I support HB 1659 Local Foundation and Soil Management Fund. This bill, submitted by our representative, would allow our government to provide needed financial support for our community to address a slope failure issue that has occurred because the original developers did not properly correct it during construction about two decades ago. Our Newport Estates HOA does not have the funds for a restoration project of this magnitude and, without the financial support this bill would provide, home owners will incur a significant financial impact to rectify the problem.

This charter change HB1687 reflects a decennial redistricting ordinance passed by our Virginia Beach City Council. This charter change was approved by a prior 9 - 1 Virginia Beach City Council vote. This charter change was approved in 2023 by our AG Jason Miyares and has been in use ever since. This charter change was approved by the 2024 General Assembly, both the House and Senate. This charter change is supported by over 80% of the voters of Virginia Beach, per a study conducted by the Weldon-Cooper Center. There are many cities across the United States, some the same size as VB, some larger, which are effectively governed by City Councils elected using Single Member Districts. Some of these cities have a singular area of economic interest, which is effectively managed by their Single Member District City Councils. A few of our VBCC members have recently expressed uncertainty as to how to govern here. They have many examples of successful City Councils across our country to draw from. Then again, with passage of this charter change I suspect they will be quick to figure it out. I urge this committee to support this bill.

Comments Document

Please find Chamber of Progress' letter of opposition attached.

SUPPORT - Short term rentals are required by law to abide by local ordinances governing registration, taxation, safety and other concerns. When a property is found to be out of compliance, the lack of any meaningful consequence can make it difficult to provide a consistent framework and enforcement of local ordinances. The ability to have a property "delisted" provides an effective sanction that can prompt STRs to comply or risk loss of revenue. Standardizing compliance ensures equity in administering local STR ordinances. This bill will provide a very helpful tool for localities to use in regulating local short term rental properties.

My name is Andrew Cohen, a resident of Virginia Beach. I chair the Virginia Beach Short-Term Rental Enforcement Task Force that Virginia Beach City Council appointed in early 2024 to make recommendations to improve STR registration and enforcement of our STR ordinances. We strongly support this bill. // Virginia Beach City Council accepted the recommendation of our Task Force to request this bill to give localities the authority to compel STR platforms to remove listings for non-compliant properties. As of last week, there were over 700 STRs listed in Virginia Beach alone that do not have an STR permits. But under current law, operators of non-compliant properties continue to list those properties despite local enforcement actions. // Exacerbating this problem, operators of non-compliant STRs continue to list their properties until local officials can find those listings, recognize the non-compliance, and notify the operator. Local enforcement processes can take several months, during which these STRs continue to make bookings and operate illegally. In those months before enforcement can be adjudicated, operators can simply remove their non-compliant listings and replace them later with new listings, for which local officials must begin the enforcement process again, creating a revolving door for repeat offenders. // Current law does not allow localities to take timely action against unpermitted STRs that continue to operate illegally. This bill would give localities an authority that they desperately need to effectively curtail unpermitted STRs. // Our Task Force thanks Delegate Convirs-Fowler and Delegate Martinez for introducing this bill, and we ask you to report it.

HB 1987 call for greater transparency of the relationship between the applicant and the approving authority in land use cases. This can only promote good government. It is the absence of such transparency that enables influence peddling, obscures inappropriate negotiations and undermines trust in government. I urge your support of HB1987.

Transparency in government is essential to maintain public trust, accountability, and integrity in decision-making. When elected officials are open about their actions and potential influences, citizens can have confidence that policies and decisions are being made in the public’s best interest rather than for personal gain or the benefit of special interests. Requiring governing bodies to disclose conflicts of interest, including donations from developers and other entities, promotes honesty and helps prevent corruption. Supporting a bill that mandates these disclosures ensures a fairer, more ethical government where decisions reflect community priorities, not the influence of money. This is a critical step in protecting democracy, fostering public engagement, and ensuring responsible development that serves everyone.

As a lifelong Virginia resident I support HB2012 so we can incentivize productions to bring work to our great Commonwealth. Thank you for your consideration.

I am writing in support of HB2012 which is needed to strengthen Virginia's film industry. As a life-long Virginia resident and constituent, I urge you to approve this bill. Film projects create thousands of highly-skilled local jobs and support small businesses in our communities. Members of my household have worked on several acclaimed projects filmed in our great state. Making Virginia's film industry stronger will help fellow residents like me and my family while also boosting our economy.

Dear Delegates, Please support HB2012. I am one of many Virginia technicians who have full time careers working on film and television projects filmed in our great commonwealth. We take great pride in the industry we've worked so hard to grow. Without your support there won't be a film industry in Virginia. Thank you for your support.

I support HB2012. My name is Jeanne Bishop, I’m a Virginia resident, film crew worker in the costume dept. and member of IATSE Local 487. Film production is vital to not only keeping Virginians working but also supporting our local businesses which provide a great percentage of our goods and services . Thank you for your time and consideration of this important bill.

My name is Susan Sutphin and I am an Art Department Coordinator from Chesterfield, VA. Thank you for your support for HB2012

I support HB2012. I am a film industry professional, IATSE Local 487 member and work in the Locations Department on set.

SUPPORT HB2068. I offer my full support of HB2068, that provides that the authority for a locality's planning and land use decisions belong solely to the locality and shall not be ceded to any state agency or state-sanctioned body. This is what I call the Democratic process, and I question the integrity of the source of overreach into Virginia governance that would dare to attempt to undermine local decision making authority.

The localities need to keep their rights to site. This bill needs to move forward.

Recommend adding: HOAs subject to section shall have updated Governing Documents that reflect the most updated an applicable statute.

SUPPORT - Local land use decisions should remain at the local level, where our elected officials are accountable to the people in the community. Time and again a "one size fits all" approach to government has failed to produce better community outcomes. The city council, administration, and staff invest time and resources to engage the community to create policy that propels the vision for the locality. Land use decisions are some of the most impactful policy choices that our leadership make and should be the purview of the local - not state - government.

OPPOSE - this bill attempts to usurp one of the most basic of local government authorities, the power to design personnel policies for the people that they employ. Post-pandemic, many local governments have adopted policies governing telework. In each case, the locality has worked to design a policy that is flexible and fair and ensures that the goal is maximum productivity. Given the wide variety of roles performed by local employees, local leaders are much better equipped to determine what personnel policies best serve their community. Also, in some cases, greater access to telework and/or a flexible policy has allowed localities to attract highly skilled employees who otherwise may not be amenable to working in the public sector. This bill is a solution in search of a problem.

It is time for federal and state employees to return to the workplace. It is not fair for the rest of employees to be forced to come in. If an employee has a severe disability and has a medical condition then they can work remotely for two days a week. Overall, Teams, Zoom, etc are not a good way to bridge communication gaps between agencies. Face to face communication is essential for survival especially when it comes to getting the job done.