Please support HB457. Parking lot solar is an excellent dual use, which would also reduce the pressure on rural areas and farmland. As Virginia seeks to grow our solar energy, using already-built areas, such as parking lots, makes incredible sense. A recent study found that the average US city devotes about 22% of its space to parking lots. Examples of existing solar parking lots provide significant cost benefits to the commercial establishments, while drawing more customers due to the shade and potential for EV charging. This bill would have the greatest impact in urban areas like Northern Virginia, that has a large number of parking lots suitable for solar canopies. It makes sense that this area, which has the largest power demand, would help to mitigate the impact as well.

I stand with VCDL on these bills.

Drive Electric RVA supports HB457 as an important component of Virginia's transition to electrified transportation. Cars spend more than 90 percent of the day parked. Electric vehicles have the ability to refuel while they are parked and their owners go about their day. The installation of solar canopies at workplaces and shopping centers would provide clean energy to fuel EVs during some of this idle time when both solar available and electricity demand are at their peak. This bill would give localities the ability to require that developers who are permitted to erect large parking lots provide a renewable energy resource in exchange. The canopies would also help shade all cars from inclement weather conditions, which are likely to become worse as climate change worsens.

I represent Wise County residents as one of the county's elected Soil and Water Conservation Directors. While multiple data centers are being planned for our locality, county officials and developers have so far declined to disclose any details about these data center projects and their projected water usage to either the general public or local stakeholders in the resource management realm. One of our responsibilities as elected SWCD directors is to work with other local elected officials and the general public to find collaborative solutions to complex resource management issues affecting our localities. However, we cannot perform this critical function of our office when basic information about data center projects' anticipated resource uses are shielded from disclosure and the routine public input mechanisms that are common for other major economic development projects. It then requires more time, effort, and taxpayer expense to retroactively address resource management issues that arise from such projects when they are planned in relative secrecy, as opposed to being planned through a transparent process that allows for issues to proactively be caught and mitigated early on. HB496 provides important checks on the aforementioned issues and would ensure that residents and other stakeholders have the information they need to inform developers and local government officials about important considerations involving water resources that may result from a planned data center project. I encourage you to support HB496.

Please study the impact of data centers on the land, water, air and people before approving them. Limit them to industrail areas and keep them away from residental areas. We must conserve trees to help protect our land from extreme heat and run off. Trees are extremely valuable.

I fully support HB496 as written.

I am writing in full support of this bill. Transparency and equal access to information are essential for decision-making and planning. It is also key for residents to be able to know the impacts (as best as can be determined) as they way in on key decisions including development opportunities like data centers. We know that data centers use a significant amount of water, which does affect everyone. As a resident of Richmond, I can speak to the clear needs for understanding the impact and stress on our water infrastructure. The city has struggled to maintain both its water for drinking and waste water as needs have shifted and change. The improvements in the city's infrastructure would be even harder forecast if they did not know the affects of data centers on the water supply. How can a city do affective planning and budgeting of the key infrastructure projects needed without having some sense of the impact of development projects. It is irresponsible and unethical that predicted water usage from data centers is not shared at the proposal stage so that decision makers, planners, legislators, and residents can make an informed decision.

I strongly support HB496 because Virginia is already the data center capital of the world, and new applications continue to come forward at a rapid pace. While data centers rely heavily on local resources, they often provide limited long-term economic benefit to surrounding communities, create relatively few jobs, and frequently receive significant tax incentives. As this industry expands, it is essential that communities fully understand the local impacts before projects are approved. Water use is one of my greatest concerns. Data centers can require enormous volumes of water for cooling, yet this information is not always clearly disclosed to the public or local decision-makers. Communities deserve transparency about how much water a proposed facility will use and whether that demand could strain local water systems or contribute to higher utility bills for residents. HB496 establishes a common-sense requirement that data center developers disclose expected water usage in advance and prevents that information from being hidden behind confidentiality agreements. If data centers depend on our shared water resources, they should be required to carry their own weight and plan responsibly for those needs. This bill helps ensure that economic development does not come at the expense of community affordability, water security, or long-term sustainability.

Dear Rep. Guzman, Thank you for introducing HB 496 to begin to hold data centers accountable to local communities for the true cost that they demand. Neither our water supply nor our power grid can sustain the level of planning that has gone unchecked for these developments. Your bill is a step in the right direction to demand transparency and give communities and community members the facts they need to make informed decisions for sustainable planning and development. I wholeheartedly support your measure. Sincerely, Lesley

I am concerned about the proliferation of data centers and other large development projects that impact local water and power. Transparency for governmental approval and planning requires the provision of water use disclosures. Projects should not be able to avoid these disclosures with the use of NDAs or confidentiality agreements. Requiring accurate water use disclosures is in the best interests of all citizens, now and in the future- and thus I strongly support HB 496.

I've lived in my townhome since May 2015. My water bill was $90 each quarter until one year ago. For the last 4 payments, it is now $149. I live in 20147, basically 'data center alley'. This 65% increase is NOT inflation. I do not think it is my responsibility, or my neighbors in the county, to pay for the entire world's gluttonous need for 'cloud storage'. As a teacher, I did NOT receive a 65% salary increase. Nor did the bus drivers, grocery store staff, nurses, accountants, etc that live in my neighborhood.

While Data Centers can provide much needed revenue to localities it is imperative that those decisions are made in the open and ALL the impacts of a data center are known and clearly available to the public, not just the revenue possibilities.

This is a clear government transparency issue and inhibits public water supply planning efforts. We need you to support House Bill 496.

To the Board of Western VA Water Authority, The impacts on our water supply by the Google AI data center planned for construction in Botetourt County concern me greatly. The negative effects of AI Data Centers are well documented, and they are known to be causing water crises in the country and water issues within Virginia as well. Granting Google unprecedented access to our water supply is unacceptable and infuriating, and I am extremely disappointed in how the Western Virginia Water Authority has handled this project thus far. As a Western Virginia Resident, we demand transparency moving forward as well as dialogue with experts on the impacts of this kind of data center on water and land usage. We also demand a town hall to address concerns about how the implementation of such a data center will effect our water supply and our wallets, with detailed and transparent explanations about how the water authority will mitigate damage. It is unacceptable to believe that Google will act with the people of Western Virginia in mind, as Google has no obligation to our natural resources or our communities, and they are only concerned with profits. I urge you to think on this; protect our water, our environment, and our people from corporations that are not concerned with how their construction effects local communities. It is your duty to the people of Western VA to protect our water and to listen to and address the public's concerns about the risks of such a project. Sincerely, Madeline Alford 2807 Wellesely Ct, Blacksburg, VA madelinebelle11@gmail.com

Please vote for this legislation. I bought our retirement home on the Rappahannock River. I love it! If proposed data centers build next door and suck up our well water for their business, or affect the quality of the River due to business use, I will be forced to move away from my dream home. Not to mention the impact on our house values.

I am very concerned about the impact of data centers’ water needs on our scarce freshwater sources. This bill is a no-brainer to at least quantify those needs as part of the planning/approval process.

Please support hb496. It is dishonest to withhold information on the use and effects that the data center will or may have on public drinking water. It appears that data centers have something to hide. Please don’t allow them to hide information from the public. In addition, please do not support the abolishment of qualified immunity for law enforcement officers. The only ones that would benefit are attorneys and criminals.

PLEASE, think of our next 100, 200, and 300 years in this country like our founding fathers did for us. As a farmer and rancher, I don’t know what I will do in 50 years. I really do not. No one will be able to afford to grow your food if the data centers down the road make everybody realize it pays more to be a welder or electrician. But we need it youth full of hope and striving for food production too! Our jails grow most of our food here. First generation farms won’t exist if we continue to deregulate data centers or take local governments power from them to do anything about it. Towns and Counties need help regulating data centers. We are in a serious and rare winter drought in Virginia. We cannot afford many more data centers, especially at the rate they are being built and way they are being operated. We really DONT know how exactly they operate because that information will not be disclosed by the companies.. how do we enforce unenforceable companies? “The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased, and not impaired, in value.” -Theodore Roosevelt, speech before Colorado Livestock Association, Denver, Colo., Aug. 29, 1910.

On behalf of Nature Forward, please support and vote "yes" on HB496. With the ever-growing desire of data centers to be located in Virginia, with an overwhelming number of data centers in Northern Virginia, it is more important than ever to integrate facts and information into the decision-making process for approvals of data centers and for better understanding the water impacts of by-right data center development. This bill would finally allow localities to get data on expected water use for new data centers, avoiding water usage NDAs and redacted redact water and wastewater service agreements. Local decision makers, the public, and even VA DEQ deserve to have a full understanding of potential impacts a data center could have on their localities' water resources to better allow for planning for potential impacts to water resources. This bill increases government transparency and improves local democracy, allowing the public and all decision makers to have the same knowledge developers and only a few others have regarding estimated water usage. Please support HB496 – the future of our drinking water depends on it.

A government spending taxpayer money to hide information from those same taxpayers sounds like a bad joke, but it is all too true. The Western Virginia Water Authority, which manages water for Roanoke, Botetourt, and Franklin Counties as well as Roanoke City, is currently appealing a judge's ruling against them to release the expected water usage rates of a proposed Google data center in Botetourt County. They redacted the numbers from draft contracts they released to the press, and argued in court that the rates--estimated to be between two and eight million gallons *per day*--are Google's "proprietary information," necessary for them to maintain their competitive edge. It's a small detail, just a few numbers among dozens of pages, they are keen to point out. But the failure to disclose those small but crucial numbers is emblematic of the contempt for basic openness and accountability that have characterized the Botetourt data center project from the beginning, negotiated in secret for over a year-and-a-half and with water access granted shortly thereafter without any public input. This is not even primarily a Google issue. Secrecy is the standard operating procedure for all these tech companies, and runs counter to the principles of good governence in all these localities. The Roanoke Valley is not the first region to look for answers and run up against the black wall of redactions and NDAs, but Virginia, with the opportunity to advance and pass HB496, can make it the last. https://www.roanokerambler.com/water-authority-seeks-emergency-appeal-pause-as-clock-ticks-on-releasing-google-data-center-information/

Dear Members of the General Assembly, I am writing as a concerned citizen of Essex County, Virginia, in strong support of House Bill 496. I care deeply about the long-term health of the endangered Rappahannock River and its fragile watershed ecosystem, along with the surrounding lands and communities that depend on these limited shared resources. Our region is experiencing a rapid increase in proposed and approved data center developments, often promoted as major economic wins. For economic development to truly benefit a community, however, the scale, nature, and pace of that development must align with local goals, needs, and resource availability. Achieving that alignment requires transparency and mutual understanding. Many of the massive data center projects currently under consideration raise serious concerns - particularly with respect to water use, energy demand, and rural encroachment. Data centers are known to require substantial and continuous water withdrawals. Yet under current practices, applicants may shield critical water use information through nondisclosure agreements, confidentiality provisions, and redactions in water and wastewater service agreements. This lack of transparency undermines informed decision-making and prevents meaningful public participation in processes that directly affect shared public resources. House Bill 496 addresses this problem directly and responsibly. By prohibiting the use of nondisclosure agreements and redactions to conceal water use data, and by requiring applicants to disclose expected annual and daily water use metrics the bill restores transparency to an essential public review process. These disclosures are critical to ensure the project aligns with community goals and for accurate resource planning, responsible infrastructure investment, and long-term water supply /drought resilience. The Rappahannock River watershed supports a fragile ecosystem and a pristine rural landscape of local, state, and national cultural, historical, and ecological significance. Once degraded, these resources cannot be easily restored. Beyond environmental impacts, unchecked and undisclosed water withdrawals pose risks to human health and wellbeing, agricultural viability, and the sustainability of existing residential and commercial water users. Over time, this erosion threatens the very fabric of communities carefully woven over more than three centuries. HB 496 empowers local governments, planners, and citizens with the information necessary to evaluate development proposals responsibly and to act in the best interests of the communities they represent. This is especially important for high-poverty and rural communities that lack in-house technical staff or the financial resources to engage in prolonged legal battles with large corporate developers. Transparency is a cornerstone of good governance, particularly when finite and irreplaceable resources are at stake. For these reasons, I strongly urge you to support and pass House Bill 496. This legislation is a critical step toward protecting Virginia’s water resources, strengthening community-driven decision-making, and safeguarding the future of rural communities like mine in Essex County. Thank you for your consideration and for your service to the Commonwealth. Respectfully, Meredith Trible A Concerned Citizen Essex County, Virginia

I am in strong support of this bill that would require data centers to disclose water usage and include average daily use, maximum daily use, and total maximum annual use. As well as water use to be disclosed at the time of site plan. It is within all of our best interests for this data to be completely transparent to community members that will be affected by data center infrastructure. Thank you.

I support HB496 on behalf of my constituents whose access to water is at risk due to the plans of a massive data center that would use between 2 million to 8 million gallons of water today from our regional water authority. One locality in the regional water authority signed a contract impacting the entire region's water supply without notice to the other localities. This is unacceptable especially in the middle of a long drought resulting in low levels of our water retention supply. It's imperative that HB496 passes to protect our water supply from outdated data center construction that results in wasteful water usage. There must be public notice and discussion. Please vote for HB496. Sincerely, Freeda Cathcart District Director on the BRSWCD representing Roanoke City

Please vote for transparency on the impact that data centers have on our water supply. We are in a drought warning and our aquifers are being depleted. This bill would bring transparency to the impact these facilities have.

Dear delegates, I urge you to pass this bill to slow the unrestrained development of data centers in Virginia. We’re at a crossroads where we can choose to continue drawing unlimited resources from our public utilities and natural resources (like water), or we can put sensible and sustainable guard rails on developments like Google’s hyperscale data center proposed near my home in Botetourt County. I just inherited my family’s 76 acres of pristine Appalachian Mountain-side there, and I’d like to someday build my forever home there. In my dreams, I have plenty of well water to draw from the aquifers below the land. I fear that if un restrained data centers, taking a city’s worth of water per day, I’ll have no water with which to raise my family.

I fully support this bill. I speak for the large organization of HOA’s in PWC, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Fauquier counties supporting better transparency and standards around water use. The VA DEQ recent report said half of Virginia is under drought conditions. We need this bill Roger Yackel Gainesville

I'm writing to show my support for this bill, which would grant more transparency to Virginians who are currently facing new data center development projects. As cost of living and inflation continues to rise, we deserve to know to what degree data centers would strain our water resources, in order to make more informed public opinions on whether these centers are a net benefit or detriment to our communities. It's to everyone's detriment when that information is not public knowledge, as it fuels speculation and mistrust. And if a company is trying to withhold that information, because of how detrimental these data centers would be to our water supply and the price increases we would ultimately pay towards it, then that is all the more reason that the information should be public so that a more informed public dialogue can be held.

Dear State Representatives: Advancing this is critical for local transparency. We in Botetourt County are in the process of opposing a Google Data center that is shrouded in NDA's for the local voters. Our Board of Supervisors has signed NDAs that specifically cloak the amount of water used on a daily basis by this data center. Please help us before it too late. Thank you Jim Malue

Hi, I'm reaching out as a member of the Southwest Virginia Data Center Transparency Alliance group. I'd like to encourage your support of HB496 to require data centers to publicly share information about each center's projected and actual water usage—both average and maximum for daily and yearly amounts. Because our sources of fresh water are limited and necessary for human life, I believe regulating these centers is of utmost importance. Additionally, there are multiple methods of cooling water in these centers that are sustainable and more environmentally friendly. I encourage our representatives to consider proposing a new bill: One that requires data centers to explore all methods of cooling, then publicly share these findings. Ultimately, most data centers do not use renewable resources due to the higher cost. If we, as Virginians, are allowing these centers to become fixtures in our communities—cutting down trees, producing irritating humming sounds at all hours of the day, and consuming significant amounts of power from our grids—our lawmakers have every right to require the centers to foot the bill. I live right on the county lines of Roanoke and Botetourt, and here, Google is our main concern. Google absolutely has the funding and resources to pay its share of the electric usage, any necessary updates to the county's electrical grid to support the center, and MOST importantly, the additional cost to use a renewable cooling method that will not put our entire community at risk of drought. I invite you to consider that while the county will make money from this deal, we can still welcome the data center if it's already decided—but it's up to you as our representatives to ensure that me, you, our neighbors, and all of our children have access to clean water and reasonable energy rates for generations to come. Thank you so much for your time. This issue affects us all, both those profiting from it and those who will be paying more for it. Please consider our community as a whole and help us maintain our fresh water.

I support HB496. We need regulations to ensure that data centers are not sited where they make excessive demands on water. Recent reports about nondisclosure agreements keeping the public in the dark about this critical information are frankly appalling. Please vote for HB496.

Please support this bill to give localities the power to prioritize their own health, happiness, and prosperity as stewards of their homes. Prioritizing trees in development plans must be mandated because it won't happen as a result of convenience or greed.

Chair and Members of the Committee, On behalf of Lynnhaven River NOW, Virginia Beach’s leading conservation and restoration organization dedicated to clean water and healthy coastal ecosystems, I urge you to support HB 549. In a coastal city facing heavier rainfall, recurrent flooding, and ongoing water-quality challenges, tree canopy is not just a “nice to have”- it is critical infrastructure. Trees intercept and slow rainfall, reduce polluted runoff, increase infiltration, and strengthen soils. In doing so, they directly support stormwater management and water quality, helping keep sediment, nutrients, and other pollutants out of our rivers, creeks, and bays. Protecting the canopy also helps prevent erosion, stabilizing land and shorelines, and reducing sedimentation that harms aquatic habitat. HB 549 strengthens Virginia’s ability to conserve and rebuild canopy during development in ways that align with our mission. Most importantly, it recognizes that statewide minimums should not be a ceiling. Virginia Beach needs the authority to set stronger canopy-replacement standards where justified by local conditions - especially in communities with significant flooding risk and stormwater obligations. HB 549’s approach gives localities the flexibility to pursue higher canopy outcomes to meet real-world needs, including resilience and watershed protection. Tree canopy also supports ecological diversity, providing habitat, connecting green spaces, and improving neighborhood health. In Virginia Beach, where our economy and quality of life depend on clean water and thriving coastal ecosystems, maintaining and expanding the canopy is a practical, proven investment. HB 549 is a commonsense bill that helps ensure growth does not come at the expense of the natural systems that protect our community. We respectfully ask you to report HB 549 and support its passage. Respectfully submitted, Lynnhaven River NOW

The alarming loss of mature trees in our towns, neighborhoods and parklands has got to stop. The trees are under so many challenges…. Climate , invasive insects, invasive vines, disease, and development. It is such a travesty to see large healthy trees cut down for the convenience of home building. We must protect and conserve the treasures and providers of so many eco services we take for granted.

HB549 addresses a climate and socioeconomic issue with a solution that provides additional tools to protect public health, improve water quality, strengthen climate resilience, and save taxpayer dollars. Preserving mature trees and investing in trees as infrastructural assets is essential. We need to reduce the impact of extreme heat and protects residents, especially in areas of lower economic income during heat waves and flooding. The additional benefits would be improving storm water management and water quality, as well as public health and life expectancy. Trees are vital to our existence on so many level both personally and economically. Please add a tool to enforcement by increasing penalties for violating tree canopy ordinances to $2,500.

Please support bill 549. Our local governments need the flexibility it would provide to require developers of new houses to replace the tree canopy that is routinely destroyed in a meaningful way. Trees are not just a 'private property' issue. Trees are a community resource. When they are needlessly removed, they affect the entire community in terms of bird and wildlife reduction and heat island effects.

Please let us work to protect our local tree canopy! Over the last 10 years, we have lost a significant portion of our tree canopy as older houses are sold and the lots cleared for easier construction of new houses. The result impacts the whole community, not just that land owner. Our streets have gotten so much hotter and our neighborhood is less inviting. Please give us the local control so that we can work together as a community to find the right solution - rather than have no option other than what the developers want.

I strongly support HB549 as a way to conserve energy resources, contribute to flood control and enhance urban livability, all of which offer long term economic benefits to Virginia citizens. Local jurisdictions understand how tree cover can best be maintained while also supporting appropriate development objectives. Please vote to pass this bill out of committee and, eventually, into law.

I support HB 549. Trees are essential for slowing climate change and providing shade in our increasingly hot summers. Too many developers have no profit incentive to preserve or replace trees, leaving neighborhoods barren and treeless and increasing temperatures, energy costs, and heat-related illnesses for citizens. Privately owned mature trees have benefits that reach far beyond property lines, from the comfort and safety of pedestrians passing under their shade to the cooler temperatures they bring to the whole neighborhood. We need tools to stop developers from clear-cutting these public resources--let's allow our local governments the power to conserve trees for the good of the community and the climate!

Please support HB549. Trees are meant to outlive us. They provide fresh air, habitat for wildlife and curb flooding and the creation heat islands. Developers should have to prioritize conservation of mature trees and preserving tree canopy for the benefit of everyone involved.

Trees not only improve the quality of life for the people who live near them, they also save our county and taxpayers money. When mature trees are removed by developers unnecessarily, it costs our community and future generations.

Trees are an important part of our ecosystem and provide many benefits. Developments hit the easy button and clear cut too much simply to make it easier for their planning. Maybe they’ll drop in a few junk non native trees afterwards and say they’ve replaced what they removed which is nonsense. A quantity replacement isn’t a quality replacement when the removed item were mature trees. Let the local governments have say in what happens to trees in their areas.

HB 549 Mature shade trees add value to property, not only monetarily but also for absorption of stormwater runoff, cooling and energy efficiency, carbon sequestration all the while improving air quality, especially for those with cardiovascular issues. We need to maintain our tree canopy across the state and this is one sure way to do it. Developers can build around and preserve mature trees using calculations that preserve the root zone. Let’s build resiliently to prevent flooding, conserve energy, and promote cardiovascular health. Let’s keep our trees standing! They beautify and add real estate value to properties. It’s a win-win.

HB549 will help maintain the healthy tree canopy needed for stormwater management, for reducing extreme heat, and for keeping our air clean. It is distressing how many important trees in our neighborhood have been cut down in order to build ever-larger houses. We need to push back on this kind of development to keep our community healthy. Please vote YES on SB549.

I see our rural forests being cleared daily, and not just the pine plantations. The loss of mature trees worsens flooding and increases erosion. This also affects carbon sequestration, essential to combating climate change. In the cities, tree loss intensifies dangerous urban heat as well. Our Commonwealth needs trees, especially native trees, to survive. Please support HB549.

Please support HB549 and protect our trees.

Please support HB549 as it is critical to maintaining a healthy tree canopy, especially in semi-urban areas such as Arlington, VA. This is critical for stormwater management, for reducing occurrences of extreme heat, and for clean air. Currently we see our mature canopy trees being clear-cut for development, making our communities less healthy and adding to public expenses of health emergencies and flooding. Local governments need the authority to respond to local conditions and issues. This is an important issue to my community and I urge you to vote YES on HB549.

HB549 just says "one size doesn't fit all." Local jurisdictions would balance development needs with the known benefits of trees. A tailored approach, optimizing community benefits. Please support HB549.

Please support HB549 as it is critical to maintaining a healthy tree canopy, especially in semi-urban areas such as Arlington, VA. Since the zoning has been changed in Arlington, developers are quick to clear cut lots, even trees on the property lines, that do not need to be taken down to build what we eventually is constructed. Also, this is critical for stormwater management, for reducing occurrences of extreme heat, and for clean air. Local governments need the authority to respond to local conditions and issues. This is an important issue to my community and I urge you to vote YES on SB549

Arlington has a 40% canopy goal, which is critical to preserving biodiversity, carbon sequestering, erosion and flood control, and mental health for our residents and visitors. No one wants to live in a desert. I live in a low density residential area. Because Arlington has heavily developed its two metrorail corridors and has now expanded higher density to two additional corridors, we must obtain 60% tree canopy in the low density areas if we are to reach our goal. Development is the #1 threat, and Arlington has done its part to contribute well beyond its geographic weigh in providing new commercial and residential development, including providing taxes to the Commonwealth. Now we need the Commonwealth to help us preserve the most critical resource we have, our natural environment, our trees, and our keystone species. thank you

Our tree canopies are disappearing because of reckless construction in our community. Trees are important for our environment, our health, and our quality of life and provide important homes to the wildlife in our area. Communities should have the ability to protect trees from thoughtless removal that impacts neighborhoods. Many could be saved if construction companies would stop using clear cutting as their first step in building. Please support this bill!

Please support HB549 to strengthen standards for tree canopy replacement during development. This is an issue that I - and many people in my community - feel very strongly about.

I urge you vote yes on HB549 as it is critical to maintaining a healthy tree canopy, especially in semi-urban areas such as Arlington, VA. Our mature canopy trees are needed for stormwater management, for reducing occurrences of extreme heat, and for clean air. In our locality mature canopy trees being clear-cut for development, making our communities less healthy and adding to public expenses of health emergencies and flooding. Mature trees have economic benefits and will help maintain a healthy community. Local governments need the authority to respond to local conditions and issues. This is an important issue for my community and I urge you to vote YES on HB549.

Please support HB549 to strengthen community resilience by increasing the standards for tree canopy replacement during development, as directed by communities themselves. Air quality, stormwater management, and the health and well-being of residents should always come before developer interests! This bill is a step in the right direction toward prioritizing the health of both Virginia and Virginians.

Please consider the ramifications of this bill. We currently live in a neighborhood where an enormous housing project went in and didn’t leave a single tree. Not only did a displace many birds and animals. It has also added to the sound of the local roadway. Trees add so much. A noise buffer, a home to many birds and animals…and so much more. Please consider this wonderful Bill ! as it will make a great impact with further development. Thank you, Jackie

Please support HB549, it is a practical, locally driven solution that provides additional tools to protect public health, improve water quality, strengthen climate resilience, and save taxpayer dollars — while addressing Virginia’s alarming loss of tree canopy. Preserving mature trees and investing in trees as infrastructural assets: SUPPORT HB549 Conservation and replacement of trees during development process. Bill Patron: Delegate Patrick Hope Reduces extreme heat and protects residents during heat waves. Improves stormwater management and water quality. Saves local governments money and reduces infrastructure costs. Improves public health and life expectancy. Strengthens enforcement by increasing penalties for violating tree canopy ordinances to $2,500.

Please support HB549 and continue to grow our understandings of the benefits of strong and mature tree canopies in our state and communities. Trees are another of our vital partners in creating a healthy, stable and beautiful environment! The need for us to support nature rather than destroying it is paramount for the future health of our planet. Thank you!

While it is easier to clear cut land for development, it extracts a high cost to the environment and to the community. Replacing 50 year old oaks that support countless species of birds and insects with saplings is not an “even trade.” Please consider sustainable and environmentally friendly development practices. In the long run, they are economically better for the community.

Please support this bill. We need trees to help with the climate and wildlife. We need to preserve the older trees,.

SUPPORT HB549 I support HB549 because residents deserve the option to live in neighborhoods that prioritize their health and safety. Protecting and restoring tree canopy is a practical way to help reduce extreme heat, improve air quality, and reduce stormwater impacts, especially in neighborhoods that are already underfunded and high-burdened. While the health and safety of people should be the priority, this bill also makes sense for local government and the economy by reducing infrastructure costs.

I support this legislation.

I strongly support HB549. Mature tree canopy is an incredibly important natural resource. Trees protect the health of natural and human communities in numerous important ways, including by reducing flooding risk, offsetting the "heat island" effect, supporting biodiversity and natural food webs, and helping to filter damaging pollutants out of our air and water. Valuing and protecting our trees--particularly mature native trees--represents a significant investment in the wellbeing and quality of life of residents all across Virginia. Once lost, mature trees are not easily or quickly replaced. Please vote to let localities decide on the fate of their tree canopy cover. Thank you for your consideration.

I strongly support HB549. I have lived in Virginia for 10 years now, and the tree loss to development has been staggering. In one swipe, hundreds of mature trees are gone in the blink of an eye. Communities need to have input and basic safeguards need to be placed on development. Let's keep a few trees in Virginia, they are what makes Virginia so special! Trees keep our cities cool, our streets non-flooded, our air clean. Trees are a long term investment in our wellbeing and our quality of life. Trees mean lower risks of flooding and lower electricity bills. Let localities decide on the fate of their tree canopy cover. I strongly urge the committee to support this bill. Thank you for your consideration.

I strongly support House Bill 549, which gives Virginia localities the flexibility they need to conserve and restore tree canopy during development. Virginia has lost more than half a million acres of tree cover in the Chesapeake Bay watershed between 2013 and 2023, largely due to development and infrastructure expansion (according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation). Trees are essential infrastructure that reduce flooding, filter stormwater, protect streams from erosion, and cool neighborhoods, yet many local governments lack the authority to require meaningful tree replacement when canopy is removed. HB 549 provides a balanced approach by empowering localities to establish stronger tree replacement standards while incentivizing the preservation of healthy, mature trees, helping protect residents, green spaces, waterways, and the long-term resilience of communities across the Commonwealth.

I strongly support House Bill 549, which gives Virginia localities the flexibility they need to conserve and restore tree canopy during development. Virginia has lost more than half a million acres of tree cover in the Chesapeake Bay watershed between 2013 and 2023, largely due to development and infrastructure expansion (according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation). Trees are essential infrastructure that reduce flooding, filter stormwater, protect streams from erosion, and cool neighborhoods, yet many local governments lack the authority to require meaningful tree replacement when canopy is removed. HB 549 provides a balanced approach by empowering localities to establish stronger tree replacement standards while incentivizing the preservation of healthy, mature trees, helping protect residents, green spaces, waterways, and the long-term resilience of communities across the Commonwealth.

I support HB 549. We have suffered tremendous tree loss in Vienna due to development/teardowns, sidewalk renovations and Dominion Energy aggressively felling trees along the W&OD that bisects our town. HB 549 would allow us to modify our local tree ordinance to require a restoration of the target canopy within 10 years instead of 20 years. As other commentators have noted, trees are not just a luxury. They perform valuable functions like stormwater retention, reduce heat island effects, improve water quality and support wildlife. Please give us this tool to help preserve more trees and promote the planting of more trees!

I am writing in support of HB549. Our cities and localities need better tools to protect our tree canopy. From the analysis by the Chesapeake Bay Program, between 2014 and 2021, my City of Chesapeake lost 831 acres of tree canopy, primarily to development. In the same period, the City of Virginia Beach lost 1666 acres. And these loses were repeated in locality after locality. Current state law caps the maximum tree protection that city's can apply during development. We need to do better. And protecting trees is not mutually exclusive from creating affordable housing. When we build affordable housing, we also create a healthy community. The benefits of trees are very well documented - reducing urban heat, reducing cooling costs, reducing stormwater runoff and flooding, improving air quality, helping mental health, reducing crime, calming traffic, reducing noise pollution, protecting biodiversity. The law today limits the tree canopy in multi-familiy developments to 15% tree canopy - and that is at maturity after 20 years; when the development is new, the actuall tree canopy is much less. We need trees in our community. Everyone loves trees. But we keep cutting them down at an unsustainable pace. HB549 will give cities, town, and counties the ability to do better. Please pass this bill. Thank you, Rogard Ross President, Friends of Indian River

Vote yes on legislation that would require restructuring and development companies to replant trees that are removed during construction and to plant additional trees once renovations are complete. Trees are essential to our communities. They improve air quality, reduce stormwater runoff, lower urban temperatures, support wildlife, and enhance the health and well-being of residents. As development continues to grow, it is critical that we balance economic progress with environmental responsibility. Requiring tree replacement and post-project replanting is a practical, forward-thinking solution. It allows necessary development to proceed while ensuring that our natural resources are protected for future generations. Sustainable building practices strengthen our communities, protect property values, and demonstrate long-term stewardship of our environment.

This is a common sense bill that will help our city be more climate resilient, protect air quality, provide food and shelter for wildlife, absorb storm water runoff, and many other benefits. I have been personally affected by the destruction of developers as one completely bulldozed an old growth forest on the lot adjacent to mine to build a house. Without the trees we now have runoff and erosion on our slope as well as more extreme heat in summer. Please protect our trees, we can’t live without them.

Please vote YES to this proven solution that provides additional tools to protect public health, improve water quality, strengthen climate resilience, and save taxpayer dollars — while addressing Virginia’s alarming loss of tree canopy. Preserving mature trees and investing in trees as infrastructural assets: -Reduces extreme heat and protects residents during heat waves. -Improves stormwater management and water quality. -Saves local governments money and reduces infrastructure costs. -Improves public health and life expectancy. -Strengthens enforcement by increasing penalties for violating tree canopy ordinances to $2,500. This is critically important to human health as well as environmental protection.

The Richmond Tree Stewards urge you to support HB 549. By allowing local governments to require tree canopy cover goals to be met by developers within 10 years rather than 20, this bill would have positive impacts across a variety of realms, including but not limited to the environmental, public health, economic, and infrastructure arenas. Prioritizing the conservation of existing mature trees, as this bill does, would be particularly important for communities across Virginia because the benefits derived from trees increase with age and size. It often takes years for a newly planted tree to begin to meaningfully create shade, mitigate heat islands, minimize runoff, and filter the air, and it takes decades to fully recreate the lost benefits of a mature tree. In the short term, it can take over 40 newly planted trees to replace the lost value of a mature tree. Trees are not a luxury; they are a critical element of infrastructure. The presence of trees mitigates urban heat, manages stormwater, and improves water quality. Working to preserve trees and replace them when necessary is necessary for sustainable development and long-term community welfare. Passing HB 549 is an important first step in allowing local governments to treat trees as the public assets that they are. Please support HB 549.

Not all trees are performing ecosystem services the same way. A large body of research tells us that mature trees perform services like rainwater interception & uptake, carbon storage, air purification, soil stabilization, microclimate regulation/extreme heat mitigation, and others much more efficiently and at vastly higher rates than newly planted saplings. In the developed/urban canopy, where tree regeneration is slow and must be deliberately enabled by humans, and where many of our mature trees have already been culled, protection and retention of mature trees during development is crucial for protecting valuable ecosystem services as well as community well-being. This bill promotes sound, common sense policy that is firmly grounded in science and community health research. Strongly support passage of this bill!

Please pass this bill. Trees are essential, not just for good ol' air CO2 removal, but overall air quality. Marginalized communities deal with enough pollution as it is, due to placement of factories, power plants and landfills. Having more - and healthier - trees will reduce pollution in the air as trees can clean the air in and of themselves. Not to mention, "heat islands" in the cities need more shade. Nature and vegetation naturally improves mental health for people as well, which will make people more productive in their day-to-day lives, and can bring communities together. And this will gobble up a lot of water to reduce flooding, and block pollution runoff into the already-polluted water sources.

Please support SB549 as it is critical to maintaining a healthy tree canopy, especially in semi-urban areas such as Arlington, VA. This is critical for stormwater management, for reducing occurrences of extreme heat, and for clean air. Currently we see our mature canopy trees being clear-cut for development, making our communities less healthy and adding to public expenses of health emergencies and flooding. Local governments need the authority to respond to local conditions and issues. This is an important issue to my community and I urge you to vote YES on SB549.

Please support SB549 as it is critical to maintaining a healthy tree canopy, especially in semi-urban areas such as Arlington, VA. This is critical for stormwater management, for reducing occurrences of extreme heat, and for clean air. Currently we see our mature canopy trees being clear-cut for development, making our communities less healthy and adding to public expenses of health emergencies and flooding. Local governments need the authority to respond to local conditions and issues. This is an important issue to my community and I urge you to vote YES on SB549.

Many residents in Richmond already face negative effects of development, including a large concentration of residents living in urban heat islands in Southside. Responsible development includes keeping residents (and trees) in mind when designing and constructing. Richmond residents deserve infrastructure that supports reduced heat and flooding, not developments that make the problem worse. They aren't "just trees," they are integral pre-existing infrastructure that needs to be considered and protected.

Trees (particularly native tree species) are essential infrastructure. They cool the surrounding environment, provide shade for humans, reduce storm water runoff, are beautiful, reduce erosion, and provide food and cover for essential insects, pollinators, and other wildlife. Trees are also essential in allowing rain to move inland from the coast and make a huge difference in shaping our local climate. We NEED to prioritize the maintenance of a tree canopy during lot development.

As polls, "top places to live" lists, and real estate prices demonstrate, people want to live in places with green space, and mature trees. Having attractive green space in a city, town, or county, doesn't just "happen". It takes planning, funding, and laws and regulations to make it happen. In other words, it takes INTENTION. I support the passage of HB549. While writing this I keep thinking of the lyrics from the Joni Mitchell song Big Yellow Taxi- They paved paradise And put up a parking lot With a pink hotel *, a boutique And a swinging hot spot Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you've got Till it's gone

Please support HB549. Localities throughout Virginia should have the authority to set tree preservation and replacement standards to conserve mature trees during development. Preserving existing canopy protects the health of Virginians by mitigating heat islands and flooding. It also preserves the unique beauty of our landscapes and habitat for the pollinators that are essential for food production.

I support the conservation of trees for the many good things that they do. Thank you for also supporting this bill.

Trees are natural resource that take so long to grow, and need to be respected as critical infrastructure. I am in favor of all possible ordinances against developers in order to protect our trees. The short term profit is not worth the long term community benefits.

I support HB549. The preservation of mature trees and replacement of trees lost during the development process is necessary for the reduction of urban heat islands, to improve air quality, and to protect wildlife.

This is the obvious choice for Virginia. Trees are our number one defense against extreme heat, flooding, and poor air quality. Plus it makes HUMAN BEINGS healthier to be in places with ample trees and their shade. If development just concerned concrete and steel that would be one thing, but development concerns HUMAN BEINGS living and working and commuting and, hopefully, thriving. Without trees being considered in development we're leaving out the human aspect of development...TO OUR OWN PERIL. This bill must be passed.

This seems a no brainer and an integral part of not only keeping our community in better condition ecologically, but also keep it as a more 'desirable' place to live. It's common knowledge that the more 'green' a development is (aka lushly planted, vigorous tree canopy), the more tax payers want to live there. If you're unable to view this from a purely health/environmental perspective, then view the money side.

Mature trees must be protected to preserve habitat for wildlife and mitigate extreme weather. It takes years if not decades to regrow trees to maturity, so it is not enough for developers to cut them down and replant them - we must also protect the mature trees in these areas being developed.

Trees protect us from extreme heat, flooding, and poor air quality — and local governments should have the tools to keep them.

Trees provide shade, keeping our streets cooler. Cooler temperatures mean less money spent on cooling in the summer. Trees help wildlife survive. Trees add to property value by providing beauty to neighborhoods. Please support this bill.

I am writing today in support of HB 549. Loss of mature trees in urban environments leaves communities more vulnerable to extreme heat, flooding, and poor air quality. We are already experiencing extreme weather events and the further loss of trees does not help. Families living in highly burdened census tracts — where poverty and pollution overlap —experience hotter summers, higher asthma rates, and shorter life expectancies. More intense rain events driven by climate change are overwhelming stormwater systems, increasing flash flooding, property damage, and insurance costs for Virginia families. Reduced tree canopy is linked to higher rates of emergency room visits and health emergencies, particularly among Black residents and other historically overburdened communities. It is imperative that local and state governments be required to preserve or replace trees during the development process. It is very important for the future health of the Commonwealth, our children, and the earth. I urge you to consider a requirement of development sites to meet specified tree canopy or tree cover targets at a minimum within 10 years maximum, sooner as practical. We cannot delay. HB549 is a practical, locally driven solution that provides additional tools to protect public health, improve water quality, strengthen climate resilience, and save taxpayer dollars — while addressing Virginia’s alarming loss of tree canopy. Please ... SUPPORT HB549 Wanda L. Reese Resident of Chesterfield County, Virginia

SUPPORT HB549 Preserving mature trees and investing in trees as infrastructural assets: Reduces extreme heat and protects residents during heat waves. Improves stormwater management and water quality. Saves local governments money and reduces infrastructure costs. Improves public health and life expectancy.

I support HB549. Conservation and replacement of trees during development should be a common practice. Trees provide myriad benefits to people (e.g. shade, flood mitigation, CO2 emissions) and wildlife (primarily food and shelter).

I support HB 549, which would help communities across the Commonwealth of Virginia preserve their vital tree canopies. Higher tree canopies are associated with higher property values, better air quality, and better mental health. Communities should be allowed to preserve them.

We need a mechanism to protect private trees in Richmond. In the last decade, Richmond has lost a considerable percentage of its canopy to development. I am excited about the growth of our city, but would like it to be done equitably and sustainably. According to the recent CBF Tree Cover Status and change report, we lost 199 Acres of tree cover from 2014 to 2021.

I am a resident of Arlington County and I strong support HB549. Arlington is rapidly losing trees that cool neighborhoods, protect people's health, and controls stormwater runoff. HB549 would allow communities like Arlington greater power to protect these trees. Protecting tree canopies is also an environmental justice issue, since disadvantaged neighborhoods tend to have less tree coverage and are subsequently hotter. This means that this bill is very much compatible with the goals of equity and care for the environment.

I strongly support HP 549 that will give localities in dense urban and suburban areas an important tool to protect and expand their tree canopy coverage. In Arlington, on a daily basis we are losing mature trees--I am facing the loss of four mature trees due to redevelopment of the house next to mine. Trees cool our neighborhoods, manage stormwater runoff, filter pollutants, and improves physical and mental health. In addition, equitable distribution of tree canopy coverage is an environmental justice issue.  In Arlington, neighborhoods with a higher share low income and disadvantaged residents also have fewer trees and temperatures during the summer can be 10 degrees or more higher than in affluent and leafy neighborhoods. Including meaningful tree canopy coverage in all developments, and particularly for affordable housing projects, is not only compatible with expanding housing stock but the right thing to do. 

I am a medical student that is very concerned about our public health and I feel this bill (HB 549) is an excellent way to support public health through actionable support of green spaces, reducing extreme heat, and especially supporting our most marginalized groups. Thank you

This bill will allow local governments to require the preservation or replacement of trees during development. HB549 is a practical, locally driven solution that provides additional tools to protect public health, improve water quality, strengthen climate resilience, and save taxpayer dollars — while addressing Virginia’s alarming loss of tree canopy. Richmond is known for its trees. Recent hurricanes which have ripped up thousands of trees and devastated some neighborhoods have shown us how precious they are. Trees sequester carbon, provide shade and food for wildlife. They take decades to grow, making them irreplaceable. I urge you to move forward this practical, common sense bill.

Too often development does not prioritize the preservation of old trees which provide numerous benefits to humans, wildlife, and the air quality alike. Please support this bill

Please protect the trees!

Here’s a polished, professional paragraph you can use: I strongly support HB549. As a professional ecologist, I recognize how essential mature trees are to the health and resilience of communities across Virginia. Trees provide critical ecosystem services—cooling neighborhoods during extreme heat, improving air quality, reducing stormwater runoff, supporting wildlife habitat, and enhancing overall quality of life for residents. Protecting existing canopy and ensuring meaningful replacement during development is a practical, science‑based approach that will benefit every Virginian, now and for generations to come.

I strongly support this bill to try to protect more large, old trees from developers. As a Richmond resident, I know urban and suburban trees prevent heat deserts, provide wildlife habitat, filter water, retain methane in the atmosphere, and add to the value of my home and neighborhood. Too often I’ve seen trees like a beautiful, very large one on my street in Libbie Mill midtown, be mowed down to build housing or retail (despite a hawk nest in its branches). Residents in historically minority neighbors also lose trees at a higher rate than elsewhere. Please set up more requirements about tree protection by developers to benefit us all.

Trees are an important part of healthy communities!! People want to thrive, not just survive. Planting trees is a smart investment! People like to live in neighborhoods with trees! More people = more trees.

I support this bill, but wish it went further in allowing localities to manage tree canopy within there jurisdictions. Painting the Commonwealth with a single brush stroke does not take into account how vastly different some are than others. The bill as drafted allows all localities to implement greater tree canopy requirements during development than current legislation, which is absolutely a step in the right direction. But it focuses on the number of units per acre to determine how great of a tree canopy requirement can be implemented. For a locality like the City of Richmond, residential density is quite high, but our need for trees is higher. I live in a community with small houses on small lots, which is also a heat island due to years of tree loss. It could easily support 25-30% tree canopy requirements, but under the draft legislation, the city could only require 10% tree canopy during development because of the zoned density per acre. What we really need is the ability to set the percentage of tree canopy based on our zoning districts the way we define them and not by the random measure of "units per acre." That way we can plan for and build the types of communities we want to live in. We are able to do it for the types of buildings through the zoning ordinance, so why can't we do it for the type of natural environment, too? We need more trees. We have already planted over 160 new street trees throughout our neighborhood, but we need hundreds more to improve the temperature and health outcomes for my neighbors. We need developers to help by recognizing when they come into our community that they have an impact and trees are an asset to everyone. Unfortunately, many seem only interested in what maximizes their profit. One recently cleaned an entire lot taking down the house (full of contents) and twelve mature trees as the first step of their project. Now they want to build two duplexes and while the plan submitted with the special use permit application shows the houses in great detail, it does not show a single tree being replanted. We need to have the ability as a city and as a community to say this is not acceptable no matter what the "unit per acre" density is. Again, I support this bill if it is the best we can do this year, but I know we can do better and allow localities to plan and manage their natural environment the same way we manage buildings, roads, water, sewer and other critical infrastructure. There is little infrastructure more critical than trees.

Please support HB549 regarding the conservation and replacement of trees during the development process. There are no requirements to consider the old growth trees when developing wooded property . Companies simply clearcut everything, to make it easier to build. It is important to conserve our old growth trees and incorporate as many as possible into the design. It takes a long time for baby trees to be as effective as the older one that were mowed down. We deserve better planning and efforts to increase the conservation of these older trees, many who have been around longer than you or I.

Comments Document

My name is Kami Blatt, and I am submitting this comment on behalf of Southside ReLeaf in strong support of HB 549. Southside ReLeaf works in communities across Southside Richmond that have faced decades of disinvestment and exclusion from environmental protections. These neighborhoods consistently have some of the lowest tree canopy coverage in the region and some of the worst health outcomes. In Southside Richmond, residents can expect to live nearly 20 years less than those in wealthier parts of the region. This gap is driven by factors such as extreme heat exposure, poor air quality, flooding, and limited access to green space. Tree canopy plays a critical role in addressing these disparities. Trees lower neighborhood temperatures during extreme heat, reduce harmful air pollution, manage stormwater and reduce flooding, and support both physical and mental health. In communities with limited tree coverage, residents are more vulnerable to heat related illness, asthma, cardiovascular disease, and other climate related health risks. HB 549 is especially important because it prioritizes the protection of mature trees, which provide the greatest environmental and health benefits. Mature trees offer significantly more cooling, pollution reduction, and stormwater absorption than newly planted trees. Once removed, these benefits cannot be quickly replaced. When tree removal does occur, meaningful replacement is essential to ensure that canopy loss does not compound existing health and environmental harms over time. As climate change accelerates and extreme heat and storms become more frequent, the loss of tree canopy poses serious risks to community health and safety. Communities should not have to choose between development and their health or between economic growth and climate resilience. HB 549 takes an important step toward treating tree canopy as essential infrastructure. By protecting mature trees and strengthening replacement standards, this legislation helps ensure development does not further burden communities that are already overexposed to environmental and health risks. We ask that you pass HB 549 because protecting tree canopy is essential to public health, climate resilience, and community safety across the Commonwealth.

I strongly support Patrick Hope's HB 549. Between 2013 and 2023 Virginia lost over 500,000 acres of forest and tree canopy, and development has not been slowing down. Allowing localities additional authority to establish tree canopy goals such as shortening the time from 20 years to 10 years in which certain tree canopy cover percentages should be met at the development site will do a lot to stem tree loss in Virginia.

I strongly support HB549 because protecting and replacing trees is essential to public health, climate resilience, and community wellbeing.

I support this bill fully and wish it went even further to not restrict locality’s to enforce protection of existing trees and increase our tree canopy. This is a great start though.

Why This Matters Loss of mature trees in urban environments leaves communities more vulnerable to extreme heat, flooding, and poor air quality. Families living in highly burdened census tracts — where poverty and pollution overlap — experience hotter summers, higher asthma rates, and shorter life expectancies. More intense rain events driven by climate change are overwhelming stormwater systems, increasing flash flooding, property damage, and insurance costs for Virginia families. Reduced tree canopy is linked to higher rates of emergency room visits and health emergencies, particularly among Black residents and other historically overburdened communities. Prepared by: Kami Blatt, Policy Specialist | kami@southsidereleaf.org Summary The bill extends authority, currently limited to Planning District 8, to all localities statewide, allowing local governments to require the preservation or replacement of trees during the development process. It also authorizes localities to establish higher tree canopy replacement standards based on factors such as development density, lot size, or other locally relevant measures. These standards are intended to reduce urban heat islands, collect stormwater pollution, improve air quality, and strengthen community resilience. Legislation includes several technical changes, such as requiring development sites to meet specified tree canopy or tree cover targets within 10 years rather than 20 years. Reasons to Support HB549 is a practical, locally driven solution that provides additional tools to protect public health, improve water quality, strengthen climate resilience, and save taxpayer dollars — while addressing Virginia’s alarming loss of tree canopy. Preserving mature trees and investing in trees as infrastructural assets: SUPPORT HB549 Conservation and replacement of trees during development process. Bill Patron: Delegate Patrick Hope Reduces extreme heat and protects residents during heat waves. Improves stormwater management and water quality. Saves local governments money and reduces infrastructure costs. Improves public health and life expectancy. Strengthens enforcement by increasing penalties for violating tree canopy ordinance(s.) Please protect our tree canopy from development clearing by requiring the preservation AND timely replacement of vital cooling trees.

Tree canopies reduce extreme heat and protects residents during heat waves, which Richmond has seen quite an increase in the past decade.

Preserving tree canopy improves the health of communities and the people that live in them. Trees improve air quality and helps with storm water management. I work for a new home developer and we want to see better tree management and agree our industry can and should be forced by the municipalitues they build in to maintain or regrow trees displaced for development.

Bill HB549: Trees cool neighborhoods and cities - the difference is felt significantly between streets with mature tree canopy and streets without. I cannot imagine the discomfort and stress that gets added to an already too hot summer, when there is no shade to be found where we work and especially, where we live. Though I am fortunate to have moved to a tree-lined street, since my arrival here four years ago, five trees have died, four of those dead trees have been removed, NONE as yet have been replaced. It's alarming, unattractive, and I am now faced with the prospect of a summer with no tree to shade my apartment during the hottest parts of the day. Please, do whatever it requires to plant, replace, and prune (for health) more trees!

As president of Richmond Tree Stewards, I endorse HB549 for all of the health, ecological, economic and social benefits outlined by other supporters. Trees, whether on private or public property, have a fundamental and positive impact on the character, beauty, health, and even safety of a community. This legislation fills a gap in local government's ability to guide development while protecting our valuable tree canopy. H.B. 549 is a logical and necessary tool for localities seeking a balance between their natural and built environment. We ask your support.

SUPPORT HB549 This is a community driven effort to support the conservation and replacement of trees during development.

SUPPORT HB549 this is a community driven effort to support the conservation and replacement of trees during development. This measure would improve stormwater management and water quality. Saves local governments money and reduces infrastructure costs. Improves public health and life expectancy. Strengthens enforcement by increasing penalties

This bill will provide the authority needed across the Commonwealth for localities to reduce health hazards, stormwater runoff, higher temperatures (also known as the heat island effect), and increased energy costs for cooling in urban communities. It will also protect the old stock tree cover and aesthetic for which Virginia cities are known. This is a common-sense way to maintain the benefits we receive from trees and allow for the construction of new homes, businesses, and other facilities. I encourage you to vote in support of HB549.

Comments Document

HB549 is a practical, locally driven solution that provides additional tools to protect public health, improve water quality, strengthen climate resilience, and save taxpayer dollars — while addressing Virginia’s alarming loss of tree canopy. Preserving mature trees and investing in trees as infrastructural assets: -Reduces extreme heat and protects residents during heat waves. -Improves stormwater management and water quality. -Saves local governments money and reduces infrastructure costs. -Improves public health and life expectancy. -Strengthens enforcement by increasing penalties for violating tree canopy ordinances to $2,500. See more in prepared attachment.

SUPPORT HB549 HB549 is a practical, locally driven solution that provides additional tools to protect public health, improve water quality, strengthen climate resilience, and save taxpayer dollars — while addressing Virginia’s alarming loss of tree canopy. Preserving mature trees and investing in trees as infrastructural assets: Reduces extreme heat and protects residents during heat waves. Improves stormwater management and water quality. Saves local governments money and reduces infrastructure costs. Improves public health and life expectancy. Strengthens enforcement by increasing penalties for violating tree canopy ordinances to $2,500.

HB 1234 Please facilitate the ease of employing solar canopies in parking lots for both cheap electricity and utilizing non-green space. HB 549 Please allow localities strong input in tree loss mitigation and replacement in development.

I strongly support HB549 because protecting and replacing trees is essential to public health, climate resilience, and community wellbeing across Virginia. The loss of mature tree canopy leaves neighborhoods more vulnerable to extreme heat, flooding, and poor air quality — impacts that fall hardest on low-income and historically overburdened communities. By giving local governments the authority to preserve trees and set stronger canopy standards, this bill provides a practical, locally driven tool to reduce urban heat islands, manage stormwater, and improve air quality. Trees are critical infrastructure, and HB549 helps ensure Virginia invests in them wisely and equitably.

Please preserve and replace trees during development. Please don't pave our paradise with bare dirt and parking lots.

I am a resident of a heat island in Richmond. Without the protection of tree canopy, temperatures in summer get hotter here than in wealthier areas of the region. It makes no sense for developers to remove all trees from an area just to replace them with non native plantings of one type of tree that will take decades to equal what was removed. This common sense approach will save localities the cost of mitigating flooding and poor air quality. Greater tree canopy protects public health and prevents things like overwhelming storm water runoff. Every community in the Commonwealth deserves this.

Comments Document

See attached.

I am writing in support of Del. Hope's efforts to preserve (and even enhance) vital tree canopy. My neighborhood (Cherrydale in Arlington VA) has seen the loss of much of our tree canopy through redevelopment of single-family homes and severe flooding has been a very clear result of this loss.

I stand with VCDL on these bills.

Comments Document

HB833 is a common sense bill that will generate savings for owners of commercial, industrial and multifamily developments as Virginians continue to buy electric vehicles (EVs). By ensuring new buildings can accommodate EV charging during initial construction, EV readiness will help avoid costly future upgrades. Planning for EV charging during construction can reduce costs by anywhere from four to ten times compared to a retrofit. The bill provides flexibility for localities to set differing levels of EV-readiness based on their needs. Statewide building and electrical codes still apply, ensuring consistency in construction standards while allowing local governments to address their EV charging needs.

SUPPORT- The City of Falls Church supports this legislation as consistent with Council Vision and adopted 2026 Legislative Program positions. The City would use the authority and views LEIF as a tremendous help in advancing its adopted Community Energy Action Plan. As drafted, LEIF funds could support HVAC equipment such as heat pumps, energy-efficient home appliances, electric lawn care and landscaping equipment, and micromobility devices including e-bikes and scooters. Funding sources were not specified but would likely align with existing CEAP-related funding streams and future local appropriations.

The decision to use of agriculture land for solar farms should remain at the local level.

Please SUPPORT this common sense, for the PEOPLE, legislation. Thank you

I strongly support this bill. Over the past few years, we have seen repeated attempts to override local land use authority. The for-profit solar companies have engaged in predatory behavior and burdened rural counties with lawsuits whenever an application is denied. They do not consider quality of life for residents with inadequate setbacks and storm water management. Their only goal is maximum profits Local decision makers are best positioned to navigate these issues. Where I live, in Page County, Urban Grid apparently found restrictions recommended by the planning commission—300 ft setbacks and classification of panels as impervious—deal breakers. They withdrew the application rather than work with the county to protect quality of life. It was all about maximizing profits.

ALL land use within counties should ONLY be decided by each county government and more importantly it's people! The People should never be FORCED to accept mandates from the state that harm the way of life within separate counties. Programs that may be productive in Northern counties may prove to be detrimental to rural counties, our economy and way of life. Land use mandates harm rural Virginia. Patrick County has chosen NOT to have zoning laws/rules. The People made a very conscious choice deciding this. State mandates on land use cause EXPLOITATION of rural counties and residents. Current pending legislation seeks to FORCE pollutants into rural counties: commercial solar facilities is one example. Patrick County is the headwater of major rivers that flow through Virginia into North Carolina and beyond. If those waterways are polluted Patrick County AND the Commonwealth would be financially responsible for BILLIONS in cleanup! The Commonwealth should NOT be forcing the possibility of such onto ANY county.

I support HB985 which protects the rights of local governments to have the power and authority over local land use decisions. The General Assembly needs to protect the rights of counties and towns to manage their land usage.

I ask for your support of this bill. Better than any outside individuals or groups, local people understand their own community and the values they hold. Please protect our ability to make our own choices for the future of our community.

I fully support this bill. Local decisions need to be made by the localities. With respect to solar, massive amounts of solar have already been approved per Weldon Cooper data (more than that required by the VCEA). The problem isn't with localities; it is with greed and excess.

Great bill! I ask that you pass this legislation. Please vote YES on HB 985. Land use should be determined by those directly affected, not by a State ordinance or any person or agency at the state level. Local governing bodies and the citizens they represent understand the economic, cultural, and environmental nuances of the local area and the effects land use has on the local economy and environment while considering the unique culture of each local area. Thus, the local governing bodies representing their local citizens should make these decisions, not government officials and/or members of the General Assembly at the state level. The local citizens will have to live with these land use decisions therefore, their local government representatives should be empowered to make these decisions at the local level. Please VOTE YES!

I believe that the decision for land use should solely be on that localty. This is why we vote for our local government. You take that away what's the point of it. Local government officials know what their voters want and need and what's best for them and the area they represent. Please vote accordingly. Thank you for your time.

I wholeheartedly support this Bill (HB985), any representative in supporting it, and the local government's and citizens' having the final say in the use of their land, farms, fields, and forests. And I will vehemently oppose any "elected representative" who works to undermine the best interests and desires of local residents in favor of their corporate benefactors.

As a already taxed paying resident ,which we all are already taxed enough! I feel it is common sense to let localities make decisions for their area. Localities have done it continuously and changing it now would cause problems across the board. Is it the democrats want to control our lives in every aspect possible? Do we not have any rights? I am strongly against our representatives deciding what happens in our county. Its solely the decisions of our BOS to decide what happens in our localities and should not be pressured into the non working solar and wind. Solar farms are fire hazzards. If the democrats would of done their research, they would have found you are not supposed to live 1.3 miles from a solar farm. They cause behavioral problems and many lawsuits will be coming. They are toxic,have toxic run off that goes into our wells and drinking water. Toxic for wet lands and must not be anywhere near wetlands. Toxic to our soil . Experts guesstimate you may not be able to go a farm on that land again. Kills our wildlife and in our area there is eagles and Hawks that are protected. You cannot put them in landfills and the American people shouldn't have to pay to have them specially removed. Where will they be putting them. Only less than 1% can be recycled. They don't work at night ,they don't work on cloudy days and with this last snow storm proves with inches of ice on them that they are worthless. Just these facts that I have provided should be enough. They come from China and China uses child labor. China has no wind or solar. Germany has been reducing solar and wind and moving back to Nuclear. These salesmen will lie thru their teeth because they make thousands upon thousands of dollars gor the sale of them. Many solar companies have gone out of business. A good 79%. A acre of trees is more beneficial to humans ,the earth etc than any solar farm. Think about it,you are removing the much need oxygen. So let localities decide what happens in their communities period. Don't make the mistake other nations have done. We are America. Not a communist, national. We are of free world.

Protecting farms starts at the local level, with the local community and our elected officials. I support this bill to prevent government and utility overreach that destroys our rural communities.

I fully support this bill. Localities should have total control over their land. They know what the best use of their land is since they live in the area. Thank you!

Please support this bill. Localities live with projects and should have a say what they do and do not want.

Finally, a bill that supports the elected local government. I support this bill.

Members of the Virginia General Assembly, This bill is such a no-brainer it’s a wonder why it even needs to be a bill at all. Of course the decisions regarding local land use belong to the locality. The citizens whom reside and vote in their local precincts should always have the most influence regarding land use decisions where they live, after all these decisions have an impact on their local taxes, community appearance, and infrastructure. The people in a local community know more about their community than anyone else, its landscape, its people, its past, and its future. It would be impossible for any group of representatives at the state or federal level to make the best choice by themselves for a zoning decision in a locality because they simply have no way of understanding all of the factors that are involved in the decision.

I support this bill and urge the representatives to vote in favor. Land use decisions need to remain with the local government.

HB985 is absolutely the way it should be. No questions, no debate. Please vote for this bill. Thank you

Fully support HB985, Localities should making the decisions..

I support this bill, Land use authority should remain in localities. Localities know best their Comprehensive Plans , zoning rules and the particularities and nature of their communities. No locality should lose that prerogative. One size does not fit all in land use. My rural county of Page where farming and tourism drive our economy in no way shape or form resembles any urdan county and deserves to determine its own use of land.

Finally, a sensible bill! I support HB985--land-use decisions should be made within the locality.

Virginia’s localities, not distant state agencies, must retain sole authority over their own land-use and planning decisions. House Bill 985 makes this clear: local control is non-negotiable and shall not be ceded to any state department, commission, or sanctioned body. Communities across the Commonwealth face relentless pressure from Richmond to accept unwanted solar farms, industrial projects, or density mandates that ignore local needs, property rights, farmland, historic character, and infrastructure limits. This bill protects self-government, property rights, and accountability to voters, not overreach by bureaucrats. Rural counties, suburban neighborhoods, and urban areas all deserve the right to decide their own futures. HB 985 is essential. Pass it. Defend local sovereignty. Keep Virginia’s land-use decisions where they belong: in the hands of Virginians who live here and bear the consequences. Local control isn’t optional. It’s Virginia.

Good morning Committee Members. I strongly urge this Honorable Committee to pass HB985, and to show your concern for localities right to determine what is best for their taxpaying residents, this Committee must support this bill UNANIMOUSLY! Granting localities the authority to determine what is best for their own residence is not a transfer of power- it is a restoration of it. Local governments are closest to the people most accessible to the public, and most directly accountable for the outcome of their decisions. When authority is centralized at the state level, it often results in delays and efficiencies and policies that do not reflect local realities. Furthermore, ‘state politicians’ do NOT know what is best for localities outside h/her own. Empowering localities strengthens democracy. It allows citizens to engage directly with the officials who make the decisions affecting their daily lives. It encourages innovation because communities can tail solutions to their specific needs rather than waiting for statewide permission. And ensures that taxpayer dollars are spent in ways that reflect local priorities, not distant assumptions. If the elected representatives of this committee truly values, responsive government, fiscal, responsibility, and community driven solutions, then you must give localities the authority to act in the best entrance of their residence. Local leader should not have to ask permission to solve local problems the people who live in the community deserve the right and the responsibility to shape their own future Therefore, I plead with this committee to pass HB985 unanimously and then to fight vigorously for its passage by the entire Senate when that time comes Thank you W. Bill Steele Disputanta

I support this bill and believe each locality should have the authority to make such decisions based on public preference.

I fully support this bill and encourage every legislator to do so. Local land use authority needs so lie solely with the county or locality. Citizens elect our local officials via a Democratic process, and they are our designated appointees to represent our wishes and concerns. No one knows a locality better than those who live in the geographical area and understand the history, environment, and heritage.. We will not stand for Virginia to become a communistic state where local land use decisions are mandated by Richmond. This means you - solar and battery storage! Thank you to the sponsor for presenting this bill.

Absolutely vote YES! Support localities rights to site!

SUPPORT- City of Falls Church legislative position supports local authority on land use planning decisions, as one-size does not fit all and it is important to be able to engage the residents, those most directly impacted, for locality health, safety, fire affordability and community character. The Council acknowledges the importance of partnership with the Commonwealth for tools and funding to address critical crisis issues of housing and transportation. Thank you for your consideration and service to the residents of the Commonwealth and our City.

Vote to help our community!

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The alarming loss of mature trees in our towns, neighborhoods and parklands has got to stop. The trees are under so many challenges…. Climate , invasive insects, invasive vines, disease, and development. It is such a travesty to see large healthy trees cut down for the convenience of home building. We must protect and conserve the treasures and providers of so many eco services we take for granted.

Areas in the Town of Vienna have lost more than 30 percent of its tree canopy over the past 10 years as a result of new home construction. Please support this bill, which would allow Vienna to have the same tree replacement requirements that are in place in Fairfax County. It is not fair that Vienna cannot have a replacement policy that is already in place in Fairfax County. This bill will correct that situation.

Invasives should be pulled or killed by herbicide and not be permitted to be sold in nurseries

Please study the impact of data centers on the land, water, air and people before approving them. Limit them to industrail areas and keep them away from residental areas. We must conserve trees to help protect our land from extreme heat and run off. Trees are extremely valuable.

I support HB 995. We have suffered tremendous tree loss in Vienna due to development/teardowns, sidewalk renovations and Dominion Energy aggressively felling trees along the W&OD that bisects our town. HB 995 would allow us to modify our local tree ordinance to require a restoration to the target canopy within 10 years instead of 20 years. As other commentators have noted, trees are not just a luxury. They perform valuable functions like stormwater retention, reduce heat island effects, improve water quality and support wildlife. Please give us this tool to help preserve more trees and promote the planting of more trees!

The Town of Vienna is requesting tree canopy replacement of 20% in 10 years instead of 20 years. We have had a lot of new homes built and a lot of tree loss in our town. This bill would help with stormwater management and improve the environmental quality in Vienna.

I stand with VCDL on these bills.

Please support this bill. Parking lots are great places for solar arrays, and localities should be given all the tools they need to enable renewable energy to be installed in their jurisdiction. There is no risk in giving localities more options for local requirements, the localities need to be trusted to make land use rules that work for them. This bill has no downsides. It forces localities to truly examine the cost of the solar and the cost of the requirement on local development and whether the requirement works economically and socially in their area.

I stand with VCDL on these bills.

HB 1234 Please facilitate the ease of employing solar canopies in parking lots for both cheap electricity and utilizing non-green space. HB 549 Please allow localities strong input in tree loss mitigation and replacement in development.

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Invasives should be pulled or killed by herbicide and not be permitted to be sold in nurseries

I am a professional landscaper. I moved to this area for work, I live in Harrisonburg, and I plan to make my home here. I am politically active, I vote, I participate in local political organizations, and I knock on doors as a volunteer during election season. This issue is important because status quo lawn care is, in short terms, ecocide, and in my opinion, ugly. There is no aesthetic argument for short lawns any more than there is for shaved beards. That's coming from a landscaper who practices design and community-based art in your community. If I'm wrong, prove it. This is the age of reason and you're a public official dabbling in aesthetics if you support this bill. As for land-use practice, though maintaining a short lawn is justifiable for scant management purposes, it’s a corruption of what nature gave us and thereby what should belong in your very own yard, and it's a disappointingly slothful interpretation of the notion of "land-use." If public officials want to do some good for the land-use in this State and its varied communities, they would legislate against the numerous harmful plant species which, under your very tenure, are openly sold at "reputable" business. (See for example 2017 SB964.) And not to mention the use of chemicals in status-quo lawn care in the State ... eye roll. I dare say, short-lawn advocates know not a whit for nature, beauty, nor reason. People have the right to have a short, boring yard, just as I have the right to have a tall. Actually, for what it's worth, I plan on making use of mine. Frankly, in the age of information, reason, and science, I'm shocked and dismayed that this is even an issue for debate in the state of Virginia. Read a book, go online and look it up. No Mow May. It's three words, less than seven letters, I think you can handle that. Honestly, I would ask of any supporter of this bill, what the heck are you trying to accomplish by diminishing the very meaning of nature itself while simultaneously assaulting the civil liberties of your goodly constituents? I would ask them, what is your goal here, aside from social control? 1) They would be wrong. 2) Not having a rational goal and acting thus disqualifies one from leadership. Is there any takeaway for a good natured, hard-working, politically-active, tax-paying Virginian like myself, except that the supporters, authors, and co-sponsors of this bill are the type that need to be replaced? Oppose.

1) The identical bill was tabled as HB315 and I include all arguements against. https://hodspeak.house.virginia.gov/committees/H07/bills/HB315/comments 2) HB1316 is a strategic blow that undermines state-wide housing and environmental protections. 3) it would thwart many of the Committee's goals. See https://hodspeak.house.virginia.gov/committees/H01/bills/HB407/comments 4) It builds on the "general welfare" erosion of "health and safety of others" guardrails on 15.2-901.1 trash in yard. The facts of the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation's warning of weaponization against farmers have not changed. The testimony of inconvenience to staff is a feature, not a bug. 5) Aesthetic nuisance ordinances HB1316 enables were purpose-built for residential segregation. Today they are "tools" for taking property, not "cleaning up." They drive precarity and destroy generational wealth, contrary to other fine bills by the same sponsors. See https://x.com/newreadjuster/status/2015588802601812104 and https://www.portland.gov/auditor/ombudsman/news/2021/11/3/citys-reliance-complaints-property-maintenance-enforcement and https://comptroller.nyc.gov/newsroom/press-releases/nyc-comptroller-landers-audit-exposes-racial-gaps-in-building-code-enforcement-based-on-311-complaints/ 6) Using nature as a proxy in exclusionary housing practices stigmatizes and has collateral harms to nature. 7) it entrenches and expands 15.2-901.3 authority for tall grass and weed ordinances, a documented barrier to adoption of stormwater and pollinator BMPs. 8) The trend is in the opposite direction. Delegate Krizek's wildly popular 2024 HB528 protecting natural landscapes from HOAs was pulled so bills like this could be defeated and 15.2-901.3 overhauled. New York passed a strong right to garden bill in one chamber that is making its way in the other this session. 9) In Harrisonburg, storwater BMPs adoption is about 3% , pollinator lower, and marginalized communities cut down trees as they age and can't rake leaves for fear of stigma and city enforcement. This drives heat islands and environmental justice disparities. 10) Delegate Wyatt's comments on HB315 that people targeted by these ordinances often are elderly or low income and just don't have the means, strongly argues against hitting them with more enforcement rather than providing resources. 11) The bullying empowered by these ordinances has a chilling effect on civic participation. The abuse enabled by such ordinances is stigmatizing, preventing victims from coming forward. The impact can be expected to be worse for isolated homes on agricultural land. 12) Benevolent staff can't be counted on to keep theses effects in check. Already they have testified to wanting convenience in trashing people's property against their will. Sorting clutter from trash would not be an issue if the victim wanted the "help." They would give permission. 13) Half a dozen independent Harrisonburg surveys concur with results across lawn cultures of more than 90% opposition. The 3% or so who prod staff are powerful and mean, described in research as those who "experienced and exerted social control, through direct and indirect confrontation, with the intent to return nonconforming yards to compliance." 14) Its harms are bipartisan because striking at clarity, property, legitimacy, and democracy, they undermine the rule of law. This is one of the most harmful bills this session. Please oppose.

Opposed to these bills

I am writing today in order to express my support for HB1394. I supported it last year as well as this iteration. This bill is emblematic of the way the Commonwealth upholds itself to be. Virginia is one of the oldest states of this country with values including limited cruel and unusual punishments. This bill would be incredibly important to protecting some of our most vulnerable populations. Often times homeless shelters are full or not able to truly accommodate individuals/families with different needs, so sleeping outside are sometimes people's only options. To criminalize such behavior would be creating just that many more barriers for people to access housing and making their life even more challenging as it can cause legal barriers to qualifying for employment or housing as well as creating more financial burdens to them. That is why this bill is so important as it would best promote the safety and wellbeing of those who would be directly impacted by such arrests, tickets, and/or fines. Additionally, not only is it dangerous to punish homelessness, but it is also more expensive. According to VA Housing Alliance, it costs Virginia taxpayers $1060/day to keep someone in a psychiatric hospital and $145/day to keep someone in jail. This does not include the individual costs to those who are fined or arrested which research has shown as well leads to 5x more likelihood to experience chronic/long-term homelessness. I urge you today to support this bill and to support those directly and indirectly impacted by the right to rest.

Dear Members of the Virginia House of Delegates, My name is Jae Lange, and I am writing in strong support of HB 1394, the Right to Rest bill. I come to this issue not just as an advocate and non profit leader, but as someone with lived experience of homelessness. I know firsthand what it means to be punished or penalized for simply existing in public spaces when you have nowhere else to go. Sleeping, resting, sitting down, or trying to stay warm are not crimes; they are basic human needs. Yet across Virginia, people are still being ticketed, fined, or arrested for these survival behaviors. HB 1394 recognizes a simple truth: we cannot arrest our way out of homelessness. When people are criminalized for survival, it creates more barriers to stability; court fines, warrants, records, and trauma, all of which make it harder to secure housing, employment, and services. These policies do not make communities safer; they make people more vulnerable. There are not enough shelter beds in Virginia to meet the need. When people are forced to live outside because there is no other option, punishing them for that reality is both unjust and ineffective. This bill does not prevent localities from addressing real safety concerns. It simply ensures that people are not penalized for being unhoused while engaging in non-harmful, life-sustaining activities. Something happened recently that I would like to share. My last outreach event ended and as I was heading home I noticed a man with nothing on but a hospital gown, shivering, standing with his hospital gown open in the back exposing himself to the elements and the world. Thankfully I had the resources on hand to get him warm, to get him clothed and fed but I was unable to get him into shelter as it was already full. Had he been approached by law enforcement he would have received a public indecency charge on top of getting in trouble for simply having no place to go after receiving much needed health care. Where is the accountability to the agencies, hospitals, and businesses that don’t even do the bare minimum to help support our most vulnerable populations; but we want to incriminate those seeking support? And not the ones lacking to give it? This is why bills like HB 1394 are important. It’s laying the foundation to protect our human rights. HB 1394 is about dignity, fairness, and accountability. It challenges us to respond to homelessness with solutions instead of punishment, and with compassion instead of control. As a Commonwealth, we can; and we must, do better. I urge you to support HB 1394 and stand on the side of humanity, evidence-based policy, and basic human rights. Thank you for your time and consideration. In community , Jae Lange

My name is Dr. Alex Wagaman. I am a constituent from Richmond. I am a researcher and a social worker, and have been working to prevent and end youth homelessness in Virginia since 2014. Currently, I run the National Youth Homelessness Partnership. I am writing to urge you to support HB1394, which gives our unhoused neighbors the right to rest without fear of being arrested, ticketed or fined. Every Virginian deserves a safe place to sleep, yet too many of our neighbors are forced to live in their cars or on the streets because they have nowhere else to go. In the most recent Point-In-Time Count data released by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Virginia counted (on a single night) over 7,000 people experiencing literal homelessness, yet we only have approximately 4,300 emergency shelter beds in the state. Many people who are unhoused in our state do not have an emergency housing option, even if they wanted to go to a shelter. In my experience working with youth and young adults experiencing homelessness, many youth are scared to go to shelters with adults. Unfortunately, only two communities in Virginia have youth-specific shelters. So instead, young people sleep in their car or outside until they can find a more stable place to live. Arresting, ticketing or fining these young people is not going to encourage them to seek services. It is also not going to help them get and keep stable housing. In fact, it will create more barriers to their ability to keep employment, secure housing and be contributing members of our Virginia communities. Research has shown that youth and young adults who have been involved with the criminal legal system are at much greater risk for long term homelessness or repeated experiences of homelessness. Arresting and incarcerating unhoused people is not the solution to homelessness. It is a waste of taxpayer dollars that will just exacerbate the problem. Please vote YES on HB1394.

Hello, Hello, My name is Kimberly Embe and I am a social worker and community member in the Richmond area, who has lived here for over a decade. I have deep appreciation for this city and the communities and supports it has allowed me to establish. However, over time I have been saddened and disturbed to see the ways in which  the city has begun to criminalize and persecute some of our most in need, underserved , and such valuable members. I myself, have years of  lived experience with houselessness and am so aware of the rates of possible return. I and so many other people across the country, and probably the room this is being read in  is only about one or so paychecks away from houselessness.  This is not just about individuals currently experiencing houselessness, because our experiences and current vulnerabilities are not that much different. This impacts all of us, housed or not. Instead of punishing one another, let's actually begin to do something to help. 

In 2024, over 7,000 people identified as unhoused Virginians. However, the year round emergency shelter beds available in that same time? Only 4,300. Housing policy is complicated- but arrests and tickets for chronically unhoused people cannot be our solution homelessness. I urge this committee to support HB1394 - while we all continue to work together on improving housing policy! Thank you.

NAACP, VSC support this bill 1394