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Hi I am writing to you on behalf of The Well Connection UK, a media and publishing company. We could easily get virginia.gov featured in various publications such as magazines, online blogs and news sites. This would undoubtedly help virginia.gov with publicity, reputation, domain authority and organic search engine rankings. We have a wide range of options including completely free collaborations, sponsored posts, guest posts and banner ads. If this sounds of interest, please reach out to the senior business development manager, Anita at info@thewellconnection.co.uk and whatsapp +447395206515 (GMT) Kind regards Clifton Junior Outreach Assistant

I am in support of these three bills as the growing population of Virginia, specifically Northern Virginia, has caused problems with all animals (pets and wild). There are way too many cases of animal cruelty and neglect. Most go unnoticed as only the really horrible ones make the news. For HB206, I was actually surprised that pet stores DON'T provide information when animals die. This lack of accountability needs to be addressed since pet stores have the potential for abuse. This would align the accountability with other organizations that handle animals. For HB223, the recent cases of animal cruelty in Virginia have been disturbing to say the least. Hoarding and neglecting dogs and cats to the point of forcing them to live in their own feces, starve to the point of death, turn to cannibalism, and go without much needed medical treatment when they are sick and injured is beyond thoughts for any sane human. These people need to be identified, prosecuted to the fullest extent, and NEVER have access to pets or any animals. For HB62, I have experience in law enforcement and when a "potential" criminal is identified, a national database can be accessed to see the person's "record". A national database of individuals convicted of animal abuse and animal cruelty is needed so these "puppy mill" operators can't be closed down in one state only to reopen in another. This bill can address one aspect of this issue by establishing and maintaining a list of convicted individuals in Virginia so other states can research any potential convictions they may have. It also allows county humane enforcement / animal control officers to be better equipped with information when monitoring or prosecuting these horrible cases. Both of my recent dogs were rescue dogs. We had each of them for over 16 years. We gave them good lives. The Virginia Legislation needs to do their part and provide animals with the quality of life they deserve. Thank you.

Good Afternoon!! As an owner/operator of a non-profit dog rescue here in Rockbridge County, I ask that you please support and fund HB62. Our beloved animals, like small children, cannot sign up to speak or submit written comments, but an Animal Cruelty Conviction List is well past due to be established for their well-being and safety. This List will be very beneficial to animal organizations who do pet adoptions, fostering and rescue work. The funding for HB62 is worth the cost of keeping animals safe from those convicted of felony animal cruelty. Thank you for your time in reading this comment.

Good evening Committee I ask you to please vote in favor of all three of these bills. People should know how and why animals passed away in pet stores that is only fair to the consumers for transparency. HB 223 is long overdue in my opinion as it is now the judges do not have the tools they need to properly say bad actors can no longer work with animals and or own them like mini crimes offenders often happen. We need to protect the animals just as we do people we don't let people who've been charged with crimes against children work with children, so why would this be any differently? HB 62. I am so excited to see this Bill when you volunteer with rescues there's currently no database to see if somebody has been convicted of crimes against animals to know that an animal may not be safe with them. The Virginia Court System is a tool, but it is a tool that many many many people do not know how to navigate, you also have the problem of if somebody has changed their name you won't necessarily have that information. I think this bill along with HVB223 is a great opportunity for the companion animals and the Commonwealth of Virginia. It will also give people the peace of mind that when they're looking for a dog sitter or a new veterinarian or a dog trainer, they know they have a tool to go to to see if they're a good person. And also with HB 223 that is not mandatory situation. It is something that gives the judge the discretion, where if he, or she feel like the person has committed such heinous crimes that they should not be able to have animals that they have a legal way to forbid them from doing so.

The members of the Virginia Animal Owners Alliance ask you to please vote against HB 62. While we believe this bill is well-intentioned, the current environment in the State is very hostile towards animal ownership. Look no further than the case of Natural Bridge Zoo. Anyone can have their animals seized and anyone can face criminal charges. It doesn't matter how much documentation you have or how many times you use your veterinarian. Old animals are a liability, special needs animals make you a target, and any animal you've buried on your property over the years can be used against you in Virginia courts. The Animal Law Unit in the Attorney General's Office is overzealous and is looking to make a name for themselves. Innocent owners shouldn't have to fight the State when they have done nothing wrong and so often these cases come down to a citizen's financial resources. Do they have money for a good legal team? Can they afford the cost of appeal? Innocent people have been pressured into taking plea deals due to lack of funds or lack of energy to fight year after year after year. When these decisions are made public, other citizens believe that the heavy-handed actions of the Animal Law Unit and certain animal control officers must be justified when in fact these citizens have only been further victimized. This is not the first time that the effort to create a registry has been undertaken in Virginia. Previous efforts have failed as well as efforts in other States. Registries cost a lot of money and ultimately lack effectiveness in regards to ACTUAL animal abuse. What will this registry accomplish? It will embolden Michelle Welch. It will empower the Animal Law Unit. It will further stigmatize innocent people. Please don't look the other way on this issue. You have the power to change this problem. Instead of a registry, we need reform. Sincerely, Heidi Crosky, Virginia Animal Owners Alliance

I support this bill. It is important for protecting the health and safety of animals from those individuals who already have a record of serious cruelty toward animals. It is limited in that it would apply to only those individuals convicted of certain felonies. And it would allow for removing a person's name after a certain period of time with no further serious abuses. The bill is a reasonable and measured response to a persistent problem of repeat extreme animal abusers.

I support this bill. It is important for protecting the health and safety of animals from those individuals who already have a record of serious cruelty toward animals. It is limited in that it would apply to only those individuals convicted of certain felonies. And it would allow for removing a person's name after a certain period of time with no further serious abuses. The bill is a reasonable and measured response to a persistent problem of repeat extreme animal abusers.

Dear AG Committee, I’m writing to encourage you to vote “yes” for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List HB62. Having an Animal Cruelty List will benefit animal organizations that do pet adoption, fostering, and rescue work. Being able to check the Conviction List will keep animals safe. I appreciate your consideration of the Animal Cruelty Conviction List, HB62. Sincerely, Corena Huffman, LVT Highland County Humane Society Inc 5409089152

Dear AG Committee, I’m writing to you today to encourage you to vote “yes” for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List HB62. Having an Animal Cruelty List will be very beneficial to animal organization who do pet adoption, fostering and rescue work. Being able to check the Conviction List will keep animals safe. Thank you for your consideration of the Animal Cruelty Conviction List, HB62. Sincerely, Barbara Brown of Harpers Ferry, WV

Please have an animal cruelty list available to shelters and their foster parents to protect animals that are presented for adoption. These animals have already been through enough. It would be cruel to let them go into the hands of those who knowingly harm or are unable to adequately care for these pets. In addition, shelters and their volunteers invest in these animals to restore them to health, socialize them after trauma, and provide needed shots and food. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SIGN THIS BILL! Thank you!

I support HB62 for the safety and wellbeing of animals in the state of VA. Thank you for your consideration to this bill.

While I know there are other important bills in front of you this session, I hope you will give serious consideration to this one. This bill would help all animal shelters and rescues ensure that those animals adopted out don't end up in a bad situation. Thank you for your time.

This will assist rescues and shelters to prevent adoptions to individuals who have been convicted of animal cruelty from getting their hands on another helpless animal to be abused.

Dear Virginia House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources: Agriculture Committee: Please vote “yes” for House Bill 62, which would establish an Animal Cruelty Conviction List in the commonwealth. Such a list will help ensure that individuals convicted of animal cruelty do not have the opportunity to adopt or foster any animals from rescue organizations. Thank you, Beth A. Rosenfeld Secretary, Board of Directors Friends of Rabbits Alexandria, Virginia (703) 660-6152

please support HB 62 Having an Animal Cruelty List will be very beneficial to animal organization who do pet adoption, fostering and rescue work. Being able to check the Conviction List will keep animals safe. thank you Irene Antonucci

Dear AG Committee, I’m writing to you today to encourage you to vote “yes” for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List HB62. Having an Animal Cruelty List will be very beneficial to animal organization who do pet adoption, fostering and rescue work. Being able to check the Conviction List will keep animals safe. Thank you for your consideration of the Animal Cruelty Conviction List, HB62. Sincerely, Elena Kleifges

Dear Committee Members, On behalf of the Rockbridge SPCA, we strongly support HB62 establishing an Animal Cruelty Conviction List. Having first hand experience over the years and having attended many court hearings and trials, adding an abuser to the List as the result of a felony conviction is reasonable. Most felony charges involve abusers with multiple prior charges or heinous crimes that were pled down to misdemeanors - an actual felony conviction is rare. Recently in Rockbridge County, a felony bestiality case with a dog was pled down to a misdemeanor , no more than a parking ticket. Please consider the plight of shelters, animal rescue groups, Animal Control Officers and others must deal with horrible abuse cases only to have the abusers walk away with a slap on the wrist and get another dog, cat - abusers also tend to be involved in domestic abuse according to the FBI statistics. It's a pattern. Thank you for your consideration and please support HB 62. Sincerely, Ramona Hazera

Dear AG Committee, I’m writing to you today to encourage you to vote “yes” for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List HB62. Having an Animal Cruelty List will be very beneficial to animal organization who do pet adoption, fostering and rescue work. Being able to check the Conviction List will keep animals safe. Thank you for your consideration of the Animal Cruelty Conviction List, HB62.

AG Committee, I’m writing to you today to encourage you to vote “yes” for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List HB62. Having an Animal Cruelty List will be very beneficial to animal organization who do pet adoption, fostering and rescue work. Being able to check the Conviction List will keep animals safe. Thank you for your consideration of the Animal Cruelty Conviction List, HB62. Sincerely, Sheila Parker

I am in favor of creating an animal cruelty conviction list for the state of Virginia.

Dear Agriculture Committee Members: I’m writing to you today to encourage you to vote “yes” for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List HB62. Having an Animal Cruelty List will be very beneficial to animal organization who do pet adoption, fostering and rescue work. Being able to check the Conviction List will keep animals safe. Thank you for your consideration of the Animal Cruelty Conviction List, HB62. Sincerelely, Jorg Huckabee-Mayfield

I am writing in support of HB62 to establish an Animal Cruelty Conviction List that will be available on the State Police website. Such a list will be very beneficial to animal organization who do pet adoption, fostering and rescue work. As a volunteer in Northern Virginia Sheltie Rescue, we see the results of horrible but legal breeding operations. In one of the cruelty case intakes, n July 2023 NVSR took in eight Sheltie-Papillion mixes from among 58 dogs that were seized by animal control in Northumberland County, VA. The dogs were kept in filthy and deplorable conditions by Phyllis Swift, who advertised herself as a breeder and boarding facility, "Passion for Pets," but she was breeding dogs that experienced almost no handling and were completely undomesticated and living in filth. NVSR spent many thousands of dollars for each dog for heartworm treatment, extensive dental work, spay/neuter, vaccinations, treatment intestinal parasites, and other maladies. Those were only the physical damages that could be treated by a vet. One of the foster parents who testified at the criminal trial described the terrible emotional damage done to the dogs due to lack of socialization and inhumane treatment, damage that may be life-long. Two of the dogs had to be euthanized before heartworm treatment could begin. The dogs' foster homes have spent several months since, getting the dogs used to humans. Yet Ms. Swift got a suspended sentence and will be able to move to another state to continue her business. Please allow the General Assembly to vote on this measure. Thank you.

Dear AG Committee, I’m writing to you today to encourage you to vote “yes” for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List HB62. Having an Animal Cruelty List will be very beneficial to animal organization who do pet adoption, fostering and rescue work. Being able to check the Conviction List will keep animals safe. Thank you for your consideration of the Animal Cruelty Conviction List, HB62. Marisa McCarren

Dear AG Committee, I’m writing to you today to encourage you to vote “yes” for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List HB62. Having an Animal Cruelty List will be very beneficial to animal organization who do pet adoption, fostering and rescue work. Being able to check the Conviction List will keep animals safe. Thank you for your consideration of the Animal Cruelty Conviction List, HB62. Sincerely, Juliet Gibson President, Board of Directors Rockbridge Area SPCA

Dear AG Committee, I’m writing to you today to encourage you to vote “yes” for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List HB62. Having an Animal Cruelty List will be very beneficial to animal organization who do pet adoption, fostering and rescue work. Being able to check the Conviction List will keep animals safe. Thank you for your consideration of the Animal Cruelty Conviction List, HB62. Sincerely, Lucia R Owens

Dear AG Committee, I’m writing to you today to encourage you to vote “yes” for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List that will be presented in the Virginia Assembly, House BILL NO 62. Having an Animal Cruelty List will be very beneficial to animal organization who do pet adoption, fostering and rescue work. Being able to check the Conviction List will keep animals safe. Thank you for your consideration of the Animal Cruelty Conviction List, House BILL No. 62. Sincerely, Haylee Woo

I support legislation, Bill HB 62 should be passed and move on in the legislation. Thank you.

I am voting to pass the Animal cruelty bill. As board member of the Rockbridge SPCA I can see how important this is. There has been numerous instances in n our area that were concerning animal cruelty. I believe it’s very important for this bill to pass. Our animals can’t speak for themselves. This is why as a SPCA board member I am speaking.

Dear AG Please vote “yes” for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List HB62. Having an Animal Cruelty List will be very beneficial to animal organization who do pet adoption, fostering and rescue work. Being able to check the Conviction List will keep animals safe. Thank you for your consideration of the Animal Cruelty Conviction List, HB62. Sincerely, V Vance

I’m writing to you today to encourage you to vote “yes” for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List HB62. The List will be very beneficial to animal organizations that do adoption, foster, and rescue work. Being able to check the List will help keep animals safe. Thank you for your support of the Animal Cruelty Conviction List.

I’m writing to you today to encourage you to vote “yes” for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List HB62. Having an Animal Cruelty List will be very beneficial to animal organization who do pet adoption, fostering and rescue work. Being able to check the Conviction List will keep animals safe. Thank you for your consideration of the Animal Cruelty Conviction List.

Dear AG Committee, I’m writing to you today to encourage you to vote “yes” for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List HB62. Having an Animal Cruelty List will be very beneficial to animal organizations who do pet adoptions, fostering, and rescue work. Being able to check the Conviction List will keep animals safe. Thank you for your consideration of the Animal Cruelty Conviction List, HB62. Sincerely, Peyton Fairchild

I’m writing to you today to encourage you to vote “yes” for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List HB62. Having an Animal Cruelty List will be very beneficial to animal organization who do pet adoption, fostering and rescue work. Being able to check the Conviction List will keep animals safe. Thank you for your consideration of the Animal Cruelty Conviction List, HB62.

Dear AG Committee, I’m writing to you today to encourage you to vote “yes” for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List HB62. Having an Animal Cruelty List will be very beneficial to animal organization who do pet adoption, fostering and rescue work. Being able to check the Conviction List will keep animals safe. Thank you for your consideration of the Animal Cruelty Conviction List, HB62. Sincerely, Carol Higgins

Dear AG Committee, I’m writing to you today to encourage you to vote “yes” for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List HB62. Having an Animal Cruelty List will be very beneficial to animal organization who do pet adoption, fostering and rescue work. Being able to check the Conviction List will keep animals safe. Thank you for your consideration of the Animal Cruelty Conviction List, HB62. Sincerely, Ashley Conner

Dear AG Committee, I’m writing to you today to encourage you to vote “yes” for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List HB62. Having an Animal Cruelty List will be very beneficial to animal organization who do pet adoption, fostering and rescue work. Being able to check the Conviction List will keep animals safe. Thank you for your consideration of the Animal Cruelty Conviction List, HB62. Sincerely, Anne Mingus Rockbridge SPCA Supervisor

Dear AG Committee, I’m writing to you today to encourage you to vote “yes” for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List HB62. Having an Animal Cruelty List will be very beneficial to animal organization who do pet adoption, fostering and rescue work. Being able to check the Conviction List will keep animals safe. Thank you for your consideration of the Animal Cruelty Conviction List, HB62. Sincerely, Anne Mingus Rockbridge SPCA Supervisor

Comments Document

Dear Committee, Please vote "yes" for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List HB62. The List will be very beneficial to animal organizations who do pet adoptions, fostering and rescue work. Being able to check the Conviction List will keep animals safe! I am including a list of animal organization who have email me in support of HB62. Please note these organization are from all over the State of Virginia and growing. Thank you very much for your consideration of this Bill. Sincerely, Tara Rodi Rockbridge SPCA Executive Director

To the AG Committee: I’m contacting you as I strongly support a “yes” vote for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List HB62.  An Animal Cruelty List will provide necessary information for rescue groups responsible for pet adoptions, fostering, and rescue.  Being able to check a "Conviction List" will contribute to the safety of animals, i.e. dogs, cats, & horses. It's important to have as much background information as possible about potential adopters. People who abuse animals, i.e. use them in fighting situations (as a fighter or a bait animal), or profit from puppy mills need to be readily identified. Thank you for your help in support of the Animal Cruelty Conviction List, HB62. Sincerely, Linda Lott

Dear AG Committee, Please vote “yes” for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List HB62. Having an Animal Cruelty List will be very beneficial to animal organization who do pet adoption, fostering and rescue work. Being able to check the Conviction List will keep animals safe. Thank you for your consideration of the Animal Cruelty Conviction List, HB62. Sincerely, Lynn Chipkin, Stuart VA.

Dear AG Committee, I’m writing to you today to imploree you to vote “yes” for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List HB62. Having an Animal Cruelty List will be very beneficial to animal organization who do pet adoption, fostering and rescue work. We invest much time and energy into rehabiliting animals who come into our care. Being able to check the Conviction List will keep animals safe. Thank you for your consideration of the Animal Cruelty Conviction List, HB62. Sincerely, Elaine Taylor, Board member of Northern Virginia Sheltie Rescue, a Virginia Nonprofit Corp

My name is Maurine Houser and I am the Board Chair for Rockbridge Animal Alliance in Lexington, Virginia. I am in support of HB62 and believe it is vital to the safety of pets in the Commonwealth of Virginia. On more than one occasion we have seen convicted animal abusers readopt and/or obtain pets following a conviction to only abuse pets again. Animal Shelters and Rescues have no way of knowing if they are allowing an abuser to adopt a dog or cat. Animal abuse in an ingrained behavioral pattern and without intervention it will continue. Being able to check the Conviction List will keep animals safe. Please help pets from suffering. Thank your for your time and consideration. Maurine M. Houser 1892 Turnpike Road Lexington, Virginia 24450

Dear AG Committee, I’m writing to you today to encourage you to vote “yes” for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List HB62.  Having an Animal Cruelty List will be very beneficial to animal organizations that do pet adoption, fostering, and rescue work. This list is paramount in protecting the safety of animals. We've spent far too long destroying their habitats and not protecting them from harms and abuses.  Being able to check a Conviction List will not only keep animals safe but also give rescuers the ability to properly screen potential adopters. We need your help here. Thank you for your consideration of the Animal Cruelty Conviction List, HB62. Sincerely, Mary Barnett 540-815-9258 Purple12tweety@gmail.com

Dear AG Committee, I’m writing to you today on behalf of Madison Community Cats to encourage you to vote “yes” for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List HB62. Having an Animal Cruelty List will be very beneficial to animal organization who do pet adoption, fostering and rescue work. Being able to check the Conviction List will allow our team to check the list before approving adoptions. Thank you for your consideration of the Animal Cruelty Conviction List, HB62. Sincerely, Laurie Counts, and Madison Community Cats

Dear AG Committee, I’m writing to you today to encourage you to vote “yes” for the Animal Cruelty Conviction List HB62. Having an Animal Cruelty List will be very beneficial to animal organization who do pet adoption, fostering and rescue work. Being able to check the Conviction List will keep animals safe. Thank you for your consideration of the Animal Cruelty Conviction List, HB62. Sincerely, Karen R. Beard

I support this legislation and the method described to fund it. Having names removed after a set time also allows for potentially a one time mistake not to follow someone the rest of their life.

HB206 I SUPPORT this bill. All pet shops should be accountable for the animals in their possession and transparent as to their health and welfare HB221 Vote NO on this bill. As written, this bill ignores the many Virginia communities that are successfully/humanely managing free-roaming cat populations. Its current language leaves the door open for inhumane policies like catch and kill. I do NOT SUPPORT this bill HB223 I SUPPORT this bill HB330 I SUPPORT this bill, but no pet shop should EVER offer consumer credit for an animal HB580 I SUPPORT this bill. Testing facilities should be totally transparent!! HB804 I do NOT Support this bill. The orginal language is the preferred language and there is no reason that the case cannot be heard within 30 days. You are allowing too much leeway to string out the case HB62 I SUPPORT this bill. Anumal Cruelty offenders should be known to the public just like sex offenders. There absolutely should be a list! HB9 I SUPPORT this bill

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Hi I am writing to you on behalf of The Well Connection UK, a media and publishing company. We could easily get virginia.gov featured in various publications such as magazines, online blogs and news sites. This would undoubtedly help virginia.gov with publicity, reputation, domain authority and organic search engine rankings. We have a wide range of options including completely free collaborations, sponsored posts, guest posts and banner ads. If this sounds of interest, please reach out to the senior business development manager, Anita at info@thewellconnection.co.uk and whatsapp +447395206515 (GMT) Kind regards Clifton Junior Outreach Assistant

I do not support this bill. Electric vehicles are a nonsensical direction to move in, and funding them heavily will prove to be a waste of funds. Furthermore, why offer grants to incentivize pushing this ridiculous movement on the poor?

Comments Document

Virginia LCV encourages you to SUPPORT HB107, HB199, HB309, HB985. HB107 (Sullivan) Rural Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Program and Fund Reasons to SUPPORT HB107 Supports communities otherwise left behind: The $106 million in federal funding for EV chargers is designated for major travel corridors. Virginia does not currently have funds set aside for EV charging stations in rural areas that are not along highways. Promotes tourism: EV charging stations near tourist destinations in low-income rural localities will ensure that people continue to visit the region as EVs become more prevalent, maintaining an essential contributor to the tax base and associated essential services, and supporting local businesses. Unlocks fuel/maintenance cost-savings for rural residents: With many EVs now achieving price parity with traditional gas-combustion vehicles, this bill will allow rural residents to reap cost savings associated with utilizing electricity, which is cheaper per mile than gas, as a fuel source. HB199 (Krizek) Virginia Brownfield and Coal Mine Renewable Energy Grant Fund and Program; allocation of funds. This legislation would: Removes the provision in Virginia’s Brownfield program that only permits federal funds to fund the program. Virginia’s Brownfield program provides a $500/kWh incentive for solar projects on former coal mines and a $100/kWh incentive for solar projects on brownfields Reasons to SUPPORT HB199: This simple fix will allow the Commonwealth to appropriate funds to this program. These modest incentives will help offset the slightly higher cost of projects in these locations. The more projects that are sited on former coal mines and brownfields means less impacts to important natural resources like farms and forests. HB 309 (Hope) Forest Conservation Plan; Department of Forestry to develop. This legislation would: Establish the Forest Conservation Act. Requests that the Department of Forestry assess the health of Virginia’s forests, determine how many acres are healthy and how many acres are at risk and why. The primary interest of this act are areas adjacent to streams or wetlands, those on steep or erodible soils or those within or adjacent to large contiguous blocks of forest or wildlife corridors. Reasons to SUPPORT HB309: Forest loss hinders the state’s ability to improve water quality, reduce flooding and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Intact forests not only provide habitat for wildlife, but also act as sponges, filtering water and slowing runoff into our streams, reducing erosion and sediment in our waterways. HB985 (Tran) High polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon; prohibits pavement sealants that contain, civil penalty. This legislation would: Prohibit the use of toxic high-PAH pavement sealants. Reasons to SUPPORT HB985: The Chesapeake Bay Program has prioritized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as the second most important toxic contaminant. PAHs are a class of chemicals that are the byproduct left over from burning coal, oil, gas, or wood. Pavement sealants with high PAH levels degrade, ultimately releasing dust and fine particles laden with carcinogens into homes, waterways, the soil, and the air. Stormwater runoff from PAH coatings continue to be highly toxic to fish and aquatic organisms months after their application. Low PAH sealants are cost-competitive and in regular use throughout the country.

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I am in support of these three bills as the growing population of Virginia, specifically Northern Virginia, has caused problems with all animals (pets and wild). There are way too many cases of animal cruelty and neglect. Most go unnoticed as only the really horrible ones make the news. For HB206, I was actually surprised that pet stores DON'T provide information when animals die. This lack of accountability needs to be addressed since pet stores have the potential for abuse. This would align the accountability with other organizations that handle animals. For HB223, the recent cases of animal cruelty in Virginia have been disturbing to say the least. Hoarding and neglecting dogs and cats to the point of forcing them to live in their own feces, starve to the point of death, turn to cannibalism, and go without much needed medical treatment when they are sick and injured is beyond thoughts for any sane human. These people need to be identified, prosecuted to the fullest extent, and NEVER have access to pets or any animals. For HB62, I have experience in law enforcement and when a "potential" criminal is identified, a national database can be accessed to see the person's "record". A national database of individuals convicted of animal abuse and animal cruelty is needed so these "puppy mill" operators can't be closed down in one state only to reopen in another. This bill can address one aspect of this issue by establishing and maintaining a list of convicted individuals in Virginia so other states can research any potential convictions they may have. It also allows county humane enforcement / animal control officers to be better equipped with information when monitoring or prosecuting these horrible cases. Both of my recent dogs were rescue dogs. We had each of them for over 16 years. We gave them good lives. The Virginia Legislation needs to do their part and provide animals with the quality of life they deserve. Thank you.

Please vote yes. This bill increases transparency and accountability relating to animals.

Good evening Committee I ask you to please vote in favor of all three of these bills. People should know how and why animals passed away in pet stores that is only fair to the consumers for transparency. HB 223 is long overdue in my opinion as it is now the judges do not have the tools they need to properly say bad actors can no longer work with animals and or own them like mini crimes offenders often happen. We need to protect the animals just as we do people we don't let people who've been charged with crimes against children work with children, so why would this be any differently? HB 62. I am so excited to see this Bill when you volunteer with rescues there's currently no database to see if somebody has been convicted of crimes against animals to know that an animal may not be safe with them. The Virginia Court System is a tool, but it is a tool that many many many people do not know how to navigate, you also have the problem of if somebody has changed their name you won't necessarily have that information. I think this bill along with HVB223 is a great opportunity for the companion animals and the Commonwealth of Virginia. It will also give people the peace of mind that when they're looking for a dog sitter or a new veterinarian or a dog trainer, they know they have a tool to go to to see if they're a good person. And also with HB 223 that is not mandatory situation. It is something that gives the judge the discretion, where if he, or she feel like the person has committed such heinous crimes that they should not be able to have animals that they have a legal way to forbid them from doing so.

SUPPORT. Of course this needs to happen. Pet shops should be at least as regulated as our local shelters. To do otherwise is to be hypocritical. Plus, since they are a consumer service, there is an additional need for regulation to protect the public from being sold sick puppies.

VA has witnessed multiple instances of cruelty which has run a prolonged course of time because there was no 'alert system' such as required reporting of deaths would provide. While requiring a more regular reporting summary than annual would be preferred, this requirement to retain a record for inspectors is a positive step in preventing poor care.

VA has witnessed multiple instances of cruelty which has run a prolonged course of time because there was no 'alert system' such as required reporting of deaths would provide. While requiring a more regular reporting summary than annual would be preferred, this requirement to retain a record for inspectors is a positive step in preventing poor care.

I support this bill to require more transparency of pet shops that choose to sell cats or dog. These animals are generally sourced from puppy or kitten mills where profit is put before the wellbeing of the animals in the facility.

HB206 I SUPPORT this bill. All pet shops should be accountable for the animals in their possession and transparent as to their health and welfare HB221 Vote NO on this bill. As written, this bill ignores the many Virginia communities that are successfully/humanely managing free-roaming cat populations. Its current language leaves the door open for inhumane policies like catch and kill. I do NOT SUPPORT this bill HB223 I SUPPORT this bill HB330 I SUPPORT this bill, but no pet shop should EVER offer consumer credit for an animal HB580 I SUPPORT this bill. Testing facilities should be totally transparent!! HB804 I do NOT Support this bill. The orginal language is the preferred language and there is no reason that the case cannot be heard within 30 days. You are allowing too much leeway to string out the case HB62 I SUPPORT this bill. Anumal Cruelty offenders should be known to the public just like sex offenders. There absolutely should be a list! HB9 I SUPPORT this bill

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I am in support of these three bills as the growing population of Virginia, specifically Northern Virginia, has caused problems with all animals (pets and wild). There are way too many cases of animal cruelty and neglect. Most go unnoticed as only the really horrible ones make the news. For HB206, I was actually surprised that pet stores DON'T provide information when animals die. This lack of accountability needs to be addressed since pet stores have the potential for abuse. This would align the accountability with other organizations that handle animals. For HB223, the recent cases of animal cruelty in Virginia have been disturbing to say the least. Hoarding and neglecting dogs and cats to the point of forcing them to live in their own feces, starve to the point of death, turn to cannibalism, and go without much needed medical treatment when they are sick and injured is beyond thoughts for any sane human. These people need to be identified, prosecuted to the fullest extent, and NEVER have access to pets or any animals. For HB62, I have experience in law enforcement and when a "potential" criminal is identified, a national database can be accessed to see the person's "record". A national database of individuals convicted of animal abuse and animal cruelty is needed so these "puppy mill" operators can't be closed down in one state only to reopen in another. This bill can address one aspect of this issue by establishing and maintaining a list of convicted individuals in Virginia so other states can research any potential convictions they may have. It also allows county humane enforcement / animal control officers to be better equipped with information when monitoring or prosecuting these horrible cases. Both of my recent dogs were rescue dogs. We had each of them for over 16 years. We gave them good lives. The Virginia Legislation needs to do their part and provide animals with the quality of life they deserve. Thank you.

Please support HB223 to help keep animals safe in the Commonwealth.

Good evening, my name is Jaimie Ashton and I would ask you to support HB223. This bill is needed unfortunately we have had several cases In the Commonwealth that this bill would have been a great help to protect animals. In Fredericksburg we had a case where a partner in a practice who is also a Vet Tech committed an awful crime against a dog and confessed to such crime. There was no option for the judge in that case to restrict her access to dogs, she is still a current owner and practing Vet Tech. In Spotsylvania County we had a lady who was charged with starving her horses but yet was able to continue to work for years as a dog trainer at a major retail chain. In Orange County we had a well known dog trainer who was charged with several charges of cruelty. We need to give the judges the tool to help protect animals from people like these. This is an optional tool not a requirement. Thank you in advance for your time and support.

The members of the Virginia Animal Owners Alliance ask you to vote "no" on HB 223. Supporters of the lifetime ban don't realize that ANYONE with an animal can be charged with animal cruelty in the Commonwealth. We have an overzealous Animal Law Unit and the process of obtaining a search warrant, raiding the home, bringing criminal charges, pursuing prosecution, and securing a conviction is completely flawed. Changes must be made to the current process before ever considering anything as permanent as a lifetime ban. The perfect example of the current hostility towards owners is the case of the Natural Bridge Zoo. Karl and Debbie Mogensen are living proof of how the Animal Law Unit can put a target on your back and then "fish" for the crimes they believe were committed. It doesn't matter how many times you use your vet or how much documentation you have to back it up. Old animals are a liability, special needs animals garner you an investigation, and any animal that is buried or preserved on your property can be used against you. The Animal Law Unit is looking to make a name for themselves instead of focusing on ACTUAL animal abuse. Innocent owners shouldn't have to fight the State when they have done nothing wrong and yet this is happening in case after case. The lifetime ban is in regards to felonies, but who has been charged with a felony? Irina Barrett was charged for a dog that swallowed an object. A DOG THAT SHE TOOK TO THE VET FOR HELP. She was also charged for the torture and death of Deelah when in fact the dog was still alive! Irina went public with this information and Michelle Welch had the wording changed and the charge dismissed on the first day of Irina's trial. This charge alone reveals a lot about what is happening with these animal cases. Rhiannan Vitiello was charged with FOUR FELONIES for horse body parts that were found in a 30-year-old compost pile--even though this was "junk science." She was also charged with a felony for a horse that was experiencing colic. COLIC IS ONE OF THE LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH IN EQUINES. Why was Rhiannan criminally pursued for this? Rhiannan's mother, Robin Vince, was charged and CONVICTED for three felonies for three old, dead horses that had been euthanized and buried on her property. Amy Taylor (who is now part of the Animal Law Unit) was part of the raid and testified against Robin. Robin appealed the verdict, but did not win her appeal. If every farmer in Virginia was treated like this for animals buried on their farm, there would be public outrage. Debbie Coley is yet another example of how the code is being abused to harm good owners. She was charged with FELONY TORTURE for her special needs dog, Romeo. He had been hit by a car and was in a wheelchair. The Commonwealth later reduced the charge and Debbie won her case, but she should have never endured such treatment. A citizen's "guilt" or "innocence" is often based on their financial resources. Do they have money for a good legal team? Do they have money for the care bond? Can they afford to appeal? A lifetime ban is a permanent and serious thing. We need to fix the current problems with the process before ever considering methods to increase punishment. Instead of a lifetime ban, we need reform to the code and accountability for the Animal Law Unit. Please don't further empower Michelle Welch--vote "no" on HB 223. Sincerely, Heidi Crosky, Virginia Animal Owners Alliance

Good evening Committee I ask you to please vote in favor of all three of these bills. People should know how and why animals passed away in pet stores that is only fair to the consumers for transparency. HB 223 is long overdue in my opinion as it is now the judges do not have the tools they need to properly say bad actors can no longer work with animals and or own them like mini crimes offenders often happen. We need to protect the animals just as we do people we don't let people who've been charged with crimes against children work with children, so why would this be any differently? HB 62. I am so excited to see this Bill when you volunteer with rescues there's currently no database to see if somebody has been convicted of crimes against animals to know that an animal may not be safe with them. The Virginia Court System is a tool, but it is a tool that many many many people do not know how to navigate, you also have the problem of if somebody has changed their name you won't necessarily have that information. I think this bill along with HVB223 is a great opportunity for the companion animals and the Commonwealth of Virginia. It will also give people the peace of mind that when they're looking for a dog sitter or a new veterinarian or a dog trainer, they know they have a tool to go to to see if they're a good person. And also with HB 223 that is not mandatory situation. It is something that gives the judge the discretion, where if he, or she feel like the person has committed such heinous crimes that they should not be able to have animals that they have a legal way to forbid them from doing so.

Comments Document

Please see attached testimony.

I support this bill. Persons who are convicted of animal cruelty in Virginia often obtain other animals who are subject to similar acts of cruelty. This bill gives discretion to the court to protect animals from individuals with a record of animal cruelty, as necessary.

Support. Good change to the law.

I support this bill to allow for more freedom in the length of prohibition of owning animals if convicted of a misdemeanor or felony cruelty charge. Allowing additional time after incarceration provides the opportunity for additional rehabilitation and services to be provided.

I SUPPORT HB223, HB320, and HB47. (I declared support for HB221 to curb outdoor and feral cats in another comment.) I only wish HB47 could go farther and place an outright ban on the sale of invasive plants. I am appalled that it isn't already the law that someone convicted of animal cruelty is barred from ever owning a pet in the future. Let's fix that post haste! And HB320 is important to pass because we need to get rid of invasive species - they are causing tremendous damage to our native flora and fauna. (As are free-roaming cats, hence my support for HB221.)

Please support HB223! This bill hits home, as our neighbor's small dog was mauled and killed in May 2023 before her owner's eyes by a pitbull, as she waited to pick up her daughter at the bus stop after school. It was a terrible incident that opened my eyes to how little could be done to make sure the owner of the pitbull never let this happen again. (I'm a pitbull owner myself, so I realize it is not the dog's fault.) This owner did not take care of the dog, frequently left it outside in the rain and snow, locked it in the basement. The pitbull had apparently killed the owners' other dog at some point. The owner surrendered his dog and it was put down by Fairfax County, but he went out and got another one. Our neighborhood again lives in terror of this owner. Please support HB223!

HB206 I SUPPORT this bill. All pet shops should be accountable for the animals in their possession and transparent as to their health and welfare HB221 Vote NO on this bill. As written, this bill ignores the many Virginia communities that are successfully/humanely managing free-roaming cat populations. Its current language leaves the door open for inhumane policies like catch and kill. I do NOT SUPPORT this bill HB223 I SUPPORT this bill HB330 I SUPPORT this bill, but no pet shop should EVER offer consumer credit for an animal HB580 I SUPPORT this bill. Testing facilities should be totally transparent!! HB804 I do NOT Support this bill. The orginal language is the preferred language and there is no reason that the case cannot be heard within 30 days. You are allowing too much leeway to string out the case HB62 I SUPPORT this bill. Anumal Cruelty offenders should be known to the public just like sex offenders. There absolutely should be a list! HB9 I SUPPORT this bill

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The regulation of PFAS chemicals is of great importance. HB 245 (Bulova) and HB 1085 (Rasoul) will address this issue. Any compromise with a substitution that weakens the legislation is not in the best interest of citizens. People should know if harmful chemicals are in their drinking water. --Tyla Matteson, Chesterfield County

Comments Document

House Agriculture, Chesapeake & Natural Resources Chesapeake Subcommittee Testimony in Favor of HB245 and HB1085 January 29, 2024 Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony on critical bills to regulate PFAS, the forever chemicals. I am Robin Broder, Deputy Director of Waterkeepers Chesapeake, the coalition of 17 Waterkeeper programs in the Chesapeake and Coastal Bays region. I'm also here as a Virginia resident and mother of two young women. As a mother, I’m very concerned about how families have been exposed to these chemicals for decades – and future generations will be exposed -- unless we act today. Four bills – HB245 & SB462 and HB1085 & SB243 -- have been filed this session to assess and regulate the sources of PFAS -- this is critical as we need to stop use of and discharge of PFAS at the source before it reaches public drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities. The substitute proposal before the committee is not one or any of those bills. While likely well intended in trying to consolidate the bills, the substitute is flawed, and will do little to identify sources of PFAS pollution in Virginia. This substitute bill does not require public water systems (of any size) to test for and/or report PFAS in their raw water. The substitute is focused on maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for large public drinking water systems only and excludes facilities that serve fewer the 3,300 people (more than 2600 facilities) which are more likely to be located in environmental justice communities. The critical flaw is there is that requirements in the substitute bill do not apply unless two things happen: 1. the large public drinking water facility monitors for PFAS using EPA approved methods; and 2. they report the results of their monitoring that exceeds EPA's proposed MCL for PFAS to DEQ. In contrast, the four bills that were filed are all self-executing, meaning that upon adoption, they will require initial assessment of PFAS sources and reporting to DEQ. The common-sense bill introduced by Delegate Bulova and Senator Marsden offers a path forward to develop a more complete picture of industrial PFAS discharges to Virginia waters in a targeted way. It will provide useful data to help shape DEQ and VDH action in the future. Virginia should join other Chesapeake Bay states and become a leader on protecting families and drinking water from toxic forever chemicals. We oppose the substitute and support the original four bills. Robin Broder robin@waterkeeperschesapeake.org

HB 245 PFAS - This bill should become law. Human health and environmental health are threatened by human ability to produce chemicals faster than we can determine their long term harms. Let's start to act in our own best interest by getting this situation under control.

HB47 Please support this bill. Invasive plants should not be available for sale in Virginia nurseries. Our state government has estimated that invasive plants are costing Virginia's economy upwards of $1 billion per year. I walk around our neighborhood clipping English Ivy off of trees as these invasive vines slowly kill trees. Much of the general public, landscapers and nurseries are ignorant about the cost of invasive plants. They spread and over take our landscape destroying habitat and food for our birds, pollinators and other wildlife. HB320 Please support this bill which would allow the many volunteers that are tackling the invasives problem to do an effective job in eliminating them once and for all by using herbicides. HB316 Please support this bill so we can move to a circular economy. We need a recycling vision and facilities so that Virginians can keep plastic out of the ocean, re-use glass, paper and aluminum. Business opportunities exist at the local levels. Food waste and compostable packaging need a digester. Plastics can be recycled into toys and other consumer products. There should be no single use products that pollute our land and our oceans. Without commitment this won't happen. HB245 Please support this bill and let's see what chemical companies are dumping into our environment. PFAs are dangerous and are accumulating in all of our bodies. They are everywhere. We need to stop and protect ourselves and our children. The toxic chemicals surround us and we allow the chemical companies to dupe us into thinking that they are safe.

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I fully support HB 288 - we are constantly being encroached upon by hunters who seek to establish blinds on our legally posted land - this creates an unnecessary conflict between us as landowners and those seeking a place to hunt - we need this bill to better define the limits of non landowners and the rights of the landowner. Respectfully T U Dudley

Port Micou Land Company, LLC P. O. Box 786 Middleburg, VA 20118 January 22, 2024 To: House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee Chesapeake Subcommittee RE: House Bill 288 - Stationary blinds for waterfowl; providing location of blinds to Department of Wildlife Resources Position: SUPPORT Too Whom It May Concern, On behalf of my fellow members of Port Micou Land Company, I’m writing you today in support of House Bill 288 – legislation that will direct the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) to publish the GPS coordinates of stationary waterfowl blinds on its website in a searchable, publicly accessible, and conspicuous manner. Our Land Company regularly contends with parties seeking to find suitable locations to duck and goose hunt and finds that the yellow 2” x 2” hunting blind stamps do not provide hunters with sufficient notice of existing hunters’ stationary blind rights. In addition, the Commonwealth also sells hunting blind permits without verification of conflict of location. Invariably a conflict between hunters’ stationary blind permits is not known until the opening day of hunting season at 6:30 in the morning where everyone is eager for the hunt, with guns in hand and expectations in mind. This conflict is not fair to anyone and can easily be avoided with a centralized data base of the GPS Coordinates on the Commonwealth’s website that is available to the public. In addition, the Commonwealth should not allow a permit to be sold with the knowledge of a presumptive conflict. By making the locations of stationary blinds available at central website, all parties can know where a stationary blind can occur and where it cannot, thereby avoiding conflicts in the field and encouraging additional blinds where permitted. Thank you again for your service to the Commonwealth and your consideration to this matter. Respectfully, Charles K. Ince Member Port Micou Land Company

I support this bill as an important first step in making the process of determining boundary disputes easier and in a more timely fashion. Thank you for your consideration.

STRONG SUPPORT OF HB288 AS A LAND OWNER IN ESSEX COUNTY WE ARE SEEING INCREASED ENCROACHMENT ON OUR PROPERTY WHERE OFTEN THE CASE IS THE INFRINGING PARTY EITHER DOES NOT SEE OR IGNORES OUR POSTED WATERFOWL BLINDS. A CENTRALIZED DATABASE SHOULD HELP WITH TRANSPARENCY AND LAW & ORDER. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME & CONSIDERATION. PHILIP RC DUDLEY MANAGING MEMBER, PORT MICOU LAND COMPANY, LLC

Good morning Chairman Bulova and committee members. I’m writing you today in support of House Bill 288 – legislation that will direct the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) to publish the GPS coordinates of stationary waterfowl blinds on its website in a searchable and publicly accessible manner. The search should only show the coordinates of the blinds location, but leave the details of the license registration (names, addresses, etc.) anonymous. I believe it is critical that the ability to search the locations of existing stationary blinds in a central database for those looking to buy a license of their own, be able to see where they can, and cannot, place a license for their blind. This eliminates confusion and confrontation, and in theory, should curtail formal complaints and paperwork to the DWR. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Warm regards, Nick Jenkins

On behalf of the members of Port Micou Land Company, I’m writing you today in support of House Bill 288 – legislation that will direct the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) to publish the GPS coordinates of stationary waterfowl blinds on its website in a searchable, publicly accessible, and conspicuous manner. Our Land Company regularly contends with parties seeking to find suitable locations to duck and goose hunt and finds that the yellow 2” x 2” hunting blind stamps do not provide hunters with sufficient notice of existing hunters’ stationary blind rights. In addition, the Commonwealth also sells hunting blind permits without verification of conflict of location. Invariably a conflict between hunters’ stationary blind permits is not known until the opening day of hunting season at 6:30 in the morning where everyone is eager for the hunt, with guns in hand and expectations in mind. This conflict is not fair to anyone and can easily be avoided with a centralized data base of the GPS Coordinates on the Commonwealth’s website that is available to the public. In addition, the Commonwealth should not allow a permit to be sold with the knowledge of a presumptive conflict. By making the locations of stationary blinds available at central website, all parties can know where a stationary blind can occur and where it cannot, thereby avoiding conflicts in the field and encouraging additional blinds where permitted. Thank you again for your service to the Commonwealth and your consideration to this matter. Respectfully, J. Carter Wiley Member Port Micou Land Company

Comments Document

See attached.

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Hi I am writing to you on behalf of The Well Connection UK, a media and publishing company. We could easily get virginia.gov featured in various publications such as magazines, online blogs and news sites. This would undoubtedly help virginia.gov with publicity, reputation, domain authority and organic search engine rankings. We have a wide range of options including completely free collaborations, sponsored posts, guest posts and banner ads. If this sounds of interest, please reach out to the senior business development manager, Anita at info@thewellconnection.co.uk and whatsapp +447395206515 (GMT) Kind regards Clifton Junior Outreach Assistant

Comments Document

Virginia LCV encourages you to SUPPORT HB107, HB199, HB309, HB985. HB107 (Sullivan) Rural Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Program and Fund Reasons to SUPPORT HB107 Supports communities otherwise left behind: The $106 million in federal funding for EV chargers is designated for major travel corridors. Virginia does not currently have funds set aside for EV charging stations in rural areas that are not along highways. Promotes tourism: EV charging stations near tourist destinations in low-income rural localities will ensure that people continue to visit the region as EVs become more prevalent, maintaining an essential contributor to the tax base and associated essential services, and supporting local businesses. Unlocks fuel/maintenance cost-savings for rural residents: With many EVs now achieving price parity with traditional gas-combustion vehicles, this bill will allow rural residents to reap cost savings associated with utilizing electricity, which is cheaper per mile than gas, as a fuel source. HB199 (Krizek) Virginia Brownfield and Coal Mine Renewable Energy Grant Fund and Program; allocation of funds. This legislation would: Removes the provision in Virginia’s Brownfield program that only permits federal funds to fund the program. Virginia’s Brownfield program provides a $500/kWh incentive for solar projects on former coal mines and a $100/kWh incentive for solar projects on brownfields Reasons to SUPPORT HB199: This simple fix will allow the Commonwealth to appropriate funds to this program. These modest incentives will help offset the slightly higher cost of projects in these locations. The more projects that are sited on former coal mines and brownfields means less impacts to important natural resources like farms and forests. HB 309 (Hope) Forest Conservation Plan; Department of Forestry to develop. This legislation would: Establish the Forest Conservation Act. Requests that the Department of Forestry assess the health of Virginia’s forests, determine how many acres are healthy and how many acres are at risk and why. The primary interest of this act are areas adjacent to streams or wetlands, those on steep or erodible soils or those within or adjacent to large contiguous blocks of forest or wildlife corridors. Reasons to SUPPORT HB309: Forest loss hinders the state’s ability to improve water quality, reduce flooding and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Intact forests not only provide habitat for wildlife, but also act as sponges, filtering water and slowing runoff into our streams, reducing erosion and sediment in our waterways. HB985 (Tran) High polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon; prohibits pavement sealants that contain, civil penalty. This legislation would: Prohibit the use of toxic high-PAH pavement sealants. Reasons to SUPPORT HB985: The Chesapeake Bay Program has prioritized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as the second most important toxic contaminant. PAHs are a class of chemicals that are the byproduct left over from burning coal, oil, gas, or wood. Pavement sealants with high PAH levels degrade, ultimately releasing dust and fine particles laden with carcinogens into homes, waterways, the soil, and the air. Stormwater runoff from PAH coatings continue to be highly toxic to fish and aquatic organisms months after their application. Low PAH sealants are cost-competitive and in regular use throughout the country.

Fairfax Tree Stewards Support HB309 Fairfax Tree Stewards (FTS) is a Virginia non-profit corporation that preserves, plants, and maintains trees in Fairfax County and vicinity, educates the public on the value and benefits of trees, and encourages them to take an active role in caring for trees. We speak for the trees because the trees cannot speak for themselves. FTS urges you to support HB309. The bill will help to preserve and increase Virginia’s tree canopy by providing a comprehensive and enduring plan to ensure we are effectively managing our forests. Virginia continues to lose trees at a rapid rate. This limits the commonwealth’s ability to improve water quality and public health. HB309will help identify threats to tree canopy and forest conservation. It will also identify priority forests for conservation, especially in areas adjacent to streams, steep or erodible slopes, large areas of forest and wildlife corridors. This bill provides a framework to inform and prioritize forest preservation efforts and investment. It is critical to do more to preserve and increase Virginia’s tree canopy. Healthy forests play a vital role in improving water quality by slowing down and filtering rainfall, preventing soil erosion, and reducing polluted runoff. Tree root systems reduce the amount of sediment and runoff that pollutes our waterways by holding soil in place and taking up pollutants. Trees also act as natural barriers to flooding by absorbing and slowing the flow of rainwater. Trees contribute significantly to water quality and public health. Tree canopy provides essential shade and stabilizes air temperatures by retaining and releasing water to create a net cooling effect. Trees reduce air pollution by absorbing air pollutants that contribute to climate change and respiratory illness. Respectfully submitted, Tom Blackburn Advocacy Chair Fairfax Tree Stewards 1637 Cecile Street McLean, VA 22101 TomlBlackburn@gmail.com

Support HB309: The bill will help to preserve and increase Virginia’s tree canopy by providing a comprehensive and enduring plan to ensure we are effectively managing our forests. We are not doing enough to manage our ccritical forest resources. Virginia continues to lose trees at a rapid rate. This limits the commonwealth’s ability to improve water quality and public health. HB309will help identify threats to tree canopy and forest conservation. It will also identify priority forests for conservation, especially in areas adjacent to streams, steep or erodible slopes, large areas of forest and wildlife corridors. This bill provides a framework to inform and prioritize forest preservation efforts and investment. It is critical to do more to preserve and increase Virginia’s tree canopy. Healthy forests play a vital role in improving water quality by slowing down and filtering rainfall, preventing soil erosion, and reducing polluted runoff. Tree root systems reduce the amount of sediment and runoff that pollutes our waterways by holding soil in place and taking up pollutants. Trees also act as natural barriers to flooding by absorbing and slowing the flow of rainwater. Trees contribute significantly to water quality and public health. Tree canopy provides essential shade and stabilizes air temperatures by retaining and releasing water to create a net cooling effect. Trees reduce air pollution by absorbing air pollutants that contribute to climate change and respiratory illness. Please support HB309 Rear Admiral Elizabeth Train, USN (Ret)

Support HB 1167 and HB309 --I am a long time resident of Annandale in Fairfax County and have observed significant degradation of the Accotink Creek watershed, tree canopy, our neighborhoods and VDOT right of ways due to smothering by English Ivy vines. We continue to lose trees to this noxious invasive vine. If it is sold in the commercial nurseries, well meaning homeowners have no way of knowing how damaging and costly this invasive plant is. HB309 - Virginia continues to lose trees at a rapid rate, which limits the state’s ability to improve water quality and public health. The loss of trees poses a significant threat to the well-being of all Virginians, especially those in our most vulnerable communities. It takes decades for newly planted trees to provide the carbon reduction, water and air quality, and wildlife benefits of mature trees, time is of the essence. Why support HB1167-Prevention through prohibiting sale is the most effective and low-cost solution for managing invasive species. Once an invasive species is established, management is costly and can harm valuable infrastructure and the natural biodiversity needed for healthy ecosystems. • Seeds of this toxic plant are readily dispersed by birds. Once established it spreads on the forest floor and then climbs trees up to the canopy where it flowers and fruits freely. • English Ivy has become a major killer of trees, weighing them down and smothering them. • Trees heavily draped with vines are more susceptible to blowing over during storms, making them hazardous near homes, roads, and public-use areas in parks. • English ivy reduces native plant diversity and associated fauna, threatens endangered species, and alters nutrient dynamics of forest soils. • By displacing native plants, this European introduction threatens the local ecosystem. • Respecting no property lines, it spreads readily and is difficult and costly to control, infringing on property rights by causing damage on neighboring properties and in our natural areas. • The cost of removing English Ivy by public and private landowners is high and growing. • Public interest in stopping the spread of English Ivy is large and growing. Why support HB309--Virginia needs to assess where and why canopy is lost and then address the findings through sound conservation planning. This Forest Conservation Plan will identify threats to tree canopy and forest conservation, identify priory forests for conservation, especially in areas adjacent to streams, steep or erodible slopes, large areas of forest and wildlife corridors. Trees play a vital role in improving water quality by slowing down and filtering rainfall, preventing soil erosion, and reducing polluted runoff. Tree root systems reduce the amount of sediment and runoff that pollutes our waterways by holding soil in place and taking up pollutants. Trees also act as natural barriers to flooding by absorbing and slowing the flow of rainwater. Trees contribute significantly to water quality and public health. Tree canopy provides essential shade and stabilizes air temperatures by retaining and releasing water to create a net cooling effect. Trees reduce air pollution by absorbing air pollutants that contribute to climate change and respiratory illness. Elizabeth Train Rear Admiral, USN, (Ret)

Comments Document

The Virginia League of Conservation Voters encourages you to SUPPORT HB84, HB85, and HB309 HB84 (Simonds) Mineral mining and exploration; public notification. HB 84 would require companies conducting exploratory drilling to provide notice to local government and nearby neighbors 15 days prior to drilling taking place. Reasons to SUPPORT HB84 -- Notification would inform local governments and neighbors of mining activity that could impact groundwater levels, water quality & property values. -- This would allow localities or neighbors to make mining companies aware of any unique local considerations the company should be aware of prior to drilling occurring. HB85 (Simonds) Mineral mining and exploration; public notification. HB85 would prohibit the use of cyanide in mineral mining. Response to recommendations made by the National Academy of Sciences Engineering and Medicine that found "Virginia's regulations are insufficient to protect against the potential impacts of gold mining." Reasons to SUPPORT HB85: -- Negative ground and surface water impacts are more likely to occur with the use of cyanide processing. -- Cyanide spills can ruin drinking water, destroy ecosystems and cause massive fish kills. HB 309 (Hope) Forest Conservation Plan; Department of Forestry to develop. HB309 would: Establish the Forest Conservation Act. Requests that the Department of Forestry assess the health of Virginia’s forests, determine how many acres are healthy and how many acres are at risk and why. The primary interest of this act are areas adjacent to streams or wetlands, those on steep or erodible soils or those within or adjacent to large contiguous blocks of forest or wildlife corridors. Reasons to SUPPORT HB85: -- A baseline assessment would the state to identify trends and consider programs and funding to ensure Virginia protects its natural resources. -- Virginia continues to lose tree canopy, including intact forests. -- Forest loss hinders the state’s ability to improve water quality, reduce flooding and mitigate the impacts of climate change. -- Intact forests not only provide habitat for wildlife, but also act as sponges, filtering water and slowing runoff into our streams, reducing erosion and sediment in our waterways.

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HB320 Pesticide control exemptions - This bill should become law. Volunteers can play an important role in an overall strategy to control invasive plants on public land, but their effectiveness is greatly curtailed if they are unable to apply herbicides. Supervised and limited use of herbicides will increase volunteer effectiveness by avoiding repeating the same work year after year.

HB320 please support & pass. As stated in previous comment, this would allow volunteers with training and oversight by govt entity to use unrestricted herbicides through spot treatments of invasives. Ironically these products and limited use are sold to consumers with zero Virginia restrictions for use on their private property. This bill would allow use on public lands but only with training and guidance by the local entity. Industry complaints about this bill fail to recognize the limited products and use involved here.

As a geologist, Invasive Management Areas site leader, and Oakton resident, I support bills HB1000, HB1056, HB1085, HB1100, HB1449, HB1520, HB320, and HB524. These bills will improve the way we understand and and live in harmony with nature by encouraging research partnerships, avoiding the harm of pollution, invasive plants, and pipelines, and encouraging the preservation and protection of valuable ecosystems.

I support this bill. As a person passionately devoted to saving trees and our eco system, I recognize that herbicides are critical for the eradication of some invasive species. I think agencies or non-profits could provide safety training to ensure that volunteers use these products safely-just as the NPS requires volunteers to be trained before they can cut down invasive species on park land.

I support this bill. As a person passionately devoted to saving trees and our eco system, I recognize that herbicides are critical for the eradication of some invasive species. I think agencies or non-profits could provide safety training to ensure that volunteers use these products safely-just as the NPS requires volunteers to be trained before they can cut down invasive species on park land.

I support bill HB320 along with the support of Friends of the Accotink. While I am in general leery of chemical pesticides the reality is that certain invasive species have such extensive root systems and virulence of growth/regrowth that herbicides are an effective necessity ideally in limited forms such paint herbicide application to high virulence. Asian Wisteria Porcelain berry vine, mature Asian honeysuckles are all examples of plants that take over and become extremely challenging to remove if it is possible at all.

I SUPPORT HB223, HB320, and HB47. (I declared support for HB221 to curb outdoor and feral cats in another comment.) I only wish HB47 could go farther and place an outright ban on the sale of invasive plants. I am appalled that it isn't already the law that someone convicted of animal cruelty is barred from ever owning a pet in the future. Let's fix that post haste! And HB320 is important to pass because we need to get rid of invasive species - they are causing tremendous damage to our native flora and fauna. (As are free-roaming cats, hence my support for HB221.)

Friends of Accotink Creek supports HB 320. Allowing volunteers apply best practices for controlling invasive vines (painting herbicide on freshly cut stumps/roots) will allow them to do the job properly. Just cutting the vines is a waste of time. Uprooting vines on a regular basis risks serious back injury to volunteers. Some infestations like lesser celandine and ailanthus trees can ONLY be controlled by herbicides. Virginia hasn't the funds to pay herbicide crews to treat all its invasive-infested areas. The slack will have to picked up by volunteers.

Invasive plants are destroying Virginia's natural places, proliferating in parks and along roadsides. They destroy native habitat and infrastructure and cost Virginians millions to manage. It is essential to create a sizable volunteer force to increase our response to controlling invasive plants. We need to enable volunteers to use herbicide to address this problem in the commonwealth. By changing the regulations to allow any unpaid volunteer with the authority of a local political subdivision and properly designated instruction to treat invasives, we can begin to make a dent in this problem. I have first hand experience working with volunteer groups on private land, who when properly trained can be a powerful force in land management. It is a cost-effective and common sense approach.

HB47 Please support this bill. Invasive plants should not be available for sale in Virginia nurseries. Our state government has estimated that invasive plants are costing Virginia's economy upwards of $1 billion per year. I walk around our neighborhood clipping English Ivy off of trees as these invasive vines slowly kill trees. Much of the general public, landscapers and nurseries are ignorant about the cost of invasive plants. They spread and over take our landscape destroying habitat and food for our birds, pollinators and other wildlife. HB320 Please support this bill which would allow the many volunteers that are tackling the invasives problem to do an effective job in eliminating them once and for all by using herbicides. HB316 Please support this bill so we can move to a circular economy. We need a recycling vision and facilities so that Virginians can keep plastic out of the ocean, re-use glass, paper and aluminum. Business opportunities exist at the local levels. Food waste and compostable packaging need a digester. Plastics can be recycled into toys and other consumer products. There should be no single use products that pollute our land and our oceans. Without commitment this won't happen. HB245 Please support this bill and let's see what chemical companies are dumping into our environment. PFAs are dangerous and are accumulating in all of our bodies. They are everywhere. We need to stop and protect ourselves and our children. The toxic chemicals surround us and we allow the chemical companies to dupe us into thinking that they are safe.

Comments Document

Our industry is opposed to allowing unlicensed and non-certified persons apply pesticides. Our industry works very hard to ensure persons train for at least 40 hours and pass VDACS' examinations before they apply these products. While House Bill 320 addresses a real need, the proliferation of invasive plants, allowing volunteers to apply pesticides is the wrong solution and is an insult to businesses who diligently train employees to become certified, attend additional training every two years, and are constantly monitored by VDACS. That licensing, training, and monitoring ensures pesticides are applied properly, without harm to the environment, the applicator, and anyone else who might be exposed to the pesticide. Safety, calibration, application procedures, and prevention of spills are just four components of proper pesticide usage - licensed applicators undergo extensive training in those and other vital areas. Attached is a letter we sent to Liza Fleeson Trossbach, Program Manager of the Office of Pesticide Services, expressing our concerns regarding allowing unlicensed volunteers to apply pesticides. Thank you for your consideration, Tom Tracy, PhD mobile (757-681-6065)

Please support HB320! Invasive plants are over-running the natural areas of the Commonwealth. Volunteers are necessary to push back this scourge, which harms biodiversity today and ruins the future of our parks. Volunteers can be made much more effective by permitting controlled usage of herbicides in certain circumstances. HB320 has great personal interest to me. I work with the National Park Service in a very similar fashion, as a volunteer but permitted to utilize herbicides in certain circumstances. As a result of this permission, I am much more effective in removing the invasive plant damage that is occurring every day in natural areas near my home. Doing so improves my motivation and enthusiasm to volunteer as I see my efforts are not wasted. I spend close to 500 hours a year removing invasives and am making a material difference in the health of natural areas. The ability to use herbicides as a volunteer, in this bill, is not unlimited. Park authorities would get to choose who and how any volunteer could operate. In other words, the bill does not create a right to go use herbicides – it only allows local authorities to leverage volunteers to assist in protecting our threatened natural resources. No local authorities have enough resources to protect their natural areas without leveraging volunteers and this bill could improve the effectiveness of volunteers.

I am a "Tree Rescuer" -- a volunteer who removes invasive vines in order to save our beautiful trees and tree canopy. It is very discouraging to see a tree that one "saved" by manual removal of English Ivy, only to have it come back the next year. We need a permanent solution to remove these invasive vines - we cannot continue to come back to the same trees year after year AND rescue new ones each year. Herbicides can be safely applied by trained volunteers. This is the only way we can start to permanently remove some of these invasive species; otherwise, it is a losing battle.

Please approve HB320 to allow unpaid volunteers to apply herbicide. Invasive plants, trees & vines are devastating our natural environment. Tireless volunteers spend thousands of hours a year manually removing invasive plants but many invasives come back a few months later. Training volunteer site leaders to apply herbicides to invasives in specific ways could have an enormous, long-term impact on stopping their spread.

Please support HB320. It is extremely important to allow volunteers to be able to utilize herbicides when they are trying to help remove invasive plant species. While there are some invasive plants that can be managed by manual or mechanical means alone, There are may species — such as Tree of Heaven, Japanese knotweed, and Asian wisteria — that cannot be successfully controlled without the use of appropriate herbicides. And there are simply not enough paid personnel to manage the volume of these invasive plants that we are dealing with in the Commonwealth. Our state government has estimated that invasive plants are costing Virginia's economy upwards of $1 billion per year. Please allow unpaid volunteers to help remove invasive plants in the most effective way possible. Thank you for your consideration.

Please support HB320. It's super important for managing invasive plants in municipal and regional parks. I know this from years of experience leading volunteers to manage plants like English ivy, Oriental bittersweet, Japanese knotweed, and other invasive plants that cannot be easily managed without herbicides. We volunteers are currently heavily reliant on our jurisdiction staff partners, for example, to apply small amounts of herbicide to stumps that volunteers have cut, so the plant doesn't grow back. But our local jurisdictions often aren't able to provide enough herbicide support. If we were able to train and apply herbicides in small quantities, responsibly, ourselves, this would allow our volunteer work to be much more effective without costing our jurisdiction partners much at all. Under Virginia law, private property owners may use unrestricted herbicides on their own properties without VDACS pesticide certification. HB320 simply extends this exemption to municipalities, authorizing them to design and implement a volunteer invasive plant control program, to treat natural areas on their properties that otherwise will not get treated for lack of resources. The safety, training, and liability components of the program would be the responsibility of the municipality. There are no contractors or municipal parks staff doing this work that volunteers would displace.

I am in favor of this bill. I run an invasive plant removal group in Fairfax County. We are not able to keep up with the invasive plants by only cutting. Park personnel do not have enough time to apply pesticides often enough to make significant progress against invasive plants. We need as many options as possible to combat invasive plants.

HB 320. Each day I see negative impacts caused by nonnative invasive plants on our forests and watersheds. That’s why I volunteer my time as a Tree Rescuer clipping vines from native trees. But we need ability to responsibly use unrestricted pesticides so we can “stump treat” a small dab of herbicide on certain vines, killing the roots as well. Please vote for and support HB320.

Please vote yes to HB 320 to allow regular volunteers (under the supervison the of the particular park authority) use herbicides on public lands to help the state fight infestations of invasive plants. Parks don't have the funds to hire the numbers of licensed herbicide professionals needed for the scale of the problem. I speak as a volunteer who removes invasives in a local park where we cut and recut the same same old vines and bushes over and over again. Herbicides would be much more effective -and safer for us than risking back injury yanking out massive roots. Sometimes this kind of work is done by teenagers with community service hours to do. They sign in and are handed sharp dangerous tools like pick axes. If this is considered safe, why fret about giving volunteers small spray or sponge bottles of herbicide?

I am writing to support legislation for cities to be able to ban gas-powered leaf blowers, instead of it having to be a state regulation. The Mayor and City Council in Alexandria, as well as many concerned citizens would like to be able to use electric-powered leaf blowers only. As you know, Alexandria is one of the most densely populated cities in the country, and we are almost constantly assaulted by the sound of gas-powered leaf blowers three seasons of the year. And the effects of the gas on the environment are harmful. This is one more thing we can do to help our ailing planet.

I have been a member of blue ridge prism and manage a 1600 acre farm in loudoun county VA. Herbicide is an essential tool to managing invasive species, and with proper training, can make a significant impact to win the war on invasive plants. I fully support the use of herbicides and volunteers are a crucial piece to the puzzle. Please empower these volunteers so they can help make a difference!

Blue Ridge PRISM's is a public charity dedicated to reducing the impact of invasive plants on the ecosystems of the northern Blue Ridge Mountains and surrounding areas through regional and statewide advocacy, landowner support, implementing control measures, and public education. Blue Ridge PRISM supports HB 320 which critical to developing a skilled volunteer workforce to assist public land managers to care for city/county/state parks, forests, and natural areas.

Please vote yes for Delegate Bulova's HB320. Virginia has about 3.7 million acres of public lands. Very little of it (from what I've seen) is free from tree-killing vines or other invasive vegetation. The same for thousands of miles of our roadsides. Either taxpayers fork out for herbicide crews where needed, or we allow volunteers do the job. The first option would likely cost billions. The second, next to nothing. Here Virginia might learn from the state of Illinois which in 2010 amended its pesticide law to allow volunteers with at least one hour of safety training apply pre-mixed consumer-grade herbicides on public lands to control invasive plants. Much of these applications consist of daubing freshly cut vines or stumps with product from 4 oz, non-spill, sponge bottles. This method is safe, economical, and eliminates overspray.(For more info, contact the Forest Preserve District of Kane County, Illinois.)

Please support this bill. I have spent hundreds of volunteer hours on public lands cutting and snipping invasive plants. The impact of these actions are only temporary, if the plants are not uprooted or killed with the use of herbicide. It is very difficult to eradicate established invasive vines and shrubs without the help of herbicides. In order to apply herbicides, certification is required. To become a certified applicator, one must learn about all chemical pesticides and train under a certified commercial applicator. This is big barrier for even the most committed volunteer. This bill would make it easier take advantage of willing and eager volunteers to help battle the invasive vines and shrubs threatening our forests and natural landscapes.

Please approve HB320: Pesticide control exemptions; herbicide applications by unpaid volunteers. It may be confusing at first glance, what this will do is allow the severely cash-strapped managers of public lands to take advantage of the volunteer pool that is already accessible to the owners of other spaces such as HOA common land. It does not force them to do it, but if they choose to do so, they can write in as many rules as they like to satisfy any concerns about safety and liability. As it is, our natural areas continue to degrade under the onslaught of invasive non-native plants. The volunteer workforce toils away trying to control many of these plants only to have them pop right up again a few months later. You can only imagine how frustrating it is to watch infestations of tree-killing vines steadily spread despite all our hard work. A program that trains selected volunteers to apply herbicide in carefully delineated ways would vastly increase their contribution to the overall effort to save our trees and our natural areas from going completely to pot, which is what is happening now.

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I support this bill. Seventeen pet stores in Virginia and large on-line brokers offer loans for the purchase of puppies, often approved by third party lenders within minutes. They often don’t disclose the APR or fees. This leads to financial hardship and high vet bills for unhealthy puppies. Responsible breeders, shelters, and rescue organizations do not offer financing. Consumers need protections.

SUPPORT. There is not enough time to unpack the phenomena of consumers buying mixed breeds, etc., at exorbitant prices, but at a minimum, stopping the use of consumer credit is a good place to start to address this madness.

HB206 I SUPPORT this bill. All pet shops should be accountable for the animals in their possession and transparent as to their health and welfare HB221 Vote NO on this bill. As written, this bill ignores the many Virginia communities that are successfully/humanely managing free-roaming cat populations. Its current language leaves the door open for inhumane policies like catch and kill. I do NOT SUPPORT this bill HB223 I SUPPORT this bill HB330 I SUPPORT this bill, but no pet shop should EVER offer consumer credit for an animal HB580 I SUPPORT this bill. Testing facilities should be totally transparent!! HB804 I do NOT Support this bill. The orginal language is the preferred language and there is no reason that the case cannot be heard within 30 days. You are allowing too much leeway to string out the case HB62 I SUPPORT this bill. Anumal Cruelty offenders should be known to the public just like sex offenders. There absolutely should be a list! HB9 I SUPPORT this bill

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Hi I am writing to you on behalf of The Well Connection UK, a media and publishing company. We could easily get virginia.gov featured in various publications such as magazines, online blogs and news sites. This would undoubtedly help virginia.gov with publicity, reputation, domain authority and organic search engine rankings. We have a wide range of options including completely free collaborations, sponsored posts, guest posts and banner ads. If this sounds of interest, please reach out to the senior business development manager, Anita at info@thewellconnection.co.uk and whatsapp +447395206515 (GMT) Kind regards Clifton Junior Outreach Assistant

Friends of the Accotink supports HB496 because waste disposal by contractors and other entities within watershed buffer natural spaces, parks and other areas is a serious problem in terms of water quality, as they break down into environmental pollutants ecological damage,from both the haphazard dumping just out of sight but also the aforementioned pollution aspect and even transport of invasive species depending on the tires past history before disposal, and even just being unsightly among other things. Tires in particular also serve as containers where water can pool making them potent breeding grounds for container breeding mosquitoes like the yellow fever mosquito a human specialist and its cousin the Asian tiger mosquito which are disease vectors to a wide assortment of viral pathogens making the disposal of tires in particular a public health problem in a much more direct manner. Preventing or at least strongly disincentivizing contractors from cutting costs with waste disposal of tires thus important for environmental reasons and public health.

HB 496 Waste tire disposal - This bill should become law. Illegally discarded tire are found dumped in streams and other out of sight locations all over Virginia. There they slowly leak toxins into the environment for decade or even centuries. We must do better.

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I urge you to support HB524. This legislation, which simply and logically updates the code to include pipelines greater than 24” in the process for gathering all the necessary information to mitigate impacts to water quality, is in line with data from the Argonne National Laboratory pointing to most interstate pipelines being with 24”-36.” Please support this common sense bill.

I'm writing to ask that you please support HB524, a common sense bill that makes a simple, small change that will have a big protective impact.

As a geologist, Invasive Management Areas site leader, and Oakton resident, I support bills HB1000, HB1056, HB1085, HB1100, HB1449, HB1520, HB320, and HB524. These bills will improve the way we understand and and live in harmony with nature by encouraging research partnerships, avoiding the harm of pollution, invasive plants, and pipelines, and encouraging the preservation and protection of valuable ecosystems.

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Dear Delegate Simonds and the House Subcommittee recommending HB580 on Animal Testing Facilities, My name is Darlene Mitrano and I am a professor at Christopher Newport University (CNU). We strongly disagree with this bill on Animal Testing Facilities. As an animal researcher myself, and former member of CNU' s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), I have almost 25 years of experience in the field. We find this bill problematic in a few ways. First of all, the number of animals an institution uses, if the public wanted it, can be accessed through the Freedom of Information Act. Second, animal facilities, if they use animals covered by the USDA, already report and post their numbers annually to the USDA. Additionally, if the institution receives any federal grant money (i.e., from the National Institutes of Health), the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (Under the Public Health Services or PHS) oversees the use of animals in research or teaching protocols. They review the IACUC protocols used by those who conduct animal testing. Second, every project for research or teaching purposes must be approved by CNU's IACUC and the number of animals proposed to be used must be justified within these projects with an aim of minimizing the number of animals used. These IACUC protocols are also available under FOIA. Lastly, posting these numbers on the institution's website is detrimental to those who conduct animal research. You would be putting a target on the backs of your fellow Virginians who work using animal models with a goal of their research striving to improve human health, the environment, gain a greater understanding of behavior, etc., all which benefit Virginians in the long run. What would be the purpose of posting these numbers, other than endangering researchers who have devoted their lives to improve the human condition? We are already under the watchful eye of our universities/institutions, the IACUC, Laboratory Safety Committees, and the federal government. Does putting this information on websites present any value to the interest of Virginians, other than placing additional administrative burdens on faculty or staff that use animal models for research. I implore the committee to think about any medications, medical treatments, etc. they have received. Without animal research, most of the medical advances we see, use, and appreciate today would not have been possible without animal research. I thank you in advance for reading my feedback and would be happy to answer any additional questions. Sincerely, Darlene Mitrano

I support this bill. There is little transparency when it comes to animals used in research, making it impossible to know how much research facilities are investing in modern, humane nonanimal methods. Many animals used in research are not covered under the Animal Welfare Act and data is lacking as to their use.

WE SHOULDNT EVEN BE TESTING ON ANIMALS IN THE FIRST PLACE. WHATS WRONG WITH VIRGINIA!!!????? YOU WANT TO BE TIED DOWN THEN LOCKED IN A CAGE THEN EUTHANIZED/ KILLED??? WHEN WILL WE BAN THIS ENTIRE BARBARIC CRIME.

SUPPORT. Needs to happen. Should have happened long ago. Please pass this law.

Comments Document

See attached.

While I believe there are more humane methods today for most tests still conducted on animals, this is a good first step in better regulating this industry. The Envigo beagle situation should provide a wake up call that Virginia needs to do a better job regulating these facilities so there isn't more negative press on a state that failed these animals and ensuring there were regulations in place to ensure their wellbeing and have methods of recourse when that was not the case.

HB206 I SUPPORT this bill. All pet shops should be accountable for the animals in their possession and transparent as to their health and welfare HB221 Vote NO on this bill. As written, this bill ignores the many Virginia communities that are successfully/humanely managing free-roaming cat populations. Its current language leaves the door open for inhumane policies like catch and kill. I do NOT SUPPORT this bill HB223 I SUPPORT this bill HB330 I SUPPORT this bill, but no pet shop should EVER offer consumer credit for an animal HB580 I SUPPORT this bill. Testing facilities should be totally transparent!! HB804 I do NOT Support this bill. The orginal language is the preferred language and there is no reason that the case cannot be heard within 30 days. You are allowing too much leeway to string out the case HB62 I SUPPORT this bill. Anumal Cruelty offenders should be known to the public just like sex offenders. There absolutely should be a list! HB9 I SUPPORT this bill

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Please vote YES on HB759. The red tape involved in our current home processing exemption AKA "cottage law" is extremely burdensome to entrepreneurs like myself trying to start small businesses to make ends meet for our families. Not being permitted to sell at craft fairs, holiday markets, or by way of in-person local delivery has hindered the success of my business, as local farmer's markets are oversaturated with bakers and are not accepting any other vendors of our specialty, and I live in a rural area where customers are not willing to pick up from. There is no reason why I should not be able to sell homemade pound cakes at a craft show or deliver fresh-baked bread on Saturday mornings to my customers' homes!

I am in support of HB 759. 1. The demand for local food continues to grow; passage of HB 759 will better enable producers of pickles and other acidified foods to better meet that demand. 2. Producers operating under the current pickle law have a great track record for safety; not a single case of foodborne illness has been attributed to a sale made under that law. 3. Passage of the bill will increase producer income and expand markets with the allowance of Internet advertising.

Good morning Homemade pickles are SAFE and this bill needs to pass, as $3000.00 GROSS sales does not produce much profit at all these days. On the CDC National Outbreak Reporting System Dashboard there are ZERO cases of foodborne illness in the whole of the USA from pickles, for the whole of the period of records available online 1971- 2021 ... 40 years. There are therefore no cases of foodborne illness from pickles at all in Virginia also for 40 years from 1971-2021, so NO REASON NOT TO REMOVE THE CAP. CDC STATISTICS tell the true story. Documents attached. See the search filters at top. See box that says current filters for results, with graphs at the bottom. Allowing Gross Sales of $9000.00 is an improvement, but the sales limit should really just be removed! Labelling change makes sense for small items. Please vote yes on this bill as it is. thank you Anne Buteau Nelson County, VA Download all attachments as a zip file VA Pickles stats all causes .jpeg 614kB Whole USA Pickle cdc stats all causes .jpeg 609.9kB

Please vote YES to HB759. Demand for local food continues to grow! Those who operate under the current law have a great track record for safety,; not a single case of foodborne illness has been attributed to a sale made under that law. The allowance of Internet marketing will broaden the customer base significantly, and this is the medium customers use. The bill will quite simply allow the producer to increase their market to meet the growing market demand and compensate them appropriately. Please support!

To support local producers, please vote yes on bill 759.

Dear Agricultural Subcommittee Members, Please support, HB759. Passing this bill forward will enable small scale producers to become a financially viable in today's economy. The current cap amounts to $60.00 in weekly sales, that is not very much. Removing or expanding the dollar amount on the cap would make it worth the effort to make and bring pickles to the market. Please support substitutions that forward that goal. Regarding HB681, please support expanding the amount that people can produce and sell to the end user helps to foster a stronger local food shed. In 2020 grocery shelves were empty. Virginians need to have a back up plan, not everyone has the ability to produce their own food. Building up a secondary food base offers more food security, neighbor to neighbor/local farmer. Make that possible by releasing the burdensome regulatory statutes that hold the small local producer down and move both HB749 and HB681 forward. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Suzi Croes 540-419-6571 VICFA, President

Please support HB759 and HB681. Both bills help homesteaders and small family farms sell quality homegrown food to people in their community. It is becoming increasingly more difficult for small farms to stay in business since they do not get the subsidies that large agricultural farms qualify for. Our community members want homegrown, homemade foods and are actively seeking out these healthy alternatives. It is critical to our communities that we can legally sell homemade pickles without a cap of $3000. If we have a bumper crop of beautiful organic cucumbers we should be able to sell as many pickles as possible that are made in my kitchen!

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This bill seems like just a formality to the committee, but it actually has some very important safety ramifications and animal welfare ramifications that the legislators don’t seem to be considering. HB 804 should actually be going in the reverse to *lessen the amount of time* to hold a hearing because subjecting animals—particularly ones being examined for dangerous dog designation—to severe stress of being in a shelter away from their owners, creates a safety risk for shelter, staff and all but ensures the deterioration of the subject animal. Typically these animals are dog or human reactive so placing them for extended periods of time in the shelter environment with strange dogs and strange people people has been shown to create additional stress on the animal leading to worse outcomes. Further, stress actually changes the chemical composition of the brain so if we are trying to properly evaluate these animals, then subject them to these kinds of conditions is backwards. In my professional opinion, as a certified professional dog trainer (CPDT-KA) and shelter worker, the Bill should be prioritizing and expediting the hearings on these cases. There are usually medical or other acute issues at play that benefit from fast tracking evaluation and hearing. In addition, the extra emotional toll on owners, the victims and shelter and care staff for animals that are essentially in a limbo waiting period is avoidable by *prioritizing adjudication* for the sentient parties involved. Thank you.

HB206 I SUPPORT this bill. All pet shops should be accountable for the animals in their possession and transparent as to their health and welfare HB221 Vote NO on this bill. As written, this bill ignores the many Virginia communities that are successfully/humanely managing free-roaming cat populations. Its current language leaves the door open for inhumane policies like catch and kill. I do NOT SUPPORT this bill HB223 I SUPPORT this bill HB330 I SUPPORT this bill, but no pet shop should EVER offer consumer credit for an animal HB580 I SUPPORT this bill. Testing facilities should be totally transparent!! HB804 I do NOT Support this bill. The orginal language is the preferred language and there is no reason that the case cannot be heard within 30 days. You are allowing too much leeway to string out the case HB62 I SUPPORT this bill. Anumal Cruelty offenders should be known to the public just like sex offenders. There absolutely should be a list! HB9 I SUPPORT this bill

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I support this bill. The poor animal has already died; if it can be utilized to provide food at that point, it should.

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I understand that Delegate Rasoul intends to offer a substitute to the bill as referred to this committee and Wild Virginia would like to express our support for that substitute language. Thank you.

I am writing to express my support for the original bills (HB245 (Bulova)/HB1085 (Rasoul), but not for the substitute. This substitute bill fails to protect public health and the environment in the way it purports to as it does nothing to address the sources of PFAS pollution and prevent further contamination.

Opposed Modified Bill HB1085 Dear Delegates, my name is Joe DiNardo and I have been a toxicologist since 1976. In all my years reviewing chemical toxicity data - I have never seen a class of chemicals as toxic as PFAS. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (part of HHS) identifies that the cancer causing level of PFOA and PFOS are 0.007 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOA (that is the actual dose that causes human kidney cancers based on epidemiology studies) and 1 ppt for PFOS (based on animal cancer data). The levels that the EPA selected for the Maximum Contamination Level (MCL) is 4 ppt for both PFOA and PFOS … the EPA MCL is approximately 600 times above the dose known to cause kidney cancer in humans and 4 times higher than the dose that causes cancer in animals, respectively. These substances are very toxic … something that the PFAS industry (and our regulatory agencies) knew back in the 1960’s In a National Academies of Sciences (NAS), Engineering, and Medicine Guidance Report on PFAS Exposure, Testing, and Clinical Follow-Up (2022), “PFAS as a class have a wide variety of distinct chemical properties and toxicities; for example, some PFAS can bioaccumulate and persist in the human body and the environment, while others transform relatively quickly. The PFAS that do transform, however, will become one or more other PFAS because the carbon–fluorine bond they contain does not break naturally. It is for this reason that PFAS are termed “forever chemicals.” Additionally, the NAS committee found sufficient evidence that PFAS is associated with the following diseases and health outcomes: • decreased antibody response (in adults and children), • dyslipidemia (in adults and children), • decreased infant and fetal growth, and • increased risk of kidney cancer (in adults). The committee also found limited or suggestive evidence that PFAS is associated with the following diseases and health outcomes: • increased risk of breast cancer (in adults), • liver enzyme alterations (in adults and children), • increased risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension (gestational hypertension and preeclampsia), • increased risk of testicular cancer (in adults), • thyroid disease and dysfunction (in adults), and • increased risk of ulcerative colitis (in adults). These issues are very serious problems that will require more than a simple Bill that has been watered down to help and/or protect no one other than the chemical industry! Please oppose the modified HB1085 and replace it with something that will help your constituents and the environments they live in! Most Respectfully, Joe DiNardo, Toxicologist Vesuvius VA 24483 jmjdinardo@aol.com

Correction; My comment on HB1085 dated 30 Jan 2024 contains a typo. A reference therein to HB2085 should be HB1085.

As a contaminant hydrogeologist with a career in federal environmental regulation, environmental consulting for multinational companies, and non-profit conservation in Virginia, I am writing to express my personal support for the original bills HB245 and HB1085, but not for the substitute language in the current consolidated HB1085. This substitute bill as written fails to protect public health and the environment and does little to complete the timely collection of data to address the sources of PFAS pollution and stop the cycle of contamination. Specific deficiencies of the substitute HB1085 include: * Lack of input from the vast majority of stakeholders representing perspectives including public health, conservation, agriculture, fisheries, hunters, outdoor recreation, research institutions, diverse consumers of public and private water supplies, etc. * It only applies to public water systems that serve more than 3,330 people excluding thousands of smaller water systems in Virginia and failing to protect rural communities, agriculture, and non-community water systems that serve the public (e.g. schools, campgrounds, churches, parks, accommodations, rural workplaces, etc.) * This bill does not require public water systems to test for and/or report PFAS in their source water to initiate an assessment to identify and mitigate sources of contamination. * Reporting only applies to 6 types of PFAS (PFOA, PFOS, GenX, PFBS, PFNA, and PFHxS), excluding data on dozens of other PFAS that are important for identifying sources and are automatically included by the existing sampling methods at no additional cost. It also fails to require reporting of negative findings which are of significant scientific, quality control, and regulatory program value. * Public transparency and reporting is inadequate. * The limitation to facilities that manufacture or use PFAS creates a loophole for large numbers of facilities that store, treat, or dispose of PFAS or PFAS containing materials. * The substitute fails to follow EPA’s current recommendation to use draft Method 1633. * The PFAS Expert Advisory Committee is extremely limited in its mission. There are no composition or size requirements, nor is the Committee charged with advising the Departments on the complete scope of PFAS issues facing the Commonwealth such as the vital need to address impacts on fisheries, game and other wildlife, agriculture, and non-community and private well water supplies, which especially in rural areas, serve schools, churches, children's camps, day care and preschools facilities, and as much as 70% of the population or more. * A model for the original HB1085, the West Virginia PFAS Protection Act of 2023 passed with bipartisan support, has already resulted in the completion of PFAS analysis from all WV public water supplies. The substitute HB1085 will not cover the same scope, achieve that goal, or allow Virginia to compete for remediation funding. Given these limitations, I oppose the current substitute HB1085 language, and instead support the original language of HB245 and HB1085. The common-sense bills introduced by Delegates Bulova and Rasoul would develop a more complete picture of industrial PFAS discharges to Virginia waters, protect citizens in both rural and urban areas, and help DEQ and VDH meet the future challenges of dealing with toxic PFAS ‘forever chemicals.’ Sincerely, Barbara L. Walsh

Please provide the necessary funding to implement HB 1085 (Rasoul) which will allow citizens in Virginia to be properly protected from the harmful PFAS chemicals, presently entering our waters, drinking water, foods, fish, domestic and wild animals. We need to stop the PFAS chemicals at their source.

I write in support of HB2085 as originally put forward by Delegate Rasoul. It would provide Virginia with a logical way forward toward meaningful progress in protecting the quality of our water against the rising flood of PFAS contamination while positioning Virginia for significant funding. The proposed substitute is unacceptable because of the many limitations it would place on expanding our understanding of the PFAS threat, an over reliance on self-reporting, and the slackness in enforcement it would permit. In these aspects it reveals itself to be an industry substitute reflective of too-narrow interests and resistant to the rich breadth of experts who are available and eager to attack and contain the PFAS threat, not treat it as a can to be kicked down the road. Having served on the citizen action committee that worked hard to secure Virginia Scenic River designation for the Maury River (Rockbridge Co), and more recently having embarked on a 16-acre conservation project with the support of a USDA NRCS contract, I am keenly aware that we need to do everything possible to protect the water in our wells, streams and rivers that sustain life and support a healthy economy.

As a physician and board certified specialist in Preventive Medicine, I write to protest the hurried vote on Substitute Bill HB1085 in place of much better bills proposed by Delegate Bulova (HB245) and Delegate Rasoul (Original HB1085). While PFAS chemicals have been around for many years, it is only now becoming clear that they are both remarkably persistent and dangerous compounds causing multiple forms of damage to humans and the natural environment. It is imperative that we measure PFAS of all kinds in our water systems large and small. The Virginia legislature should not be catering to industrial interests as in the substitute bill but should instead join neighboring states, notably West Virginia, in passing relevant legislation with respect to immediate testing for PFAS and regulation of their levels where necessary. This is a very complex problem, and we are not well served by burying our heads in the sand and waiting for the harms to become obvious to bystanders. The bill introduced to both chambers by Delegate Bulova and Senator Marsden offers a common-sense path forward to develop a more complete picture of industrial PFAS discharges to Virginia waters. It will provide useful data as a sound basis for future action by state agencies. Sincerely yours, Sarah A. Nunneley, M.D., M.S. Lexington, Virginia

The regulation of PFAS chemicals is of great importance. HB 245 (Bulova) and HB 1085 (Rasoul) will address this issue. Any compromise with a substitution that weakens the legislation is not in the best interest of citizens. People should know if harmful chemicals are in their drinking water. --Tyla Matteson, Chesterfield County

Comments Document

House Agriculture, Chesapeake & Natural Resources Chesapeake Subcommittee Testimony in Favor of HB245 and HB1085 January 29, 2024 Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony on critical bills to regulate PFAS, the forever chemicals. I am Robin Broder, Deputy Director of Waterkeepers Chesapeake, the coalition of 17 Waterkeeper programs in the Chesapeake and Coastal Bays region. I'm also here as a Virginia resident and mother of two young women. As a mother, I’m very concerned about how families have been exposed to these chemicals for decades – and future generations will be exposed -- unless we act today. Four bills – HB245 & SB462 and HB1085 & SB243 -- have been filed this session to assess and regulate the sources of PFAS -- this is critical as we need to stop use of and discharge of PFAS at the source before it reaches public drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities. The substitute proposal before the committee is not one or any of those bills. While likely well intended in trying to consolidate the bills, the substitute is flawed, and will do little to identify sources of PFAS pollution in Virginia. This substitute bill does not require public water systems (of any size) to test for and/or report PFAS in their raw water. The substitute is focused on maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for large public drinking water systems only and excludes facilities that serve fewer the 3,300 people (more than 2600 facilities) which are more likely to be located in environmental justice communities. The critical flaw is there is that requirements in the substitute bill do not apply unless two things happen: 1. the large public drinking water facility monitors for PFAS using EPA approved methods; and 2. they report the results of their monitoring that exceeds EPA's proposed MCL for PFAS to DEQ. In contrast, the four bills that were filed are all self-executing, meaning that upon adoption, they will require initial assessment of PFAS sources and reporting to DEQ. The common-sense bill introduced by Delegate Bulova and Senator Marsden offers a path forward to develop a more complete picture of industrial PFAS discharges to Virginia waters in a targeted way. It will provide useful data to help shape DEQ and VDH action in the future. Virginia should join other Chesapeake Bay states and become a leader on protecting families and drinking water from toxic forever chemicals. We oppose the substitute and support the original four bills. Robin Broder robin@waterkeeperschesapeake.org

As a geologist, Invasive Management Areas site leader, and Oakton resident, I support bills HB1000, HB1056, HB1085, HB1100, HB1449, HB1520, HB320, and HB524. These bills will improve the way we understand and and live in harmony with nature by encouraging research partnerships, avoiding the harm of pollution, invasive plants, and pipelines, and encouraging the preservation and protection of valuable ecosystems.

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I support this bill. Finding a way to dampen the damage caused this invasive species that Virginia government was responsible for introducing, as well as providing a reliable and affordable protein source for Virginians would be worth every penny spent.

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Comments Document

On behalf of the National Parks Conservation Association, I am writing in support of HB1157 requiring select state agencies to conduct consultation with Federally recognized tribes. My name is Michaela Pavlat, I am the Indigenous Partnerships Field Represenative in the Mid-Atlantic region, supporting tribal engagement in our National Parks. The National Parks Conservation Association recognizes the inherent sovereignty of Tribal Nations and supports tribes’ assertion of sovereignty through government-to-government consultation and management of lands. This bill enforces existing treaty obligations (1677) and Executive Order 82 (2021) to uphold tribal sovereignty and consult with tribes on development and protection of environmental, cultural and historic resources.

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THE AUDUBON SOCIETY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA SUPPORTS HB1167 The Audubon Society of Northern Virginia (ASNV) is a 5,000-member independent chapter of the National Audubon Society. Its mission is to engage all Northern Virginia communities in enjoying, conserving, and restoring nature for the benefit of birds, other wildlife, and people. ASNV strongly supports HB1167. English Ivy is a growing threat to our environment, and its continued sale should be prohibited. HB1167 provides localities an effective and cost-efficient way to slow the spread of English Ivy. The bill does not require all localities to ban the sale of this invasive plant. Localities that are concerned about its impact would have the right to ban its sale, which would help to slow the growing spread of this extremely harmful plant. English Ivy is an invasive plant. English Ivy is not native to Virginia. It has been imported to the commonwealth through sales by plant stores and nurseries. Once a property owner plants it, typically as a ground cover, it climbs trees, flowers and produces seeds. Birds disperse the seeds to nearby private properties and forests, and it quickly becomes established beyond the areas where it originally was planted. Property owners frequently find English Ivy seedlings on their land that have spread from adjacent properties and must spend time and money to eradicate them. English Ivy is harmful to the environment. English Ivy displaces native plants because it has no natural enemies. It threatens the ecosystem because it reduces the number and diversity of native plants that are available for native wildlife. It also alters the nutrient dynamics of forest soils. English Ivy overwhelms trees. English Ivy can heavily drape trees and can smother them. It also adds substantial weight to the trees that the trees are not designed to support, making them more susceptible to blowing down in storms. It is costly to remove the prematurely-downed trees. ASNV urges the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee to report out HB1167. Respectfully submitted, Tom Blackburn, Advocacy Chair Audubon Society of Northern Virginia 11100 Wildlife Center Drive Reston VA 20190

Please support HB 1167 for all the reasons already stated. Allowing localities to ban the sale of English ivy is a start.

English ivy is destroying trees all over the area. There needs to be an immediate ban on all sales of invasive species to protect our trees. Please can the sale of English ivy.

As English Ivy is an invasive species with major negative impacts on both native plants at the ground level and the trees that it engulfs I would love to see a ban on it.

Land development is VA is massive business, and despite existing measures our tree canopy is shrinking in the name of gigantic mcmansions and invasive English grass lawns. Tree canopy preservation in every district should have tighter regulations to stop the decimation of our tree canopy.

I am in support HB1167. I am a volunteer who battles invasive species in the Glenmore housing development. I have seen the devastating effects of English Ivy and other "ornamental vines" that have slipped the bounds of gardens and are suffocating the trees around us. I started a group of volunteers in our neighborhood to try and save our neighborhood woodlands. However, even more worrisome is the loos of our beautiful VA landscape, beyond my neighborhood, due to the effects of this invasive vine and others like it. You (or any visitor to our state) can't help but see trees along I-64 and Rt 250 buried beneath English Ivy, Kudzu and Porcelain Berry, and in varying stages of death. As soon as you leave VA and enter WVA and PA, you see start healthy trees and woodlands. Just like the war on drugs, we must first get the vines out of circulation by outlawing their sale.

Please support Invasive Plant management. I am a Fairfax Master Naturalist and learned about invasive plants during my training. Invasives should NOT be sold to the public and should NOT be in the nursery trade. I teach the public about invasives and their impact on our environment and wildlife. Most folks have no idea how significant an issue these plants have created within our food web. Jill Spohn 1286 Auburn Grove LN Reston, VA 20194 Thank you, Jill

I would like to submit my support for banning the sale of English ivy. Both in my person experiences and as a professional in natural resources, I have seen how damaging English ivy can be for trees and native vegetation. It is very difficult to control with chemical herbicides and usually requires tremendous physical effort to get under control. It spreads easily between properties and to natural areas, causing problems for other landowners, cities, counties, etc. Driving around Charlottesville can be a sad reminder of the havoc invasive vines like English ivy can cause to urban tree canopy. Please support this bill and help prevent the death of many Virginia trees.

I support HB1167. English ivy is an invasive species that chokes out beneficial native plants and can kill even mature trees. You can easily see the harm it causes throughout neighborhoods where I live, in Faifax County. Commercial plant nurseries should not encourage the spread of this harmful plant by selling it. Thank you for considering my comment.

I am submitting a comment in support of HB1167 and allowing localities to prohibit the sale of English Ivy. English Ivy is an invasive species that smothers large areas of native ecosystems in Virginia and inhibits the growth of native plants and thus harms the wildlife and pollinators that depend on them. English Ivy is also a nuisance that does not respect property boundaries. Our neighbors have English Ivy on their property that we have had to regularly fight to remove from our property when it encroaches. It has also worked its way into the tops of large trees along our property line that have then been damaged during ice storms due to the added weight of the ivy. While I personally wish that this bill prohibited the sale of English Ivy statewide, a good first step is to allow localities the right to make that decision. Please support this bill!

I have seen how the ivy can expand it's grip on anything within a wide range and destroy any and all native vegetation, it will also shorten the life expectancy of any structure that it can attach to . It needs to be eliminated!!!

I lead a consortium of 29 HOAs representing nearly 200,000 residents in Loudoun County (the Loudoun Invasive Removal Alliance) who have come together to request support from our County government to tackle the issue of invasive plants in our communities. The Loudoun Board of Supervisors unanimously passed funding to scope the issue this past October. Invasive Plants are causing significant economic, health/safety and environmental damage in our communities. A huge cause of the issue is simply lack of awareness awareness at this point, with Virginians purchasing 1000's of invasives every day from nurseries as well as Big Box retailers like Home Depot and Lowe's, and then planting them in their yards. At best, 1-5% of Virginia residents know what an invasive plant is. Passing this bill to ban English Ivy, one of the worst of the worst in Loudoun County, would be a game changer in Virginia. If residents recognize that English Ivy is an invasive with significant economic, health/safety and environmental impact to Virginia, in addition to the retailers no longer selling them due to this bill, they'll no doubt be compelled to join the state's direction and remove them from their properties.

I implore your support of this bill that would empower localities to prevent the sale of English Ivy (hedera helix). This vine is about the only green I see this time of year in our oak forests, whether I am driving down my road or along the George Washington Memorial Highway, where I do English Ivy removal as a National Park Service volunteer. This vine and others like it are swallowing our forests. English Ivy in particular will smother trees, preventing them from photosynthesis. On the ground, English Ivy carpets forest floors so that native groundcover, shrubs, and saplings can take root. This impacts not only the flora but the fauna as well, as our forest inhabitants starve. This plant is extremely challenging to remove, being resistant to herbicides and having a deep, aggressive root system. Here is an informative blog post about the impact of English Ivy, written by Ellen Powell, VDOF Conservation Education Coordinator, Virginia Department of Forestry: https://fieldnotesvdof.wordpress.com/2021/01/19/field-notes-januarys-least-wanted-english-ivy/ Let's please take steps to stop the sale of English Ivy. It makes sense economically and ecologically. In gratitude, Pamela Krist

Please support HB1167 For all of the reasons provided in previously entered comments - primarily the damage English ivy does to mature, shade providing trees in city, suburbs and country.

I write in support of HB1167, which allows the Local prohibition on the sale of English ivy; civil penalty. As someone trained in Ecology (PhD 1994, Stanford University) who has studied invasive species since 1998, I can say with complete professional confidence that invasive species are one of the gravest threats facing Virginia ecosystems today, and English ivy has become one of the most serious invasive species in the Commonwealth. This legislation is especially important because English ivy is still commonly used as an ornamental, despite its deleterious impacts on our forests. I urge the Delegates to move this bill forward. Sincerely, Manuel Lerdau Ps, although I am a Professor of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia, and have been so for 17 years, I stress that I am writing now in my individual, not institutional capacity.

English ivy does harm to Virginia’s native landscapes, to our buildings and fences, and to our safety as it smoothers healthy large canopy trees. Preventing its spread is a labor intensive commitment. I am in support of this bill to help curb it’s destructive effects.

Please pass this bill, HB1167, so localities can begin to control English Ivy, Hedera helix, a terrible invasive vine that damages buildings, kills trees and ground cover, displaces native plants, and disrupts ecosystems. I am leading an effort to restore seven acres of forest behind my church in Vienna, and English Ivy is one of the worst problem plants we have there. We must get control of this and other noxious invasive plants.

I support HB1167 as an important step toward restoration of native habitat and even retention of our forest and edge canopy. As homeowners, we have incurred significant expense due to trees killed by English ivy, and take steps ourselves to girdle trees thus endangered on our property. Once English ivy is in place, it's very hard to eradicate, so best practice is to discourage its introduction from the outset. Thank you in advance for your support of HB1167.

Trees are the one of the very best resources we have to combat climate change. Trees are being cut down daily for construction and in addition they are being overwhelmed with Non native vines such as : English Ivy, Japanese honey suckle, Porcelain Berry, Oriental Bittersweet, Winter creeper and Asian wisteria. These non native vines smother trees and strangle them., preventing them from being able to photosynthesize which is key to survival. Branches break and fall over under the weight of these vines , many of which are still being sold in Nurseries . Please note that these nurseries are selling these vines to homeowners and contractors who may not realize the dangers these invasive vines inflict on our trees. Many of these vines produce large quantities of seeds, so that they proliferate and aggressively climb up the trees, causing them to bend and break, along with their aggressive root systems which grow densely and compete with native trees, shrubs and plants for much needed resources in the soil. Please take this bill seriously and request that Non native vines like English ivy etc, cannot be sold in box stores such as Lowes , Home Depot and nurseries , etc. Thank you for your time , Theresa DeFluri President Centreville Garden Club Prince William Wild Flower Society member

As you drive on our roadways notice all the vines climbing and destroying the trees and other native vegetation. These vines are invasives! Also, once the invasives are established the remediation options options are extremely expensive because they include very labor intensive plant removal and replacement and/or the application of herbicides, which have their own associated issues. In short, the invasives issue is real extensive...you will witness it on your ride home tonight. And the invasives issue is real costly in terms of 1) the environmental damage and 2) the costs for remediation. Please support HB1167 Sincerely, Steve Hryckiewicz 8157 Silverberry Way Vienna VA 22182

As the Blue Ridge Prism, Virginia Native Plant Society, and Virginea's own Ag. Extension Master Gardener's programs can affirm, removing English Ivy from Virginia gardens (and homes) would help countless native trees and other species thrive free of the stress this plant causes -- due to it's ability to take over -- in our forests and yards. The eastern US hardwood forest and mid-Atlantic native plant communities are vibrant and deserve our awareness of their needs, and our respect for their value and vulnerability.

Prohibiting the sale of English Ivy is necessary. It will ease the expenditures of town and park entities who spent large amounts of money to eradicate it. For our own sustainability we need native plants, think pollinators. Native plants are, crowded out by invasives, one of which is English ivy, which can be easily found at our local nurseries.

English Ivy is not only an environmental hazard (is it choking out large swaths of forest), but is also a massive health hazard. Because it is evergreen and outcompetes all other plants, it provides a safe haven for ticks and mosquitos to overwinter. In areas where English ivy is dominant, tick and white footed mice (the reservoir for Lyme) populations sky rocket. In Roanoke, lone star ticks that carry ehrlichiosis are also on the rise, seeking safe haven in English ivy and spreading Rickettsial disease, which is hard to treat. This disease is especially deadly to children under 5. The environmental and health costs of English Ivy are exponential compared to the marginal profit that businesses make selling it to naïve buyers. Thank you for proposing this bill because English Ivy should have been outlawed decades ago.

I urge you to adopt this ban on selling English ivy. I am involved with volunteer efforts to get English ivy out of parks, forests, and other natural areas where it has spread uncontrollably for decades and is doing tremendous damage to the ecosystem. English ivy is easily spread by runners that escape yards and gardens and by berries transplanted by birds. It not only smothers the ground and prevents native vegetation from growing, but it grows up the trunks of trees, weakening and killing them by allowing diseases and pests to enter the bark, blocking light from the leaves, and weighing the canopy down with its considerable weight. A mass of English ivy on trees also creates a "sail effect" in windy or icy weather and causes trees to break or fall. In this time of climate change, we need our forests and our trees more than ever. For the landscape and garden trade to continue to sell this killer is unconscionable. There are native alternative groundcovers with deeper root systems and benefits to wildlife that could be offered instead. It is high time homeowners and landscapers learned about the harm that English ivy does and stop buying and selling it for its (supposed) aesthetics. Environmental groups and concerned citizens need more help in getting rid of this harmful vine (for example trees on VDOT property along highways need to be rescued from ivy). Please help by voting to prevent more English ivy from entering the landscape. Thank you.

Pronoun-Really??? Native trees and plants create an atmosphere and ambiance that enhances the quality of life for everyone. Throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, this is the issue, quality of life. English Ivy is controlled through a labor intensive process performed by volunteers for our home owners association. Without this effort there would be an overwhelming number of dead trees in our community. Restricting, eliminating, and/or controlling invasive plant species is progress for Virginia.

I am pleased to learn of a bill that may restrict the sale of English ivy. I have spent many hours in my neighborhood controlling invasive plants, including English ivy. In other places nearby, I am appalled at the sight of English ivy growing up trees because I expect the ivy will kill the trees. Therefore I am happy at a measure to help stop the spread of English ivy.

Hello, My name is Peter Jones. I am an elementary school teacher in the City of Alexandria and a resident of Falls Church, Fairfax County. I strongly support this bill to curb the sale of English Ivy. This non-native plant is a scourge of the local ecosystem. It does not prevent run off, it provides landing and resting pads for mosquitos and it smothers, girdles and kills trees. Mature native trees are the largest living organisms in our community providing enormous ecological benefit. Native trees act as larval hosts for hundreds of moth and butterfly species, which in turn provide food for growing birds. Mature trees capture carbon from the atmosphere, hold soil in place, lowering soil erosion from the umbrella effect of their branches and the net effect of their roots. In our urban and suburban neighborhoods, mature trees lower the heat index by providing shade and evaporative cooling through transpiration. English Ivy, moving from the ground, climbs trees and sends out horizontal branches. It grows seeds in this state which are then spread further by birds who eat the seeds and deposit them elsewhere through digestion. The continued promotion of English Ivy through sales at Garden Centers should stop and an actual monetary fine for establishments that don't comply with this sale stoppage is warranted. My wife and I volunteer in a Fairfax County Park as volunteer leaders through the Invasive Management Area (IMA) program. With the help of many volunteers last year we logged over 400 hours of invasive plant removal. We still have more English Ivy to remove from the edges of this park. This plant is a pernicious scourge and should be removed from the local ecosystem. Your efforts to remove this plant from Virginia Plant Store shelves is much appreciated. For those who are against this bill, one could ask, "Would anyone support the continued sale of large glue traps designed to catch and kill birds?" These traps do not exist. But of course no one would support this. This English Ivy , if left to run rampant will kill the food source of baby birds, native trees, effectively starving them to death, doing even more damage than a single glue trap. Let's make English Ivy unavailable, fine those who continue to sell it, protect our ecosystem from harm, and support HB1167. Respectfully submitted, Peter Jones Falls Church, VA

English ivy is growing all through my and my neighbors woods uncontrolled killing All the native trees and ground covers Neither of us planted it originally. It is sickening to watch.

Dear Delegate Krizek, As a proud appreciative citizen of the state of Virginia I have watched English Ivy move from being a landscape staple to becoming a destructive force in our forests. In a mere 10-20 years it has taken hold as an invasive of great consequence degrading the health of our wilderness and other natural areas. Because it climbs trees and easily sets seeds dispersed by weather, wildlife and unintended human means, it is spread readily; most citizens don’t control it on their property. Our neighbors have it growing up their trees which has spread to our 10 acres. We have spent much time and money in efforts to eradicate it with some success but we still find new patches and so need to be vigilant to keep it contained. I urge you to support HB1167 as a first step to control this threat and so that we can be responsible stewards of Virginia. With appreciation for your service, Elaine M. Shaw 331 Summerfields Lane Ruckersville, VA 22968

Please pass this bill. English Ivy is a devastating invasive species that is wreaking havoc on our local ecosystems. Municipalities & government agencies do NOT have the budget to combat this ever increasing invasive. The public at large is not capable of abstaining from purchasing it & numerous growers in the industry are too money driven to find sustainable (and even native) alternatives, sadly. Even with peer intervention. Our own Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association (VNLA) is too cowardly to make an attempt to support what we genuine professionals know to be true as proven by science backed evidence. Please prohibit the sale of this plant & hopefully many to follow i.e. Burning Bush, Barberry, Miscanthus, Bradford Pear, Vinca minor & major, BUDDLEIA etc. Many contiguous states have already enacted this type of legislation. Please make this happen for the sake of our public lands. We can not educate the public & industry peers quickly enough to intercept this overgrowing problem. It is costing us so much on so many levels.

Dear Delegate Krizek, I spend many hours volunteering in the City of Falls Church and Arlington parks removing invasive plants including dreaded English ivy from mature and young trees. While volunteers often do successfully keep trees cleared in a few parks, there are many more parks and public lands that remain in need of restoration. Even if English ivy is off the trees, the vine often continues to cover forest floors and must be treated with herbicide by local governments who have to ration resources. The pervasiveness of English ivy can feel overwhelming. In rare parks that do manage to remove English ivy, volunteers will be on the lookout for its return for generations to come. By prohibiting the sale of English ivy, HB1167 offers localities a needed tool to stop more of this invasive plant escaping into our local natural areas. I fully support HB1167 and hope that the Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee will fully support the bill and move it forward. Regards, Amy Crumpton Falls Church, VA 22046

Working weekly with volunteers to remove English Ivy and other invasive plants from Laurel Hill Park and regularly using other parks in the county it is evidence what a huge and pervasive problem English Ivy has become. With the capability to expand into ground blankets and climb into tree canopies to kill even mature trees, there is no redeeming value to the use of this non-native plant, when other similar native and non-destruction options are available. Please support the bill to allow localities to prohibit sales, as was done for bamboo.

I volunteer to pull English ivy along the Buttermilk trail in Richmond. The ivy is destroying the trees and native plants. I have never understood how selling invasive plants is legal. Lowe’s and Home Depot’s profits are not worth the damage being done. Thank you, Peter Edmonds

It is better late than never. There was never a better time than now to ban the sale of English Ivy, Hedera helix. Please pass HB1167 out of committee and on to the House of Delegates. My career was largely spent designing and developing ecologically friendly insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides, e.g., Methoprene. John Baum, PhD - Zoecon Research and its successors - retired

Hello: I'm hoping you and the agriculture subcommittee will support HB1167 that would authorize localities to ban the sale of English Ivy. This is a noxious invasive, one that causes much damage and economic and environmental loss: English Ivy has become a major killer of trees, weighing them down and smothering them. English Ivy also spreads across the ground and smothers the native ground layer including tree seedlings, preventing woods from regenerating. It spreads readily and is difficult to control, infringing on property rights by causing damage on neighboring properties and in our natural areas. The cost of removing English Ivy is substantial and growing. For the future of our environment it's critical to begin restricting the sale of this and other invasive species. Thank you for your attention.

I strongly support this bill; please do the same.

We live just north of Leesburg and close to the Potomac River I am trying to rid my property of invasive plants and have had a job cutting down oriental bittersweet and privet. I do have some English Ivy that is growing on a large tree near Limestone Creek. I have been cutting and poisoning it for years, but it is very hard to kill. Please do everything you can to prevent more English Ivy from being planted....it is one of the plants that the Commonwealth should keep from being sold at nurseries.

I support this bill as a homeowner and resident in the state of VIrginia. My home was abandoned before I bought it in 2017 and I have spent the last seven years battling the invasive plants that took over the yard. There is English Ivy choking my trees and ailanthus growing up under the porch and house, poisoning my gardening efforts and preventing me from growing beneficial native species. Not only is this frustrating but dangerous and difficult to deal with on a teacher's salary. Please pass this bill designating invasive plants as such so hopefully we can begin to curb this problem. Thank you.

Non-native plants are taking over and killing native ones, even in rural areas like Montpelier. I spend a lot of time hand pulling these invasive plants out of our local park and out of our woods. Selling more of them defeats these efforts, which seem endless. Please support this bill.

Blue Ridge PRISM reduces the impact of invasive plants on the ecosystems of the northern Blue Ridge Mountains and surrounding areas through regional and statewide advocacy, landowner support, implementing control measures, and public education. Localities should have the flexibility to ban the sale of this pretty, but destructive plant. Blue Ridge PRISM supports HB1167. Why this bill matters: -English Ivy has become a major killer of trees, weighing them down and smothering them. -English Ivy also spreads across the ground and smothers the native ground layer including tree seedlings, preventing woods from regenerating. -It spreads readily and is difficult to control, infringing on property rights by causing damage on neighboring properties and in our natural areas. -The cost of removing English Ivy is substantial and growing.

I support HB1167. English ivy is a nightmare to get out and it takes up space that would be beneficial for our native pollinators.

Invasive plants are detrimental to our ecosystem. Please support these bills to limit them. Thank you.

I strongly support passage of both HB47 and HB1167. It is time for Virginia to stop pussyfooting around the severe ecological and biodiversity issues created by the proliferation of non-native and invasive plants. As a volunteer working in invasive plant removal, I can attest to the damage being done to our natural areas and our backyards by the continued sale of plants that are well known to be troublesome invasives. In the James River Park system, English ivy is rampant, with disastrous results to the native flora, especially the stately old trees in the park. There is plenty of money to be made by garden centers in the sale of native plants; it is unconscionable that they have been permitted to continue proliferation of this problem through the near total non-regulation of these destructive plants. A ban on English ivy is absolutely necessary, and a warning to consumers that other plants are deleterious to our ecosystem is a good first step, though a total ban on invasives is what is really needed.

Please ban the sale of English Ivy in Virginia to protect our native ecosystem.

I ask that you give your strong support to HB1167. I am a 33-year Navy veteran and spend all of my time since I retired from active duty in 2016 volunteering for various conservation organizations dedicated to providing strong stewardship of Virginia's natural resources. I am a resident of Fairfax County. I have owned a home in Annandale, Fairfax County since 1999. I have observed over the past 22 years, a significant killing off of trees along the Accotink Creek Stream Valley watershed, VDOT right of ways, and properties in my own neighborhood because they have been smothered by climbing English Ivy that escaped from cultivation. It is critical to do more to preserve and increase Virginia’s tree canopy. English Ivy has significantly degraded our tree canopy and without further control measures, will continue to create both cost and health risks to our communities. Trees contribute significantly to water quality and public health. The tree canopy provides essential shade and stabilizes air temperatures by retaining and releasing water to create a net cooling effect. Trees reduce air pollution by absorbing air pollutants that contribute to climate change and respiratory illness. - Prevention of the continued proliferation of English Ivy and other invasive plants through prohibiting sale is the most effective and low-cost solution for managing them. Once an invasive species is established, management is costly and can harm valuable infrastructure and the natural biodiversity needed for healthy ecosystems. - Birds readily disperse seeds of this toxic plant. Once established it spreads on private property by a person who buys it, it spreads to other properties, including our urban forests, and then climbs trees up to the canopy where it flowers and fruits freely. - English Ivy has become a major killer of trees, weighing them down and smothering them. - Trees heavily draped with vines are more susceptible to blowing over during storms, making them hazardous near homes, roads, and public-use areas in parks. - English ivy reduces native plant diversity and associated fauna, threatens endangered species, and alters nutrient dynamics of forest soils. - By displacing native plants, this European introduction threatens the local ecosystem. - Respecting no property lines, it spreads readily and is difficult and costly to control, infringing on property rights by causing damage to neighboring properties and in our natural areas. - The cost of removing English Ivy by public and private landowners is high and growing. - Public interest in stopping the spread of English Ivy is large and growing. This bill is critical to mitigate the continued proliferation of this noxious introduced ornamental that has no biological controls, is resistant to chemical control, and is exceptionally costly to our government, our state agencies and our citizens to remove it and keep it from killing our urban forests and neighborhood trees. Rear Admiral Elizabeth Train, USN(Ret)

Re: HB 1167 English ivy is an invasive plant that readily spreads beyond the sites where people initially plant it. The beauty of Virginia’s natural areas, parks and roadsides is diminished by the ugly monoculture of this one plant covering everything in its path. But more importantly, the trees, shrubs and smaller plants that support the food web are being smothered, weakened and often killed by this invasive plant. Please vote to pass HB 1167

I support this bill to ban the sale of English ivy. It's a non-native and badly invasive plant, it crowds out native herbaceous plants and chokes trees to death, and it has no respect for property lines: ivy planted by my neighbor will inevitably end up in my yard, too. I spent several days in the bitter cold last winter leading a team of volunteers in removing English ivy in order to preserve trees in a local park. If the parents of that ivy hadn't been sold to landowners all over the neighborhood, those trees would have faced no threat, and we all could have stayed cozy indoors. There is no reason anyone would need to plant English ivy rather than one of the many native or non-invasive groundcover species on the market. By banning the sale of English ivy today, you'll protect local ecosystems throughout the state and spare our descendants the work of removing it from them.

Please support bill HB47, which seeks to educate the plant buying public of the invasive nature of some plants being offered for sale in local nurseries. Our woods are being choked and destroyed with invasive plants and vines, which is a depressing sight. If more people understood the ramifications of the plants they buy, then maybe those invasive plants wouldn't be in the environment in the first place. I am trying to do my part by helping clear invasive plants from my local park. As well, I hope you will support bill HB1167 prohibiting the sale of English Ivy. Thank you for your support.

Banning the sale of English Ivy would be a huge help to the environment. My town has major infestations of this junk. In my neighborhood it creates a mat on the ground which harbors Asian tiger mosquitoes making it very unpleasant and practically unbearable in the Summer. It also climbs up and kills so many trees because people don't know it's invasive so they leave it to grow & spread. The public school at the end of my street is completely infested with ivy. The schools are teaching kids about native vs invasive plants while the grounds of our middle school & public parks are overrun by invasives, including English Ivy. I'm happy to provide photographs of some of the terrible conditions in my town due to several invasives including English Ivy. It's everywhere & virtually useless to wildlife. In a time where resources have only become more and more scarce due to constant development & lack of education about the natural World passing this legislation is such a simple way to make a positive impact.

I support bill HB1167 to prohibit the sale of invasive English Ivy. I am also in favor of penalties for people who let it go into public property and into neighbors yards.

Hi. I'm writing to request that you support HB1167, which will prevent the sale of additional english ivy in our Commonwealth. We know all too well how destructive and invasive this plant is. I have spent many hours removing ivy from trees and the ground, including an American Elm tree on the William and Mary campus. It spreads over time, overwhelming the native plants that support our ecosystems, wildlife habitat, waterways, and natural areas. When it overcomes a tree, it can increase the weight and wind resistance of the tree and its limbs, making it more likely to fall. As english ivy matures, it generates seeds that birds eat and "plant" across large areas, increasing the areas overtaken by the ivy. And because they are so aggressive, they cost us huge amounts of time and other resources to remove. I would appreciate the progress of HB1167 to become law. Thank you. k Kathi Mestayer 105 Gilley Drive Williamsburg, Va 23188 kwren@widomaker.com 757-784-7395 (cell/text) "Plant in haste, repent at leisure." - Kathi Mestayer (re: nonnative invasive garden plants)

I enthusiastically support passage of both HB47 and HB1167. I am one of the volunteers referenced in others' comments who works several times a month in our local parks to stem the spread of English Ivy and other invasive flora, under the leadership of various local Invasive Management Area site leaders. It is onerous work but, in my view, essential work, to help restore, if possible, the regionally indigenous populations of flora and fauna. Invasive species are, in essence, a form of pollution to our local natural habitats and harm our local ecosystems by establishing ecologically barren monocultures and supplanting ecologically integrated and diverse habitats. Curtailing further introduction of such invasive species either through outright bans or by imposing mitigation surcharges would be a significant restoration step in our state.

I wholly support HB 1167. One only needs to see the damage done to canopy trees in Virginia woodlands to know that this plant should be banned. Countless hours are spent by people pulling English ivy off of trees and digging it up by the roots to prevent trees from being blanketed by masses of it, which retain water around the trunks to rot the trees and harbor insects and diseases that can kill them. Well-educated nurseries with a conscience could be a big help in stemming this tide of destruction but for the others, some form of penalty will be needed to get their attention.

I see a lot of ivy choking out native trees in nearby parks and forests. I think landscapers are using it all over the place and I don’t understand why a plant that’s so harmful is allowed to be widespread. I think it’s a great idea to get this plant out of our community so that we can work to combat the damage it’s dome

Please pass HG 1167 to reduce the environmental damage done by English Ivy--just one of numerous invasive plant species that are doing serious environmental damage in Virginia. Invasive plants crowd out and eventually kill many native plants which have evolved over time to support native wildlife. I know I have been trying to remove English Ivy from my property for decades. Banning the sale of this plant would be only a modest first step to protecting our Virginia ecosystem. Thank you.

As a resident of the City of Alexandria and as an employee of a nearby local Virginia government working outside daily, I see the effects that invasive plants have on our local ecosystems. I constantly see English ivy engulfing entire trees to the ground cover of forests covered with English ivy- choking out any natives. The community I live in uses English ivy for landscaping. Landscaping companies are contributing to the spread of invasives and prey on the general public’s lack of knowledge of invasive plants. The key to invasive plant control is not total eradication but containment and educating the public. This bill is a step in the right direction and is the least we can do for the flora and fauna of Virginia!!! We must hold each other accountable!!

I'm a young homeowner in the Richmond area, and I would love it if invasive species, especially English ivy, were taken more seriously on a legal level. Almost every homeowner in my neighborhood is battling or giving up on their battle to get this invasive ivy out of their yards after former owners planted it willingly. It has also spread to local wild walking paths, and is an overall a menace. If only one neighbor in a neighborhood allows it to grow freely, it can encroach many feet per year across yard borders, frustrating homeowners, the eco system, and lowering the overall value of an otherwise managed yard. Please make it more difficult to plant invasives, in measure with the difficulty down the line to remove them.

Please ban HB1167. English Ivy is beautiful, but unfortunately climbs up trees and chokes and weighs them down to death. I have spent many volunteer hours removing these vines, but it makes no sense to do so if we are going to keep selling them. There are other alternatives.

I support HB1167 because while this bill makes only a small step the infestation of English ivy into our woodlands has resulted in the loss of many trees and general biodiversity with the plant being a tedious chore to remove due to its regenerative abilities to spread where it forms a thick carpet stopping or hindering the growth of other plants. If we are to get a handle on this invasive plant we need to cut it off at the source.

Dear Representatives: I'm writing to urge you to support HB 47 and HB 1167. HB 47 is extremely gentle compared to what is actually needed (a ban on selling invasive species at all). However, the bill offers a place to start by requiring signage to warn would-be purchasers of invasive plants. HB 1167 bans the sale of English ivy and is a much-needed step in getting a grip on the invasive species that are taking over our landscape. As a Virginia resident who has spent hours in the trenches fighting invasive species, I can assure you that these things are formidable. Once you learn to recognize them, you can see that they're everywhere. They are a grave threat to our ecosystems and our agricultural systems. Please do the common sense thing and support these bills and support other invasive species bans as they arise. Thank you. Margaret Moore Charlottesville, VA

I strongly support HB1167. As a homeowner and volunteer with the Invasive Management Area (IMA) program, I have seen firsthand how English Ivy severely damages native trees, weighing down branches and eventually killing the entire tree. Eradicating this invasive vine is difficult, and I have spent many hours digging and pulling from both my yard and my neighbor's yard with their permission. There are many native groundcover alternatives, that are beneficial for local biodiversity and do not threaten tree canopy cover. Please support HB1167.

Please enact HB1167 and HB47.I have been a site leader for the Invasive Management Area program, and have spent almost every weekend for the past 14 years pulling invasive plants. I have seen trees covered in Ivy weaken after a snowstorm and fall down. Invasive species are costing the county A LOT of money in terms of removal and loss of biodiversity, which affects the health of the ecosystem. I have seen a return of monarchs and other butterflies, and varying species of birds and insects after the removal of most invasive plants and the introduction of native plants. My boyfriend's yard was almost completely covered in English Ivy. It took a few years, but I removed it all, only to have it return because the neighbors did not remove theirs. I asked the local garden shop to stop selling Ivy, but they claimed people still asked for it. This is probably true, which means even though Native plant societies have done a ton of education, a lot more needs to happen. Until then we need the county's help in banning the sale of English Ivy. HB47 will help our efforts in educating the public, as many people are unaware of which species in invasive.

I urge support for HB1167. English ivy may look pretty in a landscape, but there are native plants that can provide that visual effect without the devastating impact on local trees. I see English ivy overwhelming and killing trees all over my neighborhood, the city of Charlottesville, and Albemarle County. It's time to take action to prevent further spread as our properties and forests battle this and other invasives.

I write to urge support for HB1167 to prohibit the sale of English Ivy. I live on property that has become totally overwhelmed by English Ivy. I have no idea how it got started, probably years before we bought the property. It dominates almost all of the adjacent wooded area and has completely covered many of the trees on the property. It has already eliminated a nice stand of a native spring ephemeral known as bloodroot. Once established it is nearly impossible to stop. Please, please help to prevent the further spread of this highly invasive non-native plant by supporting the banning of further sales. Respectfully, Jeffrey Wainscott

This bill is a necessary measure to help protect our critically important forests and natural areas. Sadly many are already overrun with invasives such as English Ivy. Many citizens volunteer their time to remove ivy, but it is still being sold. We need to recognize that allowing ivy to be sold undermines all of the commonwealth’s environmental and climate resiliency goals. Thank you for sponsoring this bill. I truly hope it becomes law.

I urge you to enact HB1167 and HB47. English Ivy and other invasive species are a pernicious and growing (literally!) problem. Even when planted innocently by a homeowner looking to beautify their property, these plants end up jumping borders and destroying native plants, and the ecosystems they support, far beyond their site of origin. Virginia has so many beautiful and treasured native flora and fauna, many of which are truly struggling against this onslaught. Please give them a chance to flourish by restricting the distribution of invasive non-native species as much as possible. Thank you.

Please support HB 1167 authorizing any locality to adopt an ordinance prohibiting the sale of English Ivy. This invasive vine is causing harm to our beautiful Commonwealth. (Visit the George Washington Parkway in northern Virginia for a glimpse of Virginia’s future.) English Ivy negatively affects Virginia wildlife and residents (for example, hikers, campers, hunters, fishermen, gardeners, and children who like playing outdoors). Also, local governments and private landowners spend a lot of time and money to control English Ivy, so preventing its sale makes sense from an economic perspective. Localities should be given the choice to prevent its sale since the economic burden of controlling English Ivy typically falls to them. Respectfully submitted.

I urge the support and passage of HB1167 which prohibits the sale of English ivy. That plant spreads beyond the properties where it is planted, climbs homes damaging mortar and siding, climbs trees to the point of killing them, climbs power poles increasing the risk of outages and crowds out native plant species that are beneficial for pollinators.

English Ivy chokes trees and eventually kills them. That's all that has to be said. We should be doing all that we can to help the natural world during this time of global warming and biodiversity loss. We allow developers to cut down trees at their discretion. Let's not also allow English Ivy, a non native invasive vine, to further damage our trees, which birds and insects and other wildlife need, and also us humans need, to survive.

I am a site leader at Royal Lake and can’t keep up with pulling English ivy from trees and parkland. I’ve seen English ivy kill trees and take away land from our native plants. People who move into houses complain to me all the time about trying to get rid of it on their land. Please stop stores from selling it. It is one of the most invasive plants we have.

Please ban the sale of English Ivy in Virginia to protect our native ecosystem.

Say ‘no’ to invasive, destructive English Ivy. There’s no need to have more of these plants.

English Ivy is an invasive species that causes economic and ecological harm. There are much better, beneficial native alternatives. With English Ivy on the shelves, people unknowingly purchase this damaging plant. Please ban the sale of English Ivy in Virginia.

I strongly support HB1167. Invasive plants are one of the leading causes of habitat destruction, coming in second to that done directly to man. There is also recent work showing how invasive plants have a significant impact on climate change. This is easily seen with English Ivy and other vines that can kill canopy trees. Millions of trees are at risk in Northern Virginia and the solution will require thousands of volunteers and several millions of dollars to fix. Though planting trees has benefit, it can take 20+ years for these trees to start absorbing enough carbon, water and to be able to produce enough shade to have a benefit. Saving our mature trees is key, and we can do that, but we also need to stop allowing home owners to purchase these plants.

Support HB 1167 and HB309 --I am a long time resident of Annandale in Fairfax County and have observed significant degradation of the Accotink Creek watershed, tree canopy, our neighborhoods and VDOT right of ways due to smothering by English Ivy vines. We continue to lose trees to this noxious invasive vine. If it is sold in the commercial nurseries, well meaning homeowners have no way of knowing how damaging and costly this invasive plant is. HB309 - Virginia continues to lose trees at a rapid rate, which limits the state’s ability to improve water quality and public health. The loss of trees poses a significant threat to the well-being of all Virginians, especially those in our most vulnerable communities. It takes decades for newly planted trees to provide the carbon reduction, water and air quality, and wildlife benefits of mature trees, time is of the essence. Why support HB1167-Prevention through prohibiting sale is the most effective and low-cost solution for managing invasive species. Once an invasive species is established, management is costly and can harm valuable infrastructure and the natural biodiversity needed for healthy ecosystems. • Seeds of this toxic plant are readily dispersed by birds. Once established it spreads on the forest floor and then climbs trees up to the canopy where it flowers and fruits freely. • English Ivy has become a major killer of trees, weighing them down and smothering them. • Trees heavily draped with vines are more susceptible to blowing over during storms, making them hazardous near homes, roads, and public-use areas in parks. • English ivy reduces native plant diversity and associated fauna, threatens endangered species, and alters nutrient dynamics of forest soils. • By displacing native plants, this European introduction threatens the local ecosystem. • Respecting no property lines, it spreads readily and is difficult and costly to control, infringing on property rights by causing damage on neighboring properties and in our natural areas. • The cost of removing English Ivy by public and private landowners is high and growing. • Public interest in stopping the spread of English Ivy is large and growing. Why support HB309--Virginia needs to assess where and why canopy is lost and then address the findings through sound conservation planning. This Forest Conservation Plan will identify threats to tree canopy and forest conservation, identify priory forests for conservation, especially in areas adjacent to streams, steep or erodible slopes, large areas of forest and wildlife corridors. Trees play a vital role in improving water quality by slowing down and filtering rainfall, preventing soil erosion, and reducing polluted runoff. Tree root systems reduce the amount of sediment and runoff that pollutes our waterways by holding soil in place and taking up pollutants. Trees also act as natural barriers to flooding by absorbing and slowing the flow of rainwater. Trees contribute significantly to water quality and public health. Tree canopy provides essential shade and stabilizes air temperatures by retaining and releasing water to create a net cooling effect. Trees reduce air pollution by absorbing air pollutants that contribute to climate change and respiratory illness. Elizabeth Train Rear Admiral, USN, (Ret)

Support HB 1167 --I am a long time resident of Annandale in Fairfax County and have observed significant degradation of the Accotink Creek watershed, tree canopy, our neighborhoods and VDOT right of ways due to smothering by English Ivy vines. We continue to lose trees to this noxious invasive vine. If it is sold in the commercial nurseries, well meaning homeowners have no way of knowing how damaging and costly this invasive plant is. -Prevention through prohibiting sale is the most effective and low-cost solution for managing invasive species. Once an invasive species is established, management is costly and can harm valuable infrastructure and the natural biodiversity needed for healthy ecosystems. • Seeds of this toxic plant are readily dispersed by birds. Once established it spreads on the forest floor and then climbs trees up to the canopy where it flowers and fruits freely. • English Ivy has become a major killer of trees, weighing them down and smothering them. • Trees heavily draped with vines are more susceptible to blowing over during storms, making them hazardous near homes, roads, and public-use areas in parks. • English ivy reduces native plant diversity and associated fauna, threatens endangered species, and alters nutrient dynamics of forest soils. • By displacing native plants, this European introduction threatens the local ecosystem. • Respecting no property lines, it spreads readily and is difficult and costly to control, infringing on property rights by causing damage on neighboring properties and in our natural areas. • The cost of removing English Ivy by public and private landowners is high and growing. • Public interest in stopping the spread of English Ivy is large and growing. Elizabeth Train Rear Admiral, USN, (Ret)

I strongly support banning the sale of non native invasive plants! They are detrimental to Virginia's wildlife.

I would like to support the prohibition of sale of English Ivy as it is an invasive species and smothers trees and provides no ecological value. It outcompetes indigenous vegetation.

Thank you for taking the time to read my comments. English Ivy is a major killer of trees as well as of native plants at the ground level, and yet it is still for sale. It has no respect for property lines. Removal is difficult and costs public and private landowners significant amounts of time and money. Non-invasive groundcovers are available as alternatives. Please help us fight this invasive by making it illegal to sell.

HB 1167 English ivy; local prohibition on sale - This bill should become law. English ivy is a plague in so many of Virginia's natural areas, crowding out native species, providing little food value to wildlife, and causing the demise of trees. Localities and volunteers commit untold resources to control of English ivy, while retailers continue to promote its sale.

At age 79 I am working hard to remove English Ivy that smothers the trees in my neighborhood. It was sold for its beauty without knowledge that it was invasive and harmful. Help our nurseries and big box stores be good environmental citizens by preventing the sale of this and other invasive plants. It's the very least we can do to reduce the burden that is falling so heavily on the shoulders of the generations that will follow up.

Please prohibit the sale of English ivy. It is invasive, hard to remove and/or contain, and spreads easily. And worst of all it can kill mature trees and smother other plants. It can also damage buildings. There are plenty of other plants available that will not be destructive, many of which can benefit the environment by providing food for birds and habitat for insects. English ivy does not do this although it is known to harbor rats and mosquitos. If left to its own devises English ivy will spread. You can walk through any long established neighborhood or local park and see this happening. Birds spread the seeds by eating the berries and then flying to another area and pooping them out, where they begin to grow new plants. This is causing ivy to spread into our parks and get even more out of control. The best way to remove ivy is by hand - pull the roots from the ground, cut them off trees, bag and dispose of every stem and leaf. Ivy will root from a single leaf left in contact will the ground. This makes it expensive to remove and the need for that is shifting from the homeowners who plant English ivy as ornamental to the state and local governments who maintsin public lands. Please help us stop incurring these costs. Please help us stop destroying our parks. Please help us stop the sale of a plant whose only value is ornamental, and take it a step further to encourage the sale and planting of plants that benefit our environment and the local food web. To further expand on the issue. English ivy will strangle a mature tree (native vines do not, but they are out competed by the ivy). We are already losing tree canopy to so many other causes - development, over population of deer, and blights and disease that wipe out entire species such as elms, dogwoods, and beeches. These trees are either not being replaced or are lacking the diversity they once had. This has so many impacts - lack of food for birds, lack of habitat for insects which pollinate crops and flowers, and lack of filtration for ground/storm water. Each of these leads to their own set of problems. The lack of water filtration leads to pollution of streams and rivers, and flooding. The flooding causes damage to buildings, roads, and other infrastructure that is expensive to maintain and repair. Little by little this is becoming a huge expense to local governments. Please help stop the flow now. Obivously English ivy is not solely responsible for all these problems, but it does contribute. And supporting this bill can help us take the first step to taking action and creating the change we need.

I support HB1167. I serve as a Fairfax County Park Authority Invasive Management Areas site leader since 2015, The dangerous impact of invasive plants on our ecosystem, soil, and water quality greatly concerns me. Furthermore we have hundreds of volunteers who spend thousands of hours a year manually removing invasive plants such as English ivy from parkland. We also educate our volunteers about the English ivy choking & killing trees on their own private property. These volunteers always ask why Virginia allows the sale of invasive plants if they do such harm.

I firmly support HB47 and HB1167. As an earth scientist and an Invasive Management Areas site leader, I am very concerned aout the impact if invasive plants on our ecology, soil health, and water quality. We have incredibly dedicated volunteers working to manage invasive plants, but the lack of action to deter people from planting them significantly undermines those volunteer efforts.

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