I am an Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Civil Rights. I am signing up ONLY to be called on in the event a Delegate has a question for the Office of the Attorney General regarding HB1616.

Andrea Johnson with the National Women's Law Center (NWLC) in SUPPORT of HB 2023. NWLC has been working since 1972 to help women and families achieve economic security. A large part of our work involves supporting state policymakers across the country in their efforts to close gender and racial wage gaps. HB 2023 includes two proactive measures that will help insulate Virginia businesses against gender and racial wage gaps inadvertently arising in their workforce and, thus, decrease businesses' exposure to equal pay lawsuits. Sixteen states have passed laws stopping reliance on salary history and research is already showing these laws are helping close gender and racial wage gaps. A growing number of businesses have been announcing that they will no longer rely on salary history and are supporting this type of legislation. We are also seeing pay range transparency laws take off across the country not just because transparency is shown to help close wage gaps, but in large part because employers and lawmakers are seeing how sharing pay ranges helps businesses attract and retain talent and save time in the hiring process. I’ve seen survey after survey over the last few months showing, for example, that 98% of workers want or expect employers to share pay ranges in postings and that many wouldn’t even apply for a job that does not include the pay range. Eight states now require transparency about pay ranges and dozens of additional states are considering passing these laws this session. We all want to feel confident that we are being paid fairly. These two simple measures-- just don’t ask for the salary history and be transparent about how much you are hoping and willing to pay—will go along way in helping Virginia businesses stay competitive and workers feel confident they are paid fairly.

Catherine Wilkinson, Wachapreague, VA My health concerns mean that getting pregnant could kill me. Keeping contraceptive costs as low as possible is not only a matter of human dignity and economic justice, but also life and death. I urge you to support and vote for HB 2089, thank you!

Dr. Rachna Vanjani, OBGYN - Burke, VA Hello, I am an OBGYN who just started working at Whole Woman's Health in Alexandria, Virginia. Previously, I was working in California. I provide comprehensive reproductive health care and am surprised at the barriers to contraception in the state of Virginia. I have noticed that patients are unable to quickly have access to larc devices because it needs to be pre-approved by their insurance, they need to answer a phone call and confirm they want the contraceptive, and only then will the device be shipped to the clinic so that the patient may receive it. This is a lengthy, unnecessary process. Some patients may miss the phone call and then the device never reaches the clinic. patients sometimes have to wait weeks to receive the contraception and then can get pregnant in the interval. This is an unnecessary burden and should change. access to contraception should be easy and convenient. I urge you to vote for HB 2089.

Judy Johnson – Charlottesville, VA Hello, my name is Judy Johnson and I reside in Charlottesville, VA. I believe that it is my right to decide my personal reproductive health care choices. It is a given for all Virginians and not subject to the votes of politicians who are not medical providers or physicians . I urge you to support HB 2089. Thank you.

Catherine Wilkinson, Wachapreague, VA My health concerns mean that getting pregnant could kill me. Keeping contraceptive costs as low as possible is not only a matter of human dignity and economic justice, but also life and death. I urge you to support and vote for HB 2089, thank you!

Faith Alejandro, Richmond, VA Please support HB 2089 to make prescription contraception more accessible and empower women and birthing persons everywhere with the ability to plan their families according to their circumstance and means. It’s a critical way for helping to support healthy families in Virginia! I urge you to vote for HB 2089, thank you.

Amanda Mileur- Norfolk, VA Good afternoon members of the committee. My name is Amanda Mileur and I reside in Norfolk, VA. I live a good life. I have a safe and secure place to live, enough to eat, clothes on my back and a stable income that allows me to travel and enjoy my leisure time. I credit my access to reproductive healthcare as one of the biggest factors that allowed me to achieve financial security. Without the ability to manage my own reproductive health, none of this would be possible. All people deserve and are due the same level of access to reproductive healthcare, and the same ability to achieve a stable, secure life. I urge you to vote for HB 2089, thank you!

Rebecca Barwick – Norfolk, VA Hello, My name is Rebecca Barwick and I live in Norfolk, VA. As a transgender woman, I know what it is to have my right to healthcare be a topic of political debate. I stand in solidarity with people whose right to reproductive choice is treated as something for others to vote on, rather than the fundamental human right it is. By protecting reproductive freedom, this legislature will be giving individuals, rather than the government, control over their bodies. I urge you to vote for HB 2089. Thank you.

Rebecca Leser – Norfolk, VA Good Morning, My name is Rebbeca Leser and I reside in Norfolk, VA. Just as access to healthcare must be an essential right for every person, women must be entrusted to bodily autonomy and to make the best decision for her health in consultation with her doctor. Abortion care is healthcare and must be protected. I strongly support repealing the ban on abortion coverage on the state insurance exchange. I urge you to vote for HB 2089. Thank you.

Dr. Rachna Vanjani, OBGYN - Burke, VA Hello, I am an OBGYN who just started working at Whole Woman's Health in Alexandria, Virginia. Previously, I was working in California. I provide comprehensive reproductive health care and am surprised at the barriers to contraception in the state of Virginia. I have noticed that patients are unable to quickly have access to larc devices because it needs to be pre-approved by their insurance, they need to answer a phone call and confirm they want the contraceptive, and only then will the device be shipped to the clinic so that the patient may receive it. This is a lengthy, unnecessary process. Some patients may miss the phone call and then the device never reaches the clinic. patients sometimes have to wait weeks to receive the contraception and then can get pregnant in the interval. This is an unnecessary burden and should change. access to contraception should be easy and convenient. I urge you to vote for HB 2089.

Christine Payne, Nurse Practitioner - Williamsburg, VA As a nurse of over 30 years, my first job out of college was as a staff nurse on the Women's Health Unit at Yale. Among those in my care were women undergoing abortions for a variety of reasons. Each woman's pregnancy impacted their physical, mental and socioeconomic well-being. Each decision to terminate was made in private, with the advice and counsel of healthcare providers, every woman equally deserving of respect and care. As a mother of 2 young adult women, I am an ardent supporter of their right to reproductive autonomy and know that our financial security and insurance status affords them access to both hormonal contraceptives to prevent pregnancy and access to abortion care, in the event of an unplanned pregnancy. Women's Health is a right, not a privilege based on socioeconomic or insurance status. In light of the pandemic, with the resultant job and insurance coverage losses, disparities between those with access to a full complement of women's health initiatives and those without have been exacerbated. New legislation in Virginia's General Assembly to address these disparities and increase equitable access among women in the Commonwealth is essential to the health and well being of our communities. I am in full support of the abovementioned legislation and urge members of both the House of Delegates and the Senate to vote in favor of legislation intended to provide equitable distribution of healthcare to all the women in our Commonwealth. I urge you to please support HB 2089! Thank you!

Ask anyone you know who has used hormonal contraception in the last 30+ years (prior to that there were limited medication options available), and if they trusted you enough, they could tell about the journey they went on with their medical provider(s) to find the right medication that best suited their body, health, life circumstances, and lifestyle. Too often for some people, the best paths on that journey are gate-kept by insurance companies looking to make a buck by questioning the decisions of doctors and their patients. It happened to me when I was in grad school. People who are income insecure do not have the right to confer with their doctor and choose the form of hormonal contraception that is best for them. Instead (just like parents in the 60s and 70s, but maybe unlike your kids) their options are limited. They are incentivized to choose between the medications that are fully covered, significantly restricting their access to medical best practices and the care we all deserve. Those limitations can subsequently affect their health, security, and economic potential. In Virginia, our government representatives have wisely stood up to insurance companies and told them they cannot second guess their coverage of the medical care provided in hospitals at the request of doctors citing best practices. It is with that same spirit, so many of us request that you do so again now, to ensure full access for all Virginians to the contraceptive coverage we all deserve (and that your kids probably already have).

HB2089 | Strongly support: Medications considered contraceptives are utilized for a myriad of purposes related to women's health other than strictly birth control. If the government and the public would like for there to be fewer abortions, then access to birth control is a necessity. Allowing persons to limit others' access to contraceptives for religious reasons is an egregious violation of the separation of church and state and an overreach of the restricting parties religious rights. Additionally, providing contraceptives at reasonable costs (or even free) reduces public spending on other social programs and provides stability and control for those in need. Please pass this bill. Thank you for taking my comments into consideration.

The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) is the national trade association representing the nuclear energy industry. Our members include the owners and operators of the U.S. nuclear fleet, a global supply chain, academic institutions training the nuclear workforce, national labs researching nuclear technology and others. Several of our members have businesses in Virginia. Nuclear energy is the single largest carbon-free electric generating source in both the United States and around the world. In the United States, our 92 nuclear reactors produced about half of all carbon-free energy. In Virginia, your nuclear assets provide 30.3% of the electricity and 87.2% of the carbon-free energy. It is essential to include nuclear’s contributions to decarbonization in meeting Virginia’s clean energy goals. NEI is excited for policies enabling Virginia to recognize the value of the nuclear assets in the Commonwealth and explore advanced nuclear technology. NEI urges you to support HB HB 2333, HB, 2311, and HB 2197 and make Virginia a national leader in nuclear energy.

Louisa County Supports HB2333 Virginia is a leader in clean energy production with over 30% of the state’s power based on zero emission nuclear generation. Nuclear power provides reliable, competitively priced electricity to consumers in the Commonwealth, and low energy costs play a critical role in maintaining Virginia’s stature as an attractive location for business. The Commonwealth is also home to numerous facilities and operations in the nuclear energy sector including BWX Technologies (engineering), Framatome (industrial computing and regulatory compliance), Newport News Shipbuilding and many others. These entities sustain thousands of jobs throughout the Commonwealth which support Virginia families, generate substantial tax dollars, and trigger beneficial relationships with higher education in the state to train the future nuclear workforce. Dominion Energy operates the North Anna Nuclear Power Station in the County, and has set “net zero” emissions goals for its overall generation portfolio. Achieving these goals represents a substantial benefit to the environment and will require diversification of generation resources beyond that which is achievable by wind, solar, and energy storage alone. Additional nuclear generation represents a viable path forward in this important effort. Small Modular Reactors (SMR) represent an innovative, safe alternative to traditional nuclear power stations. Ranging from 50-300MW and fabricated in a factory environment, SMR’s incorporate advanced features including scalable output and safe shutdown even in the absence of operator action, and their reduced complexity results in lower infrastructure requirements. HB894 (2022) directed the Department of Energy to study the development of SMR’s and convene a stakeholder group for “promoting the development of advanced small modular reactors in the Commonwealth.” Louisa County supports this effort.

Will be glad to speak to the group.