laws that set the State’s energy policy have routinely been drafted by Dominion’s lobbyists or by Tom Farrell—its long-time CEO. In the 1990s, when de-regulating state energy markets was in vogue, Dominion told the legislature that it wanted to join that trend. Over the ensuing decade, Dominion saw it profits fall. Having seen enough, Dominion notified the legislature that it wanted to be re-regulated, and the terms upon which it wanted to be regulated. The legislature promptly obliged. Virginia’s current electricity market still has the regulatory structure that Dominion sough for itself in 2007. The post-2007 regulatory scheme that Dominion chose to submit itself to guarantees it a “fair,” or market rate of return on all of its investments (usually calculated at roughly 10%). That scheme also requires Dominion to refund to ratepayers earnings that are in excess of that rate of return. There is nothing remarkable such a scheme. But it also allows Dominion to withhold refunds that would otherwise be due. There is something remarkable about that. How remarkable? Here is an example. In 2015, the Obama Administration adopted its Clean Power Plan to reduce greenhouse gases emitted by electric utilities. Dominion calculated the additional cost to itself of complying with the Clean Power Plan at $426 million and added it to its rates. In 2016, the Obama Administration came to an end and its Clean Power Plan was never implemented. Nevertheless, Dominion withheld the $426 million in refunds that was due to its ratepayers--a decision that the Virginia legislature ratified by a law whose language was drafted by lobbyists working for Dominion. To this day, Dominion’s rate payers have not received a penny of the refund due them. To those familiar with Virginia political reality, this is not surprising. Speaking for Dominion Energy in 2015, David Botkins declared that he “could not name a piece of legislation in the five preceding years in which Dominion did not get what it wanted from the General Assembly.” It is no mystery why Dominion had been able to dictate the terms upon which it was regulated for 25 straight years. It is Virginia’s “anything goes” campaign finance laws. Under those laws, Dominion has been free to donate without limit to politicians’ campaigns. Having the deepest pockets of any for-profit enterprise in the State, Dominion has used its government-protected profits to buy unrivaled political influence over the Virginia legislature. Allowing a monopoly to use government-protected profits to buy legislative influence over the very policies by which its profits are determined is a blatant conflict of interest. It is a system in which corruption of public policy is virtually guaranteed. Virginia’s campaign finance laws must be reformed to prohibit any entity that has been granted a State-protected monopoly from donating to candidates for the Virginia legislature.

Utility monopolies like Dominion Energy should not be able to buy off Virginia politicians!

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for your work. I urge you to recommend that the Virginia legislature votes to ban political campaign contributions from publicly regulated monopolies that are overseen by the General Assembly. Legislators receiving contributions from monopolies they're regulating is a direct conflict of interest! With Virginians paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country, this is unconscionable. Thank you for your work and commitment to campaign finance reform in Virginia! You're an important part of moving Virginia forward into the future with integrity. Charlotte Gibson Charlottesville, VA

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

Dear Delegates, It has long been unbelievable to me that Virginia has virtually no campaign finance laws. The ability of the rich, whether individuals or corporations, to give unlimited dollars to campaigns in Virginia is antithetical to democracy. There must be limits on campaign contributions and full transparency on donors and donations. Given that the General Assembly has rarely even take up such reforms, I recommend starting with two easy ones: 1. Ban all contributions from regulated monopoly utilities. This is is clearly unethical. Utilities like Dominion have long ruled in Richmond and it's time that the ratepayers have their say. Banning donations from regulated utilities would be a first step toward that goal. 2. Ban personal use of any campaign funds. This seems like very basic ethics to me. An easy lift. I hope you will consider further reforms to Virginia's campaign finance laws, like limits on all donations, and strengthen our democracy. Thank you, Jason Halbert 2633 Jefferson Park Circle Charlottesville, VA 22903

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform. Best, Kendl Kobbervig

Please fix our campaign finance laws. Big corporations like Dominion should not be able to buy influence. This would make it more fair for all those running for office. People lose faith in the system and feel that corporations are running the state government. Govern for the people, as we elected you to do. Respectfully

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

I have read and agree with every word of the letter below prepared by Clean Energy. Campaign finance reform is the hope of our democracy. Please support a ban on political contributions from publicly regulated monopolies. ~ Diane Hazzard. Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform. Thank you for seizing this moment with us,

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, As a registered voter I would like to thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

Ban political contributions from publicly regulated monopolies. Thank you

Our lobbing and donations that allows wealthy individuals and corporations to give unlimited money legalize bribery. Average citizens have little opportunity to influence legislators. One time small donations to include partisan ads. Campaigns should be funded by state and the federal government. NO candidate should be able to finance their own campaign above the one time small donation. Candidate would need to get a petition signed by a significant number of citizens.

Why can’t we have a system like Great Britain where no one needs money to run, where every candidate gets equal free time on TV to explain what they stand for, where candidates debate issues on TV and radio? This will free up the incumbent legislators to actually legislate and they will do so based on the will of the people who elected them instead of special interest groups. Any person could then run rather than limiting it to ones with deep pockets. Let’s take all the money out of politics and return to a true democracy!

We were so hopeful when virginia started moving toward fair redistricting. On behalf of my family and friends, we ask for you to please prove that hope well placed, and create a model that is fair to the people of our commonwealth. Thank you for your work and dedication.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform. Marilyn Adams

I am in favor of campaign finance reform!!! It is long overdue.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to do all you you can do to send a recommendation to Virginia’s state legislature to formally adopt a ban on political campaign contributions from ALL publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the best interests of Virginians who are already paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars every year. Additionally, adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds. Yo that end, I hope you will recommend that in your report as well. Together, these campaign finance reforms which are long overdue will help restore Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform. Laura Tripp Williamsburg (JCC)

Getting campaign contributions under control is an essential step toward making democracy real in Virginia. Please provide an internally consistent structure that limits the ability of the rich to overwhelm the people with disinformation in the media. And stop allowing candidates from enriching themselves by using provocative fundraising ads and keeping the proceeds for their personal use. If they don’t run, the money should go to their party, not their own pocket.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

Committee members Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform. Please request members of house of delegates to support campaign finance laws.

The ability of regulated industries like Dominion to donate to candidates' campaigns should be restricted. Candidates should also be restricted in using campaign funds for personal purposes. Currently the lack of restrictions provides clear opportunities for conflicts of interest that support Dominion's essentially monopoly status in its service area. This in turn prevents the development of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies that will save consumers money and reduce pollution.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. As a voting resident of Virginia, it’s critically important to me that energy providing companies organizations are not allowed to fund legislators as this is a significant conflict of interest. I’m also appalled that Virginia legislators have no or almost no restrictions on how they can spend campaign contributions, which essentially turns legislative funding into direct cash for legislators personal interests and incentivizes voting in ways that ensure continued contributions. I urge you to address these issues in your work and need these two aspects of allowed contributions and use of contributions. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform. Sincerely, Virginia Pannabecker

Virginia’s complete lack of campaign finance laws allows money to distort and corrupt politics to an absurd degree. My current delegate was able to raid his own various businesses to fund his campaign, siphoning tens of thousands of dollars from his business for his personal use. Those contributions, and those of a single other individual, made up nearly half his campaign budget in the 2019 election. That doesn’t represent the interests of his constituents, and it allows a wealthy few an advantage in politics that has nothing to do with their skill, policies, or personal merit. It’s past time for Virginia to reform its embarrassing and archaic campaign finance laws and ensure a level playing field where the most qualified candidate, with the most popular policies, wins.

I urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

VA desperately needs campaign finance reform, especially to ban contributions from publicly regulated monopoly corporations, to ensure that our elected representatives truly work in the interest of the public & their constituents & NOT their biggest donors. We need accountability & transparency to strengthen our democratic processes. The threats to our democracy are greater than ever & we need urgently need CFR in VA.

It is long past time to clean up Virginia’s campaign finance laws. The playing field needs to be levelled so that all candidates have a chance to win. Funds should not be used for personal use. It is a corrupt system that has robbed the citizens of Virginia of some great candidates. The most recent example of this is the Lt. Governor’s Primary race. The control Dominion has is unbelievable. Fix it. It’s time to return honor and service to our system and our legislators. We the people want representation to be for us and not to donors. Thank you.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you, Donna McCauley Crozet, VA

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, It is way past time for the Old Dominion to declare its independence from Dominion Energy! It is costly--and downright embarrassing--to live in a state where state politics is so corrupt. Neither the environment nor family budgets can afford for this continue. Do your jobs! Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform. We are watching.

I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly.

Virginia needs campaign finance reform now! Please do not delay this further. Among the reforms that should take place next year are the following: 1. Barring the use of campaign funds for personal expenses, except for childcare. 2. Limits on the amount of money anyone can contribute to a candidate. 3. Barring donations by public service corporations. 4. Public financing of campaigns. 5. Establishment of an independent body to monitor and enforce the above.

I support stronger campaign finance rules in Virginia that would establish caps on the maximum donation a person or entity may make to a campaign, and that would ban corporations from giving money directly to politicians. Virginia is an outlier in our "no rules" campaign finance approach. Our approach to corporate donations is especially shocking. If corporations are giving money to politicians, one of two things must be true: Either they are wasting their shareholder's money in inappropriate ways, or else they are buying influence with politicians. Whichever case it is, it should be illegal. There is absolutely no case to be made in favor of corporate donations.

My name is Bill Muth. I am an emeritus faculty with the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Education. In addition to caring and advocating for the young people of our commonwealth, I have three grandchildren who make their home in Virginia. On behalf of all the young people in our state, I eagerly await the outcome of the legislative study committee on campaign finance reform that holds its inaugural meeting on August 23, 2021. Your work on this committee touches on the very essence of representative democracy—i.e., that individual citizens, even those who are too young to vote, are truly represented, valued, and protected from powerful special interest groups. And, as you are surely aware, you are operating from within a system that has been significantly weakened by lax campaign financing laws that greatly favor corporations over individual citizens and allow for loopholes in the disclosure of the source of campaign contributions. Virginia is ranked 46th on the 2020 S.W.A.M.P Index, which scores such things as the level of independence and transparency of ethics boards (who oversee campaign financing actions, for example). As an advocate for climate justice, I have observed firsthand how special interest financing has hampered legislative efforts to address the looming climate crisis facing our State and the world. This illustrates how desperately we need truly representative and transparent executive and legislative branches of government. Without this, our regulations will continue to fail our citizens young and old, and the most vulnerable communities will continue to pay the highest price. What good are regulations that favor the powerful over the more vulnerable? How can we consider a system that does not keep special interests in check—especially when difficult decisions regarding the common good need to be made—a representative democracy? The Wilder Commission Report in 1994 recommended campaign finance limitations. This is long overdue, and thus the time is auspicious for your committee to reform financing in ways that, as never before, will profoundly shape the course of our State as well as that of the planet. Thank you for your attention to this plea, and for your good work on our behalf. Sincerely, Bill Muth, PhD Richmond

Our Green New Deal Virginia Coalition is hopeful that common sense campaign finance reform recommendations will result from this important legislative study. The source of the money coming into our 2021 elections highlight the need for our Commonwealth to take action and join 45 other states that have regulations in place. The Virginia General Assembly has the responsibility to legislate campaign finance laws in the 2022 General Assembly Session that protect the moral soundness and transparency of our political system, allow for public hearings and testimony, reduces the amount of time legislators spend fund-raising, and builds trust among its constituents. 
 Thank you for your service to the citizens of this Commonwealth, and your commitment to issuing timely campaign finance reform recommendations that may be acted upon in the 2022 General Assembly Session. Sincerely, Lee Anne Williams Codirector, GNDVA

Thank you Mr. Chairman and Members of the Joint Subcommittee for this opportunity to testify on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Virginia, and its 14 Local Leagues serving voters throughout the Commonwealth. My name is Janet Boyd. I am a Member of the LWV-VA Board, and I am leading our organization’s effort to study and make recommendations on proposals to improve campaign finance regulations in Virginia. Earlier this year, the League’s members voted to initiate a comprehensive, two-year process to study campaign finance rules in Virginia, with the goal to present well researched, detailed recommendations for policy changes. We commit to providing the results of our Study to the General Assembly upon completion, as well as work closely with you on your report. The League has long believed that campaign finance rules can enhance political engagement for all citizens, as well as serve both to protect representative democracy and combat corruption through transparency that eliminates the distortion created by undisclosed contributions. We supported Delegate Bulova’s bill that led to the establishment of the Joint Committee. Our statement today will outline our top level concerns. We are committed to providing a more detailed analysis on those issues you identify as presenting the most concern to the Joint Subcommittee. We recognize that all aspects of Virginia’s campaign finance regulatory structure should be considered to ensure that a truly trustworthy system is in place for the Commonwealth. A comprehensive review should encompass the five basic aspects of campaign finance regulation, including: • Restrictions on who can contribute; • Limits on campaign expenditures; • Restrictions on donor contribution levels; • Enhanced disclosure of contributions and spending; and • Enhanced enforcement capability Currently, Virginia’s campaign finance laws are inadequate. The Commonwealth’s regulatory structure is far below average in effectiveness when compared to the 22 states that already prohibit all corporations from contributing to political campaigns. Only 5 states, including Virginia, have no restrictions on any campaign contributions. Additionally, the League believes that representative democracy is distorted by the unrestricted use of campaign funds for personal use. We supported Delegate Simon’s bill, which passed the House of Delegates during the 2021 Regular Session, that would have imposed reasonable limits on personal use of campaign funds. We supported the bill’s exemption for child care expenses. A recent Rutgers review of state laws indicates that at least 18 states already provide a specific child care exemption from restrictions on personal use of campaign funds, and other states have bills under consideration. This rule would encourage a greater diversity of Virginia candidates, particularly women, who, with younger children, otherwise would not have an opportunity to run for elected office. When the resolution establishing the Joint Committee passed the General Assembly, we were encouraged by the deadline that would require the study to be completed later this year, in time for your recommendations to be considered in the General Assembly’s 2022 Regular Session. We are concerned that, given the late start, this end-of-year deadline might not be met. The League of Women Voters of Virginia is committed to supporting and assisting the Joint Subcommittee in completing this study.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

Dear Campaign finance reform committee members. Please ban political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It’s a direct conflict of interest. We pay high electric bills from monopolies like Dominion. It is uncomfortable for representatives, a waste of money like a tax on customers/citizens, and has to change. Thank you for your service, Larry Korte Augusta County

For too long now in Virginia, some areas of the state have been more at risk than others for disruptions that induce climate change impacts, such as the siting of toxic fossil fuel facilities, pollution exposure, and the destruction of wetlands that leads to flooding. These areas are often the residences of those who are black, indigenous, and people of color. Permits to negatively impact the environment seem to sail through, comment periods are truncated or just overlooked, and the meetings are at places with limited seating. Monopoly utility companies shower funds on certain candidates with power in the General Assembly, usually preceding elections. Movements to elect uncompromised candidates are smothered with expensive ads for those who take the money, and the public watches more decisions made that keep them from using renewable energy such as wind and solar. Some of us have grown old watching this happen, and we wonder why our leaders allow and even encourage it. Please take this opportunity to get dirty funding from monopoly energy companies out of Virginia’s politics. We all deserve clean air, clean water, and an atmosphere no longer subject to climate change caused by the use of fossil fuels. We deserve to know our descendants, even the poorest of them, will not die due to the neglect of our leaders. Thank you for listening.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. I personally lobbied for both these bills in the 2021 sessions of the General Assembly only to be gutted at their defeat. This board is our last chance for campaign sanity! And, given our current Gubernatorial race, public financing of campaigns is critical to stopping or politics being driven by the richest Virginians instead of the Virginians with the best ideas for the commonwealth. Finally, we must have traceability of finances, to the greatest extent SCOTUS will allow. Let Virginia shine a light on dark money and go from 5th most corrupt state to a shining beacon of clean governance, and make our Commonwealth the model clearly least of all corrupt! Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a BAN on political campaign contributions from ALL publicly regulated monopolies OVERSEEN by the General Assembly. It is a BLATANT conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they regulate. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding not only Virginians' trust in government but also towards rebuilding Virginia's integrity. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

I support a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. This is a major conflict of interest. Thank you for serving on this committee.

Campaign money should be just that, pertaining and used for campaign costs! Not a personal piggy bank to use for personal expenses, self publishing, personal travel, friends, etc. Corporate donations should be limited to ONCE PER YEAR, to no more that $5000, and to active candidates directly (no PACs). NO donations allowed to any candidate with a financial interest in any company. NO investments or stock purchases should be allowed by any candidate or incumbent while running or serving. ALL campaign bills must be paid within 60 days of a loss, and any remaining funds returned to donors. Fundraising SHOULD NOT BE SALARY.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to please recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy consistently overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, that I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government in the Commonwealth. Thank you again for your commitment to much-needed political campaign finance reform.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Voters deserve to know where officials and candidates are getting their money, so we can avoid conflict of interest and hold people accountable for putting big donor's interest ahead of the public interest. Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

The time is long passed that campaign finance reform should be enacted in Virginia. Limitations on donations to candidates as well as sunshine requirements for dark money donations are essential for participants in our democracy to understand who is investing in candidates for public office I no way should a state regulated monopolies like power transmission and generation companies be allowed to make campaign donations to the very people who regulate them. This shameful practice is corrupt and leads to an utter lack of public confidence.

As a resident of Roanoke, I have been aware of the ties between corporate money, especially utilities such as Dominion as well as the companies financing the Mountain Valley Pipeline such as EQT and Equitrans, and our politicians ever since I came here in 2007. Terry McAuliffe and many other politicians have accepted large donations from the companies I have mentioned and have strongly supported their projects such as the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the Mountain Valley Pipeline, both of which have been very damaging to Virginia. While the ACP was finally stopped, the MVP continues to damage the land and threatens to impact our water supplies. The truth is, neither of these projects were needed; Virginia has adequate gas supplies from available sources and the demand for gas is flat. The only reason these projects have been thrust on us is the stranglehold corporations have on our legislators through their campaign contributions. McAuliffe has been a glaring example of the ties between corporate donations and the harmful projects politicians continue to support regardless of the harm. The public oftenfeels their legislators in Virginia most often do not respond to their needs, MVP being but one example. Another example of this is that it is public knowledge that Dominion Energy writes the laws they want passed regarding the energy sector, and those are the ones that get through the senate and the house of delegates. One of our local delegates, Sam Rasoul, has tried for years to be able to present anti-corruption, campaign finance legislation and it has been an uphill battle. My husband David and I were active with others in writing a citizen’s bill to this effect, but it did not have enough support. It is time for campaign finance and anti-corruption to be addressed in Virginia. We are at a tipping point that gas and oil interests as well as other corporate interests can continue to have dominance in politics and cause Virginia to be a heavy contributor to the climate crisis, or we can address corruption and develop clean, green energy. There are obviously many other issues impacted by corporations giving huge donations to our politicians. The minimum wage is another area that needs the attention of our politicians without corporations having too much control. Poverty is a big issue, especially in Roanoke, with 1 in 3 children being impacted and 1 in 5 adults. Healthcare is obviously another, with insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies having far more clout than citizens. As a member of Represent Virginia I want to remind my representatives that you are supposed to represent us, not corporations, lobbyists, and PACs. This is where our government is failing us, and there is almost no significant issue that is not impacted by campaign finance and corruption, from environmental issues, to healthcare, the gun issue, racism, criminal justice, civil rights, women’s rights, and more.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thanks for working on this large--and festering-- issue. I urge you/ your Joint group to soon recommend that Virginia’s General Assembly adopts: 1- A ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Consider the enormous influence that Dominion Energy has with members on the G.A., with the final prices set for electricity and with all the regulations related to their broad business. Yes, since my first paper mill job in 1966, I've seen VEPCO/ Dominion Energy deliver crucial energy and service plus adapt quickly to all sorts of weather and challenges. They (and APCO) are very important; yet, their State regulation needs more clarity of balance and accountability. There's many reasons for customers to be frustrated and feeling over-charged. 2- A ban on the personal use of campaign funds. These two campaign finance upgrades should help Virginians regain their trust in Commonwealth government. Thanks again for your important work.

Anything other than the removal of large campaign contributions is injurious and also treasonous to the intent of the vast majority of our commonwealth’s voters. You may not care, but your constituents do care. Please remove, or at least rescind /add laws that stop the most wealthy from controlling YOU AND YOUR VOTE.

There is no excuse for Virginia to be one of the few states to not limit what our representatives receive as campaign finance and how it is used. In particular, I urge you to recommend that Virginia's state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. I hope you will also ban the personal used of campaign funds, to further discourage receipt if contributions from regulated utilities.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by addressing the serious issue of campaign finance. Virginia has a long way to go here. First, contributions should be banned from state regulated monopolies. Dominion contributes to virtually every member of the legislature, while these same members vote on legislation to regulate it. If nothing else, the appearance of quid pro quo should be enough to ban the practice. I believe Dominion was given monopoly status in order to benefit the citizens of the Commonwealth, not the members of the General Assembly. Second, limits should be placed on both personal and corporate campaign donations. On both our state and federal levels, campaign donations and spending have gotten completely out of hand. Candidates and members of the GA spend more time raising money than they do governing. Please take the lead here and put a cap on contributions. Thank you again for your service. Sincerely, Michael Morency 2329 Landmark School Road The Plains, VA 20198

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by addressing the serious issue of campaign finance. I urge the subcommittee to recommend legislation banning political campaign contributions from all publicly-regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices these same legislators are tasked with regulating. Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually, and these contributions stand in direct opposition to the public’s interest. Campaign contributions from publicly-regulated utility monopolies is especially troubling given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds. I hope you will stand with Virginians in support of both of these highly overdue campaign finance reforms. Thank you in advance for your commitment to the public, supporting these common sense reforms. Thank you, Robin A. Cross

Why does Virginia have such undemocratic campaign finance laws? It's undemocratic to allow corporations such a clear path to dominance in whichever direction they wish to go with no legal ability for residents to speak, comment or influence the outcome of important issues. We need to change the campaign finance laws to secure this right for residents.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by addressing the serious issue of campaign finance. I urge the subcommittee to recommend legislation banning political campaign contributions from all publicly-regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices these same legislators are tasked with regulating. Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually, and these contributions stand in direct opposition to the public’s interest. To that point, I want to expressly remind you that Dominion Energy is preventing us from moving forward on climate action, an issue of extreme importance and once again highlighted by the IPCC's latest report. Legislators should not be taking fossil fuel money. Period. It is 2021, and I for one, would like to live in a Virginia where the political process allows us to thrive rather than remain at the will of a polluting monopoly. Lastly, campaign contributions from publicly-regulated utility monopolies is especially troubling given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds. It's frankly embarrassing that Virginia, a state with the potential to lead the nation forward, is so far behind in our campaign finance laws. I hope you will stand with Virginians in support of both of these highly overdue campaign finance reforms. Thank you in advance for your commitment to the public, supporting these common sense reforms. Best, Sophia Chapin

It is absurd for publicly-regulated monopolies, such as Dominion Energy, to be able to make political campaign contributions to the very people who are supposed to be overseeing that monopoly. How is that not already against the law? Oh right, it's this way because Dominion Energy has exerted its control over the legislative process for decades. This perpetual strong-arming by a "regulated" monopoly is not in the best interests of Virginia citizens, ratepayers or future generations. It's time to get Dominion money out of our elections and it's time to enact a ban on the personal use of campaign funds. Please do whatever you can to support these much-needed reforms.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. There -- I said it: Dominion Energy. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies, such as Dominion Energy, is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by addressing the serious issue of campaign finance. I urge the subcommittee to recommend legislation banning political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices these same legislators are tasked with regulating. Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually, and these contributions stand in direct opposition to the public’s interest. Campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies are especially troubling given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds. I hope you will stand with Virginians in support of both of these highly overdue campaign finance reforms. Thank you in advance for your commitment to the public, supporting these common-sense reforms. Best, Hugh Kenny

Sensible Campaign Finance Reform. Consider me alienated by the current system of campaign finance in Virginia. Twenty years ago the Virginia General Assembly established a joint subcommittee to study campaign finance reform — just like the one holding its first meeting on Monday, August 23. The legislators back then were said to be moved in-part by the onset of $1 million campaigns. And they reportedly expressed concern that fundraising pressures would “test the integrity of the candidates who ask for the money and the donors who respond.” Two decades later not much has changed. Virginia is still an outlier. It’s one of a handful of states still allowing unlimited contributions in state campaigns. And it’s one of only five that allows unlimited donations from corporations. As a result, in 2020 alone, Virginia campaigns reportedly raised $382 million — 6th highest among the states. You have to ask yourself what our Virginia candidates are doing besides fundraising. When do they have time to ask citizens what they want and need? When do they stop to contemplate the kinds of policies that might solve our state’s problems and make their constituents more productive and more satisfied? This relentless, ongoing issue led our current governor to once describe Virginia’s campaign finance system as “a boondoggle that alienates its citizens.” So, please consider me alienated. But I am also hopeful for improvements to a system much in-need of improvements through the actions of the current subcommittee. The 2021 Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform should affirm the principle of equal representation — “one person, one vote” — by recommending that the General Assembly pass sensible changes to our campaign finance laws. All citizens should be able to voice their opinions through their campaign donations. But they don’t deserve to have their voice drowned out by corporations and wealthy donors who seek and get greater access and greater influence in return for their larger contributions. All voters should have an equal opportunity to influence the outcome of the critical decisions made by our elected representatives in Richmond. Mike Hatfield James City County, VA (757) 784-6850

I am one small citizen voice speaking on behalf of the discouraged voters who have waited for campaign finance reform for more than 30 years. Virginia is ranked 46th on the 2020 S.W.A.M.P Index because of inadequate safeguards on transparency and accountability in our state Government. The Wilder Commission Report in 1994 recommended campaign finance limitations. Numerous non-partisan groups have presented ideas for how to allow the voice of the citizen to prevail over corporate and millionaire donor voices. It’s time for the General Assembly to listen to Virginia citizens and pass some common sense campaign finance legislation. Please improve our systems for disclosure and monitoring and enforcement as well as introducing caps on campaign contributions like those which are enforced in 45 other states. The Virginia General Assembly, in the name of good governance, has the responsibility to put in place campaign finance laws which protect the integrity of our political system, help legislators spend less time fund-raising, and build trust among citizens. I am not hoping, I am expecting this committee to stop studying and prepare vote ready legislation to go to the General Assembly next session. Corporations are NOT people. I am a person, and I VOTE. I want my representatives to have time to legislate not fundraise. Dr Susan Miller, City of Richmond

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform, and make sure to remember the poor people!

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, I am submitting this comment to demand that you recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest, and frankly mind-boggling, for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. But you already know that. I am sick and tired of all you politicians sitting pretty on your piles of corporate cash while you callously screw over the majority of people and especially the poor by cow towing to corporate interests, while pretending that corporations don’t need to be regulated because they will choose to do the right thing. When has any corporation ever done anything against their own profits unless they were forced to? Stop lying. DO YOUR JOBS. Ban contributions on publicly regulated monopolies! Serve the people for once, not corporate lobbyists! Lisa Gunderman VA Resident

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

my electrical usage has been basically the same over the past 10 years and yet my elec rates at Dominion Energy have gone from $30 a month to $50 a month; they are telling me their rates are helping me by reducing my expenses, and this is untrue.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature adopt a number of reforms. Virginia has some of the most loose campaign finance laws in the country and this needs to change Among the changes you should pursue are: 1. a cap on the amount of contributions in any one election cycle, of perhaps $5,000. 2. not allowing candidates to spend campaign dollars on personal expenses, and 3. a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform. Glen Besa glenbesa@gmail.com 804-387-6001

It surely seems that allowing governmentally regulated enterprises to give political contributions is a clear example of conflict of interest.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I submit this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

It is vital that Virginia sets an example for its citizens and other states, regardless of majority political party, to overturn corporate and personal wealth influence on our political future. The state, as does the country, depends on its citizens to exist and operate. Every citizen should have influence, by simple majority, not by monetary influence. Political campaign fund control is an excellent place to start - please significantly limit campaign contributions by big money from corporations, donors, or one's own pocket. Buying a political position is counterintuitive to what this country is supposed to stand for.

Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

Please place limits on political contributions. There are currently no limits, which essentially means that wealthy donors can buy elections. How can we call ourselves a democracy if the people’s power is being squashed by the wealthy elite? I invite you all to read “Unrig: How to Fix Our Broken Democracy” by Daniel G. Newman. In it, you will find fantastic ideas such as democracy vouchers, where citizens can choose who to donate to, regardless of their financial ability. Please look into these opportunities and find ways to make something like that work here in Virginia. Then we could all participate in the democratic process.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

There can’t be a government “For the People” until we get corporate and special interest money out of politics.

Dear Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform Senators and Delegates, I strongly request you recommend Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on all publicly regulated monopolies political campaign contributions. These organizations are overseen by the General Assembly and it creates a conflict of interest for legislators. Sadly the reality is Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by many millions of dollars! Virginians pay 6th highest energy charges. Also Virginia’s needs ban on the personal use of campaign funds. Allowable costs should be only related to the campaign. Acceptable campaign related costs should include campaign food, travel and childcare. We, Virginia’s citizens and voters need to have' trust in our government. Looking forward to these basic campaign finance reforms to benefit us all in Virginia.

Two critical things you should accomplish: 1) A ban on campaign contributions by regulated monopolies, notably Dominion. It's time to stop Dominion running roughshod over the Virginia public. 2) A ban on allowing personal use of campaign funds. These are just common sense. Please make this happen. Thanks.

Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

Chairman and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to have members of the public speak on this critical issue. I am writing to you to urge you to place limits on campaign donations from individuals and super pacs, and to ban donations from monopolies that are regulated by the state as that is a clear conflict of interest. Many Virginians already feel like the political process in general is corrupt and the lack of any limits on donations does not instill confidence in the public. You are all public servants and have a responsibility to do something on this issue. Too many people are losing faith in the process and campaign finance is a big part of that. Help restore faith in our political process by showing that money is not the only thing that matters in politics. You are supposed to represent the people of virginia, not corporate interests whose profit motive is to drive down wages and avoid taxes. Money is not speech, think about how ridiculous that sounds, if money is speech then that means rich Virginians have more speech than their poorer counterparts, that goes directly against the idea of equality before the law. The people are looking to you- especially those of you who are democrats since you’ve taken the majority- to change the status quo, that’s what you campaigned on so fulfill the promises you made to voters. Thank you for your time and remember, the people are watching, if you miss this opportunity you may not get reelected to try again next term.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform. Andrea Midkiff

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thanks, Marc Koslen

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform.

Dear Senators and Delegates of the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform, Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of all Virginians by serving on this critically important committee. I am submitting this comment to urge you to recommend that Virginia’s state legislature formally adopts a ban on political campaign contributions from all publicly regulated monopolies overseen by the General Assembly. It is a direct conflict of interest for legislators to receive financial contributions from monopolies whose prices they are tasked with regulating. Receiving these contributions is in direct opposition to the interests of Virginians who are stuck paying the 6th highest energy bills in the country as Dominion Energy overcharges its Virginian customers by hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Adopting a ban on campaign contributions from publicly regulated utility monopolies is even more essential given Virginia’s lack of a ban on the personal use of campaign funds, which I also hope you will recommend in your report. Together, these highly overdue campaign finance reforms will go a long way towards rebuilding Virginians' trust in government. Thank you again for your commitment to campaign finance reform. Respectfully, Rebecca

Dear Committee Member, My name is Kathleen Nawaz and I have lived in McLean Virginia since 1989. I am writing to express my support for campaign finance reform, and I am delighted that the joint committee on this topic will hold its first meeting next Monday, August 23rd. This issue is of great importance, and I hope that your committee will draw on state and national experts, to enable Virginia to benefit from others’ expertise. I also hope that the products of this committee will include draft legislation for inclusion in the next session of the General Assembly. Thank you for your time and efforts to address campaign finance reform in Virginia.

Developing a comprehensive scope of work on campaign finance reform which results in legislative-ready packages for submission to the General Assembly in 2022. My name is Nancy Morgan, and as coordinator for the VA chapter of MoneyOutVA, a volunteer advocacy group working on getting money out of politics, I would like to thank the committee members for coming together to work on campaign finance reform in Virginia. We think that this is an opportunity to fulfill some of the commitments Virginia citizens were made on campaign finance reform articulated in Governor’s Wilders Commission Report (1994) and the McAuliffe study released in 1994. As mentioned in our Citizens’ Report on the Need for Campaign Finance Reform which was released on Wednesday, August 18th, we find it appropriate that the committee propose significant reforms to the lax campaign finance system that exists in the Commonwealth in a year that will likely see record spending on Virginia state elections. The committee should realize that citizens are ready for our legislature to take action on getting big money out of politics because: • Virginia ranks 46 out of 50 states in the S.W.A.M.P. Index, a cross-state comparative analysis of transparency and accountability. • We are one of only five states which has no limits on contributions and one of only three states with no restrictions on the personal use of campaign contributions. • Many observers view Virginia as a “pay to play” state and legislators often complain about the time they are obliged to spend “dialing for dollars”. While our report provides a roadmap for reform which we hope the study committee will find useful, we hope that this first meeting of this committee will commit itself to a scope of work over the next few months which is: • Transparent and includes public testimony, hearings and the establishment of technical working groups. • Inclusive of national experts who are willing to work with the committee to adapt the many best practices available around the country. • Focused on developing common sense legislative-ready packages on campaign finance reform in anticipation of the next General Assembly. It is hoped that any technical working group discussions on the various elements of comprehensive campaign finance reform (accountability, transparency, and promoting integrity through fair play) draw in national experts who have expressed interest in working with Virginia legislators to build legislation based on best practice. They include: 1) Jared DeMarinis Director of Candidacy and Campaign Finance, Maryland State Board of Elections 2) Jeff Sigurdson, Executive Director, Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, Minnesota 3) Kim Bradford, Deputy Director, Washington State Public Disclosure Commission 4) Eric Friedman, Assistant Executive Director for Public Affairs, New York City Campaign Finance Board 5) Austin Grahame from the Campaign Legal Center 6) Shruti Shah from the Coalition for Integrity Again, we hope that after years of campaign finance bills being relegated to the trash bin of history, this committee will commit itself to the desire of the citizens of our Commonwealth for good governance, transparency and accountability in government.

My name is Jessica Mott. I am a resident of Arlington County, in delegate district 48 and senate district 31. I am a member of the Virginia chapter of American Promise (a.k.a., Money Out Virginia), and We of Action (WofA). I give priority to this reform agenda because I believe campaign finance policies that promote integrity are fundamental to representative democracy. I understand that members of this Subcommittee have copies of the recently-released “Citizens’ Report on the Need for Comprehensive Finance Reform in Virginia (https://bit.ly/3iUQptZ). I commend it to you, for its analysis and readability. It provides a comprehensive review of Virginia’s campaign finance issues and a roadmap for passage of campaign finance reform legislative. I urge you to now use this analysis to fulfill your mandate, and to do it this fall in accordance with the agreed schedule. I believe that an essential benchmark of your performance will be the development of legislative packages on campaign finance for the 2022 General Assembly. Our citizens’ report takes a pragmatic, sequential approach to policy reform: • We recommend beginning with comprehensive and prompt reform of the campaign finance “transparency and accountability” agenda (enhancing disclosure, establishing regular auditing, creating and implementing guidelines for complaints, restricting personal use of campaign funds, and establishing the requisite institutional authority, capacity and budget). • Implementing this agenda would provide a fundamental building block for the rest of the campaign finance agenda which we classify as “promoting integrity through fair play” (establishing limits on campaign contributions, introducing public financing of elections, and enabling the state legislature to explicitly support passage of an amendment to the US Constitution authorizing states to regulate campaign spending). Transparency is not only fundamental to the policy reform agenda itself, but also to how this Subcommittee operates. As you plan your deliberations, it will be important to ensure extensive expert and public input and engagement through technical dialogue, public hearings, and public testimony. Thank you for your work on this important study. Campaign finance reform is long overdue. Your work can and should establish the basis for raising Virginia’s current abysmal low reputation and ranking relative to other states, and strengthening the trust of Virginia citizens in state government.

My self and all Virginians feel disenfranchised by the large money going into our elections. Our voices are muted by big money interests channeled into legislative races, with the party system unfettered by any limits on contributions. Campaign finance reform isn’t “rocket science”; legislators can easily come up with campaign finance bills developed using best practices from other states. Let’s make this happen. Thank you, Jamie Usrey, Arlington,Va

Corporations, special interests, lobbyists, and millionaires should not be allowed to own our government –whether the state legislature, the governor's mansion, or even in candidate campaigns. This joint subcommittee must immediately study and work to pass comprehensive campaign finance reform and tear our Commonwealth away from being an oligarchy governed by monied interests. A failure to do so is a capitulation to highly partisan, anti-democratic forces.

My name is Luisa Boyarski and I lead the Virginia Grassroots Coalition, which has more the fifty member groups representing 12,000 Virginia voters. One of the coalition’s top legislative priorities is promoting fairness and transparency in our elections and politics. The Coalition has testified before on the need to pass campaign finance reform as a means of building trust between legislators and citizens. We are delighted that the legislature is looking at opportunities to implement campaign finance reform. I would like to encourage the legislative study committee to focus on transparency and public inclusion as you work to promote the integrity of, and public confidence in, the Commonwealth's campaign finance system. As the scope of work of the committee is discussed in the first committee meeting to be held on August 23rd, the Virginia Grassroots Coalition calls on the committee to identify as one of your priority outputs, the development of legislative packages ready for review by next year’s General Assembly session. I would like to thank the study committee as you move to produce a comprehensive roadmap for reform by November 2021. If the Virginia Grassroots Coalition can serve as a resource, please feel free to reach out to me at luisaboyarski@gmail.com.

As a resident of Arlington, VA I am worn out from working on campaigns only to see one great candidate after another pushed aside by massive funding disparities. This is definitely not an equitable process. A good governance platform for Virginia includes common-sense campaign finance reform. Citizens of our Commonwealth have been waiting too long for our legislators to stop accepting big money from special interests. Waiting 30 years after the Gov. Wilder Commission report is too long. We need bills passed in our General Assembly which improve our system of disclosure and eliminate the lax monitoring and enforcement system. We need transparency and contribution limitations to allow voices of regular citizens to be heard. We cannot possibly spend as much as corporations or the extremely wealthy. We need a legislative committee to issue a timely and comprehensive campaign finance report this year. The final product of this committee should not only be a technical report but legislative-ready campaign finance bills for introduction in the next General Assembly. Our system is broken. No actual or would-be legislator should have to spend consecutive 7-hour days calling non-stop to raise funds to run their campaign. Thank you

My name is Bonnie Beckett. I’m pleased that the legislative study committee on campaign finance reform is having its first meeting on August 23rd. Now is the time to listen to Virginia citizens like me and to pass common sense campaign finance legislation. Our rules for disclosure, monitoring, and enforcement need improvement, and we need to introduce caps on campaign contributions which are enforced in 45 other states. Virginia is ranked 46th on the 2020 SWAMP Index because of inadequate safeguards on transparency and accountability in our state Government. Virginians deserve better! The flush of outside money coming into our 2021 elections from special interests is to the detriment of voters and citizens like me whose voices are drowned out by funding from outside, corporate, and special interests. Thirty years ago Governor Wilder’s Commission report recommended these kinds of reforms to nurture integrity in government, recommendations that should have been implemented in Virginia long ago. I hope the committee will allow the public to have technical input into the committee working groups, will conduct a transparent process that encourages and permits public engagement in the process, and will issue a prompt and timely report that includes specific legislation ready to be included in the bills introduced in the next General Assembly. Thank you in advance for your effort to get the money out of politics in Virginia and improve citizen trust in the integrity of the campaign finance process. Sincerely Bonnie Beckett 4903 14th St. N. Arlington, VA 22205

I am a constituent and am representing myself in these comments. I am active in volunteer organizations that lobby for climate-critical policies. I have lobbied my State representatives knowing broadly how much their big donors are the utilities that they are regulating and it just isn’t fair. Protestations along the lines of ‘of course it doesn’t affect how I vote’ ring uncomfortably hollow. I support this committee’s work and specifically encourage working groups that can incorporate best practices from state and national and even international experts. An approach for collecting citizen input that I’d recommend is a Citizens' Assembly (Please see citizensassemblies.org) . This is a process that invests in a randomly selected set of representative citizens and considers their conclusions after deliberation on the issue. The beauty is that you will hear from informed citizens to balance all you will hear from well-funded interests. Doesn’t that sound fair? In conclusion I hope that the legislative committee moves forward in a timely and transparent process to develop a plan which includes common sense campaign finance legislation for the next General Assembly. Virginia citizens don't want this process postponed. Thank you,

My name is Stair Calhoun, I am a co-founder of Network NOVA and a DPVA Central Committee member, as well as a lifelong resident of Virginia. I am excited that the legislative study committee on campaign finance reform is having its first meeting, August 23rd and that my testimony will be considered. Thank you. Campaign Finance Reform is at the top of my list of changes we need to see in Virginia, if we are going to continue to be a leader in a democracy for the people, by the people. As you know Virginia is one of a handful of states that allows unlimited donations (with no restrictions on their use) from corporations and individuals to candidates running in state races. This means that it is money and not the voice of the people who determine the governing of our state. And, this happens every year, either for our normal odd year elections, or in our many special and local elections. This is not right. Not in a democracy where each individual's vote should be counted and not weighed against money. Why is Virginia ranked 46th (of 50) on the 2020 S.W.A.M.P Index, a measure of Anti-Corruption Measures for Public Officials? We have inadequate safeguards on transparency and accountability in our state Government!  Campaign finance reform and subsequent legislation will build trust among voters that their voices matter more than corporations and special interests. We have several extreme examples (Dominion Energy, and others regulated by the SCC) in the state of Virginia and our citizens are hurt by the money put into legislators' pockets. Money, with which the legislators can do whatever they please. Without pointing fingers, there are many examples of legislators using campaign funds for personal matters on both sides of the aisle. 30 years ago reform was recommended by Governor Wilder's Commission which said that “integrity in government must be nurtured and never taken for granted”.  Best practices exist across the country in 45 states and it is time for Virginia to join them  in regulating election spending. It is the responsibility of this legislative study committee to offer the Virginia General Assembly, guidance in implementation of common sense campaign finance laws which will protect the integrity of our political system, help legislators spend less time fund-raising, and build trust among citizens. It is now time that legislative packages be introduced in the next Session. Citizens of our Commonwealth have been waiting too long for our legislators to wean themselves off of big money from special interests., let's make it happen and get it done! Let’s finally, 30 years after the Gov Wilder Commission report, get some bills introduced and passed in our General Assembly which will improves our system of disclosure, our lax monitoring and enforcement system and allow voices of regular citizens to be heard.

It is time for Virginia to begin to restore the faith of its citizens in our electoral process. For far too long it's been clear that our political process is "pay to play." Reasonable limits on donations and spending coupled with meaningful reporting and monitoring requirements would go a long ways towards convincing Virginians that their politicians are not corrupt. After decades of studying the issue and making recommendations that have routinely been ignored, it is time to take action. Please make meaningful recommendations and actually take action to pass legislation that our citizenry deserves.

TESTIMONY TO END THE FOR-PROFIT PRISON INDUSTRY IN VIRGINIA Chairman Bulova & SubCommittee MembersMembers; Joint SubCommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform Thank you for the opportunity to present testimony in behalf of Social Action Linking Together--SALT. SALT’s 1300 members are honored to be joined in the fight against the for-profit prison industry by Bridging the Gap in Virginia, The Humanization Project, The Sentencing Project, Interfaith Action for Human Rights, the Virginia Coalition on Solitary Confinement and Virginia CURE. For the past year, we have been working to end the for-profit/private prison industry in Virginia and transfer the Lawrenceville Correctional Center, the state's only private prison, back to public management. Working with Sen. Adam Ebbin during the last GA session, a bill to responsibly transfer Lawrenceville back to VADOC management was proposed; that bill suffered defeated after the GEO Group donated $35,000, per VPAP, to certain key legislators. This year, GEO has already donated $10,000 to legislators, an action clearly taken to gain the support of legislators by using their financial muscle to influence policy votes. Pecuniary interests should play no part in the administration of justice in Virginia, since such interests opens the door to corruption. We remain determined to end the unconscionable use of for-profit prisons in Virginia, and we are counting on your support and the support of other organizations to close the door to removing the profit motive from prison administration. We are committed to persuading the General Assembly of the moral imperative to take legislative action in canceling a contract that allows the GEO Group to manage Lawrenceville Correctional Center for the benefit of their shareholders. Additionally, we are submitting testimony here today on campaign finance. Political contributions by state contractors to legislators-- especially any that will be voting in Committees or Subcommittees on their business interests—cannot be ethically justified. This abuse, one that opens the way to corruption, must end. We appeal to you to stand with us on this most important issue and to make it one of your priorities. With thanks. John Horejsi & SALT (Social Action Linking Together) JHOREJSI@COX.NET Robert Stewart <grobertstewart1@mac.com>; SALT Public Affairs Chuck Meirec <meirecl18@mail.vmi.edu>; SALT Advocate Natasha White; vacoalitioncoordinator@gmail.com Coalition on Solitary Confinement

Political fundraising is like an arms race--just more money than my opponent. There should be something like an arms limitation agreement that is verified by an independent ethics board. The Board of Elections cannot do this. I believe that along with an active, transparent ethics board, the pay of legislators should be raised so that politicians don't need to rely almost exclusively on funding from special interests that do not represent Virginia as a whole. Also, the length of regular sessions should be increased substantially so that the citizens are more willing to pay higher salaries and more issues can be addressed without convening a special session.. I realize that this would require an amendment in the VA Constitution. That effort should be combined with even year elections and a change that allows the governor to serve two terms.

The Coalition for Integrity is pleased to provide this submission to the Joint Subcommittee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform. The Coalition is a non-profit, non-partisan 501(c)(3) organization which works in coalition with a wide range of individuals and organizations to combat corruption and promote integrity in the public and private sectors. One of our major areas of focus is improving transparency and accountability at the state-level. • Transparency serves two important purposes. First, it serves to open the government to those it serves. Second, transparency is a powerful weapon against corruption. • Accountability goes hand in hand with transparency. An accountable government and politicians are responsive to the needs of the people they serve. To promote transparency and accountability, the Coalition has undertaken a number of comparative studies of state laws on ethics, disclosure and enforcement. In 2018 we released a report on States With Anticorruption Measures for Public Officials (SWAMP Index). This report graded and compared all fifty states and DC on their laws and regulations surrounding ethics and integrity in state government. In 2019, we looked at state enforcement of their ethics laws in Enforcement of Ethics Rules by State Ethics Agencies: Unpacking the S.W.A.M.P. Index. In 2020, we revised the SWAMP Index to reflect improvements in some state ethics and transparency laws. In each of these reports, Virginia scores near the bottom – 43 out of 51 in the 2018 SWAMP Index and 46 out of 51 in the 2020 SWAMP Index. Virginia was not even ranked in the Enforcement Report because of the lack of enforcement power. The Coalition is now working on a comparative analysis of state campaign finance laws, which we hope to finalize this fall. The report will compare state laws regarding administration of campaign finance laws, regulation of coordination between candidates and independent spenders, limits on campaign contributions, transparency about contributors and accessibility of data in campaign finance reports. Our initial conclusion is that once again Virginia will score near the bottom in most of these areas. Virginia has no limits on campaign contributions, no state-wide database of campaign finance reports than can be easily searched and sorted no disclosure requirements for internet-based advertising and reporting of contributors to independent spenders. We hope that the campaign finance report, when finalized, will provide the Joint Commission with a clear path to improving Virginia’s campaign finance laws both by enhancing accountability and transparency. In the meantime, we urge the Committee to allow the public to participate in all its meetings and work swiftly to draft recommendations that can be legislated in the 2022 legislative session. Please do not hesitate to contact Laurie Sherman (lsherman@coalitionforintegrity.org) or Shruti Shah (sshah@coalitionforintegrity.org) with any questions. Sincerely, Shruti Shah, President & CEO