Please move to report HB13, 378, 677, 1066, and especially for 1080. Thank you.

Have you tried Roll On – 200mg from JUSTCBD?

The city has chosen ONE as a gaming host. This bill is identical to Morrissey's SB203 which puts limits on a casino referendum in Richmond for five years. We in the city of Richmond feels as Mr. Morrissey have committed MUTINY on us. We see this bill (HB-1134) only as a designed to remove Richmond city from becoming a host city, which in the end becomes Richmond being remove indefinite. PLEASE VOTE NO to HB-1134.

I am in full support of SB 378 as a victim of a violent tragedy, I can say that this bill does not free people who have committed horrible crimes. This bill allows individuals to apply for reconsideration. The courts review the charges, the sentence. and the behavior and it allows victims like my brother and I to have a say. This bill allows my cousin to get a second look after serving 15 years on a drug crime. Yes this bill will allow our fathers killer to petition after he serves 15 years, if he has changed and meets the qualifications, however we have confidence that will not happen. He will not have met those qualifications in 15 years. This is about individuals some change, some will not, I do not see a problem with allowing the originating court to look at a case and decide if it is still a just sentence. The Nay'sayers who use extreme cases to discourage, need to read this bill, its not parole, its not a get out after 10 law. As a graduate in political science and having a brother who is a United States Marine I would like to encourage you to please vote yes on SB 378, if we can trust the courts then you should as well. Trust the courts that sentenced these people. The ones who qualify to petition the court deserve a second look, its just a look, so trust the judges and the courts, give them a chance.

Please move to report HB13, 378, 677, 1066, and especially for 1080. Thank you.

Have you tried Roll On – 200mg from JUSTCBD?

I do not support any bills that criminalize folks

HB 677 requires posting of information on the courthouse door and local website. This legislation needs a delayed effective date and funding if there is not an interactive website in rural localities. The Patron had agreed to a delayed effective date of July 1, 2025. I would request the Committee consider that amendment. Thank you. Chip Dicks

Please move to report HB13, 378, 677, 1066, and especially for 1080. Thank you.

Stop with the lies!

No! Stop with the lies! Cannibas is much safer than alcohol and pharmaceuticals!! Let the average person be free with a plant! Stop holding the little guy back....just stop.

Comments Document

In support of HB 761.

My name is Elizabeth Lancaster, and I served as a public defender for the County of Loudoun for 15 years, prior to going into private practice in 2020. One of the main reasons I left a job I loved was the absolute frustration I felt with the Bench. I could no longer advise my clients on what to expect in Court due the incredibly disparate treatment they were likely to receive from the Court depending on the Judge they were to appear in front of. Many local practitioners sat and watched in horror as criminal cases turned into nothing more than a grudge match between the Commonwealth's Attorneys Office and the Bench... with little to no reference to the facts, mitigating circumstances, or wishes of the litigants. My role, the role of my client, the role of the victim, and societal impact of crime no longer counted as much as the Bench's display of hostility towards the Commonwealth, rightly or wrongly deserved in many cases. The Commonwealth's Attorney can be held accountable in multiple transparent and public ways. Judges, however, seem to be immune from this level of review and scrutiny to the constituency they serve. No one public body has a more dramatic impact on their local citizenry than the Bench. And yet that is the one public body that the citizenry have no true ability or knowledge of how to call to account. One of my first cases as a private practitioner was to represent a gentleman who was charged with disorderly conduct at a School Board Meeting. His daughter had been raped in a school bathroom, and he attended his first ever school board meeting to hear the discussions of safety in the schools. He was not only silenced via arrest, but was then labeled a domestic terrorist for having the audacity to attempt to take part in holding his School Board accountable. Over the last year I have watched first hand as multiple local public bodies have fought to conceal their own wrong doing. While some of my own personal beliefs may differ from my client, I will always stand up for any individual being charged by the state. And I do so without fear of recourse or because I live and breathe by the integrity of our Justice System as mandated by the Constitution of the United States of America. I will always stand up for any individual attempting to speak truth to power. Holding our elected officials accountable is not only a right, but a duty imposed upon all citizens. When citizens are unable to meaningfully participate in holding a public body accountable, then we are left with a broken system. The JIRC process has already demonstrated that it cannot hold the Bench accountable. I'd bet that very few citizens understand the JIRC process or how to properly file a complaint. And those of us who do know, know that many times it is a meaningless exercise of self-flagellation. And this has to stop. I am writing today to voice my support for HB761 as the first of many steps to provide meaningful and transparent oversight of the Judges in our Commonwealth. I am writing today because I have witnessed, first hand, that those public bodies seeking to shield themselves from public scrutiny are most often the most guilty of incompetence in carrying out their elected duties to their constituencies. Any argument against transparency and accountability should be viewed with incredible skepticism. And there is no reason to treat our elected Bench any differently than any other public body.

HB761 is all about transparency. I am a fan of this bill because it helps create awareness of the existence of such an important body as the JIRC. Not many residents and attorneys in the Commonwealth even know it exists and it is a resource to help make our system of justice better! Feedback is so important to the development of us all of us, especially to our judges who get reviewed infrequently. By then, it is too late to nip bad behavior in the bud. So, this is an opportunity to get things right before they fester and turn into something that is potentially bad. Most judges are studied and wonderful, but this would help root out the handful of bad actors or uncover patterns of behavior before a judicial term ends. By learning of issues early, no disciplinary action may be necessary, but perhaps instead just some training and mentoring before bad habits develop. This will help make for even better judges, fairer, respectful systems, and create more transparency and open government. Thank you!

Right now, the judicial branch of government has the least oversight of the three branches of government. It is not subject to meaningful transparency and review as judges are, with few exceptions, permitted de facto lifetime appointments after their first election. The one mechanism for judicial review, the JIRC, is effectively useless as a means of providing accountability for judicial misconduct. Last year, of the more than 350 judicial complaints made to the JIRC, only six were found to properly set forth a complaint that properly referenced the judicial canons. Five of those were dismissed after counselling the offending judge. Because the JIRC has not disclosed the nature of the other complaints, one can only surmise that the other 350 complaints were procedurally defaulted as not being properly submitted. This does not mean that certain judges are not misbehaving, but largely suggests that the process of ensuring that complaints are properly submitted is widely misunderstood. This bill is an important step, with minimal economic impact, in ensuring that all branches of the government are subject to the examination by the public in the bright light of day. I cannot imagine any person who seeks responsible, limited government that is beholden to the citizens would oppose this mechanism that ensures all citizens, including those marginalized by economic and other factors, greater voice in demanding transparency and accountability among all three branches of government.

I support this bill so the public is aware these forms exist and know there is a process in place and a remedy available. This will build public trust. Residents of the Commonwealth must have rights and a say in how their state is run. Residents of the Commonwealth have no idea JIRC exists. The public has the right to track judges’ performance and see any patterns of inappropriate or unaccountable behavior and even provide an option for CLE/retraining. How would a legislator know not to reappoint a judge if there was not a track record of his/her performance? How can the legislature know the misconduct or poor performance, discrimination from the bench if they do not know what others in the courtroom are experiencing first hand (attorneys, officers, litigants, etc.). They cannot know what others are experiencing if it is only attorneys that know the JIRC exists. By making hard copy complaint forms in court offices across the state (with a sign) it forces clerks to direct complainants and by making them downloadable on every website with information and instructions creates access and knowledge which will inevitable cause more complaints to be filed. Yes, some will be frivolous, but some will be telling and reveal patterns of behavior! We in the Commonwealth deserve to know how our state is being judged!!!

Judges wield considerable power. Some judges wield that power inappropriately and are not in any way held accountable. The members of the General Assembly should be aware of any instances or patterns of impropriety before Judges are reappointed. JIRC complaints are a mechanism to bring those issues to the attention of the General Assembly. The general public is not aware that they can file Judicial Complaints. Most attorneys are not even aware of how the JIRC operates. So therefore Complaint forms with attached copies of or references to the Judicial Canons must be made available. Forms and links should be available on local and the Virginia Supreme Court website. Without receiving feedback from the community, legislators are NOT informed as to issues or patterns of impropriety. Issues and patterns of impropriety do exist, and it is a discredit to the community for Judges to be reappointed blindly with no input from those who have been affected by them. Thank you.

Virginians mistreated in court need to know how to complain of judicial misconduct. This bill gives them knowledge of and access to their legal rights. I support this. Andi Geloo Fairfax (attorney)

Requesting information

I would appreciate if you take in consideration my thoughts on these bulls especially 1080. This would harm innocent children and families their are 13,000 children on sex offender registries in Virginia...What do you plan to do with them their parents can go in a shelter but a child is excluded. Also a single parent who has a requirement to register stays outside and children are took inside unattended. Please consider this bill as not a wise choice

I oppose multiple bills that have made it to the house the one bill regarding Emergency Sex Offenders is the most absurd bill I have ever heard in my life. No one is going to be worried about sexual offending in a State of Emergency number one. For example Dad is on a registry and he has three children who are accepted inside without supervision while dad is kept outside in the storm or natural catastrophe. When you pass bills like this your punishing innocent children and families. What about people who committed murder or child abusers are they treated the same? You Senators and delegates got this wrong and this is harmful to innocent families and children. Now let's talk about the 13,000 children on Sex Offender Registries in Virginia some as young as 7 years of age so Mom , Dad and entire family is allowed in but the child is made to stand outside during a castophre alone and sacred while his or her family are allowed inside these laws are based off fear and gives a false sense of security to the general public. Sex Offense is to broad, urination in public is a registable offense as a Violent Sex Offender, Reprorting a Sex Crime will land you on a Violent Sex Offender Registry such is my sistuation. Please reconsider the harm the harm of this bill

Please move to report HB13, 378, 677, 1066, and especially for 1080. Thank you.

Have you tried Roll On – 200mg from JUSTCBD?

Comments Document

I am not sure I understand the reasoning behind this bill. All you see when you look at these people is a label and what you perceive that they did. This label takes away the fact that these are humans! Humans that need help. More and more laws keep being passed to "keep society safe" YET we aren't any safer because of these draconic laws. These laws make zero sense. They do nothing to help keep people safer... but they do make people less safe by 1) forcing these people into homelessness where they have nothing to lose 2) give society a false sense of security and 3) deter society's attention from the REAL threats (the people who they are allowing into their own homes...fathers, uncles, friends...who are NOT YET on this list...the people who are the real threats to your children). You have to ask yourself...What do you want? When is it going to be enough? The people forced to register have done their time for the crime they have committed. They have been released into society. Where does it benefit anyone to punish them for the rest of their lives (and beyond)? The fact that these people are pushed into a state where they have to have emergency shelter is absolutely inhumane. All they want is a place to wait out the cold temperatures. Here is ONE of many tragic ending to these laws...tell me...who does this help? https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2009/01/death_of_sex_homeless_offender.html

I would appreciate if you take in consideration my thoughts on these bulls especially 1080. This would harm innocent children and families their are 13,000 children on sex offender registries in Virginia...What do you plan to do with them their parents can go in a shelter but a child is excluded. Also a single parent who has a requirement to register stays outside and children are took inside unattended. Please consider this bill as not a wise choice

Please rely on facts not fear. The facts are that registered folks have an extremely low re-offense rate. And after a few years, they are no more likely to re-offend than you or I. We should encourage rehabilitation, not enact byzantine regulations. Please vote NO on HB1080.

I am opposed to HB1080: Enough with the endless regulations and restrictions heaped upon people listed on the sex offender registry. These registered folks are just trying to rebuild their lives and provide for their families. During an emergency their goal will be securing shelter for their spouse and children -- not assaulting strangers! Please rely on facts not fear. The facts are that registered folks have an extremely low re-offense rate. And after a few years, they are no more likely to re-offend than you or I. We should encourage rehabilitation, not enact byzantine regulations. Please vote NO on HB1080.

I personally was homeless for many years of my adult life. I can attest to the sheer “survival mode” desperation of a person who simply wants shelter from life threatening weather conditions. I knew homeless ppl who would intentionally get put in jail for the winter months for the sake of food and shelter. While realizing that the prison industrial complex is a big windfall of profits for certain special interest business entities, it is largely a drain on taxpayers. I have also known men who have wound up on the sex offender registry for urinating in public (so I have been told) which was supposed to result in police not bothering the homeless who must urinate in public bc there are no other options. Plenty of ppl end up on the registry who may not have committed serious crimes, but at any rate, we trust that our judicial system metes out the appropriate punishment. After serving their sentence then we should simply allow them some dignity to be able to access emergency shelter. Seems like this makes being on the registry the worst of all crimes seeing as it follows ppl around throughout their entire lives. I believe in extenuating circumstances, shades of grey and forgiveness. Murderers, thieves, rapists and drug dealers are not necessarily worse ppl than those who spend their lives on the S.O Registry.

This bill is highly counterproductive. It will bar human beings from shelter during an emergency. All this will do is cost the tax payers money which could be better spent in proven methods. Not to mention you are asking untrained persons to make assements. When katrina hit, laws like this lead to hundreds dying and displacing law abiding citzens. While this law would only accomplish a false sense of security. The more folks who are unable to attain emergency shelter, the more first responders are put at risk.

I am an adult survivor of childhood sexual abuse. I was a victim of multiple abusers between the ages of 4-14. None of them ever faced any consequences for the things they did to me. The Registry is supposedly "not a punishment," but merely a 'public safety measure'. But when laws like this are put into place, how can it be anything else but endless punishment? If the Justice System has determined that this person is not a public threat (evidenced by their freedom), there is no reason for anyone else to assume they are a threat. If an individual feels better knowing which houses to tell their children to stay away from, fine, but when there is a public service such as life-saving EMERGENCY SHELTER, it is an unusually cruel punishment to put them in a position where they are blocked from something that there is no legal reason they shouldn't be allowed to do. If keeping out people on the registry is about keeping the community safe, then why isn't there similar legislation for those who have previously been convicted of assault, murder, arson, child abuse, and theft? Shouldn't we know about ALL of the people who ever committed crimes? The person on the cot next to me may have murdered someone and been released from prison; am I really safer next to that person, or an individual (who may be there with their family) who happens to have done something that landed them on the Registry? Frankly, I think I'd rather know about the murderer. To be quite blunt, therapy can help a victim who has been sexually abused, but can't do much for someone who has been murdered. For a boring but very valid consideration, please also consider that this is redundant legislation, as this is already covered in the 2017 Virginia State Managed Shelter Plan. For a more visceral consideration, please consider the dystopian state that may essentially hand down a death sentence to a free citizen who has paid his debt, has followed the rules, and is simply looking for life-saving shelter. If we are going to block anyone with a history of a sex-related offense (even if it was a Romeo-Juliet situation in the 90's) from receiving VITAL emergency services, and continue to pass increasingly restrictive laws that make it very difficult for these citizens to even just live a normal life, we need to think about where we are headed. It must also be considered that a human who is hungry and freezing, but barred from obtaining food and shelter, is a desperate human. Prison food and shelter may seem like a reasonable option. Is that really where we want to put these folks? In a place where the only way to access emergency services is to break a law? This seems unconstitutional, inhumane, and also just plain stupid. Let people get warm. Stop punishing them, I can assure they are already punished daily because of the restrictions and requirements placed on them. Piling on additional burdens for these people does absolutely NOTHING for public safety, and anyone with common sense can see that. I hate RSO laws, but if you think they're great, you better think about this: If you keep tacking on all of these clauses and requirements for people on the registry, at some point this is going to be challenged in the courts, and it will be very obvious that these measures are in fact punitive, and with any luck at all it will help us strike down the registry completely.

I oppose multiple bills that have made it to the house the one bill regarding Emergency Sex Offenders is the most absurd bill I have ever heard in my life. No one is going to be worried about sexual offending in a State of Emergency number one. For example Dad is on a registry and he has three children who are accepted inside without supervision while dad is kept outside in the storm or natural catastrophe. When you pass bills like this your punishing innocent children and families. What about people who committed murder or child abusers are they treated the same? You Senators and delegates got this wrong and this is harmful to innocent families and children. Now let's talk about the 13,000 children on Sex Offender Registries in Virginia some as young as 7 years of age so Mom , Dad and entire family is allowed in but the child is made to stand outside during a castophre alone and sacred while his or her family are allowed inside these laws are based off fear and gives a false sense of security to the general public. Sex Offense is to broad, urination in public is a registable offense as a Violent Sex Offender, Reprorting a Sex Crime will land you on a Violent Sex Offender Registry such is my sistuation. Please reconsider the harm the harm of this bill

Comments Document

Please defeat HB 1080. The bill: 1. punishes registrants if they fail to notify emergency shelter staff of their status as a registrant.  Criminalizing that failure with a $500 fine does nothing to enhance public safety. Contacting shelter staff to state that they were convicted decades ago of a sexual offense will hardly make the priority list when the registrant is only trying to find safe haven for his or her family under emergency conditions. 2. states that shelter staff may access the public registry "and use such information to ensure the safety of all persons in the shelter." Data from the registry is of no value in insuring safety since all registrants are free to live and work in society. It is unknown what training could be given to staff to make such an assessment and what actions would be taken in the unlikely case an assessment was possible. 3. requires Department of State Police to provide a summary of the act's requirements to citizens at the time of his or her initial registration only, but not to the thousands of citizens the General Assembly has characterized as lifelong Tier III sex offenders. Criminalizing a visit to an emergency shelter is punishment. There is no research indicating that registrants pose a threat to society. If so, they wouldn't be living and working in society. Research confirms that any threat in a setting like a shelter or a home is overwhelmingly (over 90%) from family, friends and acquaintances, not a stranger who happens to have been convicted of a crime decades ago. If we're interested in public safety in an emergency shelter and logically consider available data, I guess we should post a social worker at the entrance, separate the children from their parents and interview them regarding abuse they have encountered at home at the hands of their parents, siblings, cousins, uncles, aunts and friends - since that's where the abuse originates. Paragraph 5.3 of the attached shelter plan is adequate. Kill HB 1080, please.

Please move to report HB13, 378, 677, 1066, and especially for 1080. Thank you.

Stop with the lies!

No! Stop with the lies! Cannibas is much safer than alcohol and pharmaceuticals!! Let the average person be free with a plant! Stop holding the little guy back....just stop.

The city has chosen ONE as a gaming host. This bill is identical to Morrissey's SB203 which puts limits on a casino referendum in Richmond for five years. We in the city of Richmond feels as Mr. Morrissey have committed MUTINY on us. We see this bill (HB-1134) only as a designed to remove Richmond city from becoming a host city, which in the end becomes Richmond being remove indefinite. PLEASE VOTE NO to HB-1134.

As a citizen, I was shocked to learn that funding of my local Commonwealth Attorney Office was not based on the population of my county but, instead on the number of felony sentencing events. This is a perverse and strange way to run a railroad. If a County's population increases, the resources dedicated to the Commonwealth Attorney office do not increase unless the Commonwealth Attorney pursues more felonies and obtains sentences on those felonies. It is not hard to see how this creates a financial disincentive for a Commonwealth Attorney to evaluate cases and reduce charges as necessary. It also incentivizes a Commonwealth Attorney to abandon his or her Constitutional obligations to only pursue cases for which he or she believes they can obtain a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt, and over emphasizes the charging decision of a non-lawyer law enforcement officer who is not trained to evaluate with respect to reasonable doubt but only with regard to arrest for probable cause. As an advocate of individual freedom, limited government, and accountable government, I am in favor of any mechanism that seeks to remove financial incentives for a Commonwealth Attorney to seek increased incarceration of citizens.