I support the following bills and would appreciate our representatives giving their support and passing them into law. HB1384 | Fowler | Professional and Occupational Regulation, Department of; licensure by apprenticeship. HB1614 | Williams Graves | Housing authorities; common household pets.

My 30 year old son died from mitragynine toxicity on Dec 11, 2021. There are no medicinal uses for kratom. It is highly addictive, no given dosages and no interactions on any labeling. You do not want this gas station drug in your neighborhoods. It's sold as "in the coffee family" but it is far from coffee. It's not needed. Just ban it. I wish I had my son back. Walking outside a mall and collapses. It's ruined our lives and I am on a mission along with many other parents, to ban this dangerous drug.

As a PTA board member at my children's elementary school, I am inundated with fundraising offers. Our laws have not kept up with modern tactics for fundraising, which now frequently happen over the Internet and email. This bill would expand the definition of solicitation to meet modern standards. Additionally, this bill would require for-profit entities that work with charitable organizations and groups to disclose the percentage of a donation that will go to the organization. I support this bill and appreciate Delegate Willett for sponsoring it.

Aa a retired military officer and lifelong resident of Virginia (with numerous tours of duty in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East) I strongly support this bill. Virginia has been way behind in encouraging veterans to remain in Virginia. Many of my counterparts who are Virginians by birth now reside in states they believe to be friendlier to veterans, e.g., Florida and Texas. The workgroup should include representatives from all branches - officer, enlisted and spouses. Thanks for your consideration.

HB 2011 - I supported Del. Roems' bill last year and I do again this year. This allows African Americans to be able to visit graves of their relatives. HB 2059 - This is the legal definition of a foreign born person who has not been naturalized to become a US citizen under federal law & the Constitution. HB 2056 - I do not support any one who may be here illegally to start a business. They are already violating our laws: what would be the purpose in starting a legitimate corporation where you are expected to follow the law when you're not even willing to follow it to be here in the first place?

HB 2011 - I supported Del. Roems' bill last year and I do again this year. This allows African Americans to be able to visit graves of their relatives. HB 2059 - This is the legal definition of a foreign born person who has not been naturalized to become a US citizen under federal law & the Constitution. HB 2056 - I do not support any one who may be here illegally to start a business. They are already violating our laws: what would be the purpose in starting a legitimate corporation where you are expected to follow the law when you're not even willing to follow it to be here in the first place?

HB 2011 - I supported Del. Roems' bill last year and I do again this year. This allows African Americans to be able to visit graves of their relatives. HB 2059 - This is the legal definition of a foreign born person who has not been naturalized to become a US citizen under federal law & the Constitution. HB 2056 - I do not support any one who may be here illegally to start a business. They are already violating our laws: what would be the purpose in starting a legitimate corporation where you are expected to follow the law when you're not even willing to follow it to be here in the first place?

HB 1635, HB 2045, HB 2082 and HB2153--I support all of these bills. They all move Virginia in the right direction in terms of tenant/landlord relationships and equity for people with disabilities. Please support these bills. Thank you for your time.

The disAbility Law Center of Virginia strongly supports HB 2153 and all efforts to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

I support an amendment to remove the first provision of this bill, which says the alternative application process should be open to all state positions. My reasoning for this is that opening this process up to all positions could cause issues considering that it was initially only intended for non-competitive jobs. Doing so could create an unfair and unnecessary application and interview process.

I write in support of Del. Guzman's HB 2153 . This bill enables Virginia civil servants like me who are also individuals living with disabilities (IWD) to avail ourselves of the existing Alternative Hiring Process (AHP). To do so, one must obtain a Certificate of Disability from DARS. This process usually takes a few days, but took over a month for me as DHRM, DARS and my own University HR department provided conflicting information regarding my eligibility. If this bill had been in place, I would have received fair treatment under AHP prior to the recruiting committee deciding. on its finalists. Instead I was interviewed after that fact.

With the decline of many volunteer agencies, local governments are increasingly absorbing responsibility for the provision of vital emergency services. The cost of this new governmental activity is high. For example, this coming July, Mecklenburg County will run EMS service in the area formerly staffed by volunteer rescue squads in the western portions of the County. This will necessitate the on-boarding of 28 new employees; a nearly 15% increase in our workforce in one fiscal year. Purely on salary and benefits alone, the cost to the County is in the neighborhood of $1.75 million annually, and that does not include equipment and other such expenses. At the same time, the model for assistance from the Commonwealth has been static. Assistance for nonprofit Emergency Medical Service squads is funded through a vehicle registration fee that was last adjusted by the budget bill enacted by the 2010 Session of the General Assembly, whereas, the Financial Assistance for Fire Services Programs is based on a percentage of insurance premiums written in the Commonwealth, a funding model first created in the 1980s and last amended in percent in 1995. Circumstances have changed considerably in the intervening time. Thus, the need for a reevaluation of financial assistance is very pertinent. Accordingly, the Mecklenburg County Board of Supervisors has voted to support an examination of these funding programs. As this bill is the only one introduced this session that will accomplish this expressed intent of the Board, Mecklenburg County supports the bill and requests your vote to favorably report HB 2175.

I'm writing in support of HB2175. Rural communities are suffering due to a lack of funding for volunteer fire departments. The rising costs of goods, supply chain problems, inflation, interest rates - all of the issues that you and your families are facing, but multiplied when managing a rural fire department. Some receive assistance with operational or capital funding from their locality, but some don’t and I’ve met with so many that are operating on as little as $40,000 annually and selling chickens or stew to stay afloat. HB2175 would direct the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security to establish a work group to study existing fire service needs, analyze the sustainability of current funding, and review alternative funding models from other states. Perhaps they’ll report that rural fire departments should work together to make large purchases as a conglomerate; or that additional 100%, 80/20, and 50/50 grants are necessary; provide assistance with grant writing; or discover that there are resources already in place that are not making their way to rural areas. Sitting down with all the stakeholders in the commonwealth, who are by their very nature problem solvers, to work with their counterparts to provide analysis and recommendations is necessary and non-partisan. A one-time funding of $125k is minimal when you consider the number of lives that are at stake, especially in our rural communities. -Jennie Wood

My name is Larry Gwaltney and I am the Executive Director of the Virginia State Firefighters Association. We appreciate Delegate Sickles and the other patrons for recognizing that the needs of the fire service in Virginia far exceed the available resources. Inflation and supply chain issues are making it difficult for career and volunteer fire departments obtain the equipment needed to delivery quality service to our communities. The cost of delivering services is increasing due to inflation, the rising cost of equipment, declining recruitment and retention of employees, and additional life safety requirements across the Commonwealth. Rural communities are especially struggling to maintain sufficient fuel levels, pay for insurance, and fund other essential needs at their stations. Current funding is not sufficient to keep pace with additional responsibilities given to Fire and EMS departments. In an effort to meet the rising demand for services, while balancing the increasing cost for delivery and a nationwide decline in fire and EMS personnel, the Commonwealth needs to find a sustainable model for investing in fire and EMS departments into the future. We fully support this legislation to establish a work group to study existing funding, analyze sustainability of current funding and to review alternative funding models. We respectfully ask that you vote to report this bill out of committee.