I strongly support HB 200, because it would advance transit access for Virginians and boost economic opportunity for our working class, while simultaneously addressing environmental costs (air quality impacts) and social injustices (high expense of car ownership).

I support HB564. As a daily bus rider in Richmond, I've seen many cars parked illegally in bus stops. This slows down bus service, makes it more dangerous to board and get off the bus, and can hinder accessibility for disabled bus riders. The police and parking enforcement can't be everywhere, and the cars are usually parked for just a few minutes--short enough to prevent enforcement, but long enough to block the stop for a bus. Bus-mounted cameras would provide a universal, fair way to identify and fine these drivers and incentivize them to find legal parking spots in the future, thereby improving local bus service and safety.

The City of Portsmouth asks that you please support this important initiative to help our severely overworked and understaffed police departments in the Commonwealth of Virginia process these videos and citations more efficiently and in a timely manner.

Speaker

Please support this initiative to support our severely overworked and understaffed police departments.

Greetings, Honorable Members, House of Delegates. I am writing on behalf of the Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations, in support of HB911. Beatriz Amberman, Chair

Public Safety Enhancement: The implementation of the Driver Privilege Card (DPC) makes Virginia roads safer by ensuring more drivers are tested, licensed, and insured, reducing the number of unlicensed drivers. Economic Benefits: Allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver privilege cards is projected to benefit the state's economy and potentially boost revenue through new title fees, sales tax receipts, license plate fees, and new car registrations. Increased Security and Reduced Fear: The DPC offers immigrant communities, including undocumented individuals, a sense of security and reduces fear of being stopped by law enforcement, while helping them commute to work and school.

I am writing in support of the extension of drivers privilege cards for immigrants. Continuing this privilege ensures increased safety on Virginia roads, as individuals will be required to be familiar with the driving laws of Virginia. In addition, a secondary benefit is increased revenue for Virginia from those migrant residents of VA applying for the license in VA rather than going without or seeking a license in another state.

HB 994-1330 - Delegate Holly Seibold. These bill needs to implement the "Extension of the School Zone" so school bus routes that share the roads with speeding tractor trailers, cars and motorcycles and many other forms of speeding vehicles such as on Route 17 that turned into a yearly growing per VDOT data of millions of vehicles into super country highway. It was NEVER designed to handle this much traffic per State and Sheriff Police that patrol Route 17 roads. It needs the expansion use of speed ticket cameras on Route 17 and other roads like it where the school buses STOP to pick up and drop off children. School zones are allowed for use of speed ticket cameras, and that essentially applies to the MOST dangerous locations also where a school bus must STOP on busy speeding roads. It actually is the MORE dangerous area that children are at MOST HIGHEST RISK at of being KILLED by another speeding vehicle such as a tractor trailer which Route 17 is one of their most favorite routes to deliver cargo from the ports of Virginia to the Inland Marine Ports in Front Royal Virginia because it is least enforced by police because Warrenton VDOT Engineer Daniel (Mark) Nesbit has failed PRIMARILY to provide the police with the proper widened road shoulders despite citizens asking VDOT for this since 2004. Only x2 were added and that took VDOT 18 years to do it from the 2004 and many other years requests for that. Speed Ticket Cameras DO NOT need widened shoulders to issue a citation and VDOT does NOT want to comply and also DOES NOT support speed ticket camera use per multiple VDOT employees at public meetings telling me this. The school bus route is a EXTENSION of the School Zone and citation hours would be when children are on the buses in route to and from home for school Monday thru Friday which means operating citations would be issued from 6am to 9am roughly and 2pm to 5pm roughly. Never on a Sat, Sun or Summer School Closure days so whats the big deal why this SENSIBLE SOLUTION FROM citizens and me for the past 3 years to our Senators and Delegates is NOT being DONE? The answer is because there most likely per my strongest opinion is speed ticket cameras would affect the tractor trailers to also then OBEY the speed limit and if anyone needs to do that is those drivers who are hauling serious explosive chemicals and other cargo that can explode, leak out and kill people or leach into water wells. This is a SERIOUS TOPIC, but Delegates are clearly NOT wanting to address it so we are writing again to have it put into a bill for 2026 session. The ports of Virginia clearly are making millions of dollars per past Transportation Secretary Sheppard Miller recorded 2023 and 2024 statements and he said highway road deaths continue to rise yearly. The sensible solution is speed ticket cameras to assist police, but that would mean cargo is NOT delivered FASTER thru speeding over the speed limit is speed ticket cameras are in place. Its a GREED BLEED. Ports of Virginia and truckers GREED and the citizens BLEED in the ongoing vehicle road crashes due to speeding. Do you NOT want to make it into heaven when you DIE because you cant take the money with you when you die, but all your actions in life will be judged by GOD whether you are let into heaven or NOT. Do the RIGHT THING to implement Extension of school zone. GOD Will LOVE you. Satan & demons will LOVE you for the Greed Bleed and NOT expanding to protect the school buses more.

HB 994, HB 1330 (Delegate Seibold) - These bills have to do with Speed Ticket Photo Enforcement Camera Technology (STPECT). Delegate Seibold needs to implement into her current bills to allow STPECT for school bus routes which would be a EXTENSION OF THE SCHOOL ZONE and make the time applicable of citation use when school bus routes are taking place such as Mon thru Fri 6am -9am and 2pm to 5pm. Citations would NOT occur on Sat, Sun and Summer school closed months. This is a FAIR and PROPER respect to human lives on main roads. While I support the use of this technology for many years, there clearly seems to be a SUPPRESSION for past session years of 2023 thru 2025 to keep this VERY PROVEN DATA Driven technology limited to SCHOOL and WORK ZONES. The expansion out to the greater broader MORE dangerous main roads with the higher amounts of speeding involved with vehicle crashes death and serious long term injuries (Crippling type injuries for both adults and children) clearly from close tracking over the years from 2020 (Speed Ticket Cameras allowed in school and work zones but NOT implemented until 2024 roughly) to current 2026 RGA session is clear as water a political planning on both Republicans and Democrats. The reason behind this in my STRONGEST opinion from researching road calming sensible solutions since 2004 being blocked thru bills and in local district counties that affect road public safety lives in a detrimental way (Death, Injury, Pain, Suffering) is due to the NOT wanting to have tractor trailer drivers being affected by speed ticket camera technology that cannot be bribed, look the other way or ignore their speeding over the posted speed limits. This in my opinion is all so the tractor trailers can speed FASTER on a constant DAILY basis to deliver the cargo FASTER for the newly expanded million-billion dollar project of the Ports of Virginia. The way a Port on the Eastern Seaboard competes with another Port for MORE profits (MONEY) being made is to attract MORE of the Largest Cargo Ships and then unload and load the CARGO FAST, and DELIVER it out of the Ports FAST to the Inland Marine Port in Front Royal Virginia off of I-66. On a spreadsheet it looks great to compete against the ports of Baltimore, New Jersey, New York and Miami in relation to recent years of the Panama Canal widened to handle the largest cargo ships, hence part of the Ports of Virginia recent early phase project now completed was the deepening dredging of the Virginia Channels so those BIGGER heavier loaded cargo ships can come to the new expanded PORTS of Virginia. While thats all GREAT for Virginia economy and I am Happy for that economic boom, for tractor trailer drivers to make a good living from this as well, I am NOT in agreement of the clearly seen suppression of photo enforcement speed ticket cameras from being used on the main roads like Route 17 that tractor trailers use as the faster route to avoid weigh stations, least police enforcement due to lack of wide enough road shoulders so police can safely issue speeding tickets to tractor trailers due to VDOT ignoring that request heavily for 20 years in Fauquier County with minimal support. If a bill was written to EXEMPT tractor trailers from speed ticket cameras then we would see that expansion use, however that would look to blatantly UNFAIR and clearly show the favoritism involved already with putting PROFITS for the PORTS and Truckers over Virginia Citizens Road Public safety.

Speed Ticket Cameras are clearly being suppressed to school and work zones in recent RGA session processes, or completely blocked from moving forward when they are the sensible data driven results now since 2024 being used in the school and work zones. Our Democrat Delegates really need to implement the current photo speed ticket camera enforcement bills to be applied as a "EXTENSION OF THE SCHOOL ZONE" for roads like Route 17 in Fauquier County and many other main roads that the school buses have to drop and pick up children on speeding high volume vehicle cars and tractor trailers. The problem is many adult and children citizens are suffering and dying in many more vehicle crashes than it has to be on Virginia Roadways, and it is all due to speed ticket cameras being suppressed so they DO NOT IMPACT the mass amount of high volume speeding being done by tractor trailers to deliver CARGO FASTER for the ports of Virginia per my strongest opinion and research I have been shown. The ports of Virginia are in competition to attract the biggest cargo ships and develop customer relations by demonstrating they can deliver the cargo FASTER to unload the ships FASTER thru speeding of tractor trailers that is a competition edge over the other Ports of Baltimore, Miami, New Jersey and New York. If the ports of Virginia were NOT present then the speed ticket cameras would have been implemented many years ago because of how much revenue they generated due to SO MUCH speeding the police forces cannot handle or get under control. In Fauquier County on Route 17 the data shows the police forces on average do NOT issue a speed citation in a 55mph zone until 74mph which is 1 mile under 75 mph that is by law reckless driving. and is 19 mph OVER the speed limit. The Speed Ticket camera sends a citation at 11mph over the speed limit. Balance is clearly needed, and STOP the neglect towards citizens road public safety lives that is taking place for years at the RGA political level. Republican Trend is clearly votes NO for speed ticket cameras and ANY Bills that would cause road calming of speeding that equates to than affecting the tractor trailers NOT to be able to SPEED as Much. This of course then affects all other vehicles to be allowed to SPEED and add to the deaths and injuries. This is serious LIFE and DEATH Bills. Democrats TREND for years was to support speed ticket camera bills until 2024 thru 2026 even with a Democrat Majority control in all x3 houses (Trifecta) which took away the blocking power of speed ticket cameras from Republicans, but the Democrats voting TREND also shifted to stalling, blocking and suppressing speed ticket cameras NOT to make it out on the main busy worst roads where they are needed the most. This again is allowing DEATH and INJURY in rising yearly data to continue all so the ports of Virginia can make MORE money for the investors involved and other affiliated interests for putting PROFITS over the Peoples road public safety interests. The police clearly need this technology assistance. Please for the LOVE OF GOD in some way, shape or form start in this 2026 session by expanding the speed ticket cameras as a EXTENSION OF THE SCHOOL ZONE where School Bus Routes occur when school is in session Monday thru Friday during the school bus route use. Closed for the summer months which means cameras NOT engaged. What level of investigation is it going to take to break this GREED BLEED.

Local residents and their county governments are unable to implement safety measures for pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicles on our streets and roads because VDOT is constrained by state and/or federal guidelines. The attached proposed amendment would provide an exception to following state and federal guidelines where traffic safety is not served by current rules, with a focus on locations within walking distance to schools. It would allow county governments to develop safety measures for streets within walking distance to a school and to notify VDOT of their plans. Within 60 days of receiving a submission, VDOT may advise the county government, for its consideration, as to any problems it perceives in the plans submitted. Any VDOT objections would have to be accompanied by a recommendation on how the county can achieve its safety goals while adhering to state and federal guidelines. If the county chooses to proceed, VDOT then would cooperate with implementation of the safety measures.

HB 1220 - Delegate Karrie Delaney. This bill needs to implement the "Extension of the School Zone" so school bus routes that share the roads with speeding tractor trailers, cars and motorcycles and many other forms of speeding vehicles such as on Route 17 that turned into a yearly growing per VDOT data of millions of vehicles into super country highway. It was NEVER designed to handle this much traffic per State and Sheriff Police that patrol Route 17 roads. It needs the expansion use of speed ticket cameras on Route 17 and other roads like it where the school buses STOP to pick up and drop off children. School zones are allowed for use of speed ticket cameras, and that essentially applies to the MOST dangerous locations also where a school bus must STOP on busy speeding roads. It actually is the MORE dangerous area that children are at MOST HIGHEST RISK at of being KILLED by another speeding vehicle such as a tractor trailer which Route 17 is one of their most favorite routes to deliver cargo from the ports of Virginia to the Inland Marine Ports in Front Royal Virginia because it is least enforced by police because Warrenton VDOT Engineer Daniel (Mark) Nesbit has failed PRIMARILY to provide the police with the proper widened road shoulders despite citizens asking VDOT for this since 2004. Only x2 were added and that took VDOT 18 years to do it from the 2004 and many other years requests for that. Speed Ticket Cameras DO NOT need widened shoulders to issue a citation and VDOT does NOT want to comply and also DOES NOT support speed ticket camera use per multiple VDOT employees at public meetings telling me this. The school bus route is a EXTENSION of the School Zone and citation hours would be when children are on the buses in route to and from home for school Monday thru Friday which means operating citations would be issued from 6am to 9am roughly and 2pm to 5pm roughly. Never on a Sat, Sun or Summer School Closure days so whats the big deal why this SENSIBLE SOLUTION FROM citizens and me for the past 3 years to our Senators and Delegates is NOT being DONE? The answer is because there most likely per my strongest opinion is speed ticket cameras would affect the tractor trailers to also then OBEY the speed limit and if anyone needs to do that is those drivers who are hauling serious explosive chemicals and other cargo that can explode, leak out and kill people or leach into water wells. This is a SERIOUS TOPIC, but Delegates are clearly NOT wanting to address it so we are writing again to have it put into a bill for 2026 session. The ports of Virginia clearly are making millions of dollars per past Transportation Secretary Sheppard Miller recorded 2023 and 2024 statements and he said highway road deaths continue to rise yearly. The sensible solution is speed ticket cameras to assist police, but that would mean cargo is NOT delivered FASTER thru speeding over the speed limit is speed ticket cameras are in place. Its a GREED BLEED. Ports of Virginia and truckers GREED and the citizens BLEED in the ongoing vehicle road crashes due to speeding. This includes children. What is wrong with you politicians?? Do you NOT want to make it into heaven when you DIE because you cant take the money with you when you die, but all your actions in life will be judged by GOD whether you are let into heaven or NOT. Everyone dies from old age if NOT killed in a vehicle crash when they are younger. Do the RIGHT THING. GOD Will LOVE you.

HB 1220 (Delegate Karrie Delaney) - These bills have to do with Speed Ticket Photo Enforcement Camera Technology (STPECT). Delegate Delaney needs to implement into her current bills to allow STPECT for school bus routes which would be a EXTENSION OF THE SCHOOL ZONE and make the time applicable of citation use when school bus routes are taking place such as Mon thru Fri 6am -9am and 2pm to 5pm. Citations would NOT occur on Sat, Sun and Summer school closed months. This is a FAIR and PROPER respect to human lives on main roads. While I support the use of this technology for many years, there clearly seems to be a SUPPRESSION for past session years of 2023 thru 2025 to keep this VERY PROVEN DATA Driven technology limited to SCHOOL and WORK ZONES. The expansion out to the greater broader MORE dangerous main roads with the higher amounts of speeding involved with vehicle crashes death and serious long term injuries (Crippling type injuries for both adults and children) clearly from close tracking over the years from 2020 (Speed Ticket Cameras allowed in school and work zones but NOT implemented until 2024 roughly) to current 2026 RGA session is clear as water a political planning on both Republicans and Democrats. The reason behind this in my STRONGEST opinion from researching road calming sensible solutions since 2004 being blocked thru bills and in local district counties that affect road public safety lives in a detrimental way (Death, Injury, Pain, Suffering) is due to the NOT wanting to have tractor trailer drivers being affected by speed ticket camera technology that cannot be bribed, look the other way or ignore their speeding over the posted speed limits. This in my opinion is all so the tractor trailers can speed FASTER on a constant DAILY basis to deliver the cargo FASTER for the newly expanded million-billion dollar project of the Ports of Virginia. The way a Port on the Eastern Seaboard competes with another Port for MORE profits (MONEY) being made is to attract MORE of the Largest Cargo Ships and then unload and load the CARGO FAST, and DELIVER it out of the Ports FAST to the Inland Marine Port in Front Royal Virginia off of I-66. On a spreadsheet it looks great to compete against the ports of Baltimore, New Jersey, New York and Miami in relation to recent years of the Panama Canal widened to handle the largest cargo ships, hence part of the Ports of Virginia recent early phase project now completed was the deepening dredging of the Virginia Channels so those BIGGER heavier loaded cargo ships can come to the new expanded PORTS of Virginia. While thats all GREAT for Virginia economy and I am Happy for that economic boom, for tractor trailer drivers to make a good living from this as well, I am NOT in agreement of the clearly seen suppression of photo enforcement speed ticket cameras from being used on the main roads like Route 17 that tractor trailers use as the faster route to avoid weigh stations, least police enforcement due to lack of wide enough road shoulders so police can safely issue speeding tickets to tractor trailers due to VDOT ignoring that request heavily for 20 years in Fauquier County with minimal support. If a bill was written to EXEMPT tractor trailers from speed ticket cameras then we would see that expansion use, however that would look to blatantly UNFAIR and clearly show the favoritism involved already with putting PROFITS for the PORTS and Truckers over Virginia Citizens Road Public safety.

On behalf of the Virginia Airport Operators Council (VAOC), which proudly represents the 66 public-use airports across the Commonwealth. Virginia’s airports are critical economic gateways, providing safe, secure, and efficient access to both our largest cities and our smallest communities. The VAOC is committed to ensuring that Virginia’s airport system remains commercially healthy and continues to safely serve the flying public. The VAOC strongly supports HB1231. This legislation makes permanent the improvements adopted in the last budget that significantly enhanced the administration of the Commonwealth Aviation Fund. The fund is vital to Virginia’s airport system, and its benefits to the Commonwealth have been substantial. As demonstrated in the Virginia Department of Aviation’s report, these changes have benefited airports statewide in a fair and equitable manner, while positioning the Commonwealth to remain responsive to the growing and evolving needs of its airports. We respectfully urge your favorable consideration and support of HB1231, and we look forward to its passage. Thank you for your time and consideration

HB 994-1330 - Delegate Holly Seibold. These bill needs to implement the "Extension of the School Zone" so school bus routes that share the roads with speeding tractor trailers, cars and motorcycles and many other forms of speeding vehicles such as on Route 17 that turned into a yearly growing per VDOT data of millions of vehicles into super country highway. It was NEVER designed to handle this much traffic per State and Sheriff Police that patrol Route 17 roads. It needs the expansion use of speed ticket cameras on Route 17 and other roads like it where the school buses STOP to pick up and drop off children. School zones are allowed for use of speed ticket cameras, and that essentially applies to the MOST dangerous locations also where a school bus must STOP on busy speeding roads. It actually is the MORE dangerous area that children are at MOST HIGHEST RISK at of being KILLED by another speeding vehicle such as a tractor trailer which Route 17 is one of their most favorite routes to deliver cargo from the ports of Virginia to the Inland Marine Ports in Front Royal Virginia because it is least enforced by police because Warrenton VDOT Engineer Daniel (Mark) Nesbit has failed PRIMARILY to provide the police with the proper widened road shoulders despite citizens asking VDOT for this since 2004. Only x2 were added and that took VDOT 18 years to do it from the 2004 and many other years requests for that. Speed Ticket Cameras DO NOT need widened shoulders to issue a citation and VDOT does NOT want to comply and also DOES NOT support speed ticket camera use per multiple VDOT employees at public meetings telling me this. The school bus route is a EXTENSION of the School Zone and citation hours would be when children are on the buses in route to and from home for school Monday thru Friday which means operating citations would be issued from 6am to 9am roughly and 2pm to 5pm roughly. Never on a Sat, Sun or Summer School Closure days so whats the big deal why this SENSIBLE SOLUTION FROM citizens and me for the past 3 years to our Senators and Delegates is NOT being DONE? The answer is because there most likely per my strongest opinion is speed ticket cameras would affect the tractor trailers to also then OBEY the speed limit and if anyone needs to do that is those drivers who are hauling serious explosive chemicals and other cargo that can explode, leak out and kill people or leach into water wells. This is a SERIOUS TOPIC, but Delegates are clearly NOT wanting to address it so we are writing again to have it put into a bill for 2026 session. The ports of Virginia clearly are making millions of dollars per past Transportation Secretary Sheppard Miller recorded 2023 and 2024 statements and he said highway road deaths continue to rise yearly. The sensible solution is speed ticket cameras to assist police, but that would mean cargo is NOT delivered FASTER thru speeding over the speed limit is speed ticket cameras are in place. Its a GREED BLEED. Ports of Virginia and truckers GREED and the citizens BLEED in the ongoing vehicle road crashes due to speeding. Do you NOT want to make it into heaven when you DIE because you cant take the money with you when you die, but all your actions in life will be judged by GOD whether you are let into heaven or NOT. Do the RIGHT THING to implement Extension of school zone. GOD Will LOVE you. Satan & demons will LOVE you for the Greed Bleed and NOT expanding to protect the school buses more.

Speed Ticket Cameras are clearly being suppressed to school and work zones in recent RGA session processes, or completely blocked from moving forward when they are the sensible data driven results now since 2024 being used in the school and work zones. Our Democrat Delegates really need to implement the current photo speed ticket camera enforcement bills to be applied as a "EXTENSION OF THE SCHOOL ZONE" for roads like Route 17 in Fauquier County and many other main roads that the school buses have to drop and pick up children on speeding high volume vehicle cars and tractor trailers. The problem is many adult and children citizens are suffering and dying in many more vehicle crashes than it has to be on Virginia Roadways, and it is all due to speed ticket cameras being suppressed so they DO NOT IMPACT the mass amount of high volume speeding being done by tractor trailers to deliver CARGO FASTER for the ports of Virginia per my strongest opinion and research I have been shown. The ports of Virginia are in competition to attract the biggest cargo ships and develop customer relations by demonstrating they can deliver the cargo FASTER to unload the ships FASTER thru speeding of tractor trailers that is a competition edge over the other Ports of Baltimore, Miami, New Jersey and New York. If the ports of Virginia were NOT present then the speed ticket cameras would have been implemented many years ago because of how much revenue they generated due to SO MUCH speeding the police forces cannot handle or get under control. In Fauquier County on Route 17 the data shows the police forces on average do NOT issue a speed citation in a 55mph zone until 74mph which is 1 mile under 75 mph that is by law reckless driving. and is 19 mph OVER the speed limit. The Speed Ticket camera sends a citation at 11mph over the speed limit. Balance is clearly needed, and STOP the neglect towards citizens road public safety lives that is taking place for years at the RGA political level. Republican Trend is clearly votes NO for speed ticket cameras and ANY Bills that would cause road calming of speeding that equates to than affecting the tractor trailers NOT to be able to SPEED as Much. This of course then affects all other vehicles to be allowed to SPEED and add to the deaths and injuries. This is serious LIFE and DEATH Bills. Democrats TREND for years was to support speed ticket camera bills until 2024 thru 2026 even with a Democrat Majority control in all x3 houses (Trifecta) which took away the blocking power of speed ticket cameras from Republicans, but the Democrats voting TREND also shifted to stalling, blocking and suppressing speed ticket cameras NOT to make it out on the main busy worst roads where they are needed the most. This again is allowing DEATH and INJURY in rising yearly data to continue all so the ports of Virginia can make MORE money for the investors involved and other affiliated interests for putting PROFITS over the Peoples road public safety interests. The police clearly need this technology assistance. Please for the LOVE OF GOD in some way, shape or form start in this 2026 session by expanding the speed ticket cameras as a EXTENSION OF THE SCHOOL ZONE where School Bus Routes occur when school is in session Monday thru Friday during the school bus route use. Closed for the summer months which means cameras NOT engaged. What level of investigation is it going to take to break this GREED BLEED.

Honorable Delegates, I respectfully object to HB 1344. This is another anti Virginia heritage effort that is motivated by the mistaken belief that Virginia's secession in 1861 was motivated by the preservation of slavery. The truth is it was President Lincoln's call for 75,000 troops to invade the cotton states. Two votes were taken in April 1861 regarding secession. The first vote on April 4th defeated secession. Two weeks later on April 17th that vote was reversed. Certainly the status of slavery did not change, what changed was the call to invade the cotton states by Lincoln. At the time Virginia seceded there were as many slave states in the Union as in the Confederacy. Neither side went to war to end slavery as evidenced by both the Corwin Amendment and Crittenden-Johnson Resolution. It's also true that slavery continued in the Union after the last Virginia forces surrendered.

I support Virginia House Bill 1344 because it ends the state’s official issuance of special license plates honoring symbols that are tied to a past rooted in slavery and secession. This isn’t about erasing history, it’s about not celebrating people who fought to defend and uphold the institution of slavery and traitors who committed acts of terror against United States soldiers.

I am writing in support of HB1344. This Bill is a meaningful step toward ensuring that state-issued symbols reflect shared civic values and foster a sense of community for all peoples, rather than honoring figures and organizations tied to a legacy of division and racial injustice. By repealing the issuance of special license plates for the Sons of Confederate Veterans and Robert E. Lee, the bill affirms that government resources should not be used to endorse or normalize symbols associated with the Confederacy and its defense of slavery. This change does not erase history; instead, it recognizes that history can be taught and examined without being celebrated on official state property. HB1344 promotes inclusivity, mutual respect, and unity, helping create public spaces where all residents can feel acknowledged, valued, and part of a shared civic community.

Honorable Delegate, I respectfully object to HB1344 currently before the House Committee. I realize I live in a different state however I had family whom fought and died for the state of VA. It is my heritage, not hatred! Thank you

Honorable Delegates, I respectfully object to HB 1344 currently before the House Finance Committee. My wife and I possess the Robert E. Lee License Plate, and this bill is an act of aggression and will cause greater division among Virginians than any perceived benefit to the Commonwealth.

I'm writing to oppose HB1344. There is nothing offensive about these license plates. People should be able to buy Robert E Lee plates if they want to. Members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans should be allowed to buy their custom plates too but only if they can document their membership.

I respectfully write to express my opposition to pending House legislation including HB 167, HB 1344, HB 1377, and HB 1374, which remove monuments, penalize heritage organizations, or defund or alter historic institutions such as the Virginia Military Institute. I make this statement solely on behalf of myself and my family. This is not a partisan issue, but a matter of historical preservation, fairness, and civic duty. I respectfully ask that you oppose these bills and carefully consider the concerns of Virginians who believe our shared heritage deserves thoughtful and respectful treatment.

1344 due to its Tyrannical attempt to silence me and ignore my 1st amendment Rights! I like Robert E LEE recognize slavery as nothing but evil! This bill. My Confederate ancestors fought to defend the Great State of Virginia from a Unconstitutional attack. Lee was against secession and spoke against the institution of slavery before the state was invaded while refusing a position of general in the union army to take up defense of Virginia. Seems that State Democrats

This is blatant bias and unfair. This is just another attempt for democrats to erase anything they don’t agree with or like.

HB 1344 Removing these plates helps Virginia how exactly..? This will only serve to further divide, and alienate. Why aren't things like this ever put to the voters..? Rhetorical question, because voters would reject it. It's sad that with all the issues facing Virginians today, there are legislators more concerned with putting their thumb on people and creating permanent enemies among their constituents. The day will come when something (seemingly insignificant) that you care about ends up on the chopping block. You will be able to look back at this action as the, reaping what you sow moment. Leave our plates alone. Please. The unintended consequences will NOT help Virginia moving forward.

Please make it make sense; a realtor or any other group can have a special plate but a descendant of a confederate veteran cannot? History should not be erased & you should be ashamed.

Honorable Delegates, I respectfully object to HB 1371. This is another anti Virginia heritage effort that is motivated by the mistaken belief that Virginia's secession in 1861 was motivated by the preservation of slavery. The truth is it was President Lincoln's call for 75,000 troops to invade the cotton states. Two votes were taken in April 1861 regarding secession. The first vote on April 4th defeated secession. Two weeks later on April 17th that vote was reversed. Certainly the status of slavery did not change, what changed was the call to invade the cotton states by Lincoln. At the time Virginia seceded there were as many slave states in the Union as in the Confederacy. Neither side went to war to end slavery as evidenced by both the Corwin Amendment and Crittenden-Johnson Resolution. It's also true that slavery continued in the Union after the last Virginia forces surrendered.