I stand with VCDL on these bills.

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.

I fully support HB985 giving sole authority for land use decisions to local governments.

I fully support HB985. I firmly believe the authority to make land use decisions should remain at the locality level, not the state level.

I support Bill HB985. The only way government works is if people have a voice in what happens this bill keeps that thought alive.

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.

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.

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