I am against this bill the way it is worded currently. I actually do want there to be someone at the restaurant that is very knowledgeable about food safety, allergens, & such to help prevent food borne illness. I know myself and others have gotten sick more eating out during covid-19 but I know places were short staffed and managers possibly off on quarantine. So please if a place is cooking, cooling, and making food I actually do want them to be certified in food safety. My understanding is the certification lasts 5 years so that's not a big burden to ask someone to take a test every 5 years to keep folks from throwing up, having diarrhea or worse having to be hospitalized.

Why do we want to go back in time? Does food safety , the health of our kids, friends, and community members not matter? I think requiring one person to be on staff that is certificated in food safety is so smart and beyond reasonable. The ServSafe manager class certification lasts for 5 years and cover much information that help keep our cooks and managers in food establishments up to date on food safety. I'm shocked someone would pass a bill to stop this! Anyone that has had a GI / foodborne illness hopes to never get it again nor wishes it on others. Please do not pass this bill OR word it so it only applies to places that only sell pre-packaged foods or do not allow the place to hot hold or cook any food.

Good Morning, I am writing to voice my opposition to SB 146 for the following reasons: The Certified Food Protection Manager is a vital resource in restaurants to ensure staff follow proper food safety standards. The ensure staff are area of and up to date and the appropriate standards for hygiene, preventing cross contamination, preventing food poisoning and most important to me and my family allergen control. My brother is highly allergic to various nuts. We have one at my hospital and they are very helpful when directing such a large staff to make sure food being served to visitors and patients is safe. 1)Restaurants have until 2023 to ensure they have a certified food protection manager available during all hours of operation. Currently they are required to have one on staff. Why introduce a bill for something that restaurants have to do a year from now? 2)I don't know if the issue is cost but a friend of mine that owns a restaurant has one and its valid for five years and they only spent 100 to study and take the exam. That is relatively cheap cost to make sure food is prepared properly and cheaper than a lawsuit if someone gets sick. Consider the outbreak at Tropical Smoothie and Chipotle not to long ago and the recent outbreak that killed people because an employee reported to work with a communicable disease. Why lessen food safety? 3)This impacts all places that sells food which would include my job, patients are free to purchase food in the cafeteria. We want to remove safety from the food they eat, what about staff? What about schools and universities? Were they consulted in any way to see how this would impact kids? There are many venues that sell prepared foods...sporting events, fairs, etc. that serves tens of thousands that will no longer have a designated person on site to assist with food safety. How is this safe? Thank you for taking my comments into consideration and thank you for everything that you do and please allow the next year and half for restaurants to work on this requirement to keep Virginians safe.

We support this bill because it will allow more people in Virginia to fully understand and access health coverage options thanks to coordinated and uniform language access across all state agencies.

It's been 5 years since I embarked on advocating for Virginia Association of the Deaf. Half of the time the Legislators wouldn't provide an interpreter access, and half of the time they did, but they balked at supporting anything I had ask for support - in other words the set up soured their ability to hear my testimony with an open heart/mind. To attend a committee, your GA policy is I have to let you know 5 days in advance - but as you all know bills move fast, sometimes we know the day before. so that's out. So to advocate for something, I HAVE TO ADVOCATE for my ability to advocate. Very very very frustrating and oppressive and tons of ADA violations all over the place. Even in 2022!! SB 270 will solve that problem for you all and for me. Yes to SB 270. THANK YOU!! let's make Commonwealth of Virginia a TRULY LOVER's STATE!

Thank you Mr. Chair and members of the committee, for this virtual opportunity to speak. I am Ann Mallek, a farmer and elected supervisor for the White Hall district in Albemarle. I speak in favor of SB 400, for the safety of our shared constituents. Visitors to agritourism spaces assume state and local codes provide that visitors are safe, but they are not. They enter at their own risk, but there is no warning sign at the door as is required for equine establishments. Albemarle supports legislation that requires safety features in Virginia Code that promote minimum life safety standards in portions of agritourism buildings or structures used for assembly of 50 or more persons. Minimum safety features to assist in getting patrons out of structures quickly include: • Local non-monitored fire alarm systems; • multiple remote exits, each equipped with exit lights and panic hardware on hinged exit doors that swing out; • Emergency lighting; and • Portable fire extinguishers These improvements are reasonable and affordable to all operators. These improvements would help to make these spaces insurable by companies who cover agricultural operations. I have checked with insurance providers. Loss of life or injury at these operations would NOT be covered by a standard farming policy. Thank you to Senator Hanger for caring carrying this bill. Wine board leader David King worked on this concept with us and his wine trail colleagues in Albemarle for three years before he passed away. In his honor and considering the future safety of our neighbors, I ask you to support this bill.

Comments Document

Good evening, Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, my name is Jonathan Yglesias and I’m with the Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance. We are wholeheartedly in support of this bill as a measure to provide needed consistency within the Human Rights Act and clear pathways to civil remedies for those who experience workplace harassment and discrimination. As many of you know, we represent Virginia’s 67 sexual and domestic violence agencies across the state and operate a 24/7 crisis hotline on behalf of these programs. Throughout the pandemic, our hotline has experienced a notable uptick in the number of callers who are reporting severe harassment at the hands of an employer. Many of these callers have had to choose between unsafe and even traumatizing working conditions versus the uncertainty of joblessness and housing insecurity during an already unstable time. For many survivors of sexual and domestic violence who are ready to leave shelter and attempt to become self sufficient after their abuse, these working conditions can force them to choose between their freedom from abuse or returning to an abusive relationship, to living in a car, or to re-entering the shelter. We believe that SB 494 is not only good policy for survivors of violence, but for all Virginia businesses and we hope that it is the will of the Committee to vote yes on this measure.

Comments Document

Good evening, Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, my name is Jonathan Yglesias and I’m with the Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance. We are wholeheartedly in support of this bill as a measure to provide needed consistency within the Human Rights Act and clear pathways to civil remedies for those who experience workplace harassment and discrimination. As many of you know, we represent Virginia’s 67 sexual and domestic violence agencies across the state and operate a 24/7 crisis hotline on behalf of these programs. Throughout the pandemic, our hotline has experienced a notable uptick in the number of callers who are reporting severe harassment at the hands of an employer. Many of these callers have had to choose between unsafe and even traumatizing working conditions versus the uncertainty of joblessness and housing insecurity during an already unstable time. For many survivors of sexual and domestic violence who are ready to leave shelter and attempt to become self sufficient after their abuse, these working conditions can force them to choose between their freedom from abuse or returning to an abusive relationship, to living in a car, or to re-entering the shelter. We believe that SB 494 is not only good policy for survivors of violence, but for all Virginia businesses and we hope that it is the will of the Committee to vote yes on this measure.