Comments Document

Dear Chairman Ware and M The Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation strongly supports SB 8. Please see the attached letter from 15 sportsmen's groups in support of this bill. Thank you, John Culclasure 3508 Crossings Way Midlothian, VA 23113

As a lifelong VA resident and hunter, I implore you to pass SB8 and SB492. Hunting and trapping are fundamental ways of life for many Virginia’s. Many hard working residents are shorted 50% of their available hunting time because of out of date laws that are not based on science blocking Sunday hunting. For people working Monday-Friday, Saturday is the only day available for them to pass along the traditions to their children. Please pas these bills to keep Virginia’s hunting and trapping heritage alive and help it thrive! Thank you!

My husband is a avid Hunter. I am a avid trail rider on horseback. This will only cause conflict with other National Forest users hikers, bikers, etc. It will also be putting people using the National Forest that are non hunters in crave danger. Non hunting people should get to have 1 day to enjoy nature without worrying about being shot.

Iam a avid hunter and I think this would only cause conflict between other people and groups wanting to use the national forest. I strongly think that others should have the opportunity to the land.

First of all, I want to thank your for your service to the Commonwealth of Virginia. I write in support of Senate Bill 8, “SB 8 Hunting on Sundays; permits hunting on public or private land, etc.” I am a new hunter, and am learning that it is difficult to find and make time to enjoy the practice on public lands. As with many other working Virginians, the best time tends to be weekends. Not only would allowing Sunday hunting improve access, it will improve equity for a broad swath of Virginians. You may be aware that it is currently legal to hunt on privately owned land in Virginia. This means that a large section of non-landowners is currently at a disadvantage to more well-off or well-connected Virginians. I hope you will consider these points and support SB8.

I would just like to say it is unbelievable with all the great things hunting dollars go towards that we are not allowed to hunt public lands on Sundays. I could post numbers but I’m sure many already have, and they’re very simple to look up. Hunters are the driving force behind conservation for these exact lands that we are being prohibited from enjoying on Sundays. This is a ridiculous law and it’s shameful it’s still there. Open public land hunting on Sundays!

I am in support of SB8 and ask you to vote yes on SB8. I, like many Virginians, work 40 or more hours per week Monday through Friday and the weekends are my only opportunity to hunt. By allowing hunting on Sundays on public lands, that doubles working-class hunters' opportunities to harvest game. In turn, that doubles some hunters' chances to provide healthy, sustainable wild game for our families, which is a primary reason that I hunt. As quoted from the Virginia DNR website, the "economic impact of deer hunting in Virginia is over $500 million annually", and that does not include additional revenue that is generated from small game, upland bird, turkey or bear, all of which are currently unlawful to hunt on Sundays on public lands due to an archaic law. Currently, Virginia is one of only seven states in the United States that still has laws banning Sunday hunting in some form, which can lead to residents heading across the borders and turning to out-of-state options. Our state's public lands should be able to be enjoyed by all who are able to access them, including hunters, regardless of day of the week. I am in support of SB8 and ask you to vote YES!

Comments Document

Dear Natural Resources Sub-Committee: The Virginia Bowhunters Association is one of the oldest hunting advocacy groups in the Commonwealth, and we were instrumental in getting bowhunting approved by Virginia’s Game Department in 1949. We believe our position represents Virginia’s 95,000 bowhunters. We urge you to vote YES on SB 8 for these reasons: • Sunday hunting is safe for all users. We have worked with the VA DWR to look at the records and there has been only ONE two-person hunting incident involving a non-hunter on public land in the last 10 years. Clearly it is safe for hunters and non-hunters to use our public lands simultaneously. • The Board of the VA DWR supports Sunday hunting. The Board states that there is no game management reason for continuing a ban on hunting on public land. The Board’s Resolution of October 2021 calls for ALL Virginia hunters and recreational enthusiasts to be treated equally and given full access to public land. • Positive Economic Impact. SB 8 will create nearly 4,000 new jobs and increase the state economy by almost $300 million. (Sunday Hunting Coalition, led by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and joined by 16 other outdoor organizations). • Sunday hunting is widespread and successful. Currently 46 states allow hunting on Sunday to some extent. When Sunday hunting on private land was passed in Virginia, the “widespread conflicts” predicted by opponents did not materialize. Game populations have not been harmed. (Roanoke Times, VA DWR, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation) • Sunday as a mandatory day of rest restricts the rights of individuals to choose their own form and time of rest and worship. Golf, fishing, boating (all more dangerous than hunting) and almost all other forms of outdoor recreation are allowed on Sunday. Thank you for your consideration. Larry Readal VBA Publicity Director

Comments Document

See attached.

Comments Document

Dear Chairman Ware and Members of the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee, Please see the attached letter from the hunting conservation community in support of SB 8 which would allow Sunday hunting on public lands. Also attached is the resolution adopted in October 2021 by the Virginia Board of Wildlife Resources expressing support for allowing Sunday hunting on public lands. Signatories include: American Woodcock Society Capital Region Backcountry Hunters and Anglers Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation Delta Waterfowl National Deer Association National Rifle Association National Shooting Sports Foundation Pheasants Forever Quail Forever Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Ruffed Grouse Society Safari Club International Virginia Bowhunters Association Virginia Deer Hunters Association Wildlife Foundation of Virginia Thank you for your consideration. Respectfully, John Culclasure Southeastern States Assistant Director Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation 3508 Crossings Way Midlothian, VA 23113

This bill is very important to hunters all over Virginia. As an average joe working citizen, Saturday and Sunday are the only days I am able to recreate. By allowing Sunday hunting on public lands, many Virginian’s including myself would be able to essentially double our time in the field. As an avid bird hunter I often walk miles in search on my game. The only spaces left in Virginia large enough to do this is our public lands. While there are many proponents against this bill, it should be noted that most of the funding for these lands comes from hunting license and forest use permits. I hope that you will consider these points that I have submitted for your consideration. Thanks, Chase Werner

I stand behind this Bill. I think it would be a great way to get our hunter recruitment numbers up and allow the people that can’t afford a big private lease, an opportunity to enjoy Virginias hunting traditions on Sunday on public land.

Honorable Delegate(s), On behalf of Virginia Public Land Hunters and Fisherman, a group of just under 10,000 Virginia public land users, we are in full support of SB8. This bill has received strong local support in the hunting community of Virginia, along with national support among out of state hunters and visitors of the Commonwealth. We know that over 20,000 individual emails have been sent to the members of the Committee on Agriculture Chesapeake and Natural Resources from our members and our partnerships alone. Access is one of the leading issues among public land users in the nation, and it is past time to provide access parity to hunters in the Commonwealth. It has been 8 years since this legislative body created access inequality in hunting. Private land owners have been permitted to hunt their lands since 2014, creating inequity of opportunity with obvious reward to wealth, prestige, and landownership. The most polarizing subject of bills such as SB8 remains religious rights. Disallowing Sunday hunting is a true religious liberties issue, forcing largely Christian viewpoints and “day of rest” beliefs on other religious and non-religious users of public land. With respect to religious activity, Individuals should have choice on Sundays. They are given that choice in all other public land recreation, and given that choice on private land. Hunting is the only otherwise legal activity you can not participate in on Sundays on our beautiful public lands within the Commonwealth. This bill has a necessary and incredible compromise with respect to all, to protect choice and religious liberty, with the clause “so long as it takes place more than 200 yards of a place of worship.” Passing SB8, legalizing Sunday Hunting on Public land within the Commonwealth will provide increased access and opportunity for groups like ours and DWR’s mentorship program(s) to teach youth, college students, and adults when their busy class and work schedules allow. Many of these hard working citizens of the Commonwealth simply cannot recreate Monday through Friday, making it that much more difficult to mentor them with only 1 day available per week during limited seasons. Family and life tends to get in the way when only 1 day is available for recreation, and it is no secret this limitation leads to lower recruitment, retention, and success of hunters and mentorship programs. SB8 literally doubles the amount of days available to us to share principles of safety, and ethics like “leave no trace,” and “leave it better than you found it.” At VAPLHF, Our mission is to protect, preserve, and conserve public lands, habitats, and wildlife for future generations within the Commonwealth. Sunday hunting will allow us to further this mission and keep our public lands beautiful and bountiful for years to come. Once again, On behalf of Virginia Public Land Hunters and Fisherman, I Thank you for your time and consideration. I ask for your leadership in support of SB8 and Sunday Hunting within the Commonwealth. Sincerely, Eric Lehmann Founder VAPLHF

As a life-long Virginian and hunter, I write to express my support for SB 8. As you know, that Bill passed the Senate with strong support. SB 8 would legalize hunting on Sunday on public lands throughout Virginia. As the Bill has been assigned to your committee in the House, I urge you to support it and to advance it to the full House of Delegates for a vote. As I have previously pointed out to my Delegate for the 55th District, Buddy Fowler (who is also a member of your committee and subcommittee), under current law hunting on Sunday is legal on private land, with the landowner's permission. As fewer and fewer hunters have access to private land, access to public land for hunting is increasingly important in order to preserve Virginia's hunting tradition and to encourage a new generation of hunters and anglers. Prohibiting hunting on public land on Sundays only dissuades and discourages hunters, new and old alike, who have no other access to hunting lands. The decline in active hunters is not just a concern for the hunting community, but for all Virginians who care about wildlife conservation. As you may be aware, most of the funding for conservation in Virginia, and nationwide, comes from the hunting community via the sale of hunting licenses and excise taxes on sales of arms, ammunition, archery tackle, and other hunting gear. Those funds support habitat preservation, and they fund the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. The single greatest threat to wildlife here and elsewhere is habitat loss, and it is the hunting community's investment in the preservation of wild habitat through hunters' purchases of licenses and gear that gives wild habitat a positive economic value, to counterbalance the ever-present desire of real estate developers to eliminate wild spaces in favor of development. Hunters also fund the DWR in its policing of hunting seasons and its apprehension of poachers. For non-hunters who treasure Virginia's wildlife and wild spaces, the willingness and desire of hunters to invest in those resources is of tremendous value and importance. For that reason, laws that discourage hunters from participating in hunting activity threaten the goal shared by hunters and non-hunters alike of preserving wild species of all types, not just game species. As a hunter who relies entirely on access to public land, I have been dismayed in recent years at the General Assembly's continued failure to make public land available for hunting on Sundays. As I am unable to hunt on Sundays due to this public-land prohibition, my hunting license is devalued by a minimum of one seventh compared to hunters who have access to private land, yet I pay the same price for my license as they do for theirs. Furthermore, as I am typically only able to go hunting on weekends, in reality my license is devalued by 50 percent compared to hunters who can access private land, yet I pay the same, full freight for my hunting license. The situation is manifestly unjust - and it also stands as a significant factor in causing long-time hunters to abandon the sport, and in discouraging persons interested in hunting from taking up the pursuit from doing so. This is particularly true for individuals in lower income brackets, who cannot afford the costs associated with accessing private lands through purchase or lease arrangements. Accessible public hunting land on Sunday is vital for hunters, for wildlife, and for all who treasure it

Dear House of Delegates Members, I hope you will support Senate Bill 8 to eliminate the last vestiges of archaic blue laws discriminating against Sunday hunting on public lands. Virginia is home to countless sportsmen and women. Our Commonwealth must maintain its hunting heritage and expand opportunities so it doesn't fall behind. More hunting opportunities will lead to more dollars spent on guns and ammunition, which ultimately regenerate and replenish conservation funding. Outdoor recreation is an integral part of our Commonwealth's economy. Bolstering hunting opportunities is good for Virginia, our economy, our wildlife, and our people. Please vote to allow Sunday hunting on public lands. Thank you for your consideration. Gabriella Hoffman Award-Winning Outdoor Writer & District of Conservation Podcast Host

Here in Virginia, it’s estimated that 30 percent of all households are home to a horse enthusiast, and the state ranks 12th overall for horse population in America, according to the Virginia Horse Industry Board. The horse industry generated an economic impact of more than $540 million and supported more than 5,000 jobs across the Commonwealth in 2019, according to the Virginia Equine Alliance. The Virginia Horse Industry Board states that nearly a million horse lovers and admirers travel to Virginia each year to enjoy and participate in equine activities, with trail riding being the number one activity. From wine tours to thrilling mountain trails with incredible vistas, resorts and ranches, trail riding is one of the biggest industry uses of equines in our state. Many businesses bring in tourists revenues from outside Virginia that allow people to experience the vast scenic opportunites of our great state by horseback. Horse owners list trail riding in National Forests, Wildlife Management Areas and State Parks and National Parks as one of their greatest use of the horses owned in Virginia, according to polls from the Virginia Horse Council and the Horse Industry Board. During the Autumn and early winter months, which coincides with major hunting seasons, these out of state tourists bring much money into our state on weekends as they anticipate being able to ride in the forests on Sundays. Large amounts of money from Virginia's very profitable equine industry goes to maintaining horses for recreational riding on trails, involving tack and clothes stores, vet services, farrier services, feed stores, camping and outdoor adventure stores and so much more. Many of these people are also avid hunters and appreciate the ability to be able to participate in both sports because of an equitable split of the weekend to protect both groups. I realize there are hunters who are in favor of this change but I believe it is in the best interests of the community to oppose hunting on Sunday for safety reasons. I know the majority of hunters practice safety, but everyone does not hunt responsibly and accidents happen every year. It is the one day of the week when equestrians can safely ride on public lands during this time. Discharging of firearms in the national forest while there are riders and hikers and bikers out and about is just asking for conflicts and deadly serious safety concerns. Please vote no on "SB 8 Hunting on Sundays; permits hunting on public or private land."

The prohibition of hunting on Sundays is a strange archaic rule that should not exist. For most Virginians, we are only able to hunt on Saturdays and Sundays. This forces public land hunters to pile into Wildlife Management Areas on Saturdays where there is no room to hunt. Allowing hunting on Sundays is important for wildlife management and hunter safety. Support SB8

The City of Portsmouth strongly supports these initiatives.

Thank you for your support of this bill. The City of Portsmouth strongly supports this initiative.

The majority of these bills surround the extremely important problem of the continued extreme cruelty to animals in facilities like those owned by Envigo which have thrived under current laws. Despite promises to do better after being confronted with their abuse, Envigo has continued their disgusting treatment of the animals in their care. To not act after they have time and again shown a great deal of apathy towards making changes and fulfilling their promises to revise their practices would give the same message and have the same effect as openly approving of these repulsive actions. Thus far I have not seen a single reasonable excuse for these type of actions being legal outside of the monetary gain of the companies who cut corners at the price of animal lives. These companies are not however the ones who should be catered to, but the people and looking through the comments I am seeing in this forum it is clear what the people want- for these useless foul actions to be prevented and for the law to reflect our ethics.

Comments Document

Last year, news agencies around the country reported on atrocious conditions uncovered at Envigo, a beagle breeding facility in Cumberland County, VA. Violations found at the facility included dead and injured animals who received no veterinary care, grimy enclosures infested with feces, and many other issues. Severe problems were discovered all across the facility, which at time of inspection housed nearly 5,000 dogs bound for research facilities around the world. They sell 500 dogs a month which equates to an astronomical number of animals over 61 years. Envigo has been operating without any state oversight since 1961. Clearly the inspections being done by the USDA are not enough to ensure the humane treatment of animals at the facility, as evidenced by repeat violations cited at the facility--many of which are classified as "critical" or "direct." Paying any monetary fines are simply another cost of doing business. Envigo does not deserve "another chance" if there is further delay in passing and enacting these laws. It is time to protect these defenseless and voiceless animals that suffer here in Virginia under deplorable living conditions before they are shipped off to be experimented on and worse. As you know, we have made great progress toward protecting animals in our state but we can do better. The next step is to support passage of legislation that will provide better safeguards for animals in research breeding facilities. Please support of any of the following bills would be greatly appreciated: SB 87, SB 88, SB 90, SB 442, SB 457, SB 535, SB 604 and HB 1350. The attached press release from the Virginia Coalition for Beagle Protection summarizes the bills and how they will help these animals. Thank you for your consideration.

Both the House and Senate have recognized that research breeders need regulation which is currently absent in VA code. Bills passed by the House seek to close down bad actors [Envigo], while Senate bills seek to solve pieces of the problem (reporting/adoption/limiting size) while allowing operations to continue in a "one-last-chance" approach. We need the offered Senate bills to clean up the current bad mess, and to prevent problems with future breeders that may come to fill the research breeder void. But the House bills, passed by wide majorities, will end the suffering of these noble animals NOW. Please support the Senate's animal bills for the role they will have in regulating future research breeders, as the House bill closes the current problem breeder which has had too many "last chances".

The majority of these bills surround the extremely important problem of the continued extreme cruelty to animals in facilities like those owned by Envigo which have thrived under current laws. Despite promises to do better after being confronted with their abuse, Envigo has continued their disgusting treatment of the animals in their care. To not act after they have time and again shown a great deal of apathy towards making changes and fulfilling their promises to revise their practices would give the same message and have the same effect as openly approving of these repulsive actions. Thus far I have not seen a single reasonable excuse for these type of actions being legal outside of the monetary gain of the companies who cut corners at the price of animal lives. These companies are not however the ones who should be catered to, but the people and looking through the comments I am seeing in this forum it is clear what the people want- for these useless foul actions to be prevented and for the law to reflect our ethics.

Comments Document

Last year, news agencies around the country reported on atrocious conditions uncovered at Envigo, a beagle breeding facility in Cumberland County, VA. Violations found at the facility included dead and injured animals who received no veterinary care, grimy enclosures infested with feces, and many other issues. Severe problems were discovered all across the facility, which at time of inspection housed nearly 5,000 dogs bound for research facilities around the world. They sell 500 dogs a month which equates to an astronomical number of animals over 61 years. Envigo has been operating without any state oversight since 1961. Clearly the inspections being done by the USDA are not enough to ensure the humane treatment of animals at the facility, as evidenced by repeat violations cited at the facility--many of which are classified as "critical" or "direct." Paying any monetary fines are simply another cost of doing business. Envigo does not deserve "another chance" if there is further delay in passing and enacting these laws. It is time to protect these defenseless and voiceless animals that suffer here in Virginia under deplorable living conditions before they are shipped off to be experimented on and worse. As you know, we have made great progress toward protecting animals in our state but we can do better. The next step is to support passage of legislation that will provide better safeguards for animals in research breeding facilities. Please support of any of the following bills would be greatly appreciated: SB 87, SB 88, SB 90, SB 442, SB 457, SB 535, SB 604 and HB 1350. The attached press release from the Virginia Coalition for Beagle Protection summarizes the bills and how they will help these animals. Thank you for your consideration.

Both the House and Senate have recognized that research breeders need regulation which is currently absent in VA code. Bills passed by the House seek to close down bad actors [Envigo], while Senate bills seek to solve pieces of the problem (reporting/adoption/limiting size) while allowing operations to continue in a "one-last-chance" approach. We need the offered Senate bills to clean up the current bad mess, and to prevent problems with future breeders that may come to fill the research breeder void. But the House bills, passed by wide majorities, will end the suffering of these noble animals NOW. Please support the Senate's animal bills for the role they will have in regulating future research breeders, as the House bill closes the current problem breeder which has had too many "last chances".

The majority of these bills surround the extremely important problem of the continued extreme cruelty to animals in facilities like those owned by Envigo which have thrived under current laws. Despite promises to do better after being confronted with their abuse, Envigo has continued their disgusting treatment of the animals in their care. To not act after they have time and again shown a great deal of apathy towards making changes and fulfilling their promises to revise their practices would give the same message and have the same effect as openly approving of these repulsive actions. Thus far I have not seen a single reasonable excuse for these type of actions being legal outside of the monetary gain of the companies who cut corners at the price of animal lives. These companies are not however the ones who should be catered to, but the people and looking through the comments I am seeing in this forum it is clear what the people want- for these useless foul actions to be prevented and for the law to reflect our ethics.

Comments Document

Last year, news agencies around the country reported on atrocious conditions uncovered at Envigo, a beagle breeding facility in Cumberland County, VA. Violations found at the facility included dead and injured animals who received no veterinary care, grimy enclosures infested with feces, and many other issues. Severe problems were discovered all across the facility, which at time of inspection housed nearly 5,000 dogs bound for research facilities around the world. They sell 500 dogs a month which equates to an astronomical number of animals over 61 years. Envigo has been operating without any state oversight since 1961. Clearly the inspections being done by the USDA are not enough to ensure the humane treatment of animals at the facility, as evidenced by repeat violations cited at the facility--many of which are classified as "critical" or "direct." Paying any monetary fines are simply another cost of doing business. Envigo does not deserve "another chance" if there is further delay in passing and enacting these laws. It is time to protect these defenseless and voiceless animals that suffer here in Virginia under deplorable living conditions before they are shipped off to be experimented on and worse. As you know, we have made great progress toward protecting animals in our state but we can do better. The next step is to support passage of legislation that will provide better safeguards for animals in research breeding facilities. Please support of any of the following bills would be greatly appreciated: SB 87, SB 88, SB 90, SB 442, SB 457, SB 535, SB 604 and HB 1350. The attached press release from the Virginia Coalition for Beagle Protection summarizes the bills and how they will help these animals. Thank you for your consideration.

Both the House and Senate have recognized that research breeders need regulation which is currently absent in VA code. Bills passed by the House seek to close down bad actors [Envigo], while Senate bills seek to solve pieces of the problem (reporting/adoption/limiting size) while allowing operations to continue in a "one-last-chance" approach. We need the offered Senate bills to clean up the current bad mess, and to prevent problems with future breeders that may come to fill the research breeder void. But the House bills, passed by wide majorities, will end the suffering of these noble animals NOW. Please support the Senate's animal bills for the role they will have in regulating future research breeders, as the House bill closes the current problem breeder which has had too many "last chances".

As the President of a 501c3 land trust, Broad Water Innovations, I am writing in support of SB188. Our organization holds easements and serves as the Long Term Steward of stream and wetland mitigation banks as well as stream nutrient projects. As it currently stands, the code would require a Trustee to hold endowment funds for the Long Term Stewardship of stream nutrient banks. After doing significant research, we have not found a qualifying trustee that would charge less than $2500 to $5000 a year just to hold the endowment funds. These endowments are not of significant enough size to absorb those sorts of additional fees. The result would be the ultimate depletion of these endowments over time. SB188 provides a proven solution that works in 404 banking, and that will most importantly ensure there is funding in perpetuity to protect these important lands. Tee Clarkson President, Broad Water Innovations

The City of Portsmouth strongly supports these initiatives.

Please support SB 551, Flood Resiliency and Protection. We can expect an increased number of events that cause flooding in the future. The citizens of Virginia would be well-served by a program and plan to mitigate, protect and prepare.

SB 551 (Marsden) provides potentially large savings at minimal cost by avoiding expensive mistakes and strengthening resilience. It coordinates government actions to address flooding and to inventory flood risks throughout Virginia. FEMA says “Floods can happen anywhere.” It requires community outreach to ensure meaningful involvement by affected and vulnerable community residents. In "Virginia and the Surging Sea," Climate Central found more than 25,000 people in the high Social Vulnerability Index class were below 5 feet above sea level.

Please support SB 551 Flood resiliency & protection. We have learned that floods don’t care about jurisdictional boundaries or political preferences. We need a whole state approach to flooding. This bill will ensure meaningful involvement by and protection for affected and vulnerable community residents. In Virginia and the Surging Sea, Climate Central found more than 25,000 people in the high Social Vulnerability Index class were below 5 feet above sea level! We also need bipartisan approval of SB 732 bill, which uses the recommendations of the original Coastal Resilience Master Plan to coordinate actions to address flooding across Virginia. It organizes government efforts with regional and community scale planning, citizen involvement, and up-to-date science. Virginia has had many terrible floods, some coastal, some in the mountains, some along rivers. We can expect more such floods in the future but can use this sensible plan to reduce the risks to lives and property. Given this week's daunting report from the UN IPPC, it is critical that, as our elected leadership, you support these actions NOW to make a what will surely make a critical difference to Virginia's many vulnerable communities. Thank you for giving this plan your serious consideration. Please join with all the members of your committee to pass these bills. And thanks for all your hard work in the General Assembly! Sincerely, and with respect, Jane Klein Goldman

I write to ask for your support of SB732 Climate Resilience. I feel strongly that the Comprehensive Plans for development of and within a community be kept current and relevant, and used as a tool to incorporate new data such as heat mapping, changes in rainfall, and flood risks. Such a plan could reduce the risk of disaster and help areas recover in the event of a disaster. Thank for your work on behalf of all Virginians.

Please support SB551 Flood resiliency and protection. We need a comprehensive approach to flooding such as those of the recommendations of the Coastal Resilience Master Plan that coordinates to address flooding throughout Virginia. In Southwest Virginia flooding is becoming increasingly dramatic and destructive. This plan will help reduce the flooding and therefore lives and property. Thank you for work on behalf of the Commonwealth.

Dear Senators, Climate change is real and threatening many Virginians. Please support SB 551 Flood resiliency & protection. Floods don’t care about jurisdictional boundaries or political preferences. We need a whole state approach to flooding. This bill uses the recommendations of the original Coastal Resilience Master Plan to coordinate actions to address flooding across Virginia. It organizes government efforts with regional and community scale planning, citizen involvement, and up-to-date science. Virginia has had many terrible floods, some coastal, some in the mountains, some along rivers. We should expect more floods in the future and use this sensible plan to reduce the risks to lives and property. Thank you for giving this plan your consideration. And thanks for all your hard work in the General Assembly.

Dear Members of the Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources Committee, Please support SB 551, Flood resiliency and protection and SB 732 Climate Resilience. The first bill focuses on preparing for an increasing number and intensity of floods in the whole Commonwealth, not just on the coast. It is essential to make all communities aware of the danger of flooding and to use the Coastal Resilience Master Plan to coordinate community responses prior to and in response to floods. Virginia is a leader in understanding the problem of flooding and planning effective actions to reduce the risks to life and property. SB 732 enlarges planning efforts to include disaster planning in the Comprehensive Plans of localities. Using technologies such as heat mapping can enable localities to include risk assessments in their plans for the future. All of the senators supported this bill, so I am asking you to do so, too. Yours sincerely, Sidney Johnson

With climate change inevitable and so much of Virginia land susceptible to flooding, this bill will improve our resiliency and coordinate our actions to deal with flooding when not if we are flooded. Please let's plan ahead by supporting this important bill.

Support SB 551, please. We need coordinated government response throughout our state. We are all vulnerable to flooding and environmental threats.

Please support SB 551 - Flood resiliency & protection. Floods don’t care about jurisdictional boundaries or political preferences. We need a whole state approach to flooding. This bill uses the recommendations of the original Coastal Resilience Master Plan to coordinate actions to address flooding across Virginia. It organizes government efforts with regional and community scale planning, citizen involvement, and up-to-date science. Virginia has had many terrible floods, some coastal, some in the mountains, some along rivers. We should expect more floods in the future and use this sensible plan to reduce the risks to lives and property. Thank you for supporting SB 551. And thanks for all your hard work in the General Assembly. Sincerely, Stair Calhoun

Please support SB 551 Flood resiliency & protection. Floods don’t care about jurisdictional boundaries or political preferences. We need a whole state approach to flooding. This bill uses the recommendations of the original Coastal Resilience Master Plan to coordinate actions to address flooding across Virginia. It organizes government efforts with regional and community scale planning, citizen involvement, and up-to-date science. Virginia has had many terrible floods, some coastal, some in the mountains, some along rivers. We should expect more floods in the future and use this sensible plan to reduce the risks to lives and property. Please support SB 732 Climate Resilience. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you for giving this bill your attention, and for all your Committee’s efforts to make Virginia a better place.

Please support SB 551 Flood resiliency & protection. Floods don’t care about jurisdictional boundaries or political preferences. We need a whole state approach to flooding. This bill uses the recommendations of the original Coastal Resilience Master Plan to coordinate actions to address flooding across Virginia. It organizes government efforts with regional and community scale planning, citizen involvement, and up-to-date science. Virginia has had many terrible floods, some coastal, some in the mountains, some along rivers. We should expect more floods in the future and use this sensible plan to reduce the risks to lives and property. Thank you for giving this plan your consideration. And thanks for all your hard work in the General Assembly.

Please support SB 551 Flood resiliency & protection. Floods don’t care about jurisdictional boundaries or political preferences. We need a whole state approach to flooding. This bill uses the recommendations of the original Coastal Resilience Master Plan to coordinate actions to address flooding across Virginia. It organizes government efforts with regional and community scale planning, citizen involvement, and up-to-date science. Virginia has had many terrible floods, some coastal, some in the mountains, some along rivers. We should expect more floods in the future and use this sensible plan to reduce the risks to lives and property. Thank you for giving this plan your consideration. And thanks for all your hard work in the General Assembly.

The City of Portsmouth strongly supports these initiatives.

Please support SB 551 Flood resiliency & protection. Floods don’t care about jurisdictional boundaries or political preferences. We need a whole state approach to flooding. This bill uses the recommendations of the original Coastal Resilience Master Plan to coordinate actions to address flooding across Virginia. It organizes government efforts with regional and community scale planning, citizen involvement, and up-to-date science. Virginia has had many terrible floods, some coastal, some in the mountains, some along rivers. We should expect more floods in the future and use this sensible plan to reduce the risks to lives and property. Thank you for giving this plan your consideration. And thanks for all your hard work in the General Assembly.

Please support SB 551 Flood resiliency & protection. Floods don’t care about jurisdictional boundaries or political preferences. We need a whole state approach to flooding. This bill uses the recommendations of the original Coastal Resilience Master Plan to coordinate actions to address flooding across Virginia. It organizes government efforts with regional and community scale planning, citizen involvement, and up-to-date science. Virginia has had many terrible floods, some coastal, some in the mountains, some along rivers. We should expect more floods in the future and use this sensible plan to reduce the risks to lives and property. Thank you for giving this plan your consideration. And thanks for all your hard work in the General Assembly.

Please support SB 551 Flood resiliency & protection. Floods don’t care about jurisdictional boundaries or political preferences. We need a whole state approach to flooding. This bill uses the recommendations of the original Coastal Resilience Master Plan to coordinate actions to address flooding across Virginia. It organizes government efforts with regional and community scale planning, citizen involvement, and up-to-date science. Virginia has had many terrible floods, some coastal, some in the mountains, some along rivers. We should expect more floods in the future and use this sensible plan to reduce the risks to lives and property. AND Please support SB 732 Climate Resilience. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you for giving this plan your consideration. And thanks for all your hard work in the General Assembly .

Dear Delegate: Please support Senate Bill 551, which provides for appointment of a Chief Resilience Officer to help coordinate Virginia's response to floods. I personally experienced a flash flood event when commuting to work early on an August morning in 2019. It was terrifying and totally unexpected on a major Interstate in Northern Virginia. As I learned, floods can happen any time and almost any where. They are becoming more frequent and less predictable. But better preparation and coordination across our State will allow us to survive. SB 551 organizes government efforts with regional and community scale planning, citizen involvement, and up-to-date science. It will help us protect lives and property and I urge you to support it. Thank you for your hard work this session. Sincerely, Sarah Mayhew Fairfax, VA 22032

Please support SB 551 Flood resiliency & protection. Floods don’t care about jurisdictional boundaries or political preferences. We need a whole state approach to flooding. This bill uses the recommendations of the original Coastal Resilience Master Plan to coordinate actions to address flooding across Virginia. It organizes government efforts with regional and community scale planning, citizen involvement, and up-to-date science. Virginia has had many terrible floods, some coastal, some in the mountains, some along rivers. We should expect more floods in the future and use this sensible plan to reduce the risks to lives and property. Thank you for giving this plan your consideration. And thanks for all your hard work in the General Assembly.

Please support SB551 which implements recommendations from the first Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan. We need strategies to minimize the impact of floods because, as FEMA has learned, “Floods can happen anywhere.” Last summer, the town of Hurley in Buchanan County was swept away by flood and mud. On the coastal side of Virginia over 110 thousand people live less than five feet above sea level and 25 thousand of them are poor or especially vulnerable in other ways. Meanwhile, the increasing frequency and severity of floods has put the National Flood Insurance Program over $20 billion in debt with the likelihood of more disastrous storms before the past disasters are paid off. We cannot count on the federal government to rescue Virginia as the town of Hurley sadly learned. We need regional and community scale planning, citizen involvement, and up-to-date science to reduce our risks before floods damage our state economy as well as homes and businesses. Thank you for taking the time to consider these points in the midst of your hectic legislative schedule.

Please support SB 551 Flood resiliency & protection. Floods don’t care about jurisdictional boundaries or political preferences. We need a whole state approach to flooding. This bill uses the recommendations of the original Coastal Resilience Master Plan to coordinate actions to address flooding across Virginia. It organizes government efforts with regional and community scale planning, citizen involvement, and up-to-date science. Virginia has had many terrible floods, some coastal, some in the mountains, some along rivers. We should expect more floods in the future and use this sensible plan to reduce the risks to lives and property. Thank you for giving this plan your consideration. And thanks for all your hard work in the General Assembly.

Please support SB 551 Flood resiliency & protection. Floods don’t care about jurisdictional boundaries or political preferences. We need a whole state approach to flooding. This bill uses the recommendations of the original Coastal Resilience Master Plan to coordinate actions to address flooding across Virginia. It organizes government efforts with regional and community scale planning, citizen involvement, and up-to-date science. Virginia has had many terrible floods, some coastal, some in the mountains, some along rivers. We should expect more floods in the future and use this sensible plan to reduce the risks to lives and property. Thank you for giving this plan your consideration. And thanks for all your hard work in the General Assembly.

Please support SB 551 Flood resiliency & protection. Floods don’t care about jurisdictional boundaries or political preferences. We need a whole state approach to flooding. This bill uses the recommendations of the original Coastal Resilience Master Plan to coordinate actions to address flooding across Virginia. It organizes government efforts with regional and community scale planning, citizen involvement, and up-to-date science. Virginia has had many terrible floods, some coastal, some in the mountains, some along rivers. We should expect more floods in the future and use this sensible plan to reduce the risks to lives and property. Thank you for giving this plan your consideration. And thanks for all your hard work in the General Assembly. Nancy Priddy

The majority of these bills surround the extremely important problem of the continued extreme cruelty to animals in facilities like those owned by Envigo which have thrived under current laws. Despite promises to do better after being confronted with their abuse, Envigo has continued their disgusting treatment of the animals in their care. To not act after they have time and again shown a great deal of apathy towards making changes and fulfilling their promises to revise their practices would give the same message and have the same effect as openly approving of these repulsive actions. Thus far I have not seen a single reasonable excuse for these type of actions being legal outside of the monetary gain of the companies who cut corners at the price of animal lives. These companies are not however the ones who should be catered to, but the people and looking through the comments I am seeing in this forum it is clear what the people want- for these useless foul actions to be prevented and for the law to reflect our ethics.

Comments Document

Last year, news agencies around the country reported on atrocious conditions uncovered at Envigo, a beagle breeding facility in Cumberland County, VA. Violations found at the facility included dead and injured animals who received no veterinary care, grimy enclosures infested with feces, and many other issues. Severe problems were discovered all across the facility, which at time of inspection housed nearly 5,000 dogs bound for research facilities around the world. They sell 500 dogs a month which equates to an astronomical number of animals over 61 years. Envigo has been operating without any state oversight since 1961. Clearly the inspections being done by the USDA are not enough to ensure the humane treatment of animals at the facility, as evidenced by repeat violations cited at the facility--many of which are classified as "critical" or "direct." Paying any monetary fines are simply another cost of doing business. Envigo does not deserve "another chance" if there is further delay in passing and enacting these laws. It is time to protect these defenseless and voiceless animals that suffer here in Virginia under deplorable living conditions before they are shipped off to be experimented on and worse. As you know, we have made great progress toward protecting animals in our state but we can do better. The next step is to support passage of legislation that will provide better safeguards for animals in research breeding facilities. Please support of any of the following bills would be greatly appreciated: SB 87, SB 88, SB 90, SB 442, SB 457, SB 535, SB 604 and HB 1350. The attached press release from the Virginia Coalition for Beagle Protection summarizes the bills and how they will help these animals. Thank you for your consideration.

Both the House and Senate have recognized that research breeders need regulation which is currently absent in VA code. Bills passed by the House seek to close down bad actors [Envigo], while Senate bills seek to solve pieces of the problem (reporting/adoption/limiting size) while allowing operations to continue in a "one-last-chance" approach. We need the offered Senate bills to clean up the current bad mess, and to prevent problems with future breeders that may come to fill the research breeder void. But the House bills, passed by wide majorities, will end the suffering of these noble animals NOW. Please support the Senate's animal bills for the role they will have in regulating future research breeders, as the House bill closes the current problem breeder which has had too many "last chances".

The City of Portsmouth strongly supports these initiatives.

SUPPORT Senate Bill 707: SB707 creates a Wildlife Corridor Grant Fund. This fund will help implement Virginia’s Wildlife Corridor Action Plan which will recommend a series of high-priority wildlife crossing projects in the fall of 2022. Creating this fund now will help Virginia access federal matching funds in the new Infrastructure Jobs and Investment Act where over $350 million is being made available for wildlife corridor projects. Please support SB707 as an important investment in safer roads for people and wildlife. Over 57 thousand miles of roads carve up our state and make safe passage for wildlife increasingly difficult. By protecting wildlife corridors, we can help wildlife move safely throughout Virginia and maintain critical ecosystem connections. Virginia is also considered a “High Risk” state for wildlife/vehicle collisions, the 12th most dangerous state in the nation. Crashes on our roads cost Virginians over $533 million every year. Funding is needed now to put in place wildlife crossing projects that can reduce both the frequency and cost of these collisions.

Comments Document

Virginia has been a leader in taking action to incorporate habitat connectivity considerations into its infrastructure planning. The 2020 legislation (HB1695) directed the Commonwealth to produce a Wildlife Corridor Action Plan (WCAP) to identify important wildlife corridors and road crossings, and the 2021 bill (SB 1274) directed key agencies to incorporate wildlife corridors and road crossings into their planning. With the WCAP’s expected release this year, now is the time to help fund and implement this plan. This bill will not only provide the home for these much-needed funds to grow, but the funds in this account will make Virginia competitive in leveraging federal dollars through the new Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program that was passed as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. We urge you to pass this piece of legislation and establish this Wildlife Corridor Grant Fund.

Please support SB 732, Climate Resilience. Planning to address climate and weather-related disasters makes it more likely that effective responses will take place in the event of a disaster but will also limit the reach and extent damage.

Please support SB 732 Climate Resilience. It provides potentially large savings at minimal cost by avoiding expensive mistakes and strengthening resilience. There is bipartisan Senate support. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you for giving this bill your attention, and for all your Committee’s efforts to make Virginia a better place.

I write to ask for your support of SB732 Climate Resilience. I feel strongly that the Comprehensive Plans for development of and within a community be kept current and relevant, and used as a tool to incorporate new data such as heat mapping, changes in rainfall, and flood risks. Such a plan could reduce the risk of disaster and help areas recover in the event of a disaster. Thank for your work on behalf of all Virginians.

Dear Senators, We are truly past the 11th hour in controlling the effects of Climate Change. Please support SB 732 Climate Resilience. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you, Margaret Knight McLean, Fairfax County Thank you for giving this bill your attention, and for all your Committee’s efforts to make Virginia a better place.

Dear Senators, Climate change is real and threatening many Virginians. Please support SB 551 Flood resiliency & protection. Floods don’t care about jurisdictional boundaries or political preferences. We need a whole state approach to flooding. This bill uses the recommendations of the original Coastal Resilience Master Plan to coordinate actions to address flooding across Virginia. It organizes government efforts with regional and community scale planning, citizen involvement, and up-to-date science. Virginia has had many terrible floods, some coastal, some in the mountains, some along rivers. We should expect more floods in the future and use this sensible plan to reduce the risks to lives and property. Thank you for giving this plan your consideration. And thanks for all your hard work in the General Assembly.

Dear Members of the Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources Committee, Please support SB 551, Flood resiliency and protection and SB 732 Climate Resilience. The first bill focuses on preparing for an increasing number and intensity of floods in the whole Commonwealth, not just on the coast. It is essential to make all communities aware of the danger of flooding and to use the Coastal Resilience Master Plan to coordinate community responses prior to and in response to floods. Virginia is a leader in understanding the problem of flooding and planning effective actions to reduce the risks to life and property. SB 732 enlarges planning efforts to include disaster planning in the Comprehensive Plans of localities. Using technologies such as heat mapping can enable localities to include risk assessments in their plans for the future. All of the senators supported this bill, so I am asking you to do so, too. Yours sincerely, Sidney Johnson

Climate change is inevitable; it is not a matter of it but when Virginia becomes flooded. This bill will provide for a comprehensive plan of action so we can be prepared to address the many effects flooding will have on our citizens. Please support the effort to be prepared and able to deal with these adverse outcomes.

Support SB732, please. Community planning makes sense on all levels. We need tool of 21st century to get data and develop counter-measures. Let all communities become aware and build protection. Martha Rollins, Norfolk

Please support SB 732 - Climate Resilience. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you for supporting SB 732, and for all your Committee’s efforts to make Virginia a better place. Stair Calhoun

Please support SB 551 Flood resiliency & protection. Floods don’t care about jurisdictional boundaries or political preferences. We need a whole state approach to flooding. This bill uses the recommendations of the original Coastal Resilience Master Plan to coordinate actions to address flooding across Virginia. It organizes government efforts with regional and community scale planning, citizen involvement, and up-to-date science. Virginia has had many terrible floods, some coastal, some in the mountains, some along rivers. We should expect more floods in the future and use this sensible plan to reduce the risks to lives and property. Please support SB 732 Climate Resilience. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you for giving this bill your attention, and for all your Committee’s efforts to make Virginia a better place.

Please support SB 732 Climate Resilience. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you for giving this bill your attention, and for all your Committee’s efforts to make Virginia a better place.

Please support SB 732 Climate Resilience. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you for giving this bill your attention, and for all your Committee’s efforts to make Virginia a better place.

Please support SB 732 Climate Resilience. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you for giving this bill your attention, and for all your Committee’s efforts to make Virginia a better place.

Please support SB 732 Climate Resilience. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you for giving this bill your attention, and for all your Committee’s efforts to make Virginia a better place.

Please support SB 551 Flood resiliency & protection. Floods don’t care about jurisdictional boundaries or political preferences. We need a whole state approach to flooding. This bill uses the recommendations of the original Coastal Resilience Master Plan to coordinate actions to address flooding across Virginia. It organizes government efforts with regional and community scale planning, citizen involvement, and up-to-date science. Virginia has had many terrible floods, some coastal, some in the mountains, some along rivers. We should expect more floods in the future and use this sensible plan to reduce the risks to lives and property. AND Please support SB 732 Climate Resilience. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you for giving this plan your consideration. And thanks for all your hard work in the General Assembly .

Dear Delegate: I urge your support of SB 732, which adds consideration of climate resilience to all localities' Comprehensive Plans. This bill passed the Senate with full bipartisan support. That was not surprising because it is common sense to direct localities to consider how they can prepare for and recover from disasters. Hopefully, most localities have already included disaster planning in their Comprehensive Plans. For those that have not, this bill will add the topic to the list of future events planning that a community must consider. Just like having school children practice with a fire drill makes our schools safer, localities that have a disaster plan and recovery plan will be safer places to live for all citizens. Thank you for your hard work this session and for giving SB 732 the attention it deserves. Sincerely, Sarah Mayhew Fairfax, VA 22032

Please support SB 732 Climate Resilience. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you for giving this bill your attention, and for all your Committee’s efforts to make Virginia a better place.

Please support SB 732 Climate resilience. During over 30 years of working for the city of Virginia Beach, I came to appreciate the value of the city’s comprehensive plan as a land use planning tool and an expression of the city’s vision. I used it as a reference and I assisted with community engagement as part of its periodic review. I learned that, if followed, a well thought out comprehensive plan can prevent unwise and expensive decisions. We have entered an era where old measures like annual rainfall are no longer reliable. To cope, a comprehensive plan must use the latest information to reduce the risk of disaster, and also to recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality improve its resilience. It is just common sense to use all available information to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. Thank you for giving this bill your attention, and for all your efforts to make Virginia a better place.

Please support SB 732 Climate Resilience. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you for giving this bill your attention, and for all your Committee’s efforts to make Virginia a better place.

Please support SB 732 Climate Resilience. As a land use planning tool, a locality’s Comprehensive Plan should use the latest information to prevent unwise and expensive decisions. A Comprehensive Plan should help its locality reduce the risk of disaster, and also recover from unavoidable disaster. New tools and information, for example, heat mapping, can help a locality strengthen its resilience. It is common sense to use every available tool to reduce risks for development and redevelopment. That’s probably why every Senator voted in favor of this bill. I hope your committee will be equally supportive of it. Thank you for giving this bill your attention, and for your work for Virginians!

Please support SB 551 Flood resiliency & protection. Floods don’t care about jurisdictional boundaries or political preferences. We need a whole state approach to flooding. This bill uses the recommendations of the original Coastal Resilience Master Plan to coordinate actions to address flooding across Virginia. It organizes government efforts with regional and community scale planning, citizen involvement, and up-to-date science. Virginia has had many terrible floods, some coastal, some in the mountains, some along rivers. We should expect more floods in the future and use this sensible plan to reduce the risks to lives and property. Thank you for giving this plan your consideration. And thanks for all your hard work in the General Assembly. Nancy Priddy

The City of Portsmouth strongly supports these initiatives.