The League of Women Voters - Virginia supports HB 1479 Employer-provided childcare tax credit. Currently, there is a dire need for more child care in Virginia, due in part to the effect of the pandemic on child care supply. Infant/toddler care is particularly expensive and scarce.  This bill would provide incentive through financial relief for small businesses who provide child care for their employees. It could also help small businesses compete with large corporations in providing this employee benefit.     Many parents who want and/or need to work have been unable to re-enter the workforce due to a lack of child care. This bill could help increase the child care supply and therefore the ability of parents to join the workforce. When parents join the workforce, it helps them and the economy as a whole.   The League of Women Voters of Virginia urges you to vote for HB1479.

As a library manager, I had a predominantly female staff, so I became very aware of the importance of child care to working women. I believe HB1497 will benefit working women and women who want to work but would pay most of their wages for child care. It will also enable small businesses to be more competitive in hiring. I am pleased to see that the tax credit has an end date. Then we can decide if it has been effective and if it is still needed.

The Franklin County Board of Supervisors asks for your support of HB2316. This legislation will give all localities the same opportunities to generate revenues for school construction projects if consented to by the citizens. Vote “YES” to allow this legislation to move forward to a vote of the full House. HB 2316 as proposed would grant all localities the same special taxing authority that nine (9) localities were afforded in 2019 and 2020 to impose an additional local sales and use tax of up to one percent, under the following conditions: • Must be initiated by a resolution of the local governing body, • Must be approved by voters at a local referendum, • Revenue from the tax shall be used solely for capital projects for the construction or improvement of schools, and • Any tax imposed shall expire when the costs for capital projects are to be repaid and shall not be more than 20 years after the date of the resolution passed. As you all are well aware, funding for school construction and renovation is one of the biggest concerns and responsibilities of local governments in the Commonwealth. Many localities face significant challenges in raising sufficient funds to undertake these projects. Many localities struggle with over-reliance on real property taxes to generate revenue, which can have vastly different yields depending on the locality and disproportionately burden a subset of taxpayers within a jurisdiction. It is estimated that this additional authority could generate approximately $1.6 million in annual revenue in Franklin County alone dedicated towards school construction costs. This equates to over $0.02 equivalent on the County’s real estate tax rate to generate this same revenue. Expansion of this authority to all localities was a recommendation of the Commission on School Construction and Modernization. This bill adds no additional cost to the State – it is a local choice. Since 2019, all but one of every voter referendum initiated by a qualifying locality’s Board of Supervisors or City Council via resolution has been subsequently approved by voters in those localities. To date, the only qualifying locality to have not sought a voter referendum on this issue is Mecklenburg County. The Franklin County Board of Supervisors asks for your support of HB2316. This legislation will give all localities the same opportunities to generate revenues for school construction projects if consented to by the citizens. Vote “YES” to allow this legislation to move forward to a vote of the full House.

The sixteen members of the Virginia First Cities Coalition are united in their support and encouragement of additional funding for the historic rehabilitation tax credit program. This program is responsible for so many of the good things that have happened in our land-locked cities that are unable to grow our tax base by expanding our borders. Providing incentives to get historic, beautiful buildings back into productive, tax producing reuse is a win-win for our cities, for historical context, and for the Commonwealth.

I am in favor of this bill. The impact that people of means, or those who just have a benevolent heart, could have on a young family by helping them start a Virginia 529 plan, is enormous. The statistics of how many young people actually attend college who have a minimum of $500 in the savings account, is overwhelmingly supportive.

Comments Document

On behalf of the Virginia members and supporters of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, I urge you to oppose HB 1821, which would expand eligibility for the so-called “education improvement scholarship” voucher program that funds private school education. This bill should be rejected because it would send money to parents who can already afford to send their kids to private schools and does not address the systemic problems with vouchers.

Please do not support HB 1821; The state is already behind in its requirements to fully fund the SOQs for public education. Public monies should only be spent for public institutions like our public school systems. Some private schools discriminate against students they feel do not subscribe to their beliefs; there should be no discrimination against any student who has a desire to be educated. Public schools do not remove students because of their religious or no religious beliefs; public funds should support public schools only.

HB1423, HB1424, HB1514, HB1526, HB1554, HB1593*, HB1629, HB1700, HB1701, HB1713, HB1820, HB1821, HB1823, HB1824, and HB2124 because our students are having problems in public schools. More parents are removing their kids and sending them elsewhere. Previous attempts at helping only wasted tax dollars and we're not seeing anything but kids who don't know facts and can think critically. Time for a change. Lets move to report these bills and push our Virginia students to a better, more educated and equipped future! Please move to report these bills. Thank you.

Please oppose HB1821 that expands the Education Improvement Scholarship Tax Credits (EISTC). The Scholarship foundations, such as RenewaNation, that receive these tax credits can provide funds to students at schools that have policies that do not support a student's stated gender identity. They can refuse enrollment or expel a student who professes to be a homosexusal/bisexual/transgender person. Faith Christian Academy www.fcavirginia.com states that it reserves the right to expel a student who practices or condones gender identity different than birth sex chromosomal level or promotes such practices. Tax credits, that support scholarships that allow such discrimination, should not be allowed in Virginia. The tax credit program does decrease general funds that are needed for public schools where students with all beliefs are supported. Certainly the tax credits allowed should not be increased. Please oppose HB1821.

Please oppose HB1821 that expands the Education Improvement Scholarship Tax Credits (EISTC). The Scholarship foundations, such as RenewaNation, that receive these tax credits can provide funds to students at schools that have policies that do not support a student's stated gender identity. They can refuse enrollment or expel a student who professes to be a homosexusal/bisexual/transgender person. Faith Christian Academy www.fcavirginia.com states that it reserves the right to expel a student who practices or condones gender identity different than birth sex chromosomal level or promotes such practices. Tax credits, that support scholarships that allow such discrimination, should not be allowed in Virginia. The tax credit program does decrease general funds that are needed for public schools where students with all beliefs are supported. Certainly the tax credits allowed should not be increased. Please oppose HB1821.

"I support HB 1396 as introduced, and it deserves a vote." Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the School Choice fight! Quick Links: Join the Rapid Response Team of Virginia for Educational Freedom School Choice petition to legislators Donate to Virginia for Educational Freedom For Our Children, Natassia Grover Director Virginia for Educational Freedom PS- It is vital that you sign our Petition for School Choice today. The thing politicians fear most is large numbers of angry voters, and your signature on the petition will be added to the thousands that have already signed. This Petition will be delivered to the House Educational Committee, and they will be told they must support full and complete School Choice. So click here to sign! Copyright © 2023 Acton Advocacy Group, All rights reserved. Fighting to restore freedom in education in the Commonwealth Our mailing address is: Acton Advocacy Group 11895 Folly Lane Lovettsville, VA 20180 Add us to your address book

I am writing to support HB1821 because I believe in the power of school choice to better our communities and the entire Commonwealth. I believe that, since the pandemic, there is ample evidence to demonstrate that comprehensive education must include a variety of models rather than a single system. By expanding the tax credit program, families who believe that private education will best fit their child's needs will be able to achieve their hopes without burdensome costs. As a father of four school-aged kids, I am grateful that this program has made it possible for my children to receive an excellent education at St. Pius X Catholic School and Catholic High School. I know there are many other families that, for a variety of reasons, believe that private education is best for their child(ren), and I am hopeful that by expanding this program their dreams may be realized. Thank you for your work to pass this legislation.

My sister and brother-in-law lost their first born in 2021 due to still birth. It was a very traumatic experience for everyone and altered everyone’s perception on the loss community. Having a tax credit would help any immediate family who has suffered the loss of a baby immensely. Please consider supporting the loss community. Thank you.

I lost my first daughter, Marian, at 40 weeks during labor to a compressed cord. She was still born via emergency caesarean. I received no support from the government, either VA or at the Federal level. I had to stop working for the same reasons as parents of living children, except mine had died. We'd paid for a full pregnancy's care, and had the house ready for a new baby. Yet I got no baby, instead we brought home tons of grief. You can't put a cost on a child's life or the suffering endured by families who lose wanted, anticipated children. But you can act and provide some legitimacy and help to those who have the great misfortune to go through this ordeal. This bill shows VA supports women, families, and children, and it is an easy thing to do to provide a measure of comfort. It says: we see you, we know your child mattered and was supposed to be here, and we can do this little thing to help you in this time of distress.

Many historic schools are still in use and continue to serve as the heartbeat of our local communities. Schools are used beyond the school day, especially in rural communities where the school is often used by other community groups in the evening and weekends. More than half of Virginia's schools are more than 50 years old, so this would directly benefit our children and school staff's daily learning environment.

Please support. The City of Richmond supports bringing the historic Moore Street School infrastructure back online through acquisition, stabilization, preservation and community utilization. The use of state tax credits will be a most useful and contributory tool to repurpose this former Richmond school. In 1886-87, a sixteen-classroom, two-story brick school was built by City engineer Lt. Col. W. E. Cutshaw "to provide the needs for freed African children of Richmond and is said to be the only one retaining much of the original "interior and exterior character," and has been described as one of the best examples of this period still publicly owned.

On behalf of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), the national trade association representing the leading manufacturers of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, dietary supplements, and consumer medical devices, I’d like to express strong support for SB 2196. This legislation expands access to essential menstrual and incontinence products for Virginia residents by exempting these products from local sales tax or permitting a locality to do so. CHPA recognizes menstrual health and hygiene and urinary incontinence are pressing public health issues. The sales tax exemption proposed SB 2196 would be an important step to increasing access and affordability to critical menstrual and incontinence products for Virginia residents. We applaud Delegate Byron for filing this bill and we urge the committee to support it's passage. Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions on our position.

On behalf of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), the national trade association representing the leading manufacturers of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, dietary supplements, and consumer medical devices, I’d like to express strong support for HB1484, HB1686, and HB 2196 . This legislation expands access to essential menstrual and incontinence products for Virginia residents by exempting these products from local sales tax or permitting a locality to do so. CHPA recognizes menstrual health and hygiene and urinary incontinence are pressing public health issues. The sales tax exemptions proposed in these bills would be an important step to increasing access and affordability to critical menstrual and incontinence products for Virginia residents. We applaud the sponsors for filing these bills and we urge House Finance Subcommittee #2 to support their passage. Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions on our position.

Please oppose HB 1645 which would reduce the penalty for failure to pay the litter tax from $100 to $10. • Virginia’s litter tax is, per capita, the lowest litter tax in the nation. • Businesses are only required to pay $20 or $30 per location depending on the type of business. If they pay their tax on time, they avoid a penalty. • Businesses are creating and selling products that will become litter. They should shoulder some of the cost of cleaning it up. • Virginia currently spends millions of dollars a year cleaning up litter pollution on the taxpayers dollar. Not to mention volunteers who donate their time and effort to clean it up. • The money generated from the Litter Control and Recycling Fund helps to clean up litter. I live on Thalia Creek in Virginia Beach and I enjoy kayaking. Every time I go out, I bring two large trash bags with me, and every time I fill them with litter I find in the creek. I collected over 100 pounds in 5 months. I stopped keeping track after that. In addition, I volunteer for waterway clean-up days with Lynnhaven River Now, and we have collected thousands of pounds of trash over the years. I am tired! Reducing the penalty for failing to pay the litter tax sends the message that Virginia doesn’t care about keeping the state clean. I don’t think that’s a message we want to send. Thank you.

GOOD Morning, Chair Byron & members of the Committee: I am Jay L. Marts, 28yr veteran of the VaARNG & US Army, retired Colonel, and honored to speak to this committee once again on important legislation before you. I had the pleasure of visiting the GA last week as a member of the VDVS-JLC and visited many of your offices to include the Chair Del. Byron’s to highlight & support several Veterans legislative initiatives. I wanted to tell you that LA Dexter Gaines is quite the character & courteous and attentive during my visit. The members of the Armed Forces, who will benefit from HB 2361, served our Nation for many years. During these times of service & sacrifice some have had an unfortunate circumstance that ended with them receiving a 100% service-connected, permanent, and total disability. We, the citizens of Virginia, should put in place this small tax exemption for them and their surviving spouse. This is a modest action that will keep a few more $$’s in the household budget of these veterans at a time when it is very much needed. It is a small nod of appreciation for their long service and physical sacrifice. We want all veterans to know that Virginia is the best place for them to call home. Thank You again for the opportunity to address this committee.

Redirect: We DO NOT OPPOSE the concept of HB 2361,and we should look at the details more closely to ensure that EVERYONE is treated Fairly... May need some more work to fully process. Please disreagard previous comment. Thank you.

The City of Portsmouth requests that you please OPPOSE HB 2361 as presented!!! Local officials should NOT be Judge and Jury in this matter for starters... Everyone deserves their "Day in Court," if need be and the "Bad Actors" must be held accountable... This is BAD" Public Policy... Please OPPOSE.

As a current member of the Virginia Department of Veteran Services-Joint Leadership Council (VDVS-JLC). We represent the vast majority of Veterans Service Organizations across the Commonwealth and we support HB 2414.

My name is Eric Tan, and I am the owner of VA Wholesale mortgage, a veteran-owned business that has been recognized by the Secretary of Labor with the Platinum medallion award for hiring and retaining veterans and is part of the Virginia Values Veterans or V3 program. Our staff makes up 90% of Veterans and military spouses. Headquartered in Virginia Beach, VA, we are blessed to have the world's largest Naval base in our backyard and to be able to serve our active duty members and veterans with their VA loans. HB2414 is particularly important to me as it aims to assist our 100% disabled veterans in purchasing homes in our community. The current law, which includes property taxes in the underwriting process, limits Disabled Veterans borrowing power and makes it difficult for them to purchase a home, especially with the current home values and continued market appreciation. We are asking for the current law to be modified to be applied to the front-end process. We must pass this bill to support our veterans who have sacrificed so much to protect our freedom.