Public Comments for 02/02/2022 Appropriations - General Government and Capital Outlay Subcommittee
HB671 - Permanent protective orders; Hope Card Program created.
Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman, and committee members: Thank you for the opportunity to comment on HB 16 and thank you, Delegate Fowler, for your work updating our state’s Safe Haven law. We, Virginia is for Children (an advocacy group for the lives of vulnerable children in our state), are following the Safe Haven law efforts and are fully supportive of the extension to thirty days of age for infant relinquishment. This is a reasonable, standard amount of time for a mom/parent to conclude that they cannot parent their baby OR, change their mind and decide they can parent their baby. Such a significant, life-altering decision does not need to be rushed or hurried. We know that moms who have just given birth, especially those who are alone, need time to recover physically and emotionally. Moms can experience postpartum depression after the birth of child, this typically occurs within the first 1-3 weeks after birth, parents can be in desperate situations- experiencing homelessness, abuse, addiction and need time to get help. Twenty-one states are now at thirty days for age of relinquishment. Utah just extended their law to thirty days in February, 2020 and approved funding for safe haven law awareness. Extending this law can potentially save more infants from abuse, neglect, and abandonment and give parents the time they need to make important decisions. We hope the committee will approve the extension and consider providing state funding for safe haven law awareness and promotion of safe haven locations or “safe baby sites”. Not enough parents are informed about the law’s existence and the process involved. Our group is especially interested in a state funded, DSS promoted, 24-hour confidential, crisis hotline that would provide intervention and support for women in crisis pregnancies and struggling parents, so that they can get the help they need to parent their baby. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and committee members for your time and for the opportunity to voice our support of this bill. Sincerely, Leah Kipley VA is for Children
HB466 - Volunteer cybersecurity and information technology; Sec. of Admin. to establish register.
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HB1290 | Hayes | Public bodies; security of government databases and data communications. As a member of Staunton City Council I oppose this bill. Time Constraint: 24 hours is not enough time to properly assess the extent of the situation, formulate the best strategy, and speak with staff and other individuals affected. Definitions: I have serious concerns about the lack of definition of “incident”. Without a definitive definition the term “incident” becomes extremely vague allowing for misinterpretation on what constitutes as an incident that must be reported. Secondly, there is no specific language on what needs to be reported. Once again allowing for misinterpretation of what must be reported. Reporting: HB1290 requires the public body to report the incident to the State before having the opportunity to discuss the matter with the City's insurance company, provider, or agency of choice. This creates another reporting mandate for public bodies. Before The Virginia Information Technologies Agency, working with state and local stakeholders, should develop and publish guidance concerning the scope and implementation of the required incident reporting.