Comments Document

Dear Honorable General Assembly Member, My name is Preston Brown and I host a weekly radio show on 101.3fm/990am and a weekly TV show on CW Richmond 65. On the behalf of my 1000's of tv viewer's and 1000's of radio listeners , we have concerns about the way false information was put out by VOTE NO RVA CASINO about the Richmond Casino. Richmond voters should have an opportunity to cast a vote based on the truth and not trickery and lies. If what VOTE NO RVA put out about Richmond Casino should be the same for all Virginia Casino. Why haven't anyone mentioned the same concerns for Petersburg, Norfolk, Danville, Bristol or Portsmouth? Could it be because this is the only casino in Virginia being developed by a Woman? Could it be because this is the only casino in Virginia being developed by a Black own company? Because of trickery, lies and racism Richmond Casino should have a Referendum in 2023. Thank You Preston Brown (804) 803-4463

Comments Document

Because of trickery, lies and racism Richmond Casino should have a referendum in 2020. Vote No Rva spent $231,225 putting out false information and misleading information about One Casino & resort. Leading Richmond voter to believe the casino would exploit Black, Brown & Poor white communities. Richmond voters should have an opportunity to cast a vote based on the truth and not trickery and lies. Why haven't anyone mentioned the same concerns in Petersburg, Norfolk, Danville, Bristol or Portsmouth?

Comments Document

Because of trickery, lies and racism Richmond Casino should have a referendum in 2020. Vote No Rva spent $231,225 putting out false information and misleading information about One Casino & resort. Leading Richmond voter to believe the casino would exploit Black, Brown & Poor white communities. Richmond voters should have an opportunity to cast a vote based on the truth and not trickery and lies. Why haven't anyone mentioned the same concerns in Petersburg, Norfolk, Danville, Bristol or Portsmouth?

Comments Document

Chairwoman Robinson and Members of the Committee: My name is Robert Melvin, and I am the senior manager of state government affairs for the Northeast region for the R Street Institute. I reside in Richmond. The R Street Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research organization. Our mission is to engage in policy research and outreach to promote free markets and limited, effective government in many areas, including public policy related to alcohol and criminal justice issues. This is why HB 1730 is of particular interest to our organization. As you know, the COVID-19 pandemic upended labor markets and businesses around the Commonwealth. Hospitality businesses like restaurants were one of the hardest hit sectors of Virginia’s economy. These businesses continue to face workforce challenges even several years after the forced closures and restrictions imposed by government edicts. Recent reports indicate that restauranteurs still have an inadequate number of staff, including waiters, bartenders, managers and others. Unfortunately, archaic state prohibitions hamper the ability of restaurants and other businesses that hold Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Authority (VABC) licenses to hire employees who possess certain criminal records. The VABC possesses the power to “suspend or revoke” a VABC license from a restaurant or other establishment if that business hires an individual who has been convicted of a “felony…or offense involving moral turpitude.” The challenge is that these stipulations not only hold back the recovery of the workforce for the struggling hospitality industry, but they also act as a barrier to gainful employment for the formerly incarcerated. Studies have found that recidivism can be curtailed if former inmates are able to obtain meaningful employment. While the VABC can grant special dispensation from these requirements, the process alone still discourages many licensees from hiring individuals with certain criminal records. Ultimately, the question is whether the government should dictate who employers are allowed to hire. Conversations with many restaurateurs have yielded the conclusion that the structure of the system acts as a disincentive because there are perceived challenges with pursuing this process and the risk of a potential license suspension from simply hiring a formerly incarcerated individual is too high. Restaurant owners and other licensees should have the ability to determine who they deem best to hire for a particular position, free of any government involvement. There is a market incentive for these businesses to hire individuals who they deem to be a good fit for a position, and the business owners are certainly more qualified to make that determination than an alcohol regulator would be. As you consider HB 1730, we urge you to recognize the benefits of this legislation. The proposal can help alleviate the workforce shortage in Virginia’s restaurants. This bill will also provide a path to meaningful employment for formerly incarcerated individuals and help them reintegrate into society. Additionally, it will put the power to make hiring decisions back in the hands of the most appropriate individual—the business owner. For these reasons, I strongly encourage you to grant this legislation favorable consideration. Thank you, Robert Melvin Senior Manager, Government Affairs for the Northeast Region R Street Institute rmelvin@rstreet.org

Hello everyone 1. This bill will help c stores/gas station and mom and pops small business to sustain in competitive market with high wages, rent. 2. Online business are growing faster than ever, small businesses sale are going down every year. 3. Small businesses are in need of some extra income to keep light on. 4. Skill games Are very helpful in this downtime for small businesses. 5. 1200 per machines is little too much for all small businesses. That need to come down a little bit, we will highly appreciate it. 6. We have voice and vote, we are in touch with local people in their day to day life. We create new jobs for local people. We want our interest to be have positive view from all delegates. 7. Big casinos are trying to eliminate this competition, and they are lobbying against small businesses to ban skill games. We want our voice to be heard against this big casinos.

Respected Chairwoman and Committee Members, My name is Tejendrakumar Patadia (Teju), owner of a small business and a board member of the Asian American Business Owners Association (AABOA). AABOA represents over 500 small businesses located in and around Southwest Virginia, primarily in the convenience store, gas station, restaurant, and hotel industries. Small businesses have been heavily impacted by the pandemic over the past three years, facing challenges such as increased minimum wage, increased regulations, high inflation, and workforce shortages. Skill games have provided a much-needed lifeline for many small businesses and have become a vital source of additional income. AABOA and I would strongly support HB-2295 with a few minor modifications as it will regulate them while reducing crime and keep many small businesses open : • The proposed fee of $1,200 per machine per month is excessive and would not provide a level playing field for all small businesses. A fee of $1,200/machine/month with five machines per location comes out to $72,000/year/location. We suggest a fee of $200 per machine per month to ensure all small businesses with valid ABC licenses can benefit. • To accommodate new small businesses, we recommend increasing the number of machines from 2021. • If possible, we would like to recommend a revenue share model of 10% of net profits but understand the current lack of infrastructure to track this. We respectfully request your support in ensuring the success of this bill and preventing the closure of small businesses due to high fees or the failure of this bill to pass. Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

Comments Document

Please Oppose! The City of Portsmouth is opposed to this legislation... and the matter is still under litigation. It has always been the stance of the Virginia General Assembly to not legislate on any issue that is under court review.

Comments Document

Attached please find a letter From the Honorable Shannon Glover, Mayor of the City of Portsmouth, in opposition to HB2295 Kilgore, Legal & Illegal electronic gaming activities currently before the General Laws Committee.

My name is Len Dillon representing the Bassett Volunteer Fire Department. I would like to express our support for HB2452. Volunteer fire departments all over the commonwealth depend upon charitable gaming to raise funds to keep up with the tremendous cost of running a volunteer department. HB2452 lessens the restrictions on charitable poker and is a step in the right direction that will provide fundraising opportunities for fire departments all over the Commonwealth. Please pass this bill in a way that will allow us to raise the funds necessary to continue to serve our community. Thank you for your consideration.