On behalf of the citizens of the Eastern Shore and the Eastern Shore Rail Trail Foundation we respectfully request your full support of the Trail Planning, development, and construction funding in the proposed FY22 budget. We are currently rail banking 49 miles of corridor that connects the towns in both Eastern Shore counties. The corridor is already owned and the tracks, ties, and signals are being removed. Protection of this corridor under the National Trails Act is critical because it currently houses our broadband fibre, is slated for a force main to provide wastewater treatment to numerous towns and will provide a multi-use trail that promotes our growing tourism and economic development opportunity. Because we are shovel ready, funding can be quickly utilized to show results. A recently completed VDOT Feasibility study was conducted and its survey shows extremely high enthusiasm among the citizens and towns. Please fully fund existing and new trails in our Commonwealth. Respectfully, H. Spencer Murray

Virginia's DD System has been UNDER FUNDED for too long. The families we serve depend on services and support for someone with a developmental disability. For these families the DD Waiver is a life saver and makes their lives possible. However, with years of waiting for services and no available providers, the system is dysfunctional because it cannot even serve those with the most urgent needs. With Virginia's wealth, there is no reason for the Commonwealth to continue to rank in the bottom quarter of state's for disability services. The DD waiver rate increases proposed in the introduced budget are a good start, but additional funding for home and community-based services is critically needed - and needed now. Please invest in the DD System Rescue Plan proposed by The Arc of Virginia and vaACCSES

Please support funding for COMMUNITY Mental Health Services in Virginia. There is a great need for individuals to be treated in their own communities, often preventing hospitalizations, jail, or even suicide. Virginia was ranked 40th in the nation by Mental Health America in the availability of mental health professional to provide the needed mental health care. Especially, please provide full funding for the implementation of STEP - VA as proposed in the Governor's Budget. Thank you very much for your support. Thomasine Cubine 757-761-6964

I’m a Director of the Virginia Dare SWCD and am also involved with the CBF, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, and the Nature Conservancy. First, the agriculture is the highest revenue sector in the state of Virginia, but farming is not the most profitable occupation. There are important programs under the Agriculture Cost Share Programs under the DCR that help farmers conserve and restore soil and water quality. At least the $289 Million for this program will provide long term return on equity for many years. Second, the Stormwater Local Assistance Fund (SLAF) provides needed funds to mitigate water contamination from urban areas. Stormwater contamination of the Lynnhaven River has been a continual problem, for example. Third, funding to stop sewage overflow is important to prevent continuous contamination of our rivers. The funding to upgrade ancient sewar systems in Richmond, Alexandria, and Lynchburg is particularly critical. Finally, Virginia forests are essential for improving soil quality and filtering contaminants. DoF needs funds for clean water programs, increase in tree canopy in urban areas, an improved tree nursery in New Kent is important for our environment.

We need more money can I have a meeting me and my group members 7577250919

Comments Document

Please read the attachment. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Please support the proposed budget item for $27.4 million to address gun violence in Virginia. The funds will establish the Center for Firearm Violence Intervention and Prevention at the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), which will work across public safety and public health sectors to collect data and publish reports on violence caused by firearms. The information will be shared with state and local agencies, higher education institutions, research institutions, hospitals and other medical care facilities, and community-based organizations. The center will also establish model policies for law-enforcement personnel. Senator Jennifer McClellan is submitting legislation with Delegate Marcia Price to establish the center.

Comments Document

I am Joy Spencer, CEO of Moms In Motion, a HCBS Waiver Provider. We provide Service Facilitation (SF) to over 9,000 people with disabilities receiving Personal Care & Respite via VA Medicaid Waivers. SF is a unique service line to what you are used to hearing about/working with: It is a service that is exclusive to Medicaid. All of our revenue is from Medicaid. Without Medicaid Rate increases, we have no way to increase our revenue for this service. It is also unique in that it spans the DD and CCC+ waivers (like Personal Care and Respite (and now AT, EM, & EHBS) - the only services to span both waiver groups. Don’t use that as a reason to leave us out of Rate Rebases again as we were in 2016. I am asking that you Support the DD System Rescue Plan! As you are aware, the VA Medicaid Waiver System is in crisis! Without immediate action, thousands of Virginians with developmental disabilities who rely on a provider network for essential supports will be facing a loss of community-based services. Others who were recently approved for funding, will continue to go unserved due to lack of capacity as a result of the worsening workforce crisis. Providers across VA are not able to hire and retain staff at the current reimbursement rates and this is magnified further in Northern VA. Much work has been done recently to illustrate that the Medicaid Waiver System has been chronically and significantly underfunded in VA since its advent. To that end, the General Assembly in special session approved a temporary BRIDGE increase of 12.5% for community-based services. Thank you for that! The need for significant increases for all services is further supported by the Burns & Associates (B&A) study mandated by the General Assembly. Call To Action - We desperately need your support for: Rate Rebase – Provide funding to implement the recommended B&A study rates for ALL community-based services. If the recommended rates are not adopted, at a minimum, do not allow the temporary increase of 12.5% to be removed in July 2022. This was meant to be a stop gap measure until new rates were implemented. The Governor recognized the critical importance of increased funding for some services in his proposed budget, just 8 of the 30 DD services, but the DD system is a continuum of services, one affects another, they are inter-connected. The entire system is critical and needs immediate funding support. And I want to point out that Service Facilitation is unique in two more ways. It is one of the only waiver services to not receive an increase in rates since inception (pre 2010). This means we uniquely cannot: Attract and Retain qualified and dedicated staff. We cannot provide services at the level of quality people on the Waivers deserve. We cannot sustain this business. And 2, our service is the only one that is paid based on physical in-home visits to the individual. The current regulations allow no flexibility to provide this service in alternate settings, or periodically or exclusively via telehealth. Under current regulations we are only paid when we can physically drive to and get into the person’s home. This is the pre-2010, pre-Zoom, pre-Pandemic way of doing things. Please bring SF into 2022 with all the other services (Primary Care, OT, Case Management) and allow telehealth options for the delivery of our services. And allow us to hire and retain staff with sustainable and reasonable (and B&A recommended) 2022 rates.

I am a person with developmental disabilities who lives in my own apartment in Chesapeake, VA with support from staff paid for by my Medicaid waiver. I'm here to talk to you about how to pay my staff enough so I can have the support I need. I make my own decisions and live on my own. The staff that work with me make this possible. I want to have a life like yours but it is hard when you don’t have enough staff. Sometimes there isn’t enough staff to assist me with the things I want to do like going to the doctors, visiting my friends and family or going out to eat or to other events in the community. Staff helps me to be safe in the community. They assist me with cleaning my apartment, taking my medications and caring for myself due to my disability. In the past, I’ve had to change plans with my family because of the staffing shortage. My family likes to spend time with me but they can’t provide the support I need so if I don’t have an aide with me, I can’t spend time with them like I want to. This has unfortunately happened and is a stressful part of my life. Today I am asking you to pass a budget with Medicaid rates that pay staff enough so I can get the support I need. In conclusion, I do not want to live in a group home where I can’t make my own decisions. My plea to you is that staff are paid a higher living wage so that they can earn a living without getting another job and so I can live an independent life. Thank you for your time and letting me advocate for myself.

I am a person with Developmental Disabilities living in my own apartment with supports paid for by my Medicaid Waiver. I am asking you to pass a budget that includes raising Medicaid waiver rates to pay staff enough so I can get the support I need . In order to have a life like yours I need assistance. Staff assists me with transportation to the doctors, events in the community, shopping, and visits with my family and friends. They also help me with daily living, cleaning, cooking, dressing, technology use, making phone calls, personal hygiene, and taking my medications. I planned and paid for a vacation to Jellystone Park that had to be cancelled because we did not have enough staff to take me. I was disappointed and sad. Please raise Medicaid DD Waiver rates to help with staffing so I can get the support I need to live a life like yours. Thank you!

Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments. I represent the James River Association, a member-supported nonprofit organization founded in 1976 to serve as a guardian and voice for the James River. On behalf of my organization and our thousands of members, I am writing to voice support for several key budget items that are essential to protect the health of the James River and Chesapeake Bay. • $290,000 in FY23 for an American shad recovery plan, an iconic fish species in Virginia that is on the brink of collapse in the James River. • Fully fund the Agricultural Cost-Share Program, to provide resources and technical assistance necessary to help farmers protect their land and curb pollution. • $100M in FY23 for the Stormwater Local Assistance Fund, to support local governments in implementing practices that control stormwater pollution runoff in our urban and suburban communities. • $165M to address combined sewer overflows, where rain storms trigger releases of sewage in Richmond and Lynchburg. Virginia’s past investments in water quality have been instrumental to protecting clean water and ensuring our waterways are healthy ecosystems that are supportive of all public uses, like swimming, fishing, or providing drinking water. Continued investments are necessary to fully restore the James River and to address urgent concerns, like the dwindling American shad population. Thanks for your time, and your commitment to public service in providing these budget hearings.

Senator Morrisey and Senator Vogel will be introducing a bill to limit the amount of time a person can stay in Solitary confinement. Supporting this bill will save the state millions of dollars that can be used for corrections staff wages , law enforcement and the support of communities. Solitary confinement is inhumane and considered torture after 15 days. Help support us in getting this bill passed. Thank you

Comments Document

I thank you for the opportunity to speak about the Virginia General Assembly 2022 Legislative Session Priorities for the American Federation of Teachers Virginia. My name is Tyvon Bates, and I am the Political Director with American Federation of Teachers - Virginia. I proudly represent more than 5,000 members from Fairfax County and the cities of Norfolk and Hampton. I would like to share some of our union’s priorities for the 2022-2024 Biennial State Budget. First, we stand with the Fund our Schools Coalition and share their 5 priorities: ● Fund the Fund Our Schools Coalition’s 2022 legislative priorities: ○ Fully fund the Virginia Board of Education’s revised Standards of Quality. ○ Lift the support staff cap that has limited funding for support positions including psychologists and social workers since 2009. ○ Make bold investments to start providing adequate teacher and staff pay. Provide funding to school divisions to support a substantial raise for educators so that Virginia can reach the national average for teacher pay as soon as possible. Virginia currently has the steepest teacher wage penalty of any state and is more than 10% below the national average for teacher pay despite being in the top 10% of median household income. ○ Invest in school infrastructure ○ Stand against cuts and repurposing of K-12 public schools funding. Avoid vouchers and tax credit programs that would direct money away from Virginia’s public schools. ● Ensure that all school divisions can take advantage of state money for educator raises by lifting the requirement for districts to match the remaining amount of the state raise before paying the LCI-determined state-portion. In districts like Fairfax County where the LCI requires the local government to fund around 82% of school staff raises, the requirement to fund the remaining amount before receiving the state portion has meant that districts like Fairfax have not been able to take advantage of state money at all. We urge the General Assembly to pass a bill that would allocate the LCI-determined amount for educator salaries to each school division regardless of that division’s ability to fully fund the remaining amount. ● Continue to hold districts harmless for enrollment losses as we are dealing with the impacts of the 3rd school year impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. ● Oppose repealing the grocery tax, which would negatively impact localities’ ability to fund necessary public services including education. ● Support Delegate Coyner’s bill to develop a statewide literacy plan for Virginia aligned with the science of reading.

The Birthplace of America Trail (BoAT) (https://www.hrtpo.org/page/birthplace-of-america-trail/) is a planned Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO) active transportation project for the Hampton Roads region that was approved in 2017. A 120-mile multi-use trail, it is the centerpiece of a network that will connect the already-constructed (and wildly successful) 52-mile Virginia Capital Trail to the 41-mile South Hampton Roads Trail / Beaches to Bluegrass Trail (under construction). It will also be incorporated as part of the national East Coast Greenway. As such, it will function as a remarkable active transportation system in Hampton Roads that will connect the various communities throughout the region with each other and with Richmond. In 2018, a non-profit citizens group called the Tidewater Trails Alliance was established to ensure construction of this network. Since that time we have been working closely with the HRTPO and with the administrators and planners of counties, towns, and cities in the region to ensure that the route meets the needs of their communities. It is clear that there is a great deal of enthusiasm for construction of this network, especially among elected and appointed officials on the Peninsula. The trail will connect communities in the region in an important manner. It will create an infrastructure that will all allow residents of Hampton Roads to bike, run, or walk safely from their homes to parks, historical sites, schools, churches, retail areas, and places of work. The BoAT project will greatly contribute to physical wellness in the region. It will also function as an economic boon to the region, for one of the goals (reflected in the name) is to highlight Hampton Roads’ historical riches. Ecotourism is an important and growing market. And the pandemic has clearly demonstrated that Virginians—like many other Americans—support and use outdoors recreational infrastructure. This project has been in planning for nearly two decades. Now is the time to build it. There is increased support for trails such as this one in the Commonwealth's budget. In fact, other trails being built in Virginia (such as the Fall Line Trail) have been allocated significant funds from the State. It is time that the residents of Hampton Roads likewise benefit from State allocations to help to make this vision a reality.

Mental wellness is the foundation for a good life for individuals and societies. A strong functioning mind is necessary to live and contribute positively. Mental healthcare must be available to anyone in a broad, unstigmatized sense. Please provide the needed funding to lead our nation as Virginia becomes a proactively mentally strong state. Thank you.

Comments Document

My name is Robert Matuszak from Virginia Beach, and it is imperative that my testimony be shared with all Delegates serving on the House Appropriations Committee and Senators serving on the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee. I am currently dealing with COVID and nursing home placement due to the current caregiver crisis that places all of Virginia’s disabled and elderly citizens at risk like me. I am submitting my written testimony should my current situation make it impossible for me to share my testimony live during the public hearing Wednesday via Zoom. Thank you.

Hello My name is Monica Carney I,m the owner of A Special Touch Home Health Care I employee 7 employees, its hard to staff a 56 hour case due to aide shortage then to pay time 1/2 will equal $16.50 pr hour when the rate is $17.22 .My office rent went up ,my 2.3 insurance policy went up the sad part is i have a good set of aides but im not making any money How do i suppose to stay open and pay time 1/2,,rent on office space and a insurance premium?

Please eliminate the state's cap on school support staff. This will help ensure a productive and safe learning environments for all and will help meet the learning needs of our students in and out of the classroom.

For 3 long years I lived in fear of a repeat violent felon who obtained a firearm via a "straw man" purchaser, a relative, who knew well the danger he was contributing to. Despite law enforcement awareness of the situation, sadly, one of the bullets I believe was meant for me shattered the leg of a five year old, another narrowly missed her brother's head as they huddled in terror behind a locked bathroom door. Stories like this are all too common and they can be prevented but only when adults have the political courage to take a stand for public safety. We all know of brave law enforcement officers, soldiers, sailers, and Marines suffering post traumatic stress from gun battles. Imagine the impact on an innocent child. Please support the proposed budget item for $27.4 million to address gun violence in Virginia. The funds will establish the Center for Firearm Violence Intervention and Prevention at the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), which will work across public safety and public health sectors to collect data and publish reports on violence caused by firearms. The information will be shared with state and local agencies, higher education institutions, research institutions, hospitals and other medical care facilities, and community-based organizations. The center will also establish model policies for law-enforcement personnel. Thanks goes to Senator Jennifer McClellan and Delegate Marcia Price for submitting legislation to establish the center.

Please support the proposed budget item for $27.4 million to address gun violence in Virginia. The funds will establish the Center for Firearm Violence Intervention and Prevention at the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), which will work across public safety and public health sectors to collect data and publish reports on violence caused by firearms. The information will be shared with state and local agencies, higher education institutions, research institutions, hospitals and other medical care facilities, and community-based organizations. The center will also establish model policies for law-enforcement personnel. Senator Jennifer McClellan is submitting legislation with Delegate Marcia Price to establish the center.

I would like to know why there is a difference of about 340 million dollars for the Office of Natural and Historic Resources from FY23 to FY24. I would like to know what merits a 329 million dollar reduction in funding to the Department of Conservation and Recreation? Does the state get the deposits to the Water Quality Improvement Fund back or does this mean that DCR has just lost 329 million dollars in funding for the foreseeable future?

VOCAL is a peer-driven, statewide organization that supports the community of people recovering from challenges in behavioral health. We believe in transformative personal recovery, and that people can achieve their personal best when affordable, accessible community supports and services are available. Please prioritize funding for community-based, effective, and timely services to ensure that citizens have access to appropriate mental health care.

I am writing today to urge the committee to increase the reimbursement rates for home health companies proving PCAs and CNAs to the community. Individuals are requiring the services of qualified and compassionate care givers in the comfort of their own homes. With the current minimum wage increase and the current Medicaid reimbursement rates, it is impossible to remain in business . Please help us provide the much needed care to our community. Thank you so much for the opportunity to voice my request.

Please support the proposed budget item for $27.4 million to address gun violence in Virginia. The funds will establish the Center for Firearm Violence Intervention and Prevention at the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), which will work across public safety and public health sectors to collect data and publish reports on violence caused by firearms. The information will be shared with state and local agencies, higher education institutions, research institutions, hospitals and other medical care facilities, and community-based organizations. The center will also establish model policies for law-enforcement personnel. Senator Jennifer McClellan is submitting legislation with Delegate Marcia Price to establish the center.

Good morning, haska tutustua y buenas mananas a todos! Today is an important day for me. Seven years ago an ischemic stroke took away my ability to effectively communicate, and today I can use my voice. I’ll tell you about my experience with brain injury, and what survivors like me need. I always led a dynamic life. As a multi-lingual, multicultural community organizer and trainer, I helped non-profits all over the world, and in my home of Colombia. My efforts focused on public health, including HIV prevention and serving on the National Council of La Raza, now Unidos U.S. I also taught salsa and merengue. My work and my devotion to my wife and three children took me to East Africa. It was when I returned to work for the School of Public Health at George Washington University that my life changed. Two weeks into the job, I suffered a stroke at 1 a.m. I lay in bed 8 hours waiting or help. My two sons lay on my chest telling me: Everything will be all right. The stroke affected the left hemisphere of my brain. I had confusion and memory issues. I developed a stutter. As a successful communicator, I’d conducted my advocacy work in English, Spanish, French, Finnish, and Swahili. I lost all of these abilities. Unfortunately, I was not given the resources I needed: the imaging studies, neurologist, therapists, psychiatrist and other providers that would eventually show me a path back to life. I was left on my own for six years. I suffered a tremendous depression. My marriage did not survive the strain. After six years, through a series of referrals, I put together a successful team of providers and services. I began to rebuild my life through various therapies, nutrition, meditation, and prayer. I thought the public health system I’d fought for would be there to break my fall. Instead I fell through the cracks. If this could happen to a highly educated, high-performing individual who worked in public health, what chance does the average survivor have? Today, nearly 300,000 Virginians are disabled because of TBIs and stroke. Here’s what we need: More resources for non-profits to achieve statewide coverage for TBI survivors, so nobody is left behind. We need minorities, Latinx, African Americans, and Native Americans in the decision-making process. And we need a statewide campaign to inform lawmakers and the public about traumatic brain injury. Because, like you, survivors want to do our part to continue to make this country a great place to live and raise our families.

I urge support of the proposed budget item for $27.4 million to address gun violence in Virginia. The funds will establish the Center for Firearm Violence Intervention and Prevention at the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), which will work across public safety and public health sectors to collect data and publish reports on violence caused by firearms. The information will be shared with state and local agencies, higher education institutions, research institutions, hospitals and other medical care facilities, and community-based organizations. The center will also establish model policies for law-enforcement personnel. Senator Jennifer McClellan is submitting legislation with Delegate Marcia Price to establish the center.

Medicaid reimbursement rates to direct service providers for people with developmental disabilities have been very low for many years making it difficult to attract and keep staff - even those who want to stay in the field. Even people who are receiving Medicaid waivers are having difficulty finding service providers. Increasing the number of Medicaid waiver slots does nothing if people can't find service providers. I have an adult nonverbal autistic son. My husband and I are in our 70s and were finding it difficult to take care of him in our home. He is now living in his own apartment with support from Hope House. He is delighted with his new life and we are relieved that he is being so well taken care of. Staff are wonderful, but they aren't making a living wage. Even though they love their jobs, many leave because they can make several more dollars an hour working at places like Target. Governor Northam has proposed a significant increase in reimbursement rates. Please support this increase. Thank you for your service. Muriel Hecht

Comments Document

Solitary Confinement, also known as "restorative housing," "restrictive housing." or "general detention" in Virginia's prisons is the practice of keeping an incarcerated individual isolated in a cell alone or with one other person for 20 or more hours a day. The United Nations and medical community recognize that after 14 consecutive days in solitary confinement long term severe mental and physical health harm occurs and they call it torture. In Virginia we still use this practice in our state prisons. According to the Department of Corrections last year they kept someone in extended solitary confinement for more than 14 days 3672. In recent years Virginia has spent millions of dollars in settlements and legal fees to defend the practice of keeping people in solitary confinement. Every state that has eliminated long term solitary confinement has also seen either a cost savings or no long term increase in costs. I am asking you to support the budget amendment for the Senate bill being introduced by Senators Morrissey and Vogel that will end extended solitary confinement in Virginia. It is worth spending some money upfront to end the practice of torturing Virginians in our prisons.