Public Comments for 01/22/2021 Rules
HB1978 - Legislative Staff Development Fund; created, effective date.
Please don't ruin our lives and State ! Thank You
I tried to check off as many as I could understand 🙃why not just get to work for the money we pay
I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
Sierra Club wishes to express its support for HB1978 Legislative staff development fund , and HJ525 placing a statue of Barbara Johns in the National Statuary Hall of a nation's Capitol
Learning that ALL OTHER Virginia State Employees already have this benefit makes it common sense to expand to the staff who make our legislature work. Consider increasing the lobby fee above the $400 is my only other comment.
Regarding HB 1978 - Reid - Legislative Staff Development Fund; established: I urge you to fully support this bill to support the education and professional development of the legislative staff our government relies on to function. A better educated staff means better policy outcomes for all of us. Only 12 states charge less in lobbyist fees, and bringing Virginia in-line with the rest of the country on lobbying fees has the further benefit of restoring trust in government and signaling that Virginia's General Assembly represents the people first, not corporations. It is important to me that our Virginia legislative staff have the funding they need to conduct research, maintain up to date training, devote time to ethics reviews and considerations, and more. This bill will help to accomplish this.
HB1990 - Criminal justice legislation; racial and ethnic impact statements.
Chairperson and Members of the Committee, I support HB1990, however I believe the racial and ethnic impact statement should be inclusive of poor persons who are white. History has resoundingly shown us that “We The People” did not include slaves and although slavery was abolished, a criminal justice system was developed to unjustly enslave them in a different way. The Thirteenth Amendment’s exception gave former slave owners (who became legislators who enacted criminal laws) that right if a former slave committed a crime that they were duly convicted of. Over time, this exception has extended its arms and grabbed poor whites, also.
I do believe we need to have a convention of the states to get a rain in on the federal gov. They have gotten out of hand we need to give the rights back to the people instead of trying to take them all away. The constiution starts out as We the people of the united states of America That used to mean something we used to put American first and the United states was a proud nation. We now put other country beforw the health and well being of our on peopkw3and our own country what has happen to the Unites States of America. Other countrys laugh at us and they control elections we need to take our country back. We need to get back to taking care of our own first , before we send million and millions to other countrys because we want to be on there good side or for political favors. We need to make America a country that stands on her own 2 feet not forty other countrys feet. If we can no longer take care of our one then what is to stop another country from taking what they want the English did it to the Indians so what is to stop china Russia from just taking what thwy want because we do not take care of our own. I beg of you to pkease vote yea on this and savw our country before it is to late for owe grandchildren great grandchildren we have a duty to our children to keep this the home of the free and not the home of the sacred and shamless because we have nothing left for We the People. Thank you and god bless you allno matter what god you pray too.
I grew up in Fairfax va and let me tell therw was no equal between races, i will not lie but let me tell you my family was poor and i had holes in my clothes had to get free lunches . Let me tell you i only seen a couple of black kids that holes in there clothes we where best friends because neither black nor white that had nice clothes would play with us i can tell you that my parents got less support to help take care of my and my sister than most black kids my mother applied for food stamps for herself my sister and me they told my mom she qualified for 6 dollars doe food stamps and shw had no job and my father had left her and my sister and me. Thank God for my granddad becausw he took us in and he took care of us and had a house redone for us. We gotno help from any agency. So please don't ever tell me whites get more or they are treated they treated better than blacks because we sure was not any part of the equation . I have had some very dear black people that i am honored to call my friends and even family. So please don't tell me all whites are racists , when i went into the military i had to give racial discrimination classes not because i was racial , but because i wasbeing discriminated against. So again please stop saying there is only on side of this because there is 2 side and all men make there own life as long as they live on the rught side of the law and yes i was discriminated against by the police because as they said i was white trash. I make plenty of money and i made a life for myself and my children and they had the best of everything and they went to there friends houses and there friends came to our and yea some where black i raised my kids that color doesn't make a person a person makes there color. That is all i will say. God bless American and please quit trying to tear it down we the people are who this country is and what happened almost 200 yrs ago can not be changed but what happened 150 yrs ago can happen again if you keep saying that all whites discriminate because that is a lie. Please people open your eyes because our history is not our future unless you make it that way. So please I beg of you quit making this one sided there are 2 sides and most of it depends on who has the money and how they represent themselves not the way other force them too. Please look at the big picture is all i say there is racism everywhere if you keep bringing it up and running everyones nose in it. Thank you
Please don't ruin our lives and State ! Thank You
HB 1990 is a long overdue bill. So many times the well intended legislation passed by the Virginia General Assembly has produced certain unintended consequences in communities of color and diversity. This bill is a good start in helping the members to see the other affects their proposed laws can have on the Commonwealth's citizens. The Central Virginia Chapter A. Philip Randolph Institute asks for your support and funding of HB 1990. Thank-you, Kirk Jones
These young kids are being taught things already that should be no part of any ciriculam. All this transgender crap and how America is a terrible racist world should be gone along with the ither nonsense. Please treat our children like the innocent children they are and should be. Just remember your days of going to school, remember how it was so simple and innocent and how we said the plesge of allegiance and we were taught just simple things like Math, Science, History and English. I understand the world is more complicated than back then, but cant we just leave all the other bullcrap for adults to figure out and stop putting pressure on our children.
So we just remove something because the "character" of someome. Well I guess MLK with his plagiarism and infidelity should never be explained or even looked at. I understand that the two are not in no means the same but there are things that people in this countrys past that are not admirable but do we just erase everything. It wouldn't be as bad if it were examined and only the worst of the worst be taken down but when you start with one it has done nothing but get every persons feelings involved and then we have chaos and the true meaning is lost. Whats next, the Lincoln Memorial ,let's just get rid of all of it because sooner or later you guys will destroy what this country was built on, and if you guys would stop shouting from the rooftops how racist and terrible this country is maybe we can move on and go to school and get a job and follow the rules....simple. Everyone has the same opportunity, so stop telling them they don't and maybe they will start getting back to the basics of hard work and taking care of their families.
This country is not racist and just because people say this does not make it true. I have an extensive history with the courts, jails and prisons and my experience has been just the opposite. I went to prison for one year for driving without a license. There were black people who were given less time for felonies that are way more extensive and harsh. When you get to prison you clearly see where the racism should be targeted, and that is not where you think it is. Black people run the jails and prisons and that goes for staff and inmates, and black people are given way more privledge because of the color of their skin. I am so sick of people saying the police and everybody in America is racist because the black race has far more ways to advance than white people. Being a minority has many advantages but none for white people, so where is the racism???? Because some people may not like black people, well I have been many many many places where black people hate white people. It's on both sides so let's stop pretending that all white people are racist. Where I work is also a great example, when we have to call the police for a disturbance, white people are taken to jail and the black people are "talked to." If you guys would spend all that time you do on this crazy notion that America is racist, and stop telling everyone every second of the day, maybe people wouldn't have a problem with it. You guys shout it from the rooftops without living in the real world, because I do live in the real world and both sides there is racism. Do you really think that black people don't use this to their advantage, every black person that I am friends with laugh at you guys and say what else can they give us. You guys are gullible in their eyes and they are alot tougher than what you think so stop all this poor black people bullcrap.
Vote "yes" on HB1990! It is PAST TIME for VIRGINIA to be critically investigate the potential impacts, intended and unintended, that criminal justice legislation may have on racially marginalized populations. Thank you Delegate Aird for carrying this important legislation!
Support HB1990 Racial & Ethnic Impact Statements Who we are: ACLU People Power Fairfax is an independent grassroots organization that advocates for equal justice for all members of the community, including undocumented immigrants, regardless of race or ethnicity. Our primary goals are to end local and state government’s voluntary cooperation with ICE and to correct practices and policies that support systemic racism in our law enforcement. There are over 4,000 People Power volunteers in Fairfax. Our efforts reflect the views of our members, not necessarily those of the ACLU Virginia affiliate. Advancing Racial Justice through Public Policy HB 1990 allows the Chair of the House Committee for Courts of Justice and the Chair of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary to request that the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) prepare racial and ethnic impact statements for up to 5 criminal justice related bills each legislative session. A racial and ethnic impact statement will use available data to outline the potential effects a bill will have on racial and ethnic disparities within the Commonwealth. An Unequal System Black Americans experience more frequent stops, searches, and arrests by police, while also facing higher rates of pre-trial detention, and ultimately harsher sentences than similarly situated white people. Black Virginians comprise about 19% of the population, but they accounted for more than 40% of all arrests in 2019. More than half – 55% – of all people in Virginia’s prisons are Black. Inequitable policies lead to unbalanced outcomes. It will take deliberate anti-racist actions to halt and reverse the trends and create a more equitable justice system in Virginia. An Opportunity to Advance Equity A racial and ethnic impact statement will be a critical tool for Virginia legislators to evaluate and consider the potential disparate impact of proposed criminal justice legislation. Similar to a fiscal impact statement or fiscal impact reviews for the impact of legislation on state and local budgets, a racial and ethnic impact statement will provide background analysis about how a proposed bill will impact various populations in order to inform lawmakers and assist with enacting legislation that will not worsen discrimination and inequity. It is easier to modify legislation than it is to reverse a law once it is enacted. Evaluating potential disparities prior to a bill being enacted and implemented will create a proactive opportunity to advance racial equity rather than waiting to try to reverse effects. Support HB 1990 Progress in Other States • At least seven states have implemented mechanisms for the preparation of similar assessments for legislation with bipartisan support. And several more states have recently considered legislation. • Legislation with impact statements that determined neutral effects or reductions in disparate outcomes were more likely to pass than legislation that was predicted to increase disparate outcomes. The state can help prevent seemingly neutral criminal justice policy from having harmful outcomes. Adopting racial and ethnic impact statements proactively promotes the well-being of people in Virginia and is a strong step in advancing equity in the state.
I tried to check off as many as I could understand 🙃why not just get to work for the money we pay
HB1789 I support political audits HB 1990 I support Criminal Justice HB 2208 I DO NOT support statue removal, you have too many mixed feelings on this issue and by continuing removal of said statues, you isolate a percentage of the populations beliefs which is MUCH larger than you think..The ideal solution is simple...If you want to remove ANY statue, You either remove ALL or none... HJ 516 Yes I do 100% support becoming a part of the convention of states, I am well aware of this bill... HJ 530 I fully support decriminalization of certain substances hence marijuana and any other low level form of narcotic substance, I support this on both state and FEDERAL level... HJ549 I do not support this, we need to open the doors of truth to the people first, I have a panel of 36 worldwide doctors condemning WHO for dishonesty about Covid, and the fact it has a temperate design of Dec through April ... HJ573 At this point I 100% support that any vaccine be voluntary only....It is injustice to require immunization Wheres too much static as to whether this is a truly harmful pandemic or just a politically motivated stunt to incite fear.... HR237 I will support holding anyone responsible who is guilty of this Covid Conspiracy and to where it began and by who it originated even if it was a Harvard shipped virus, keep it open to hold only those accountable that truly are the guilty HR 238 I do NOT support The American People decide who gets appointed and where and THIS needs to be changed....
I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy supports HB1990 as a positive step toward advancing racial equity in our criminal justice system.
New Virginia Majority Supports HB1990 (Aird). A fair and just criminal justice system reduces the harms and violence experienced by people-of-color and working-class communities and creates more opportunities for practices of public accountability and community-based alternatives to incarceration. This legislation provides a valuable tool for ensuring that as criminal justice legislation comes before the Virginia General Assembly, efforts are taken to decrease and avoid perpetuating racial and ethnic disparities in how the criminal justice system differently impacts the livelihoods of Virginians. We thank the Delegate and we encourage the committee to vote in support of this legislation. Thank you. Dominique Martin, Policy Research Analyst at New Virginia Majority.
Established in 1986, The Sentencing Project works for a fair and effective U.S. criminal justice system by promoting reforms in sentencing policy and addressing racial injustice in the criminal legal system. . We thank Delegate Aird for her leadership on HB 1990. CHANGING POLICIES TO ADDRESS DISPARITIES HB 1990 would improve policymaking for proposed sentencing laws and other laws impacting criminal justice law and policy by informing law makers of the potential impact on racial justice and racial disparities in a system known to perpetuate and expand such disparities. Six states – Iowa, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Oregon, and New Jersey – have implemented mechanisms for the preparation and consideration of racial impact statements; in addition, the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission develops racial impact statements without statutory guidance. DATE OFFERS CLEAR EVIDENCE OF RACIAL DISPARITIES Virginia is among 12 states found by The Sentencing Project to have prison population that is more than fifty percent Black. Also, in Virginia, 1 in 27 men is in prison. IMPLEMENTATION OF RACIAL IMPACT STATEMENTS Racial impact statement policies are key to acknowledge the persistence of racial disparity in sentencing law and policymaking and to identify clear actions to minimize and eventually remove those disparities. Following the adoption of racial impact statements three steps are important to challenge racial disparities in criminal legal policies. First, a commitment by lawmakers to request the statements as outline in HB 1990. Second, reviewing the statements to inform policymaking and the consideration of proposed sentencing laws. Third, a commitment by lawmakers to leverage racial impact statements in law and policy discussions with justice stakeholders ranging from formerly incarcerated advocates and their family, criminal justice practitioners, victim’s groups, faith leaders, and others on public safety policy proposals and their impact on Virginia’s justice system. Racial impact statements should be viewed as a mechanism to help guide the development of sound and fair law and policy, but they are not an impediment to enacting changes in the law. That is, they represent one component of the discussion regarding sentencing policy, but only in conjunction with other relevant considerations. In some cases, lawmakers might receive analyses indicating that white residents or other racial/ethnic groups would be disproportionately impacted by a proposed sentencing change, but conclude that public safety concerns override these considerations. While proposed changes in sentencing policies are the most obvious decision-making point at which unwarranted racial disparities might emerge, a host of policy decisions at other stages of the criminal justice system can affect the racial/ethnic demographics of the prison population as well. These include adjustments to sentencing guidelines, discretionary safety valves applied to mandatory time served requirements, “truth in sentencing” and other policies that affect length of stay in prison, parole release and revocation policies. Conceivably, a racial impact statement policy could cover one or more of these decision-making points. The Sentencing Project applauds HB 1990 and is eager to see it advance in this Committee.
RISE for Youth supports this bill.
Over 150 local governments across the country have made declarations to address racism. However, only five states have declared racism a public health crisis and none are located in the South. In contrast to Virginia’s role as the state that housed the capital of the Confederacy, the commonwealth now has the opportunity to lead the country into a new era in which everyone is valued equally and has equitable opportunity to live a long, healthy life. Virginia must declare racism as a public health crisis.
HB2208 - Harry F. Byrd, Sr., statue; removal from Capitol Square.
Please don't ruin our lives and State ! Thank You
These young kids are being taught things already that should be no part of any ciriculam. All this transgender crap and how America is a terrible racist world should be gone along with the ither nonsense. Please treat our children like the innocent children they are and should be. Just remember your days of going to school, remember how it was so simple and innocent and how we said the plesge of allegiance and we were taught just simple things like Math, Science, History and English. I understand the world is more complicated than back then, but cant we just leave all the other bullcrap for adults to figure out and stop putting pressure on our children.
So we just remove something because the "character" of someome. Well I guess MLK with his plagiarism and infidelity should never be explained or even looked at. I understand that the two are not in no means the same but there are things that people in this countrys past that are not admirable but do we just erase everything. It wouldn't be as bad if it were examined and only the worst of the worst be taken down but when you start with one it has done nothing but get every persons feelings involved and then we have chaos and the true meaning is lost. Whats next, the Lincoln Memorial ,let's just get rid of all of it because sooner or later you guys will destroy what this country was built on, and if you guys would stop shouting from the rooftops how racist and terrible this country is maybe we can move on and go to school and get a job and follow the rules....simple. Everyone has the same opportunity, so stop telling them they don't and maybe they will start getting back to the basics of hard work and taking care of their families.
Our Constitution us our law of the land and without it we are a third world nation. It should be defended to the max and any that are against our Democracy should be excorted to the border. Racism in America is reversed, grant you there are bigots but not only white. Blacks are burning rioting and murdering their own and calling it because of white privilege??? They are allowing their slave masters(that they vote for) to keep them in a a Socialist poverty. Set the clock to one time and forget it. If I have to be somewhere it doesn't matter if the Sun is up or down I go.
Yes, racist Byrd statue removed Yes, end daylight savings time Apprentice programs are important
HB1789 I support political audits HB 1990 I support Criminal Justice HB 2208 I DO NOT support statue removal, you have too many mixed feelings on this issue and by continuing removal of said statues, you isolate a percentage of the populations beliefs which is MUCH larger than you think..The ideal solution is simple...If you want to remove ANY statue, You either remove ALL or none... HJ 516 Yes I do 100% support becoming a part of the convention of states, I am well aware of this bill... HJ 530 I fully support decriminalization of certain substances hence marijuana and any other low level form of narcotic substance, I support this on both state and FEDERAL level... HJ549 I do not support this, we need to open the doors of truth to the people first, I have a panel of 36 worldwide doctors condemning WHO for dishonesty about Covid, and the fact it has a temperate design of Dec through April ... HJ573 At this point I 100% support that any vaccine be voluntary only....It is injustice to require immunization Wheres too much static as to whether this is a truly harmful pandemic or just a politically motivated stunt to incite fear.... HR237 I will support holding anyone responsible who is guilty of this Covid Conspiracy and to where it began and by who it originated even if it was a Harvard shipped virus, keep it open to hold only those accountable that truly are the guilty HR 238 I do NOT support The American People decide who gets appointed and where and THIS needs to be changed....
I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
Support HB2208 - For more than a decade I walked past the statue of Harry F. Byrd, Sr on my way to lobby the General Assembly or the Administration. Each and every time, I thought about how inappropriate was to have a statue at our capital commemorating the life of the man who led Massive Resistance efforts in opposition to civil rights and resulting in the closing our many of our public schools to avoid integration. While I did not suffer personally from school closures, I did attend years of segregated schools from the 2nd through the 7th grade while attending public schools in Norfolk and then Princess Anne County, now Virginia Beach. I didn't realize it then, but I now know the woeful conditions of the education provided to my African American brothers and sisters. The stain and embarrassment of this sorry chapter of Virginia history can not and should not be erased. However, tributes to individuals like Harry Byrd who led the Massive Resistance campaign should be removed from places of honor.
Support HB2208 - For more than a decade I walked past the statue of Harry F. Byrd, Sr on my way to lobby the General Assembly or the Administration. Each and every time, I thought about how inappropriate was to have a statue at our capital commemorating the life of the man who led Massive Resistance efforts in opposition to civil rights and resulting in the closing our many of our public schools to avoid integration. While I did not suffer personally from school closures, I did attend years of segregated schools from the 2nd through the 7th grade while attending public schools in Norfolk and then Princess Anne County, now Virginia Beach. I didn't realize it then, but I now know the woeful conditions of the education provided to my African American brothers and sisters. The stain and embarrassment of this sorry chapter of Virginia history can not and should not be erased. However, tributes to individuals like Harry Byrd who led the Massive Resistance campaign should be removed from places of honor.
Removing or adding statues does not erase or create our history, but who we choose to honor with a statue does help tell a story, the story of our values. Both the US Capitol and our Virginia Capitol should tell a story of people who stood up for others and fought to make Virginia a more equitable place. Therefore, I support HB2208 and HJ525.
HB2213 - Gold; Secretary of Natural Resources, et al., to study mining and processing.
I urge you to support a moratorium on permits for commercial gold mining until a study of all the dangers in gold mining is completed.
I urge you to support HB2213, for a moratorium on gold mining, and to provide for appropriate funding to study potential impacts. There are significant environmental justice issues, as well as broad ecological / human health issues, that must be thoroughly studied and considered.
I urge you to support this Bill. The importance of enough funding to study the effects of gold mining in my area and also the importance of allowing enough time for a thorough study whose result can be relied on is very important to me.
As a constituent, I am writing in favor of this bill to issue a moratorium on gold mining until the effects of this practice on nearby residents, especially those of Union Hill and Yogaville, can be accurately assessed. At this time, the risk of arsenic contamination from gold mining requires further research before the practice can be supported. We must ensure the safety of all residents. Given the ways in which environmental factors have historically had more adverse effects on our Black and Brown neighbors, our responsibility here is (at least) twofold — 1) to enact antiracist legislation that protects communities of color who have historically been marginalized and 2) to embody care for the environment at a time in which the need to do so has become not only readily apparent but also absolutely critical for the well-being and future of all. Please support HB2213.
I am glad to see the subcommittee passed HB2213. I urge you to do the same. Please be sure to fund this study of gold mining properly, so that it is done well and we can rest assured that we are taking care of business by investing appropriately in the wise counsel and investigations of the designated agencies and stakeholders. An ounce of prevention is worth many pounds of cure. Thank you.
I urge you to support HB2213. This bill is crucial to protect communities that could be impacted by gold mining. Please note the maps of the many Senate and Delegate districts within the Virginia Gold-Pyrite Belt. GoldPyriteBelt_ImpactedDistricts_HoD: https://www.dropbox.com/s/qh2xdmklhe2cvqw/GoldPyriteBelt_ImpactedDistricts_HoD.pdf?dl=0 GoldPyriteBelt_ImpactedDistricts_Senate: https://www.dropbox.com/s/lor97ijyjcww0k4/GoldPyriteBelt_ImpactedDistricts_Senate.pdf?dl=0 The moratorium is necessary for the time specified in this bill to allow for thorough research into the potential costs and threats of gold mining to water, air, and nearby and downstream communities. Can Virginia regulations provide adequate protections for the Virginians who would be put in harm’s way by the mining process? This bill gives the opportunity and time for impacted community members, the Council on Environmental Justice, and representatives from Native communities to be heard. Please support HB2213.
Currently, Union Hill and Yogaville face the imminent threat of arsenic contamination due to gold mining nearby. This needs to be studied to determine the extent of exposure to toxic chemicals of the residents.
Please support this bill. The people in the are at risk of arsenic poisoning from the ongoing gold mining in the are. Union Hill is a small dominatly Black town and deserves our support. Yogaville is a place I have visited and enjoyed.
I urge the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Agriculture and Natural Resources to support House Bill 2213 from Del. Elizabeth Guzman to implement a temporary moratorium on gold mining and assign state agencies the task to study the impacts that a large-scale gold mine, like the one being proposed in Buckingham County, which is being proposed at the banks of the James River - a major drinking water source for many communities, including Richmond, to the east of this proposed project. Gold mining is a highly toxic and dirty process. I can't believe that in the year 2021 we're still having to even debate this known fact as history has shown how communities have been damaged by such mining. Allowing this gold mining to proceed without any research is a blatant disregard for people's health , livelihood and environment. Please support HB2213.
Dear Members of the Subcommittee. HB2213 is absolutely necessary to protect Virginia communities and waters from commercial gold mining. Virginia is targeted by international mining companies because of our lax environmental rules and frankly lack of experience regulating large industrial gold mines. That is why we need the moratorium and study to update Virginia regulations to reflect the current mining techniques. It take 20 tons of rock to produce and ounce of gold. The process uses millions of gallons of water and produces toxic leachate that must be managed in perpetuity. May it be the pleasure of the committee to move this bill forward. Thank you.
Please support of HB2213, a moratorium & study of gold mining; to be fully funded and to take the time requested to do a good job, so that Virginia can understand what the impacts would be to our waters, our community. Thank you.
Dear Representatives of Virginia, I hope that you will approve Bill 2213 concerning a moratorium and study of gold mining. The information i have learned recently from different experts and from TV channels such as Smithsonian and other science channels have educated me on the perils of mining and especially gold mining. Gold mining is as detrimental to the environment as uranium. Please do a study on gold mining to get all the facts. The people of Virginia need you to protect them. In my opinion, gold mining is far, far more dangerous than any pipeline. Thank you for your time and service to our beautiful state. Sincerely, Marie Flowers PO Box 1155 Dillwyn, Va. 23936 434-315-0152
Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR) supports HB 2213 carried by Delegate Guzman that ensures that the impacts of commercial gold mining to air, water, and public health are studied before permits are issued. The pyrite gold ore body runs through the Rapidan and Rappahannock River watersheds. Gold mining tailings often contain elevated concentrations of toxic heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, and others. This study is essential to understanding how gold mining would impact our waterways and the surrounding communities.
I support the moratorium . Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary and Costa Rica have such bans, as well as the US states of Montana and Wisconsin and several Argentine provinces. Cyanide use in most countries is strictly regulated, to reduce the risk of significant environmental damage or death through misuse or mishandling. These two simple facts indicate an obvious need to study thoroughly potential problems and establish appropriate regulations for the industry which do not yet exist here in VA. Failure to do a thorough study and establish cyanidation regulations before any mining begins could result in serious long term consequences to the environment, specifically the James River, which would result in very long term and possibly disastrous economic impacts to the state. Robert Day
Encouraging the passage of this bill for the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice and appropriate stakeholders, including experts in mining, hydrology, toxicology, and other fields; environmental organizations; representatives of potentially affected communities in localities with significant deposits of gold; and indigenous communities in such counties to further study gold mining impacts.
I urge you to support HB 2213. The last thing our state needs is more extractive, dangerous, and polluting projects. All of our energy and legislation needs to go toward creating a livable planet for future generations and increasing quality of life for ALL Virginians. Please act to preserve our home and stop gold mining before it causes irreparable harm. Thank you.
HB2213 is a bill that will benefit the entire commonwealth, which has never hosted large-scale, modern gold mining. This type of mining is very different from coal mining, and requires its own set of regulations. In order to understand what sort of regulations, we first must understand the industry. Open-pit gold mines can be hundreds of feet deep, and thousands of acres wide. They can have severe and drastic effects on local groundwater, livestock, and agriculture. HB2213 would provide the commonwealth with enough time to conduct studies on the effects of gold mining, and to make regulatory determinations based on the results of those studies. This bill is important to me, personally, because my home is adjacent to land where gold exploration is already going on. But the bill is important to my fellow Virginians, as well, because of the Gold Pyrite belt that cuts across the commonwealth. The gold industry has their eyes on us, and before we allow them to set up shop here we need to be sure we understand exactly what that would mean for Virginians. Please support the funding required for HB2213, and please vote to pass the bill when you are given the chance. Thank you for your time.
Please support a moratorium & study of gold mining in Virginia. This needs to be to be fully funded as determined by DEQ, Dept. of Health and DMME. Allow them to take the time requested to do a good, job, so that Virginians can fully understand what the impacts would be to our water and our communities.
I urge you to support HB2213. This bill is crucial to protect communities that could be impacted by gold mining. Please note the maps of the many Senate and Delegate districts within the Virginia Gold-Pyrite Belt. ---below The moratorium is necessary for the time specified in this bill to allow for thorough research into the potential costs and threats of gold mining to water, air, and nearby and downstream communities. Can Virginia regulations provide adequate protections for the Virginians who would be put in harm’s way by the mining process? This bill gives the opportunity and time for impacted community members, the Council on Environmental Justice, and representatives from Native communities to be heard. Please support HB2213. Thank you. Senate district map: https://www.dropbox.com/s/lor97ijyjcww0k4/GoldPyriteBelt_ImpactedDistricts_Senate.pdf?dl=0 Delegate district map: https://www.dropbox.com/s/qh2xdmklhe2cvqw/GoldPyriteBelt_ImpactedDistricts_HoD.pdf?dl=0 or: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16tsdOnCOkGJeeyavlh5IyPDrcXx6SDQdE-nSCW1khtE/edit
I urge you to support HB2213 – the study and moratorium on commercial gold mining. The potential threats from commercial gold mining are numerous to the communities and watersheds in and downstream of the gold/pyrite belt that spans the entire state of Virginia. Exploratory drilling to prospect for potential commercial gold mining operations is happening in Virginia as we speak, so it is imperative that this bill and the study and related moratorium it mandates move forward now. It is also crucial that environmental justice be taken into account and representatives from potentially impacted communities be given the ability for input as this bill provides for. Again, please support HB2213.
I write on behalf of the non-profit organization Appalachian Voices, to ask that you support HB2213. As gold-mining operations could introduce irreparable damage to groundwater via leaching of harmful materials, and the waste produced via gold mining contains many toxins including lead, mercury and cyanide, we support a thorough study of potential impacts to public health and the environment, with a moratorium during that time or review. HB 2213 allows Virginia to press “pause” and allow appropriate scrutiny of existing regulations, identify places where protections are insufficient, and improve the stakeholder engagement process. Please support HB 2213.
Good morning! I urge you to please support full funding for HB2213, the gold mining moratorium study. It is important that this study is done now, done well, which includes being given the full amount of time as recommended by the DMME, DEQ & VDH. Due to the gravity of the well known impacts of modern day large scale gold mining elsewhere, we feel a moratorium is in the very best interests of the Commonwealth. Gold exploration has been going on in Virginia for the last 4 years without local authorities being aware of it. The gold pyrite belt runs from southern to northern Virginia. In fact it runs from Georgia to Canada. The impacts to Virginia could be vast and devastating, as many watersheds could be impacted, including the drinking water for millions. Modern large scale open pit gold mining is vastly more impactful than the pan, pick and axe methods of the 1850s. The EPA lists metal mining as the #1 most toxic of industries. The current trend of other known gold mines of externalizing the costs of doing business leads to superfund sites that the local communities, those downstream, and really, the whole state pay for in many ways, and for generations to come. We need the moratorium and the study to buy us time for more people to learn about the true costs of gold and to make educated decisions. We can and we must do business smarter. A lot smarter! Thank you!
On behalf of the Virginia Conservation network, I would like to reiterate our support of HB2213. This legislation will give the Department of Minerals, Mines and Energy, Department of Environmental Quality and Virginia Department of Health until July 1, 2023 to complete a study on the potential environmental and health impacts that gold mining could have on the Commonwealth. This is a necessary piece of legislation to ensure that we are protecting the health and rights of Buckingham County Residents and other downstream communities.
Good morning! I urge you to please support full funding for HB2213, the gold mining moratorium study. It is important that this study is done now and done well as gold exploration has been going on in Virginia for the last 4 years without local authorities being aware of it. The gold pyrite belt runs from southern to northern Virginia. In fact it runs from Georgia to Canada. The impacts to Virginia could be vast and devastating, as many watersheds could be impacted, including the drinking water for millions. Modern large scale open pit gold mining is vastly more impactful than the pan, pick and axe methods of the 1850s. The EPA lists metal mining as the #1 most toxic of industries. The current trend of externalizing the costs of doing business leads to superfund sites that the public pays for in many ways, and for generations to come. We need the moratorium and the study to buy us time for more people to learn about the true costs of gold and to make educated decisions. Thank you for making the sage decision to fully support this bill.
I am writing in support of HB2213 because I believe it is important that the Commonwealth study the challenges posed by gold mine operations and develop plans for the future responsible use of our natural resources. Gold mining is substantially different from aggregate mining operations. The pause in permitting gold mines that would be created by this legislation only affects gold mine permits during the proposed time period. Virginia has little to no experience with the oversight of gold mining in recent years. It is important that the Commonwealth have time to study the best way to oversee the process and mitigate the numerous potential hazards posed by this unique type of mining. A pause in permitting gold mines would have no impact on other types of mining or quarrying operations in the state. HB2213 will serve to make sure that the citizens and environment will be protected now and in the future. It would be irresponsible of the Commonwealth to allow gold mine operations to begin before the study and appropriate regulatory adaptations are complete. I ask that you appropriate the funding for HB2213 to protect our state.
HB2213 is a bill that will benefit the entire commonwealth, which has never hosted large-scale, modern gold mining. This type of mining is very different from coal mining, and requires its own set of regulations. In order to understand what sort of regulations, we first must understand the industry. Open-pit gold mines can be hundreds of feet deep, and thousands of acres wide. They can have severe and drastic effects on local groundwater, livestock, and agriculture. HB2213 would provide the commonwealth with enough time to conduct studies on the effects of gold mining, and to make regulatory determinations based on the results of those studies. This bill is important to me, personally, because my homea is adjacent to land where gold exploration is already going on. But the bill is important to my fellow Virginians, as well, because of the Gold Pyrite belt that cuts across the commonwealth. The gold industry has their eyes on us, and before we allow them to set up shop here we need to be sure we understand exactly what that would mean for Virginians. Please support the funding required for HB2213, and please vote to pass the bill when you are given the chance. Thank you for your time. Stephanie Rinaldi Buckingham, VA
I've read and support Del Guzman's bill to place a moratorium on Gold Mining until it can be studied to determine what environmental impacts and/or public health impacts. Please help keep Virginia lands and citizens safe by delaying any gold mining operations until their impact can be carefully studied and understood. Thank you for your work on behalf of the citizens of the commonwealth. Patricia VonOhlen
I write in support of HB2213. Virginia has not had a commercial gold mines since the 1940s and they are nothing like that envisioned by the Canadian exploration company currently operating in Buckingham County. They compare their findings to the Haile mine in South Carolina which is a huge open pit mine with all of the fraught environmental and economic downsides of a boom and bust industry. Like virtually every gold mine, the Haile mine has released contaminated waste into the environment, affecting surface and possibly ground waters. Virginia's regulatory regime for mining is not equipped to deal with all of the issues of modern open pit mining that includes cyanide leach pits or vats. We must have complete information before making policy decisions about this enterprise. May it be the pleasure of the committee to approve this bill. Suzanne Keller Richmond, VA
The proposition to study gold mining in VA may seem unusual, since these mining techniques under consideration are primarily seen in the west in deserted landscapes. Canadian miners sniffing around gold mining prospects in the heart of VA does not bode well for those of us who call this home. In fact gold mining, using open pit methods prefers a lower water table with less rainfall, since higher water tables found in our area increase management issues when the mine is functioning. Constant flooding from shallow aquifers can be problematic both in keeping the pit dry and by reducing available water in the surrounding aquifer. In fact, the abundant water that grows trees and crops would be severely impacted for a much larger distance than the footprint of the mine itself. Large rain events can cause extra problems with containment of chemicals used in processing. This case is one where a little research into the long term effects of chemical extraction of gold from ore using cyanide will pay the state back many times over When it prevents long term damage and expense in managing these effects for generations to come.
Please don't ruin our lives and State ! Thank You
Please vote for a moratorium on gold mining to allow for time to study the impacts to the drinking water of potentially millions of Virginians! An exploratory company has already found gold in Buckingham County. They say their find will lead to large-scale mining. Modern metal mining is the nation’s #1 toxic polluter. Because Buckingham was the target of previous industry projects like the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, we know that a company who comes to this Environmental Justice community to open a mine will not have our best interests in mind. Please enact a moratorium on gold mining in Virginia. Thank you.
I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
Please support House Bill 2213 to stop the proposed Buckingham County gold mine. State agencies need time to investigate and establish safeguards on how an open-pit gold mine on the banks of a major water supply would impact our environment and public health. The possibility of open-pit gold mine being established in Buckingham County is very concerning. Gold mining on a large scale is an incredibly toxic process, and one of the dirtiest extractive industries in operation. With only small quantities of gold found in every ton of earth and rock removed, the process leaves behind large volumes of solid and liquid waste laden with harmful heavy metals. The immediate and long term impact to people and the environment is extremely severe. I'm hearing the Virginia has little to no regulation for this kind of gold mining. If this project proceeds, there are few if any remedies in state code to protect nearby residents and our clean water resources from the toxic byproducts produced during the mining process. Let's put the brakes on this. Thank you for your consideration.
Ms. Chair and Members of the Committee, I write in support of HB2213. A Canadian company has been conducting borings in Buckingham County to determine if there is sufficient gold to warrant large scale open pit mining. Gold mining is an inherently dirty enterprise, you would be hard pressed to find an active mine where there has not been release of toxics into the waters and lands around the mine. Virginia has not had a large scale commercial gold mine in nearly a century. Modern cyanide leaching techniques allow the extraction of gold from rock, it takes nearly 20 tons to make an ounce of gold, and creates vast tailings and leach ponds that are hazards to nearby people, animals, and waters. Most gold mined in the United States is exported. Once again Virginia is seen as a ripe location to engage in q dirty extractive industry by a foreign company because of a weak and industry friendly regulatory regime. We must do a better job of protecting communities and the environment from this type of activity. I do hope you will pass the bill. Thank you, Suzanne J. Keller Richmond, Va
my name is kamran and i'm grateful for being alive :)
We ALL need Clean Water! A Canadian company, seeking to fly under the radar and take advantage of Virginia’s weak or non-existent regulations surrounding gold mining, has proposed building a massive, open-pit gold mine in Buckingham County, near the historic community of Union Hill and the James River – a drinking water source for many communities, including Richmond, to the east of this proposed project. If built, the people of Union Hill, Buckingham and everyone downstream would be in harm’s way. Gold mining on a large scale is an incredibly toxic process, and one of the dirtiest extractive industries still conducted today. With only a few specks of gold found in every ton of earth and rock pulled out of the ground, the process leaves behind large volumes of solid and liquid waste laden with harmful heavy metals known to negatively impact human health and our environment. And if this project proceeds, there are few if any remedies in state code to protect nearby residents and our clean water resources from the toxic byproducts produced during the mining process. I urge you to support House Bill 2213 to stop this project and give our state agencies the time they need to research how an open-pit gold mine on the banks of a major water supply would impact our environment and public health.
I urge you to support HB2213. This bill is crucial to protect communities that could be impacted by gold mining. The threats of gold mining to water, air, and nearby communities are well-documented. At the very least, a study including impacts specific to the geology, water systems, and climate of Virginia is critically needed to determine the extent of harms to the water and health of nearby communities and those downstream to commercial gold mining operations, and to determine if Virginia regulations can provide adequate protections for the Virginians who would be put in harm’s way by the process. Further, impacted community members, the Council on Environmental Justice, and representatives from Native communities must be given the opportunity to weigh in, and this bill provides for that. Again, I urge you to support HB2213.
As your constituent and as a human, I respectfully ask you to stop this life and environmentally endangering project. I ask you to give state agencies time to study the environmental and public health impacts of large-scale gold mining by passing House Bill 2213 from Del. Elizabeth Guzman. I ask you to consider the drilling on an exploratory basis and touting of Virginia’s complete lack of regulations to the Canadian investors and shareholders of the mining company that is already impacting the environmental integrity and presenting a life endangering threat to the citizens of Buckingham and everyone, all species downstream . Your choice whether of not to pass House Bill 2213 from Del. Elizabeth Guzman will have an immediate and multi-generational all species and environmental impact. I know of nothing more essential for the quality of all life than the quality of water, soil and air. Thank you for your authentic consideration of this request to pass House Bill 2213 and authentic , responsible leadership on behalf of the all life and the environmental integrity necessary to the well-being of everyone. With respect, Polly Lazaron
Re Aston Bay property, Buckingham Co.--I am a retired USGS geologist with extensive experience in Virginia. I am not an expert on this particular tract, but I am experienced with the 1969 pollution of the James River by mining operations at nearby Piney River (see my USGS Prof. Papers 959H and 1371). I am concerned that Aston Bay is quite a small company, presumably with limited assets, and its intended mine could cause far more damage than its assets could cover. Gold from open-pit mines is usually leached with toxic chemicals that would pollute aquifers, and the nearby James River itself could be polluted even by normal operations, much less breakout flood effects on leach fields.
I urge you to support House Bill 2213. It is crucial that we pause a toxic gold mining project that will affect Union Hill communities. We need to give Virginia's agencies enough time to adequately research how an open-pit gold mine on the banks of a major water supply would impact the environment and the public health of nearby communities. I urge you to put equity and environmental justice first by supporting this bill.
Dr. Mary Finley-Brook - support for HB2213 I have taught Environmental Studies at the University of Richmond since 2006. I have more than two decades experience reviewing social, economic and ecological impacts of Canadian gold mining operations. There is no such thing as a ‘clean’ or sustainable open pit gold mine; the water pollution can be expensive to remediate if the regulatory process is inadequate. I am concerned about environmental racism. Canadian mining companies have a reputation for work in areas with regulatory gaps and weaknesses and for targeting communities of color. Aston Bay has picked two sites for exploration - the indigenous territory of Nunavut, a semi-autonomous region in the far north of Canada, where regulatory agencies are poorly integrated and oversight is poor, and Buckingham County, Virginia. Aston Bay does not have a proven track record in Canada as operations are relatively new and the frozen terrain slows development. If Virginian gold mining moves forward without expertise in our regulatory agencies, I fear the state government will be on the hook financially to either train or hire experts in modern mining technology and science in state agencies or will end up paying to remediate ecological damage or for water systems/delivery due to the history of mines producing and leaving toxic waste. Since there are environmental justice communities impacted, and there is a pattern of racism in the mining sector, I expect DEQ and others will be required to oversee extensive review to make sure disproportionate harm does not occur. I have conducted research in Buckingham, which could be most impacted with the first gold mining. I am concerned households are reliant on well water and there are many wetlands, streams and rivers. These connect to the James River. I live downstream. One of the sources of water where I live with my children in Chesterfield is the James, so constituents such as myself care about heavy metal contamination upstream in rural areas. The Commonwealth could end up with dangerous contamination (i.e., from cyanide, mercury, arsenic or other toxic elements) is particularly harmful to babies, children and pregnant women. Heavy metals do not degrade easily so they persist for a long time causing harm. Pollution from mines is dangerous to livestock and can enter crops. Biomagnification can occur. Chemicals will spread throughout the food chain, including to game species people hunt and consume. Risk in Buckingham may be higher because of the proposed use of brownfields and former mining areas; processes could release prior contamination. Mining uses large quantities of water, meaning it is not available for other uses, such as farming and household uses. The water discharged from mining operations contains harmful chemicals and is not safe for other productive uses. Mining contributes to sedimentation, which causes property damage and ecosystem degradation. Vast quantities of tailings containing the chemicals used to extract gold as well as heavy metals must be treated and stored carefully to prevent leaching. A network of groundwater monitoring wells would be necessary to assess preventive measures and provide an early warning system. More sustainable mining methods are expensive and will not be used unless agencies require them. HB2213 will allow DMME, DEQ and VDH to study impacts and review existing protections.
A Canadian company, seeking to fly under the radar and take advantage of Virginia’s weak or non-existent regulations surrounding gold mining, has proposed building a massive, open-pit gold mine in Buckingham County, near the historic community of Union Hill and the James River – a drinking water source for many communities, including Richmond, to the east of this proposed project. If built, the people of Union Hill, Buckingham and everyone downstream would be in harm’s way. Gold mining on a large scale is an incredibly toxic process, and one of the dirtiest extractive industries still conducted today. With only a few specks of gold found in every ton of earth and rock pulled out of the ground, the process leaves behind large volumes of solid and liquid waste laden with harmful heavy metals known to negatively impact human health and our environment. And if this project proceeds, there are few if any remedies in state code to protect nearby residents and our clean water resources from the toxic byproducts produced during the mining process. I urge you to support House Bill 2213 to stop this project and give our state agencies the time they need to research how an open-pit gold mine on the banks of a major water supply would impact our environment and public health. Gold mining on a large scale is an incredibly toxic process, and one of the dirtiest extractive industries still conducted today. With only a few specks of gold found in every ton of earth and rock pulled out of the ground, the process leaves behind large volumes of solid and liquid waste laden with harmful heavy metals known to negatively impact human health and our environment. With nearby residents relying on a clean aquifer for their drinking water supply, and with this project located near the James River that supplies major populations centers like Richmond with their water, this project has the potential to be a huge threat to our health and clean water. Gold mining hasn’t taken place in Virginia in any significant volume since before the California gold rush – and our laws and regulations reflect this reality. Moving forward now is a recipe for disaster, with the citizens of Union Hill and Buckingham County again on the frontlines of what has the potential to be an environmental catastrophe. We can’t let this happen – act now and let your lawmaker know that our health and clean water are more important than a foreign company’s dividends.
New Virginia Majority Supports HB2213 (Guzman): Prior to allowing the gold mining industry to receive permits and begin new operations, conducting a thorough investigation into the potential implications of gold mining and how to strengthen the state’s regulations and guidelines as it relates their industry practices is vital to upholding Virginia's recent commitment to environmental justice. The analysis required in this legislation will assist the rural, Native, and Black communities within the region of the state targeted for these sorts of mining operations in understanding the immediate public health, environmental, economic, and safety risks that may occur in their local community and guide the included Secretariats in the prevention and mitigation of these potential adverse outcomes. We also support the inclusion of the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice as an advisory body to this study. We thank the Delegate for uplifting this urgent environmental justice issue and we encourage the committee to vote in support of this legislation. Tyneshia Griffin, the Environmental Policy Research Analyst at New Virginia Majority.
Please support HJ 2213. A Canadian mining company should not be able to develop a huge open-pit gold mine without any adequate regulation in place. No permit should be issued for this proposed project without adequate study of the potential environmental damage. It threatens to become yet another polluting extractive injury adding to the environmental inequities already suffered by poor and minority communities such as Union Hill, a town founded by freed slaves. I am asking the Virginia legislature to pass this crucial bill. Since gold mining has not taken place in our state since the 19th century, our current regulations do not begin to adequately address the environmental and public health impacts of a large open-pit gold mine. In addition to the direct destruction caused by open-pit mining, extracting the gold produces toxic waste including heavy metals that could wreak havoc on the water quality of the James River and the drinking water of surrounding and downstream communities, including Richmond. Virginia should be leading the way in protecting and restoring biodiversity, improving air and water pollution, and addressing environmental injustice. An open pit mine developed to profit a foreign corporation exploiting a gap in our laws will only create yet more damage to our environment and our citizens. Sincerely, Laura P. Livesay
I write on behalf of the non-profit organization Appalachian Voices, to ask that you support HB 2213. As gold-mining operations could introduce irreparable damage to groundwater via leaching of harmful materials, and the waste produced via gold mining contains many toxins including lead, mercury and cyanide, we support a thorough study of potential impacts to public health and the environment. HB 2213 allows Virginia to press “pause” and allow review of existing regulations, identify places where protections are insufficient, and improve the stakeholder engagement process. Please support HB 2213.
Please move ahead with the study of mining and processing and consider the effect of these industries on our environment and the unjust disproportional effects on our minority and economically disadvantaged communities. These industries must be held accountable for safe operations and environmentally appropriate clean up and restoration of all areas affected by their operations. Mining and processing may be seen as providing jobs, but there are other ways to provide good jobs which are less intrusive to our environment. We must put the long term good of our state’s environment and our citizens’ health over short term profits and dangerous low paying jobs. Let’s focus on more environmentally sustainable industries and safer, better paying jobs for our citizens. Thanks for all your good work for the benefit of all Virginians.
A Canadian company, seeking to fly under the radar and take advantage of Virginia’s weak or non-existent regulations surrounding gold mining, has proposed building a massive, open-pit gold mine in Buckingham County, near the historic community of Union Hill and the James River – a drinking water source for many communities, including Richmond, to the east of this proposed project. If built, the people of Union Hill, Buckingham and everyone downstream would be in harm’s way. Gold mining on a large scale is an incredibly toxic process, and one of the dirtiest extractive industries still conducted today. With only a few specks of gold found in every ton of earth and rock pulled out of the ground, the process leaves behind large volumes of solid and liquid waste laden with harmful heavy metals known to negatively impact human health and our environment. And if this project proceeds, there are few if any remedies in state code to protect nearby residents and our clean water resources from the toxic byproducts produced during the mining process. I urge you to support House Bill 2213 to stop this project and give our state agencies the time they need to research how an open-pit gold mine on the banks of a major water supply would impact our environment and public health.
Please stop this gold mining project in its tracks and give state agencies time to study the environmental and public health impacts of large-scale gold mining by passing House Bill 2213 from Del. Elizabeth Guzman. Virginia needs regulations in place!! Thank you!
I am an internal medicine physician who has practiced medicine in the Buckingham County and Albemarle County communities for over 25 years. The chemical pollution from gold mining includes toxic elements such as arsenic, lead, mercury, cyanide, as well as other pollutants. High levels of these chemicals poison the soil, ground water, streams, and rivers, not only near the mine but extending well beyond the mine area. These chemicals enter the food chain and affect plants, fish, other animals, and humans. They can cause cancer and neurologic problems as well as lung, liver, and kidney dysfunction. Most concerning is the effect on pregnant women, fetuses, and children. High levels of lead, mercury, and arsenic can cause premature birth, low birth weight, birth defects, and developmental neurologic problems which can lead to lower IQ’s and learning disabilities. And this exposure does not end when the mining ends. The waste left behind continues to pollute the area for decades and will affect residents’ health for years to come. For these reasons, please support HB2213 which will allow a complete study of the potential environmental and health impacts that gold mining will have in the Commonwealth. This is very important to protect the health of Virginia’s citizens.
Gold mining is one of the dirtiest extractive industries resulting in tons of solid and liquid wastes full of heavy metals. Heavy metals negatively impact human health. It is inconceivable that we would trade our water supply for a few golden baubles. It is environmental injustice to allow a foreign company to destroy land near a traditional black freeman's town. I urge you to support Delegate Guzman's bill HB2213.
Exploratory drilling for gold in Virginia is happening as we speak, and went on for years without the knowledge of the local community. Commercial gold mining is extremely toxic and a threat to the health, water, and air of communities across Virginia, and is currently threatening Union Hill and Buckingham County, who already had to endure being targeted for the now-canceled Atlantic Coast Pipeline. House Bill 2213, which would establish a moratorium on permits for commercial gold mining until a study of all the dangers of gold mining is completed, is crucial to protect Virginia communities. I moved to Buckingham to get away from business and to live a peaceful life. After the pipeline was defeated, I thought my well water was safe and Buckingham's Board of Supervisor's again not listening to the people have now made it legal for core sampling instead of shutting down a company who was drilling illegally. Please help us stop them. Rhonda Dennis
Virginia needs to develop up to date regulations for gold and other mining to protect our rivers and streams. Many Virginians depend on these waters and the aquifers beneath them for drinking water for themselves and their livestock. Polluting them with mining runoff and the exposed toxic components of drilling residue (arsenic, etc.) needs to be contained to the degree that surrounding waters are never impacted. Gold mining could occur throughout the mountain ranges and foothills of Virginia, so this is an issue throughout the state.
Please move ahead with the study of mining and processing and consider the effect of these industries on our environment and the unjust disproportional effects on our minority and economically disadvantaged communities. These industries must be held accountable for safe operations and environmentally appropriate clean up and restoration of all areas affected by their operations. Mining and processing may be seen as providing jobs, but there are other ways to provide good jobs which are less intrusive to our environment. We must put the long term good of our state’s environment and our citizens’ health over short term profits and dangerous low paying jobs. Let’s focus on more environmentally sustainable industries and safer, better paying jobs for our citizens. Thanks for all your good work for the benefit of all Virginians.
On behalf of the Virginia Conservation Network, I ask that you support HB2213, which will give the Department of Minerals, Mines and Energy, Department of Environmental Quality and Virginia Department of Health until July 1, 2023 to complete a study on the potential environmental and health impacts that gold mining could have on the Commonwealth. This is a necessary piece of legislation to ensure that we are protecting the health and rights of Buckingham County Residents and other downstream communities.
Dear Members of the House Rules Committee, The Virginia Transportation Construction Alliance (VTCA) represents over 300 organizations that make up the Transportation Construction Industry in Virginia And VTCA’s Aggregate Producers Members represent over 90% of all the metal/nonmetal mineral production in the Commonwealth. The Aggregate Producer Members of VTCA support the study of HB 2213, with one amendment. We recognize there are valid community concerns about the impacts of gold mining and encourage the Commonwealth to further study the process, however we do not believe it is necessary to issue a statewide prohibiting of certain mining permits until 2024. We believe localities currently have the tools to manage the issuance or denial of permits. While none of VTCA’s Members are gold mine operators, this legislation, if passed would be detrimental to the mining industry as a whole. Delaying permitting of mining operations to conduct studies is unjust legislation to operators that may currently be in the process of permitting operations, adding undo costs and delays to permit approvals. Aggregate is an essential component in everyday life. Uses for aggregates range from infrastructure construction, house & building construction, erosion control, medicines, agriculture, and pollution control to gravel for driveways. Again, we ask Members of the House Rules Committee to support HB 2213 with an amendment to strike lines 29 – 31.
My name is Heidi Dhivya Berthoud. I ask you to please support HB2213, which calls for a moratorium on gold mining in Virginia, and a study of the impacts and existing protections in place. I am the secretary for Friends of Buckingham. For 6 very long years, we labored to oppose the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a very impactful, polluting, dangerous and economically unjustified project that was rightfully stopped. Large-scale gold mining operations would be new to the Commonwealth and present a unique risk to communities and the environment. In particular, gold mining typically involves large quantities of cyanide, a toxin that is harmful to humans and wildlife. The history of gold mining around the world is dire. One important purpose of the moratorium and study in HB2213 is to assess whether Virginia’s existing regulations will protect human health and the environment from this type of activity. Many of Virginia’s current mining regulations date back to the 1800’s. They also do not address environmental justice. In 2020, the General Assembly declared that it is the policy of the Commonwealth to promote environmental justice and ensure that it is carried out throughout the Commonwealth, with a focus on environmental justice communities and fence line communities. We know that polluting industries would not be permitted, if the externalized and true costs of doing business were properly and rightfully accounted for. We ask that proper and realistic assessment is done; that the taxpayers are not left with the extensive costs of clean up and ruination of our health and drinking water. Thank you for taking a clear look at this.
I ask that you support Delegate Guzman's HB 2213 moratorium on gold mining in Virginia. After learning that exploratory drilling for gold was happening near my neighborhood, I reached out to the Buckingham County Zoning Administrator, Nicci Edmondston. She learned that no one in the county administration knew of it. Her research uncovered the fact that the driiling was not permitted and therefore prohibited. Not only was the county unaware of the several years-long exploratory drilling, but basically no one I've spoken with about open pit gold mining has any idea of what's involved. Transparency and accountability are needed regarding such an industrial possibilty which is documented in the western US, and globally: https://www.earthworks.org/issues/mining/, as causing severe environmental and economic harms. Please support the HB 2213 moratorium to allow for research before permitting modern, large scale gold mining in Virginia.
My name is Chad Oba and for the last 6 years I have served as president of Friends of Buckingham. During the time that we were trying to defend our homes, health and resources from a pipeline and compressor station, a Canadian company was doing exploratory drilling on land within the same aquifer as the Union Hill neighborhood where my husband and I live. We share the same aquifer as those who would be more immediately impacted, a distance of about 5 miles away. There is a historical African American church, the Warminster Church, in the neighborhood where the exploratory drilling has taken place. We feel a strong alliance with them as we share the same fate if the drilling leads to a modern gold mine. We feel that once more it is people of color who will bear the devastating impacts of a highly polluting industry that gold mining presents for anyone unlucky enough to live near one. Indeed most people are forced to give up their homes and move away from these types of mines. Please let me remind you that the General Assembly declared that “it is the policy of the Commonwealth to promote Environmental justice and ensure that it is carried out throughout the Commonwealth, with a focus on environmental justice communities and fence line communities." The tailings produced in the extraction process introduce many heavy metals into our environment such as arsenic, cadmium, mercury and others. Enormous cyanide ponds are created that can be up to a mile across. The whole process is extremely deadly to all forms of life, including humans and put our water and the water of those downstream at extreme risk. The location here where the drilling has taken place is quite close to the James River which supplies water for millions of people. The gold pyrite belt extends into the Blue Ridge and along the Piedmont region so it is quite likely that gold mining could proliferate. The company has already leased 11,000 acres in Virginia. We do not have sufficient existing regulations in place to protect us as modern gold mining of this kind has not occurred in Virginia. I ask that you support HB2213. Our health, our water and our land use is great risk and this deserves further study. Thank you.
"My name is Mindy Zlotnick and I live in Buckingham County, VA. I'm writing to ask you to support HB2213 that is currently with the House Rules Committee. This is our urgent request for a moratorium on gold mining to allow for time to study the impacts to the drinking water of potentially millions of Virginians. An exploratory company has already found gold in Buckingham County. They say their find will lead to large-scale mining. Modern metal mining is the nation’s #1 toxic polluter. When Buckingham was the target of previous industry projects like the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, we learned that a company who comes to this Environmental Justice community to open a mine will not have our best interests in mind. We are looking to you to protect us. Please support HB2213. Thank you for your attention.
The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) supports HB 2213 carried by Delegate Guzman that ensures that the impacts of commercial gold mining to air, water, and public health are studied before permits are issued. Exploratory drilling for gold is taking place in Buckingham County and the same ore body runs through PEC's 9-county service region as well in the Virginia Piedmont. Gold mining tailings often contain elevated concentrations of toxic heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, and others. PEC believes this study is necessary due to the potentially negative impacts from gold mining on the health, safety, and welfare of the communities in and around where such mining takes place.
HB2244 - Family life education; curriculum guidelines, human reproduction, viewing of ultrasound video.
Please don't ruin our lives and State ! Thank You
These young kids are being taught things already that should be no part of any ciriculam. All this transgender crap and how America is a terrible racist world should be gone along with the ither nonsense. Please treat our children like the innocent children they are and should be. Just remember your days of going to school, remember how it was so simple and innocent and how we said the plesge of allegiance and we were taught just simple things like Math, Science, History and English. I understand the world is more complicated than back then, but cant we just leave all the other bullcrap for adults to figure out and stop putting pressure on our children.
I tried to check off as many as I could understand 🙃why not just get to work for the money we pay
HB2244 - Yes! Thanks for protecting life! HJ516 - COS! All for it! So badly needed!
I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
This piece of legislation is rooted in anti-abortion-access reasoning and adds nothing of value to the Family Life Education curriculum. As a former student of Fairfax County Public Schools, I experienced firsthand the way the current program can let down its students. Overhaul of the curriculum is needed to address the forms of sexual manipulation and violence that young people face in today's electronic world; teach young people about the role of consent and safe sexual practices rather than exclusively and overwhelmingly emphasizing abstinence; and discuss the diversity of experiences in young people coming to terms with their sexualities that may need resources outside of their families. Adding this specific requirement, the viewing of ultrasound imagery during the course, is likely unnecessary. Most students will probably see this imagery at some point, whether from television, in image form, or at instructor discretion. Forcing those who wish to terminate a pregnancy to go through bureaucratic motions such as viewing the ultrasound or having a burial for fetal tissue is a strategy that neither decreases abortions nor improves the health or wellbeing of pregnant people. It is a strategy designed to emotionally manipulate people into changing their minds and has no place as a requirement by the Commonwealth. Likewise, in the classroom, inserting this specific facet into the curriculum is an obvious attempt to replicate the above strategy. It is unnecessary, disruptive, and rooted in a philosophy that does not fulfil students' needs. I ask the legislature of Virginia to focus instead on the needs of students in Family Life Education that are supported by data.
HB2271 - Universal health care; Joint Commission on Health Care to study options for financing.
Please don't ruin our lives and State ! Thank You
No universal health care will cause too much debt and change out social security? I’ve worked my whole life and feel I deserve that money I have put in. Universal health care will break out infrastructure bad set the debt level even higher.
I tried to check off as many as I could understand 🙃why not just get to work for the money we pay
I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
In favor of programs to better facilitate the development and progress of my community.
I support these three bills. I believe a study to definitely suggest how best the Commonwealth of Virginia can get money out of politics is key to our raising ourselves up from the 10% worst states with respect to campaign contributions, with only 4 states more corrupted by money in politics than us. This is why I feel we need Del. Bulova's HJ526. I support Del. Samirah's HB2271. Having lived in Québec, Canada (just like our new Vice President), which is a Medicaid for all system with a Canadian Federal Grant, I can say the system works and works very well. I think that a Medicaid for Some system is the perfect one for Virginia to showcase as an option to the rest of the states, as a better solution than the drastic Medicare for all Federal bureaucracy. Samirah's bill would study just what a Public Option (Medicaid for Some) would look like. After all, it's what Obamacare, the ACA, should have been. Let's do what the Federal Government could not: Medicaid for Some: you have a Public Option. Finally, I support McNamara's HJ541. Daylight Savings is a joke. There is no reason to shift the clock twice a year and it causes less productive workers for an entire week after the time changes, injuring our economy. Arizona has no daylight savings, and Virginia would do well to follow, and lead the charge to eliminating Daylight Savings across the entire Eastern Seaboard. We literally spend 7 months in Summer Time, and only 5 in Standard Time. I hope this study will look into all possibilities including moving Virginia to Central Time permanently, just go into Summer Time in March, and never leave it. That would be my dream but I look forward to what this study will find.
HJ522 - Staffing levels, employment conditions, and compensation at DOC; continued study, appropriations.
Please don't ruin our lives and State ! Thank You
HJ 522 Establishes a Joint Committee of the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions; the House Committee on Public Safety; the Senate Committee on the Judiciary; and the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services to study staffing levels, employment conditions, and compensation at the Virginia Department of Corrections. The resolution directs the joint committee to conclude its work by November 30, 2021 and to report its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the 2022 Regular Session of the General Assembly. The National Coalition of Public Safety Officers in Virginia represents Correctional Officers and knows firsthand that this committee is desperately needed. We are asking for your support of this much needed study.
I tried to check off as many as I could understand 🙃why not just get to work for the money we pay
I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
In favor of programs to better facilitate the development and progress of my community.
The men and women who work as correctional officers in Virginia's DOC facilities, providing essential public safety services, work in situations many of us cannot envisage must less would perform ourselves. Their challenges are in need of review and assistance. This bill, HJ 522, would continue the needed study the General Assembly authorized last year. We forward to your support of this bill.
HJ525 - National Statuary Hall Collection at the United States Capitol; Barbara Rose Johns.
Please don't ruin our lives and State ! Thank You
I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
Sierra Club wishes to express its support for HB1978 Legislative staff development fund , and HJ525 placing a statue of Barbara Johns in the National Statuary Hall of a nation's Capitol
The heroism and vision of Barbara Johns — at just age 16 — changed the nation, through strides from her student-led strike in 1951, through Brown v. Board, ringing through the generations beyond. She is a hero to us here in Farmville, where the Moton Museum commemorates her story and bravery and those of her fellow student strikers, as a national historic landmark. She is a hero and inspiration for Virginia, and it is so fitting for her to join America’s heroes in the U.S. Capitol in Statuary Hall. Taylor Reveley President, Longwood University
Thank you to members of the House Rules Committee for the opportunity to share written comments regarding HJ525: National Statuary Hall Collection at the United State Capitol; Barbara Rose Johns sponsored by Delegate Ward. I serve as Executive Director of the Robert Russa Moton Museum (Moton). The Moton Museum, housed in the former Robert Russa Moton High School, is the 1951 student walkout site led by 16yr old student Barbara Rose Johns. The Moton Museum promotes and interprets the civil rights history of Prince Edward County and the leading role its citizens played in moving our country from segregation to integration. Barbara Johns is a hero of the civil rights movement whose idea, passion and creativity helped to spark significant change in our country. As a representative of the Moton Museum I offer support for HJ525 – National Statuary Hall Collection at the United States Capitol; Barbara Rose Johns. We support this resolution because of our belief that Barbara Rose John’s, a student civil rights activist, should represent the Commonwealth of Virginia in the US Capitol National Hall Statuary Collection. Her likeness would make a powerful statement to those who visit the Capitol each year – American visitors, international tourists, and most importantly school children. When she led the walkout at Robert Russa Moton High School alongside her classmates in protest of unequal school conditions, she inspired a call to activism, resulting in a transformative change to our educational system and the Jim Crow laws that held a captive grip over our country. Barbara Rose Johns represents the values of citizenship, democracy, and empowerment that stand at the heart of what we seek to communicate through our work alongside our partner institution Longwood University. It was in this rural Virginia community of Farmville, Virginia that young people stepped forward and gave their voice to a movement that would lead to change in our education system and laws. Barbara John’s and the strength of her contributions on behalf of her classmates and other citizens of Prince Edward County citizens offers much-needed diversity to the collection.
Removing or adding statues does not erase or create our history, but who we choose to honor with a statue does help tell a story, the story of our values. Both the US Capitol and our Virginia Capitol should tell a story of people who stood up for others and fought to make Virginia a more equitable place. Therefore, I support HB2208 and HJ525.
HJ526 - Comprehensive campaign finance reform; joint subcommittee to study.
Please don't ruin our lives and State ! Thank You
We urgently need campaign finance reform in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We need campaign finance limitations which 45 of the 50 states have so that no one has outsized influence over candidates for the General Assembly or for statewide office so that we the people know that our representatives are not bought by special interests. We need to ban corporate donations. We need to have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, not a government of the corporations for the corporations and by the lobbyists.
I support HJ526. I hope studying campaign finance will lead to positive change in the 2022 legislative year. We need an omnibus result which can be submitted as a package and then we need to demand the speaker makes this a priority! We can't let the watched fund the watchmen with their influence. We can't let corporations control our political system. We need to fix this, and let this be the last study. We know what happened with Gov. Wilder's study. This time, make it permanent!
Testimony Supporting HR526, “Establishing a joint subcommittee to study comprehensive campaign finance reform ” My name is Nancy Morgan, the coordinator of the VA chapter of American Promise and we support this bill. 30 years ago a Gov Wilder Commission recommended that Virginia introduce campaign finance limitations. In 2021, we are only1 of 5 (soon to be 4) states with no campaign finance limitations. Meanwhile, for years, campaign finance bills have been introduced in the General Assembly and had no hearings, while election spending in Virginia has been soaring, reaching $121 million in 2019. We support the idea of this study but want more than just an executive report which might sit on the shelves for another 30 years. We would like the study to result in a package of legislative-ready bills for consideration by the 2022 GA session. These bills should be vetted with legislators prior to the next session and the package should address not only limitations, but “state of the art” disclosure bills, options for implementing public funding for elections and a budget and plan for ensuring effective monitoring and enforcement. We shared Del Bulova’s bill with the Campaign Legal Center and our group worked with them to come up with some improvements to the study which we shared with the Delegate. The CLC expressed a willingness to work with this Commission to come up with good legislation. We support the study proposal as long as there is something other than just recommendations in a report. We all hope that this isn’t simply a means of “kicking the can down the road” because that isn’t acceptable to the citizens of the Commonwealth.
I tried to check off as many as I could understand 🙃why not just get to work for the money we pay
I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
Thank you Mr. Chairman for this opportunity to testify in support of HJ 526 on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Virginia. My name is Janet Boyd. I am the Director of Voter Services and chair the League’s Campaign Finance Issue Group. The League has long supported legislation that protects representative democracy from distortions created by unrestricted campaign contributions. Delegate Bulova’s bill, which provides rules for a comprehensive study, is a valuable first step that could lead to a strong, new campaign finance system for Virginia. Currently, Virginia’s campaign finance laws are inadequate. We are behind the 22 states that already prohibit all corporations from contributing to political campaigns. Only 5 states, including Virginia, have no restrictions on any campaign contributions. We are encouraged by the deadline in this bill that would require the study to be completed later this year, in time for its recommendations to be considered in the General Assembly’s 2022 Regular Session. If passed, we urge the Rules Committee to watch the organization of the Joint Subcommittee, including quick selection of its members, to ensure this end-of-year deadline is met. Additionally, we support the bill’s comprehensive outline for the study. We recognize that all parts of campaign financing should be considered together to ensure that a truly trustworthy system is in place for Virginia. Should the bill be enacted, the League of Women Voters is committed to support and assist the Joint Subcommittee in completing this study. We urge you to pass HJ 526.
My name is Nancy Morgan, the coordinator of the VA chapter of American Promise and we support this bill. 30 years ago a Gov Wilder Commission recommended that Virginia introduce campaign finance limitations. In 2021, we are only1 of 5 (soon to be 4) states with no campaign finance limitations. Meanwhile, for years, campaign finance bills have been introduced in the General Assembly and had no hearings, while election spending in Virginia has been soaring, reaching $121 million in 2019. We support the idea of this study but want more than just an executive report which might sit on the shelves for another 30 years. We would like the study to result in a package of legislative-ready bills for consideration by the 2022 GA session. These bills should be vetted with legislators prior to the next session and the package should address not only limitations, but “state of the art” disclosure bills, options for implementing public funding for elections and a budget and plan for ensuring effective monitoring and enforcement. We shared Del Bulova’s bill with the Campaign Legal Center and our group worked with them to come up with some improvements to the study which we shared with the Delegate. The CLC expressed a willingness to work with this Commission to come up with good legislation. We support the study proposal as long as there is something other than just recommendations in a report. We all hope that this isn’t simply a means of “kicking the can down the road” because that isn’t acceptable to the citizens of the Commonwealth. Below are some technical suggestions to consider when implementing the study. II. Structure of the committee 1) Appointments: ○ Two members from the House and Senate should be members of the P&E committees, and/or legislators who have introduced CFR reform bills, since they are the most aware of the challenges of passing legislation on this topic. ○ There should be parity between legislators and non-legislative citizen members and they should be appointed by the Speaker with consultation from the Chair of the House P&E committee. II. Meetings-line 55. “Shall Be limited to four “in person” meetings for the ….2021 interim. III. Transparency: ● There needs to be public access to the deliberations and results; perhaps organize hearings to get input from the general public. ● Legislative feedback should feature into the study. This could come from a survey/questionnaire to Virginia lawmakers requesting their input for the study (issues, concerns, questions to be addressed by the study). ● The meeting schedule should include intermediate mileposts for publicly available presentation of progress reports so that members of the legislature may provide ongoing feedback and direction to the study.
HJ526 - I support Del. Bulova's bill proposing a joint committee to study comprehensive campaign finance reform. Virginia is one of only four states that has no campaign finance limitations of any kind. As a result, the cost of campaigns in Virginia has skyrocketed. Already, 46 other states have tested various campaign funding limitations and they have passed judicial review. Further, concerns that limiting campaign donations will cause Dark Money to fuel campaigns have been dealt with by a number of states through a combination of enhanced disclosure and enforcement. Finally, the scenario of the self-funding candidate who has the ability to influence the outcome of the race has also been successfully dealt with in a number of other states. A study will de-mystify campaign finance limitations and provide the opportunity to utilize best practices from other states to make strong recommendations for campaign finance reforms and greater campaign funding transparency. Citizen participation in these studies will allow for a robust and thorough discussion of the issues surrounding the lack of campaign finance limitations in Virginia which can no longer be ignored. HJ569 - I support Del. Jones proposal to call request the Department of Forestry convene a stakeholder advisory group to study and evaluate enabling statutes for local ordinances related to the preservation, planting, and replacement of trees during the land development process. In 2019, I relocated from Prince William County to Caroline County. Part of the reason for my relocation was because a developer was allowed to destroy several hundred trees in an area of wetlands that bordered my property in a clearly riparian area less than a quarter mile from the Occoquan River. The trees had acted as an important buffer for storm water runoff that kept my community from facing serious flooding issues during the extremely wet year of 2018. Despite initially being told that the developer had not been granted a permit by the Commonwealth to build on that land because they were wetlands, I subsequently learned that the developer had promised to "plant trees in another area" in exchange for building on that site. It was clear to me and the Virginia government scientists that those wetlands were an established part of the Potomac watershed and should have been preserved, but clearly, they were powerless to enforce that upon the developer. I have subsequently worked with the Department of Forestry at my new property. For situations like the one I am describing, they should have had a role in negotiating how this critical wetland area was handled. Instead, the Commonwealth of Virginia lost hundreds of established trees that will be replaced by whatever the developer can find on sale with no guarantee that the replacement trees will survive, a net loss towards our committed goal to plant 25,000,000 trees by 2025.
I support these three bills. I believe a study to definitely suggest how best the Commonwealth of Virginia can get money out of politics is key to our raising ourselves up from the 10% worst states with respect to campaign contributions, with only 4 states more corrupted by money in politics than us. This is why I feel we need Del. Bulova's HJ526. I support Del. Samirah's HB2271. Having lived in Québec, Canada (just like our new Vice President), which is a Medicaid for all system with a Canadian Federal Grant, I can say the system works and works very well. I think that a Medicaid for Some system is the perfect one for Virginia to showcase as an option to the rest of the states, as a better solution than the drastic Medicare for all Federal bureaucracy. Samirah's bill would study just what a Public Option (Medicaid for Some) would look like. After all, it's what Obamacare, the ACA, should have been. Let's do what the Federal Government could not: Medicaid for Some: you have a Public Option. Finally, I support McNamara's HJ541. Daylight Savings is a joke. There is no reason to shift the clock twice a year and it causes less productive workers for an entire week after the time changes, injuring our economy. Arizona has no daylight savings, and Virginia would do well to follow, and lead the charge to eliminating Daylight Savings across the entire Eastern Seaboard. We literally spend 7 months in Summer Time, and only 5 in Standard Time. I hope this study will look into all possibilities including moving Virginia to Central Time permanently, just go into Summer Time in March, and never leave it. That would be my dream but I look forward to what this study will find.
This is an important bill that would provide a first step to restoring our local Virginia ecosystem. It will have economic benefits e.g. species like English ivy destroy trees in Virginia costing homeowners and taxpayers real money for tree removal due to the damage that causes. Other invasive are crowding out native plants and causing real harm to the environment. We need a simple common sense action that removes these foreign species from the nurseries. Consumers typically have limited knowledge of these plants and would likely not purchase them if they were more informed. Please support this bill.
HJ527 - Invasive plant species; DCR, et al., to study the sale and use of species.
Please don't ruin our lives and State ! Thank You
I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
VIrginia Conservation Network (VCN) is in full support of HJ527. Case description: http://www.vcnva.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/HJ527-Invasive-Species-Talking-Points.pdf
The Nature Conservancy supports HJ527, requesting a study of the sale and use of invasive plant species. With lands under our care across the entire Commonwealth, our stewardship staff are familiar with how difficult and time consuming it is to remove invasive species and restore native plants and habitat. We hope this study will help move towards lessening that burden and the negative impacts of invasive plants and encourage the Committee to support the resolution.
I’m very concerned that invasive plant species are crowding out our native plants which are necessary to support our native plant species and wildlife. On Route 199 between Monticello and Longhill roads there used to be native dogwoods and redbuds blooming in the spring. In the last few years that area has been entirely overtaken by invasive Bradford pears which are choking out all other species. Likewise running bamboo has been and is continuing to be an invasive nuisance choking out all native plants in its wake. Please consider legislation to ban the sale and planting of invasive species such as Bradford pears, as has already been done in some localities across the nation. Also consider legislation to require barriers around invasive species such as running bamboo sufficient to prevent its spread into neighboring properties. Thank you for your attention to and efforts to protect our native Virginian plants and wildlife through your study of this issue. I look forward to seeing legislation put forward to address these issues which are so important to prevent the continuing spread of invasive plant species. Keep up the good work!
Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments in support of HJ 527, regarding a study about the sale and use of invasive species. The spread of non-native invasive plants is one of the most serious threats to native plant communities and to maintaining biologically diverse ecosystems in Virginia. Over half of Arlington County’s natural lands remain severely impacted by invasive plants, even after a decade of management. Arlington’s Invasive Species program was created in 2002 after concerned citizens advocated for the development of a coordinated program to help control invasive plants through public education and volunteer efforts. For almost a decade, the Arlington County Board has committed $100,000 per year to manage invasive plants in areas of high biodiversity, and spends an average of an additional $125,000 per year on management in other areas, making the total $225,000. These costs do not include staff time, as well over 1,000 hours of annual volunteer time at county-led events. While some of this time and funding is spent controlling invasives that are either not commercially available or are listed as noxious weeds, the great bulk of the invasive species being managed in Arlington County are still for sale commercially. These include Japanese Barberry, Wintercreeper, Chinese Wisteria and Burning Bush, to name just a few. Of particular concern to us are commercially available species that are just beginning to spread aggressively into our parks but have not - not yet – become as prevalent, such as Yellow Archangel, Chameleon Plant, and Black Fountain Grass. Preventing them from becoming established will require less herbicide use in the future, and save time and money in the long run in Arlington and elsewhere in the state of Virginia. Promoting the use of native plants would also be a benefit to Arlington parks and our general environment. Our beautiful native plants are a valuable part of Virginia’s heritage. They are the foundation of intact ecological communities and are critical to supporting robust and diverse wildlife populations. Native plants serve as host plants for butterflies, moths, bees and other pollinators, and the insects that feed on them are the food source for 96% of nestling land birds, including our state bird, the Cardinal. Native plants are inherently better adapted to local conditions so require fewer resources to maintain, as well. Arlington County offers its support to work with the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and other interested parties, including members of the nursery industry, to strengthen the regulation of invasive plants and promote the sale of native plants in Virginia, in a manner that considers both ecological benefits and long term economic benefits and costs. We appreciate your consideration of this important legislation and hope that you will support it.
Please support HJ527. Noxious exotic invasive plant species are prevalent throughout forested areas of Virginia, crowding out our own treasured native flora. Virginia certainly does not need to add to this growing problem by continuing to permit the distribution of these species. Nearly all noxious exotic invasive species are planted for purely ornamental purposes and could readily be substituted by native or non-invasive species. Let's keep Virginia forests Virginian.
I’m very concerned that invasive plant species are crowding out our native plants which are necessary to support our native plant species and wildlife. On Route 199 between Monticello and Longhill roads there used to be native dogwoods and redbuds blooming in the spring. In the last few years that area has been entirely overtaken by invasive Bradford pears which are choking out all other species. Likewise running bamboo has been and is continuing to be an invasive nuisance choking out all native plants in its wake. Please consider legislation to ban the sale and planting of invasive species such as Bradford pears, as has already been done in some localities across the nation. Also consider legislation to require barriers around invasive species such as running bamboo sufficient to prevent its spread into neighboring properties. Thank you for your attention to and efforts to protect our native Virginian plants and wildlife through your study of this issue. I look forward to seeing legislation put forward to address these issues which are so important to prevent the continuing spread of invasive plant species. Keep up the good work!
Friends of Accotink Creek SUPPORTS Delegate Bulova's/Senator Marsden's joint resolution to mandate a study to explore options for phasing out the sale and propagation of invasive plants in Va. Invasive plants are a disaster. They displace our native flora and provide zero value to birds and pollinators. Given the harm invasive plants do, it is curious that they are readily available for sale where they often escape the confines of where they are planted. The proposed study group will make recommendations on how to reduce or eliminate the sale and use of invasive species and promote the sale and use of our native species. The study will also find out how much counties in Virginia spend on controlling invasive plants, how much do property owners spend on getting rid of their invasive plants, and how many hours of volunteer labor is involved pulling them. All this data-gathering is vital if Va wants to make any headway tackling our infestations of invasive plants.
The James River Association appreciates the opportunity to register our support for HJ527, requesting a study of the sale and use of invasive plant species. As part of the James River Park System Invasive Task Force, our staff and volunteers understand the long and difficult task of removing invasive species and restoring native plants and habitats to Richmond's cherished park system. We thank the patron for bringing forward this important discussion and we urge the Committee to support the resolution.
Invasive plants have come to dominate the once beautiful piedmont landscapes of northern Virginia. They are indicative of human development, loss of biodiversity, and reduced food security. The nursery trade has an ethical obligation and moral imperative to cease the sales of non-native invasive plants. The Commonwealth of Virginia must incentivize the nursery industry to sell native plants and cease the sale of invasives. In just three years of removing invasives and planting natives on our 1 acre property in a suburban community, we have witnessed first hand a dramatic increase in bird and insect diversity and population. Monarchs not only visit, but raise caterpillars on our milkweeds. Bluebirds and Carolina wrens nest in our trees and shrubs. Hummingbirds feed on our native flowers and vines. Native bees and pollinators are flourishing on our property, strengthening our local food security. Invasives not only destroy our biodiversity, they destroy our ecological heritage. We can, and must, do more. - Adrian Willing. Father, husband, Christian, sailor, and native plants enthusiast.
Virginia Conservation Network (VCN) supports HJ527, and is appreciative of Delegate Bulova’s patronage of this important study. Our 150 partner organizations respectfully request that the subcommittee vote in support. http://www.vcnva.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/HJ527-Invasive-Species-Talking-Points.pdf
Dear Sirs, I am commenting here along with a letter recently sent to members of the committee in support of HB527. I am a full time farmer in Nelson County. Our land has been negatively impacted by invasive species for many years. First there was multiflora rose then kudzu . Each of these have forever changed the landscape into which thy were introduced. I have battled these species as long as I can remember. Then came Japanese Stiltgrass, Perilla Mint and now the worst one Fountain grass. None of these species are native to Virginia. These species are non-native aggressive invasives of the worst kind. As you probably know by now there are countless others negatively affecting the beautiful state of Virginia. Controlling invasive species is an overwhelming burden on landowners. It can seriously affect productivity of farmlands and our forests. Some of these invasives are being grown and sold in the nursery industry here in Virginia. They are also being sold into Virginia from nurseries out of state. Whereas we cannot hope to eradicate all the invasive species being proliferated onto our landscape I strongly urge you to support this legislative effort to study the impact of removing invasive species from sale in Virginia. This would be a giant step forward in preserving our native landscape. Protecting our private farmland and forest from invasives is just as important as protecting our parks, scenic areas, and national forests. We in this generation owe it to our children and grandchildren to ensure our native species are protected from the threats that invasive species present to the land and to our wildlife. Personally I will spend the rest of my life battling invasive species on my farm and continuing to support efforts to slow the spread of these outside invaders onto the landscape. Please join with me and many other concerned stakeholders in supporting HB527. William Mays
I’m urging any action possible, starting with a study and hopefully ending with the banning of the sale of non-native invasive species in the state. Many people WANT to plant more native species, but it’s really hard to know what are benign non-natives and what are invasive when touring a garden center. This study is a good start.
Please support this bill. I have spent many hours on my property and volunteering on park land removing invasive plant species. One of the more frustrating aspects of my work is to see the continued planting of plants we know invade our natural areas. While the spread of invasive plant species can be slowed through lots of hard work, the best time to push back invasive species is before they are planted.
I support this study. Invasive species are taking over our parks, farms, and forests. The consequences on the entire ecosystem and wildlife are immense.
Please support the restriction of the sales of invasive. They cause economic and ecological damage and are frequently used simply because they are promoted. This will change when native plants are recognized for their contributions and the benefits are made more evident to the consumer.
As a long time resident of Fairfax County I am saddened to see that we are unable to control the large quantity of invasive species of plants that are having a huge negative impact on the flora and fauna of our ecosystem. Removing these plants from being sold from nurseries doesn’t mean that there will be a loss of income but rather that the plants in question would be replaced similar types of native plants. Please give this serious attention so that we call all start to do something proactive to improve all the communities in which we all live. Thank You, Gail Conley
Please support Delegate Bulova's invasive study resolution. Invasive plants are taking over our parklands and streams, displacing our native plants and killing trees. It is illogical government policy to permit sales of plants whose removal, once they invade wild habitats, taxpayers then have to fund. Removing invasives is not risk-free and has high opportunity costs for volunteers. English ivy, Japanese pachysandra, running bamboo, Asian privets, Asian wisterias, Japanese barberry (banned in West Va and other states)clematis terniflora, Japanese knotweed, winged burning bush (sterile cultivars now available) wintercreeper(banned in Maryland), Chinese silvergrass, common periwinkle, Callery pear, and many other invasive exotics for sale throughout the Commonwealth often escape our yards and infest natural areas where they can become almost impossible to eradicate. Bulova's resolution won't ban any sales, but it does mandate a thorough, year-long study of the problem. Such a study is a good start and deserves bipartisan support. Red America , Blue America, most of us appreciate trees and don't want to see them strangled by invasive plants.
I felt my friend clear invasive species from the park on several occasions. They choke out natural species and take away from the health and beauty of the natural green spaces. Like so many things it is easy for these invasive species to find their way and get a foothold in nearly impossible to stop the stranglehold they wage on the other plants, many of whom help the natural wildlife as well. These invasive plants impact the symbiotic relationship between Flora and Fauna in our beautiful green spaces and it is 1000 times harder to reclaim them once these invasive species have been allowed dominion.
I'm an IMA (Invasive Management Area) lead for Fairfax County which means I have an area of county parkland which I hold volunteer days to pull invasive plants. I've been doing this for 5 years pulling weeds/shrubs/trees every weekend at least during spring/fall and some days throughout the year. We've hardly made a dent. My hope is to educate the volunteers to at least pull invasive plants from their own yard. Once you learn about invasive plants, you can't help but notice them as you drive around the county and see the destruction it has done to our woodlands and areas along the highways. Then you go to the nurseries and see the same plants for sale. The buyers are innocent in their purchases I believe when they purchase and plants these plants in their yards. We need to ban the sale of these plants to at least not make the problem worse. I also spend much of my leisure time also pulling invasive plants in my own yard. These plants have escaped cultivation and the issue needs to be addressed to take back our native vegetation for our pollinators, birds and all wildlife.
Please give limit on Invasives’ Sale & Use in VA -ASAP! We approach climate “tipping point” by Macro & Micro means; without habitat, extinction means bye-bye, with humans being the next canary in our “coal-mine. “ We live in a compensatory resource equilibrium of which we have continued to obliterate songbirds, insects, and habitat. We can not afford to continue without facing feedback loops of climate change with incalculable loss. I have worked plant sales as recently as the start of “Covid Spring” in Burke, and sadly English Ivy was sold. I walk along Pohick creek and see work for many more hands than I know willing to help, needed for removal of invasives mentioned before my comment- to our detriment! We must not add more. Thank you.
Understanding the sale and planting of invasive plants is critical to the ecological health of our region. Restricting the sale of non-native invasive plants such as English Ivy would save countless volunteer hours and tax dollars, improve ecological health, and prevent new occurrences in areas where there are efforts to eliminate these plants.
Friends of Little Hunting Creek supports HJ527, which will initiate a study to examine ways to address the problems caused by invasive exotic plants which overwhelm our natural areas, destroying trees, displacing native vegetation, and degrading wildlife habitat. Little Hunting Creek is a tidal tributary of the Potomac River that flows through the historical boundaries of George Washington’s estate. Many areas along Little Hunting Creek are invaded and degraded by English ivy, wintercreeper, privet, and other exotic invasives. Friends of Little Hunting Creek volunteers have spent hours trying to eradicate them, so far with limited success. Despite the fact that these plants cannot be contained where they are planted, but inevitably invade neighboring yards and nearby natural areas, they are widely sold, without restrictions or guidance, by retail and wholesale nurseries. Not only are they environmentally harmful, but after just a few years these hideous plants create a nearly impenetrable overgrown jungle inhospitable to both humans and wildlife, that destroys the environmental beauty of natural areas like our tidal creek. Many (such as Japanese barberry, English ivy) provide habitat hospitable to rats, mosquitoes, and ticks. Please vote for HJ527. Betsy Martin (President, Friends of Little Hunting Creek, Alexandria Virginia 22308)
I have spent literally thousands of volunteer hours pulling, digging, and cutting invasive plants in Fairfax County Parks. I have worked with hundreds of volunteers - and yet there are still so many parks overrun with invasive plants. It would be so nice if the county would control the sales of these plants which should mitigate the problem of the plants escaping from yards and into our parks. Please pass bill number HJ527. Thank you for your efforts.
The Virginia Native Plant Society, a statewide conservation organization of nearly 2000 paying members, heartily supports House Joint Resolution HJ 527 for a study of the impacts of the sale and use of invasive plant species in our Commonwealth. Our tag line is Conserving Wild Flowers and Wild Places. We have a Facebook following of more than 20,000, and our Virginia Native Plant Society Facebook Group has 8700 members. Invasive species are detrimental to our natural environment, and our members and volunteers spend time and money combatting their spread. Finding them for sale in their local garden centers is demoralizing for these volunteers and demeaning of their efforts. Led by the Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the study group will include other state agencies, conservation nonprofits such as the Virginia Native Plant Society, and industry representatives. The study group will make recommendations on how to reduce or eliminate the sale and use of invasive species and promote the sale and use of our native species. Invasive plants are plants that originate from outside a region and cause damage to the environment, economy, and/or human health after their introduction to a new region. Landscaping with invasive plants causes economic and environmental damage and impinges on the rights of neighbors on whose properties the plants encroach. Virginia taxpayers, state agencies, and local governments are spending substantial amounts of money per year on the removal of invasive plants, many of which are still for sale in the industry, thereby compounding the problem. The proposed study will investigate the financial burden of controlling invasives on taxpayers and private citizens, the impacts on the nursery trade industry if invasive plants are banned from sale, and potential strategies for phasing out the sale of invasive plant species in the Commonwealth. On behalf of all our members and followers, please support HJ 527. Thank you. Nancy Vehrs, President Virginia Native Plant Society 400 Blandy Farm Lane, Unit 2 Boyce, VA 22620 www.vnps.org
PLEASE vote in favor for this bill that mandates a one-year study of the sale of invasive plants in Virginia that identifies measures to reduce and eliminate their use and promote the use of native plants in the commonwealth. The threat posed by invasive plants is real and growing worse. Invasive plants are not only displacing native plants, but also contributing to a more insidious decline of all the other organisms (insects, birds, etc.) that depend on our native plants for their sustenance. Efforts are urgently needed to reduce the sale of invasive plants and, just as importantly, promote the use of non-invasive, native plants. Virginia natives are just as lovely as the invasive plants they replace, with the added benefit of helping restore ecosystem functions upon which we all depend. The Invasive Plant Species study is an important initial step along this path to a better future.
Invasive plant species are a big problem for Virginia. Invasive plant species are most often introduced through the horticulture industry. Some of the worst invasive plants today are commonly propagated by nurseries and sold at retail outlets throughout the commonwealth. Invasive plant harm our native ecosystems and their control is expensive to landowners, homeowners, farmers, corporations, utilities, and public agencies. We live in Charlottesville and have personally dealt with invasive species on our properties. Invasive vines and trees have overrun these properties. We have spent countless hours of our time and several thousand dollars removing and controlling these plants. Invasive plants also are detrimental to our local ecosystems disrupting important interactions between native plants and animals. Invasive plants offer nothing to native caterpillars, birds, or wildlife in terms of food. Research shows that invasive plants actually harm native wildlife and contribute to reductions in populations. There are PLENTY of suitable native trees, shrubs, grasses, and perennials to be used in the landscaping instead of invasive plants. It is time to get invasive plants out of the horticultural trade in Virginia. You are likely to hear many strong and LOUD voices against this resolution. Those voices are the ones profiting from propagating and selling invasive plants in Virginia. Consider this. The time, energy, and financial burden placed on private citizens, corporations, farmers, utility and road ROW managers, public parks and forests, homeowners, HOA's, and state and local governments are essentially subsidizing an industry who now knowingly produce invasives that are detrimental to ecological and economic health. We support HJ 527.
Blue Ridge Partnership for Invasive Species Management (PRISM) supports HJ NO. 527 which was introduced by Delegate David Bulova and is before this committee. Our non-profit organization is dedicated to reducing the impact of invasive species in the northern Blue Ridge Mountains and across the state representing 2,000 individuals who are concerned about invasive plants. PRISM has developed invasive plant species oriented trainings and related outreach materials to assist landowners in managing invasive plants infesting their back yards, fields, and farms. Working directly with landowners, farmers, suburban/urban homeowners, natural areas managers, HOA’s, ecologists, and researchers, PRISM understands firsthand the threats invasive species pose to Virginia’s ecosystems and to the economic well-being of individuals, corporations, utilities, and our public agencies. Thousands of people hours and millions of dollars are spent each year controlling and managing these harmful plants on both public and private lands. Many of the most detrimental invasive plant species to Virginia have been innocuously introduced though the horticultural industry. Commonly sold landscaping plants with names like heavenly bamboo, English ivy, and Japanese barberry escape from landscaping into Virginia’s most precious natural areas like the Blue Ridge Mountains. Invasive vines like Oriental bittersweet overtake and choke mighty oaks. Shrubs like autumn olive and grasses like Japanese stiltgrass outcompete native shrubs and ground cover disrupting vital ecological interactions between native plants and animals. Invasive plants contribute little to Virginia's native insects and wildlife while taking up space in our forests and causing ecological and economic harm. We are now just beginning to fully understand and see the negative ecological and economic effects of these species. Blue Ridge PRISM fully supports this important legislation and stands ready to answer any question(s) you or the committee may have about the threats invasive plants pose to Virginia. You may contact PRISM at anytime by email, info@blueridgeprism.org. Respectfully, Roderick S. Walker President, Blue Ridge PRISM, Inc.
PLEASE support this bill!! This is a huge problem and needs to be fixed. I spend at least $30,000 each year to protect my Blue Ridge forest from the onslaught of invasive plants. It is outrageous that some of the plants I am battling are still being sold to the public for landscaping. The public generally has no idea that these plants escape and cause problems across the landscape. This is not just a problem of non-native plants replacing our native plants. Most of these non-native plants are largely sterile in terms of the local food webs, meaning that we also have declining numbers of wildlife of all kinds.
Just as legislators have a responsibility to enact laws protecting our air and water, they too have a duty to protect our native flora and ecological communities from the negative impacts invasive species pose to our landscapes. Businesses and industries cannot pollute without regard to their negative actions nor should nurseries be able to profit off sales of invasive plants without regard to their negative impact. The financial and labor costs to remediate the damage, when even possible, is unfairly borne on individuals, organizations, and taxpayers. Of the thousands of plants sold through the nursery trade, a small fraction are a threat to the environment. Most shoppers would not purchase them if they knew how harmful they are. The nurseries must do the responsible thing by not propagating these plants as it is impossible for all the consumers to know how each of these plants can behave in the environment. And because it is unreasonable to expect all the nurseries to know how each of the plants they grow can behave in the environment, they should be guided by the recommendations of a body comprised of experts in multiple fields with knowledge of and experience in invasive plant ecology.
When someone buys and plants an invasive plant they have not made a decision for themselves, but also for their neighbors- also for the neighbors of their neighbors- for the plants and animals on their property and far beyond it. When they purchase an invasive plant, they have not made a purchase for themselves, but placed a cost over 10 times on their neighbors through taxes, labor, and lost wages- and an immeasurable cost of burden on the health of the environment we share. Mostly this is done unknowingly, but the damage is real and it is great. Over 700,000 ha/year of the U.S. wildlife habitat is lost to invasive plants, most are known to have been introduced for horticultural use by nurseries, botanical gardens, and individuals. Our current state law, the Noxious Weed Law, allows the growth and sale known invasive species and strictly preventing regulation if someone is making money form them. The nurseries that grow and sell these plants want to share beauty and make an honest wage, but their industry is subsidized by the much higher cost borne by the people of Virginia and beyond. We must act quickly and decisively and not be slowed down by calculating if the precise harm of selling invasive plants is 10x, 203x, or 1050x the price they sell for. This resolution is, frankly, more than generous to nurseries and the VA Agribusiness Council. The science is clear that we pay far more than the price of the invasive plants in the damage they cause. The science is clear on the plants that are known to be harmful. The passing of this legislation is an act of mercy for taxpayers, and a path to liberating the rights of citizens being infringed upon by the suffocating spread of invasive plants. I am an environmental biologist and volunteer with local environmental nonprofits whose lands are smothered with invasive plants beyond reasonable control. For the love of our people and our home, I ask that you keep teeth in this legislation and act quickly. We are not separate from our environment, and we must steward it wisely.
I am writing on behalf of the Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail about HJ527. We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit that works to maintain and improve the Mount Vernon Trail and it's surroundings in the George Washington Memorial Parkway. We spend a significant amount volunteer hours each year removing invasive plants that kill native trees and plants, crowding out food sources for Virginia's native wild life. Removal of these plants is costly both in time and resources that our volunteers could devote to improving the trail and park for the 1.5 million people that use it annually. Nearly every plant that is invasive is commonly sold and planted in Virginia. Each of these plants has a similar native species that could be grown and sold commercially. Sadly, the current availability of these invasive plants means that Virginia residents will continue to unknowingly plant species that cause enormous ecological damage. HJ527 is likely to be a significant important step to preserving Virginia's natural resources.
PLEASE vote in favor of this legislation that will help guide Virginia in controlling the sale of invasive plants! Make our Virginia horticultural industry responsible for its actions. They should not be selling invasive species of plants. These plants will continue to quickly choke out a thriving, healthy enviromment of plant diversity! I support mandating a study that will explore options for phasing out the propagation and sale of invasive plants in Virginia’s horticultural industry. If passed, this will be a big step forward in the fight against invasive plants!
HJ537 - Racism; General Assembly to recognize as a public health crisis.
Please don't ruin our lives and State ! Thank You
Our Constitution us our law of the land and without it we are a third world nation. It should be defended to the max and any that are against our Democracy should be excorted to the border. Racism in America is reversed, grant you there are bigots but not only white. Blacks are burning rioting and murdering their own and calling it because of white privilege??? They are allowing their slave masters(that they vote for) to keep them in a a Socialist poverty. Set the clock to one time and forget it. If I have to be somewhere it doesn't matter if the Sun is up or down I go.
Our Constitution us our law of the land and without it we are a third world nation. It should be defended to the max and any that are against our Democracy should be excorted to the border. Racism in America is reversed, grant you there are bigots but not only white. Blacks are burning rioting and murdering their own and calling it because of white privilege??? They are allowing their slave masters(that they vote for) to keep them in a a Socialist poverty. Set the clock to one time and forget it. If I have to be somewhere it doesn't matter if the Sun is up or down I go.
Racism, a public health crisis?? You must be joking. I'm a latino, born and raised in Queens NY. My name is Juan. I live in what is arguably the wealthiest county in the country. There is no greater harm to us minorities than to be made to feel like we need assistance in some way. So stop making race an issue. We're all Americans.
I support a COS
I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
HJ 537 and H J538 As voting citizen, I urge you to vote yes on these bills. I cannot imagine anyone who would not consider the first a basic human right. Many of us have had access to clean water our whole lives. Now many conditions, including racial and economic inequality leave seactions of the population vulnerable to prohibitive access, polluted and toxic supplies. Often those effected may not know the source of illnesses or have no recourse. I would like to see Virginia continue providing the healthiest conditions for all of its citizens. Insuring the right to clean water and recognizing the inequities in our past provisions is a moral and just direction.
As a pediatrician, I see first hand everyday the impact that systemic racism has on my patients and their families . It is one of the most important Social Determinant of Health that I discuss on daily basis. COVID has certainly magnified and intensified these pre-existing inequities. Naming racism as a public health crisis is an important first step in advancing racial equity and justice--and diagnosing the problem of racism in health care must be followed by planning for resource allocation and strategic action steps. The lives of my young Black patients and their families are at risk everyday if we do not take swift and decisive action to name this problem and begin immediate work toward addressing health inequity.
I am urging you to support HJ537 to recognize that racism is a public health crisis in Virginia. Communities of color are disproportionately exposed to environmental health hazards and often have less access to adequate health care. We see this in Richmond and more so now than ever with COVID-19 with the rate of death being 2 times higher for African Americans. This is a crisis and we need to ratify this in order to make addressing this disparity a priority. I am also urging you to support HJ538 to recognize that access to clean, potable, and affordable water is a necessary human right. Lack of access to clean water also disproportionately affects low-income, communities of color and is an issue of public health. Safe water is necessary for life. If all lives are to be considered equal, safe drinking water must be considered a human right.
I am a biological anthropologist and associate professor of anthropology at VCU, and I have spent my career both in the US and in Africa studying the evolution of our species and the unique intersection of human biology and culture. A primary tenet of my field is that while race itself is not a biological reality, the outcomes of racism and the social construction of race are clear and measurable. Countless data-driven, peer-reviewed studies show us that Black Americans experience health inequities that lead to a lower life expectancy, Black women are up to four times more likely to die of pregnancy-related complications compared to white women, the pain of Black patients is consistently underdiagnosed and undertreated, and Black Americans are more than twice as likely to die from COVID-19. These outcomes and others like them have all been consistently tied to racial biases and structural racism in healthcare, which tells us that the risk to the health of Black Virginians is not being born Black, it is being born into a system that was not and is not designed for them. The American Medical Association has declared racism a national public health crisis, and has prescribed steps to combat racism including acknowledging the harm of racism and unconscious bias within medical research and healthcare, and identifying tactics to counter racism and mitigate its health effects. We in the Commonwealth have a responsibility to follow the lead of the AMA and realize that health inequities due to structural racism in Virginia not only cost the Commonwealth hundreds of millions of dollars, they cost the lives of members of our community. These inequities cannot be addressed or solved until they are officially acknowledged. I urge you to make Virginia a leader in the South and the country, and pass this resolution. Thank you - Dr. Amy L. Rector
Dear Chair and Members of the House Rules Committee. My name is Joseph Fields-Johnson. I am a board certified family physician in Richmond, Virginia and a volunteer with Virginia Organizing, a social justice organization committed to dismantling racism in the Commonwealth. I am writing in support of Delegate Aird’s House Joint Resolution 537 declaring Racism a Public Health Crisis in Virginia. Every day I provide primary care to children, youth, and adults. The health outcomes that I witness daily are complicated, yet frequently are linked to a common cause, racism. From the late detection of breast cancer for my uninsured Latina patient, to the stillbirth of my Black Liberian patient, to the Black maternal death of my colleague's patient, to the heart attack at 48 years old for my Black male patient, to the behavioral changes in Black youth due to adverse childhood events, each of these outcomes is worsened by structural racism through barriers to healthcare, economic insecurity, unstable housing, inequitable education, and environmental injustice. Consistently, experts in public health and medicine have shown structural racism as a primary driver of these outcomes. This resolution will demonstrate to Virginians that members of this committee and our leaders in the general assembly are taking seriously the active, ongoing harm occurring to my patients due to a system of racism that has evolved over 400 years by white people that look like me in powerful roles like mine. It is time we dismantle these systems. This resolution is one more step on that journey.
Please read what the American Academy of Pediatrics said about the impact of racism on child and adolescent health in August 2019 (https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/144/2/e20191765): The American Academy of Pediatrics is committed to addressing the factors that affect child and adolescent health with a focus on issues that may leave some children more vulnerable than others. Racism is a social determinant of health that has a profound impact on the health status of children, adolescents, emerging adults, and their families. Although progress has been made toward racial equality and equity, the evidence to support the continued negative impact of racism on health and well-being through implicit and explicit biases, institutional structures, and interpersonal relationships is clear.
As a pediatrician, I know that so much of what determines a child’s health happens before they enter my office. I’m often faced with factors that are out of my control – and out of my patients’ control, too. These are the social factors and forces that have an outsized role in determining our health and well being – like where we were born, how much money we have, and the color of our skin. Racism occurs at many levels – it’s more than just how people treat one another. When we say it is “systemic,” we mean that racism affects where and how people live, work, and learn, the way we make policy at local, state, and federal levels, the kind of health care people have access to, and how they’re treated when they seek care. The result is that we have significant disparities in a variety of health outcomes among racial groups. These disparities start in the womb, with Black pregnant women far more likely to die than White pregnant women of the same socio-economic and educational status. Black babies are more than twice as likely to die in infancy as White infants. Black children are less likely to receive appropriate pain medications when they report to the Emergency Room with appendicitis or bone fractures. And in the current pandemic we have seen that Black, Latinx, and Native children, like their parents, are more likely to contract COVID and to die from it. I support House joint resolution number 537 because without diagnosing and naming a problem we can’t begin to address it. If adopted, Virginia will become a leader in the South in our recognition of the importance of this problem. We can address this deeply entrenched issue if we first define it as a priority. I urge you to take action on this resolution today – my young patients and their families can’t wait.
***Regarding HJ 537 - Aird - Racism; General Assembly to recognize as a public health crisis: I urge the House Rules Committee to move HJ 537 to a vote in the General Assembly, and I urge you to fully support it and vote for it in the General Assembly, to recognize Racism as a Public Health Crisis. This is a critical action as this recognition will provide accountability and establish the necessary resources needed to eliminate racial health disparities. I, along with the Virginia State Conference NAACP, strongly believe that systemic racism has manifested as a determinant to public health through persistent racial disparities in criminal justice, housing, education, health care, employment, worker protections, climate, outdoor access, food access, and technology. According to studies on adverse childhood experiences (including racism), it was found that 19 percent of Virginia’s children experience two or more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), particularly 37 percent of Black children experienced two or more ACEs, which is nearly double the rate of trauma that all children experienced. Trauma is known to contribute to long-term negative social and health outcomes. More than 100 studies have linked racism to negative health outcomes, including research supporting that the cumulative experience of racism throughout one's life can induce chronic stress and chronic health conditions that may lead to otherwise preventable deaths. Many communities of color suffer from increased exposure to environmental hazards, poor air quality, lack of access to safe and affordable opportunities for outdoor recreation, lack of mental health services, and lack of educational and career prospects. Specifically, Black women are up to four times more likely to die of pregnancy-related complications than white women, Black men are more than twice as likely to be killed by police as white men, and the average life expectancy of Black Americans is four years lower than the rest of the United States population. The Virginia NAACP recognizes that racial health disparities have been on display during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Black Americans more likely to be hospitalized by the virus and more than twice as likely to die from the virus as Caucasians. Only five states have declared racism a public health crisis and none are located in the South. Virginia was once the capital of the Confederacy. It must now be the leader in recognizing its past and creating changes to address it. Every Virginian regardless of race or ethnicity deserves an equitable opportunity to live a long, healthy life, which is why I’m joining the Virginia State Conference NAACP in asking you to support this critical legislation. Thank you for considering my views.
Amidst the biggest public health crises in decades - a pandemic and climate change - we must recognize the tremendous impact that inequities have on Virginians and their health. Clean, potable, and affordable water is essential to a decent life, particularly at a time when hygiene is so important to us. Water is life. And there is no denying the deep, all-encompassing reach that racism has in people of color's lives. Racism is entrenched in our systems and leads to deep inequalities that have a profound effect on people of color's health, which is only exacerbated in a crisis like COVID-19. I urge you to vote YES on these two bills. Thank you for your consideration.
Please support these bills, which are so basic and only aim to make our communities better for all constituents,
New Virginia Majority Supports HJ537 (Aird): Building strong, thriving, and resilient communities today and long after the on-going COVID-19 health crisis requires recognition of the generational impacts from systemic and institutional racism on health outcomes in our communities and advancing a commitment to addressing the disparate differences in health that exist along lines of race, ethnicity, gender, and income. We support this legislation’s call to build a vocabulary in state government for articulating how racism is a public health crisis in Virginia, as well as calling the Virginia Department of Health Office of Health Equity into action, and permanently retaining the Commission to Examine Racial Inequity in Virginia Law in state government. We thank the Delegate for uplifting this urgent issue at the nexus of racism and public health and we encourage the committee to vote in support of this legislation. Thank you. Tyneshia Griffin, the Environmental Policy Research Analyst at New Virginia Majority.
Dear Delegates,, HJ537 would officially declare racism as a public health crisis here in Virginia. This recognition will provide accountability and unlock critical state resources needed to eliminate racial health disparities. There are many reasons to support this legislation, but my focus is trauma. According to Chloe Edwards of Voices for Virginia’s Children, “A prolonged activation of an individual’s stress response systems without buffering can change the body and brain, which can disrupt learning, behavior, growth, immune system, and even the way their DNA is read and transcribed. Intense physical and psychological stress reactions is known as trauma. It can be triggered by a single event, multiple events, or a set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically and emotionally harmful or threatening. This can have lasting effects on the individual’s physical, emotional, social, or spiritual wellbeing.” You can read more here: https://vakids.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2021-CTIV_RTR-Equity-Impact-Statement.pdf Please support this bill. Kathy Allen Goochland
Please support these two important bills.
Low-income individuals, including many minorities, are deprived access to clean water and adequate public transportation, including transportation to decent jobs. Such deprivation creates a cycle of disease, despair, violence, and premature death, and it reflects systemic racism at its worst. As a health professional and Virginia resident, I urge you to support HJ537 and HJ538. I also urge you go beyond studies and take effective, comprehensive action to address these problems. Thank you.
I want to fully express my enthusiastic and committed support for proclaiming racism as a public health emergency. As a Black sociologist of race and ethnicity, I am very familiar with the plethora of data we now have linking racism to negative public health outcomes. From racial profiling by law enforcement to educational apartheid to healthcare access and medical racism, racism negatively impacts the lives of Black and indigenous folks and people of color in our society. In Virginia alone, health inequities are estimated to cost over hundreds of millions of dollars per year. The first step we can take in addressing racism as a public health emergency is to recognize and declare it as such.
If we do not declare racism as a public health crisis the preventable deaths of lives that can contribute to a greater society, rests on our shoulders. It is time that the capital recognizes that we must confront change by addressing our history.
Nationwide, local and state have declared racism a public health crisis or emergency. Declaration of this nature are necessary to lay the foundation for the advancement of health equity in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We have adopted the public health framework of social determinants of health (where we live, work, play, and pray) to address health inequalities in the state. Policies and practices at the federal and state levels have been instituted over time and systematize discrimination based on the social construction of race, which, in turn, disempowers Black, Indigenous, and people of color to change these systems under which they must live. Positioning the decades old issue of racism as a public health crisis compels the same organizations and governmental units that perpetuate health inequalities to address the crisis in the broad, systemic ways that other threats to public health have sucessfully been addressed throughout our history. Methods to address this issue can include strategic initiatives in policies, practices, education, enforcement at the state and local levels as well as instituting support services.
YWCA Richmond stands with Delegate Aird, Delegate Bourne and Delegate Carr and the other patrons of this Resolution. We believe this resolution is the first step to creating effective policy to root out racism. I’m Linda Tissiere, CEO of YWCA Richmond, and when I asked our team if I was the right person to provide testimony on behalf of our organization - as a white woman - today, they were clear: individuals, specifically women of color, already know that what this resolution lays out for us is true: Racism is a public health crisis. For 133 years, YWCA Richmond has lived into our mission to empower women. Today, we have programming that addresses gender equity in the workplace, gender equity specific to violence in our communities and gender equity in leadership across our region. We serve thousands of individuals each year, most of our clients who access our resources live at or below poverty levels and are Black and brown women. Others are building skills to further our mission and inspire the next generation of leaders who will enact clear policies in our workforce to create a effective path to eliminate racism. HJ 537 moves us from protest to policy. Black and brown women make up two-thirds of the Commonwealth’s low wage workforce. In today’s health care crisis, Black and brown women accounted for 100% of job losses in America this past December. Beyond the pandemic, our regional domestic and sexual violence hotline receives 14 calls daily from individuals seeking resources to help them build resilience and opportunity. We know Black women have the highest rate of intimate partner violence compared to other races. Recently, YWCA Richmond’s crisis hotline received a call from a young Black woman. She was leaving her abuser with her infant child in her hands. As she stood outside, she asked our hotline specialist not to call the police because even though she understood her relationship was unhealthy, she did not want the systemic racism rooted in our criminal justice system to kill the father of her child. YWCA Richmond will continue to work for equity each day. We want the members of the House Rules Committee to join us today and send this important Resolution to the House floor. Thank you. Linda Tissiere, CEO, YWCA Richmond
January 21, 2021 Speaker Filler-Corn and Honorable Members the House Rules Committee: I write on behalf of Virginia Health Catalyst’s (Catalyst) board of directors, staff, and partners in strong support of HJ 537 which recognizes racism as a public health emergency in the commonwealth of Virginia. Catalyst works collectively with nearly one thousand organizational and individual partners across the Commonwealth to ensure all Virginians have equitable access to comprehensive health care that includes oral health – a mission that is strongly impacted by the legacy and recurring ramifications of systemic racism. Inequities in access to oral health services and outcomes are pervasive in the Commonwealth. Of note, in Virginia: • 69% of Black adults experience tooth loss; significantly higher than other population groups • Black and Hispanic women are less likely to visit a dentist during pregnancy; poor oral health during pregnancy contributes to low birth weight and preterm birth • Dental treatment improves chronic disease outcomes; specifically when a diabetic’s dental disease is treated they visit the hospital 39% less, visit the doctor 13% less and save $2,840 in annual medical costs compared to diabetics with dental disease. Black adults are almost twice as likely to have diabetes than their white neighbors. HJ 537 outlines important and necessary actions that offer a path to addressing these inequities head on; a vital step toward improving equity and health outcomes in the Commwealth. Sincerely, Sarah Holland Chief Executive Officer Virginia Health Catalyst
Families Forward Virginia supports actively dismantling the root causes of stress and anxiety that can lead to child abuse, including systemic structural racism and discrimination. Racial and economic disparities have life-threatening consequences for families. Study after study proves that racism has been traumatizing Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other peoples of color, causing them painful emotional, physical and psychological harm.
RACIAL JUSTICE IS THE ABSENCE OF RACISM. RACISM IS INTENTIONAL AND STRUCTURAL VIOLENCE. The essence of racism is seeing property instead of people and instigating intentional acts to undermine and destroy their human and natural capacity. We talk of systemic racism prevalent in organizational systems But it is not organizational it is human. Admittedly organizations are living breathing organisms structurally but it is the human element that creates racist policies and practices. RACISM IS WITHIN! Structural violence refers to systematic ways in which social structures harm or otherwise disadvantage individuals. Structural violence is subtle, often invisible, and often has no one specific person who can (or will) be held responsible (in contrast to behavioral violence) Let me quote Dr. Paul Farmer, “Structural violence is one way of describing social arrangements that put individuals and populations in harm’s way… The arrangements are structural because they are embedded in the political and economic organization of our social world; they are violent because they cause injury to people … neither culture nor pure individual will is at fault; rather, historically given (and often economically driven) processes and forces conspire to constrain individual agency. Structural violence is visited upon all those whose social status denies them access to the fruits of scientific and social progress.”
HJ538 - Access to water; human right.
Please don't ruin our lives and State ! Thank You
I tried to check off as many as I could understand 🙃why not just get to work for the money we pay
I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
HJ 537 and H J538 As voting citizen, I urge you to vote yes on these bills. I cannot imagine anyone who would not consider the first a basic human right. Many of us have had access to clean water our whole lives. Now many conditions, including racial and economic inequality leave seactions of the population vulnerable to prohibitive access, polluted and toxic supplies. Often those effected may not know the source of illnesses or have no recourse. I would like to see Virginia continue providing the healthiest conditions for all of its citizens. Insuring the right to clean water and recognizing the inequities in our past provisions is a moral and just direction.
I am urging you to support HJ537 to recognize that racism is a public health crisis in Virginia. Communities of color are disproportionately exposed to environmental health hazards and often have less access to adequate health care. We see this in Richmond and more so now than ever with COVID-19 with the rate of death being 2 times higher for African Americans. This is a crisis and we need to ratify this in order to make addressing this disparity a priority. I am also urging you to support HJ538 to recognize that access to clean, potable, and affordable water is a necessary human right. Lack of access to clean water also disproportionately affects low-income, communities of color and is an issue of public health. Safe water is necessary for life. If all lives are to be considered equal, safe drinking water must be considered a human right.
As many of us use water everyday without an issue, it is easy to forget that on a global scale and domestically in Virginia, having access to clean water is actually a privilege. This bill emphasizes the importance of water to be seen as a protected public good and not a commodity. Protecting and declaring water a basic right becomes especially important when we look at the fact that the majority of households in 60 of Virginia’s 95 counties rely on private wells. In total, there are more than one million households in Virginia using private wells. This means that groundwater and freshwater resources must be protected from various pollutants that seep into the ground from industrial use. Power plants are the biggest sources of water pollution in the country, and we see this fact specifically in rural areas throughout Virginia, in communities like Charles City County, Buckingham County and Portsmouth, VA. Additionally, much of Virginia’s water infrastructures are antiquated, rusty with harmful chemicals and need to be replaced. Old and rusty pipes are the main source of lead pollution which is a very real issue for multiple Virginian households and schools. In both rural and urban settings, communities of color are left unfairly with high water bills and polluted groundwater. Adopting HJ538 is one of the first steps in recognizing and rejecting threats to safe, equitable pollutant free water for residents across the Commonwealth of Virginia.
***Regarding HJ 538 - Aird - Access to water; human right. I urge the House Rules Committee to move HJ 537 to a vote in the General Assembly, and I urge you to fully support it and vote for it in the General Assembly, to Recognize that access to clean, potable, and affordable water is a necessary human right. It's frustrating that this needs to be declared, and perhaps you think it's obvious, but given the actions of water utilities during COVID, who threatened, or actually shut off access to water when individuals and families couldn't pay due to loss of jobs in a massive national humanitarian crisis - we must recognize and establish that access to clean, potable, and affordable water is a necessary human right. Water is essential to well-being, health, and life. As a commonwealth, we must ensure that all our community members have continued access to clean, potable, and affordable water at all times, and under all circumstances. Passing HJ 538 will help ensure that we make sure this minimum need is met throughout Virginia. Thank you for your time and for your work on behalf of Virginians.
Virginia Conservation Network is full support of HJ538 and hope that it is the pleasure of the committee to vote in favor of its successful passage.
Dear House Rules Committee and Speaker Filler-Corn, My name is Tallulah Costa, I am a 17-year-old constituent from Roanoke, Virginia (24015), and I am the Policy Director for the Virginia Youth Climate Cooperative. Today I would like to urge the committee to vote YES on HJ538. By voting in favor of this resolution, you will be recognizing that access to clean, potable, and affordable water is a necessary human right. As the climate crisis rages on, it is critical that you, our government officials, acknowledge how important clean water is. Further, by voting in favor of this resolution you will be making a statement to the Commonwealth that you understand the urgency of our environmental situation and will work to help make our state a better place for all. Thank you for your consideration, and for thinking of my generation and our futures. Kindly, Tallulah Costa
Amidst the biggest public health crises in decades - a pandemic and climate change - we must recognize the tremendous impact that inequities have on Virginians and their health. Clean, potable, and affordable water is essential to a decent life, particularly at a time when hygiene is so important to us. Water is life. And there is no denying the deep, all-encompassing reach that racism has in people of color's lives. Racism is entrenched in our systems and leads to deep inequalities that have a profound effect on people of color's health, which is only exacerbated in a crisis like COVID-19. I urge you to vote YES on these two bills. Thank you for your consideration.
Please support these bills, which are so basic and only aim to make our communities better for all constituents,
Frankly, I was shocked to hear water wasn't recognized as a human right in the first place. If this one isn't passed across the aisle I'll be truly ashamed of my delegates.
New Virginia Majority Supports HJ538 (Aird): During this public health crisis, the importance of essential services and public goods, such as water, have become evident along with the different barriers communities of color and working-class families can face when trying to access these basic necessities to keep themselves safe and healthy. We support this legislation's recommendations for state agencies and programming to prevent the abridgment of access to clean and affordable water in Virginia, especially due to discrimination, unfair billing practices, privatization of public water supply, and environmental contamination. We thank the Delegate and we encourage the committee to vote in support of this legislation. Thank you. Tyneshia Griffin, the Environmental Policy Research Analyst at New Virginia Majority.
Please support these two important bills.
Low-income individuals, including many minorities, are deprived access to clean water and adequate public transportation, including transportation to decent jobs. Such deprivation creates a cycle of disease, despair, violence, and premature death, and it reflects systemic racism at its worst. As a health professional and Virginia resident, I urge you to support HJ537 and HJ538. I also urge you go beyond studies and take effective, comprehensive action to address these problems. Thank you.
Please support this bill calling racism a public health crisis in VA. Some US data from the dean of my alma matter- John’s Hopkins School of public Health: -African American babies die before their first birthday at more than twice the rate of white newborns. -African American women die at more than twice the rate of other women during pregnancy and childbirth. -African American adults suffer far higher rates of hypertension, diabetes, and other serious chronic illnesses. -The life expectancy of African Americans is 3.5 years shorter than for white Americans. https://www.jhsph.edu/about/dean-mackenzie/viewpoint/racism-a-public-health-crisis.html It is clear— racial inequities constitute a crisis for public health. It is unconscionable & unacceptable to allow these disparities to continue when we have the medical knowledge to prevent this morbidity & mortality. The first step is to call out racism. The second is to immediately reverse these data Sara Holtz, Doctor of Public Health
Exploratory drilling for gold in Virginia is happening as we speak, and went on for years without the knowledge of the local community. Commercial gold mining is extremely toxic and a threat to the health, water, and air of communities across Virginia, and is currently threatening Union Hill and Buckingham County, who already had to endure being targeted for the now-canceled Atlantic Coast Pipeline. House Bill 2213, which would establish a moratorium on permits for commercial gold mining until a study of all the dangers of gold mining is completed, is crucial to protect Virginia communities. I moved to Buckingham to get away from business and to live a peaceful life. After the pipeline was defeated, I thought my well water was safe and Buckingham's Board of Supervisor's again not listening to the people have now made it legal for core sampling instead of shutting down a company who was drilling illegally. Please help us stop them. Rhonda Dennis
Support HJ 538: Human Right to Water in Virginia On behalf of Food & Water Watch’s 28,000 members in Virginia, we want to encourage the favorable passage of Del. Aird’s HJ 538 declaring water as a human right in Virginia. Although the top public health goal of this session is tackling the pandemic and it’s economic impacts, we must be sure we begin to address the water crisis in our country. Even pre-pandemic, the issues of water scarcity, water access, and water affordability were major issues that have been now been made worse by the pandemic. In September 2020, the National Academy of Science did a big study on water insecurity and found that almost half a million U.S. households, including more than 1.1 million people, do not have access to running water. It also found that up to 1.7 million Americans lack access to basic plumbing facilities such as a toilet, tub, shower, or basic running water. Almost 200,000 households have absolutely no wastewater system and up to 10 million homes across America get water through lead pipes. Furthermore, water and sewer bills have grown by 80 percent since 2010, according to a Guardian analysis of 12 major US cities, and in a typical year, an estimated 15 million people experience a water shutoff because of unaffordable water bills. Because funding for upgrading and modernizing our water systems has declined drastically in the last 30 years, aging pipes are breaking and losing 2 trilling gallons of water a year to leaks. Millions of people receiver drinking water with lead, forever chemicals, and other toxics, and wastewater systems are overwhelmed by climate change-fueled storms spilling billions of gallons of raw sewage into our waterways and our environment. This at a time when scientists are also worried about declining water resources. During the special session, the General Assembly tackled the issue of water shutoffs in the state as COVID-19 continues to devastate our state and our nation. But we must also keep our eyes on the looming water crisis and what the future may hold if we don’t act now. Some private water companies see an opportunity in the fiscal distress municipalities are now facing as a chance to flip the public trust doctrine that has ensured water is a public good. Just a few months ago, a new trading market for the exchange of water was launched that sees water as a commodity that can be traded for profit. If this takes root, access to water could well be determined by market forces and control of water resources turned over to private interests. The call for Virginia to declare water as a human right then is a way to signal that the state is committing itself to tackling the water crisis and ensuring all Virginians have access to clean,safe, affordable water now and in the future. We urge you to vote “yes” to pass HJ 538.
I am your constituent and a person of faith and conscience. I urge you to support the Human Right to Water Resolution (HJ 538) and Transit Equity and Modernization Study (HJ 542). Water and transit accessibility challenges often disproportionately impact vulnerable populations. I encourage you to also support the Human Right to Water Resolution (HJ 538) and Transit Equity and Modernization Study (HJ 542) because I believe we have a moral obligation to protect our neighbors, especially the vulnerable."
As a person of faith and conscience, I urge you to support the Human Right to Water Resolution (HJ 538) and Transit Equity and Modernization Study (HJ 542). Water and transit accessibility challenges often disproportionately impact vulnerable populations. I encourage you to also support the Human Right to Water Resolution (HJ 538) and Transit Equity and Modernization Study (HJ 542) because I believe we have a moral obligation to protect our neighbors, especially the vulnerable."
I wholeheartedly support this bill. How has this basic human right been neglected for so long.
Water is the most basic of all human needs. It seems foolish to think of access to clean potable water as anything other than a human right, and yet here we are discussing it. I live in a rural area and I have a deep well. While I am thankful for the privilege of not worrying about water bills, I realize that many are not so lucky. I do, however, worry about the water table and whether there will be enough water for my family and all of the new subdivisions that are coming in, as well as commercial and agricultural uses. I also worry about water quality in light of potential fracking in my county. I urge support of this resolution.
Virginia Beach went through a dry time before we were able to pipe water from Lake Gaston. I'm grateful city government pursued that long project. It taught me to value both water and government. Both are here for the common good. Neither should be polluted by greed. Please vote for HJ538. Water is essential to life, to health, and to human dignity.
Please support the Human Right to Water Resolution (HJ 538). As a person of faith, I believe we have a moral obligation to protect our natural resources and leave a better world for our children. Water accessibility and affordability often has a disproportionate impact on vulnerable individuals. I encourage you to pass this resolution because every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and sanitation purposes. It is critical for us to seriously look at protecting our water resources and ensure they are not used as a commodity but rather ensure they are a right to all Virginians. Thank you.
I urge you to support the Human Right to Water Resolution (HJ 538). As a person of conscience, I believe we have a moral obligation to protect our natural resources and leave a better world for our children. Virginians across the state have been and continue to be locked out of equitable drinking water sources due to affordability challenges. Water accessibility challenges often disproportionately impact vulnerable demographics and individuals. I encourage you to pass this resolution because every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and sanitation purposes.
I urge you to support the Human Right to Water Resolution (HJ 538). As a person of conscience, I believe we have a moral obligation to protect our natural resources and leave a better world for our children. Virginians across the state have been and continue to be locked out of equitable drinking water sources due to affordability challenges. Water accessibility challenges often disproportionately impact vulnerable demographics and individuals. I encourage you to pass this resolution because every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and sanitation purposes.
It is crucial for Virginia to declare water a human right as the majority of households in 60 of Virginia’s 95 counties rely on private wells. In total there are more than one million households in Virginia using private wells. We need the Human Right to Water Resolution (HJ 538) because these wells are frequently threatened by various toxins from neighboring polluters, leaving many Virginians vulnerable. Human Right to Water Resolution (HJ 538) is a first step to ensure our wells are protected. Everyone deserves the human right of access to clean water!
I urge you to support the Human Right to Water Resolution (HJ 538). As a person of conscience, I believe we have a moral obligation to protect our natural resources and leave a better world for our children. Virginians across the state have been and continue to be locked out of equitable drinking water sources due to affordability challenges. Water accessibility challenges often disproportionately impact vulnerable demographics and individuals. I encourage you to pass this resolution because every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and sanitation purposes.
Please support water as a human right. Support HJ538 Resolution
I urge you to support the Human Right to Water Resolution (HJ 538). As a person of conscience, I believe we have a moral obligation to protect our natural resources and leave a better world for our children. Virginians across the state have been and continue to be locked out of equitable drinking water sources due to affordability challenges. Water accessibility challenges often disproportionately impact vulnerable demographics and individuals. I encourage you to pass this resolution because every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and sanitation purposes.
I urge you to support the Human Right to Water Resolution (HJ 538). As a person of conscience, I believe we have a moral obligation to protect our natural resources and leave a better world for our children. Virginians across the state have been and continue to be locked out of equitable drinking water sources due to affordability challenges. Water accessibility challenges often disproportionately impact vulnerable demographics and individuals. I encourage you to pass this resolution because every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and sanitation purposes.
I urge you to support the Human Right to Water Resolution (HJ 538). As a person of conscience, I believe we have a moral obligation to protect our natural resources and leave a better world for our children. Virginians across the state have been and continue to be locked out of equitable drinking water sources due to affordability challenges. Water accessibility challenges often disproportionately impact vulnerable demographics and individuals. I encourage you to pass this resolution because every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and sanitation purposes.
I urge you to support the Human Right to Water Resolution (HJ 538). As a person of conscience, I believe we have a moral obligation to protect our natural resources and leave a better world for our children. Virginians across the state have been and continue to be locked out of equitable drinking water sources due to affordability challenges. Water accessibility challenges often disproportionately impact vulnerable demographics and individuals. I encourage you to pass this resolution because every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and sanitation purposes.
As a Montgomery County resident with a private water well that could be damaged by the Mountain Valley Pipeline if it continues to blast through karst terrain and if it ever does carry highly compressed fracked gas to be used elsewhere, I am most aware of the precariousness of Virginia's weak efforts to protect the water sources of its citizens. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has certainly not been up to this task in recent years. Making a commitment to recognize water as a human right might signal to all the intention to do better in the future. One can hope.
I urge you to support HJ 538, water as a human right. I’m appalled that many people, not just those in Flint MI, are left with water that is dangerous or cut off from clean drinking water. Too often, it is communities of color and/or poor that bear the brunt of plants or projects that jeopardize clean water supplies. I hope you will help protect our right to clean drinking water as a basic right and vote for HJ 538. Thank you for your consideration, Phoebe Antrim
Water is life. Water must be protected.
Water is the connecting force of our planet Earth. It is the source from which we draw the essence and essentials of existence. Were there no water we could not exist. The right of access to water is a human right. The protection of water and the access there to commands daily proclamation and commitment. Please.
As a person of faith, I believe we have a moral obligation to protect our natural resources and leave a better world for our children. Virginians across the state have been and continue to be locked out of equitable water sources due to affordability challenges. We need Human Right to Water Resolution (HJ 538) because water accessibility challenges often disproportionately impact vulnerable demographics and individuals.
The code of Virginia says the control of groundwater resources belongs to the public. We must ensure public access and affordability of water for private use by Virginia residents. Water should not be treated as a commodity, as access to safe drinking water is literally the difference between life and death. Water is a basic human right. Therefore I ask that you pass HJ538 and make sure that ALL communities have safe, affordable, and equitable access to water. Thank you.
I support HJ 538 and hope the legislature will do so as well. I find it ridiculous that it is even necessary to codify access to water as a human right. How many times will the experience of residents of Flint, Michigan have to be repeated before state governments and the federal government take action? Inaction in the face of this issue - particularly during a pandemic econom when many families’ ability to pay utility bills has become impossible - is unconscionable.
Scientists tell us that 70.8 % of the Earth's surface is covered with water. Reflecting that ratio, doctors inform us that about 60% of the human body (averaging 48% for women and 58% for men) is composed of water. We humans literally are beings of water. Just as without the oxygen in air, we cannot live long without water. As a preserver of human life, water must be recognized as a necessity for, a requirement of, and thereby as a human right to human existence and life. My primary concern is protecting and preserving sources of clean drinking water. I personally know of two families, one in mountainous northeastern Utah and one in northeastern Pennsylvania, whose drinking-water wells on their privately-owned properties were permanently polluted by the toxic poisons used in neighboring hydraulic-fracturing--"fracking"--for entrapped oil and gas deposits. My friends in Utah now have to bring drinking water with them to their property, and my friend in Pennsylvania was forced to sell her retirement home and move back into New York City. Fracking permanently destroys underground aquifers, rendering them toxic and unusable forever.
HJ542 - Transit equity and modernization; Department of Rail and Public Transportation to study.
I support this bill. I live in a food desert close to the Virginia Capitol and the lack of public transportation negatively impacts my access to fresh food. I support an increased focus on equity in public transportation and encourage an expansion and electrification of our current mass transit transportation network.
Please support this resolution. The state of Virginia needs this study in order to update its transportation model.
I urge you to support the Transit Equity and Modernization Study (HJ 542). Transit accessibility challenges often disproportionately impact vulnerable populations. We can re-invest and rebuild a transportation system that is safe, clean, widely accessible and increases economic and social mobility for riders, especially in communities of color and low-income communities. I encourage you to also support the Transit Equity and Modernization Study (HJ 542) because I believe we have a moral obligation to protect our neighbors, especially the vulnerable.
Public transportation is important part to creating a comprehensive, fair and affordable transportation system in Virginia. It can help to alleviate traffic congestion, while increasing access to jobs, medical services, education and recreational activities. This study will provide a needs assessment and develop solutions to improve accessibility, improve safety, as well as transit electrification. We strongly support this bill.
I urge you to support the Transit Equity and Modernization Study (HJ 542). Transit accessibility challenges often disproportionately impact vulnerable populations. We can re-invest and rebuild a transportation system that is safe, clean, widely accessible and increases economic and social mobility for riders, especially in communities of color and low-income communities. I encourage you to also support the Transit Equity and Modernization Study (HJ 542) because I believe we have a moral obligation to protect our neighbors, especially the vulnerable."
Honorable Senators and Delegates: I urge you to take all steps necessary to move this legislation forward so that a study of transportation equity and modernization can occur. Public transportation in the Commonwealth is the life blood of economic and personal development of its citizens and the businesses they support. An in-depth study would provide the necessary information to enable an equitable and efficient use of public resources to develop transportation systems.
HJ 542 This study would require the Department of Rail and Public Transportation to conduct a needs assessment of transit systems to identify whether systems are equipped with necessities such as: Benches Shelters Real-time arrival signs Integrated payment systems Dedicated bus lanes Transit electrification infrastructure This assessment will help shape a strategy for investment of future moneys and ensure that we are creating robust, resilient, equitable transit systems.
From Lisa Guthrie, Executive Director of the Virginia Transit Association: Delegate McQuinn's resolution is priority legislation for us this session. It is a vehicle to examine where we are positioned to go with public transit in the future. Thank you for allowing me to share more details in my comments below. Summary of HJ542: The Department of Rail and Public Transportation is requested to study transit equity and modernization over the next two years. Key takeaways: • DRPT, with the cooperation of all transit agencies that receive state transit grant funding, shall complete a study of transit accessibility, adequacy of transit infrastructure, implementation of emerging technology, transit safety, and transit system engagement. • There is an accompanying budget amendment for this study for $500,000. (442#4h) Background: VTA has been pleased to work in collaboration with DRPT and the nonprofit community to promote this forward-looking study that will improve transit services and ensure equity in access. In addition to collecting new data and information, sources for the study will include existing data: • Transit asset management plans • Transit development plans • Transit strategic plans • Public transportation agency safety plans • Corridor studies • Geographic information systems “Buckets” of items to examine: • Transit Accessibility • Adequacy of Transit Infrastructure • Transit Electrification • Implementation of Emerging Technology • Safety • System Engagement (Governance, Workforce, Underserved Rider Representation) Position: VTA strongly supports this legislation and encourages its passage.
I am urging you to support HJ 542 for transit equity and modernization. Since 1980, the VA transportation sector has produced more carbon pollution than the electric power sector. Additionally, particulate matter from vehicles disproportionately affects communities of color and attributes to severe health problems. Clean, accesible public transport would greatly benefit low-income communities. This bill calls for a study to examine how to best modernize transportation and improve funding. This could greatly improve the connectedness of our community, increase economic opportunities for those in low-income neighborhoods, and improve our environmental health.
Please don't ruin our lives and State ! Thank You
I am hoping that this study passes so that transportation throughout the state of VA can be improved and made more equitable. Finally the Jeff Davis Highway has a route that extends out past Chippenham Pkwy. But where else can Chesterfield folks ride? I have a friend who lives on the north end of Richmond and she commutes back and forth to work each day to the Southside on Hull St. It takes her 90 minutes each way and 2 transfers!!! I have a friend who lives in Roanoke and they have very few options to get to DC or to Richmond using public transportation. The Southwest part of Virginia is totally isolated. We don't need huge busses for all the routes. Mini vans and mini busses could be used for less frequented routes to save on fuel. This study is also very important to help us fight climate change! Covid 19 has certainly proven beyond a reasonable doubt that air pollution is significantly affected by the amount of automobile traffic on our roads. Folks need to be able to use public transit easily and cheaply to make it attractive to get out of their cars. Please pass this study!
I tried to check off as many as I could understand 🙃why not just get to work for the money we pay
I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
Legislative Summary - HJR 542 DRPT to Study Transit Equity and Modernization Patron: Delegate McQuinn Committee: House Rules Summary of legislation: The Department of Rail and Public Transportation is requested to study transit equity and modernization over the next two years. Key takeaways: • DRPT, with the cooperation of all transit agencies that receive state transit grant funding, shall complete a study of transit accessibility, adequacy of transit infrastructure, implementation of emerging technology, transit safety, and transit system engagement. Background: VTA has been pleased to work in collaboration with DRPT and the nonprofit community to promote this forward-looking study that will improve transit services and ensure equity in access. In addition to collecting new data and information, sources for the study will include existing data: • Transit asset management plans • Transit development plans • Transit strategic plans • Public transportation agency safety plans • Corridor studies • Geographic information systems “Buckets” of items to examine: • Transit Accessibility • Adequacy of Transit Infrastructure • Transit Electrification • Implementation of Emerging Technology • Safety • System Engagement (Governance, Workforce, Underserved Rider Representation) Position: VTA strongly supports this legislation and encourages its enactment.
On a long list of struggles, VA’s historically racist public transportation system still remains. Although there aren’t segregated bus seats or train cars, affording fares for public transportation, its public health consequences, and being able to use it to access opportunity and jobs remain problematic. We need to address An economic and racial segregation of transportation that continues today. In history we see that in many cases, once Black people were allowed to sit wherever they wanted on the bus, unfortunately more affluent, White passengers decided to abandon buses completely, in favor of private cars, except in the densest cities. Inequitable transportation planning profoundly shapes the quality of life, health, economic and social opportunities for low-income communities and communities of color. There are not enough clean, affordable, accessible, and reliable transportation options available. Transportation means more than we may believe upon first thought. It dictates where we go and how we live our lives. By choosing not to invest in the communities who use public transportation the most, what are we saying? Va’s current status is not enough and modernizing our transportation is not an option, it is a must. As we move to a cleaner economy and cleaner transit options, we have arrived at an indisputable opportunity to restructure the inequitable structure, technology, and the culture of Virginians Public transportation.
The Southern Environmental Law Center strongly supports HJ542, which calls on the Department of Rail and Public Transportation to study transit equity and modernization in the Commonwealth. As the General Assembly has repeatedly recognized, public transit is a critical component of our state, regional, and local transportation networks. Transit provides a host of important benefits—including health, economic, environmental, and equity benefits. From access to jobs, educational opportunities and health services to reduced pollution to community development, transit is essential throughout the Commonwealth. And the current pandemic has underscored how necessary transit is for our essential workforce. The bottom line is that transit can provide clean, affordable, accessible, and reliable transportation options to all Virginians. However, it is also abundantly clear that our transit systems need significant improvement to significantly increase and enhance the benefits they provide. The study proposed by HJ542 will produce information necessary to understand the current situation and form the basis for action, by examining transit accessibility, adequacy of transit infrastructure, transit electrification, implementation of emerging technology, transit safety, and transit system engagement. Of particular importance, the study will emphasize transit services and engagement opportunities for underserved and underrepresented communities. Please pass HJ542. Thank you.
RVA Rapid Transit strongly supports HJ542. We are an organization dedicated to educating and advocating for regional public transportation across metro Richmond. This DRPT study would benefit the Richmond region and transit systems throughout the state, by highlighting the needs and opportunities for enhancing our transit networks and bolstering the significant and inclusive economic, environmental, and social benefits they bring. Thank you for your consideration. Grace and Peace.
HJ542 - McQuinn - Support The Coalition for Smarter Growth strongly supports HJ542, a study of transit equity and modernization in the Commonwealth. The pandemic has shown how critical transit, particularly bus transit, is to our essential workforce. Access to transit is critical for access to jobs and opportunity, and for community economic development. It is just as essential in rural areas as it is in urban and suburban communities. Yet, we know that in many parts of our state, our transit systems do not provide sufficient service to our essential workforce, low-income communities, and the elderly and disabled; and that the infrastructure is often inadequate. Bus stops lack benches and shelters, information systems can be improved. There is also much to do including engaging community members and riders. We need to start by having a clear understanding of the system needs and whether we are adequately serving our population. This study will provide that information. Thank you.
SUPPORT/HJ 542 - The Virginia First Cities Coalition supports a two year study of transit equity and modernization in the Commonwealth.
New Virginia Majority Supports HJ542: For many working-class families, immigrant communities, and people-of-color in Virginia, access to public transit is vital for maintaining employment, attaining education, reaching essential businesses, and receiving routine or emergency health and public services. In addition to decarbonizing transportation, which is one the largest contributors to carbon emissions and toxic street-level air pollution, identifying how the state can modernize our public transit system can improve the cost of transit, quality of affordable housing, transit service accessibility, street safety, environmental pollution, and the public health impact of transportation for transit riders and residents across the Commonwealth. Lastly, modernizing our transit system is vital to bridging existing racial and economic inequities when it comes to accessing economic opportunity. We thank the Delegate and we encourage the committee to vote in support of this legislation. Thank you. Tyneshia Griffin, the Environmental Policy Research Analyst at New Virginia Majority.
Virginians for High Speed Rail supports this study and respectfully asks that it pass.
Legislative Summary - HJR 542 DRPT to Study Transit Equity and Modernization Patron: Delegate McQuinn Committee: House Rules; Studies Sub Summary of legislation: The Department of Rail and Public Transportation is requested to study transit equity and modernization over the next two years. Key takeaways: • DRPT, with the cooperation of all transit agencies that receive state transit grant funding, shall complete a study of transit accessibility, adequacy of transit infrastructure, implementation of emerging technology, transit safety, and transit system engagement. Background: VTA has been pleased to work in collaboration with DRPT and the nonprofit community to promote this forward-looking study that will improve transit services and ensure equity in access. In addition to collecting new data and information, sources for the study will include existing data: • Transit asset management plans • Transit development plans • Transit strategic plans • Public transportation agency safety plans • Corridor studies • Geographic information systems “Buckets” of items to examine: • Transit Accessibility • Adequacy of Transit Infrastructure • Transit Electrification • Implementation of Emerging Technology • Safety • System Engagement (Governance, Workforce, Underserved Rider Representation) Position: VTA strongly supports this legislation and encourages its enactment.
I’m reaching out to you today to support an important bill that will invest in much needed improvements for people who rely on good transit. I hope that after reading, you will take a moment to share your thoughts with me. Public transit is a vital service and many people depend on this essential for for mobility. Transit is also a large part of equitable growth of communities in Virginia. I have the privilege and convenience of driving, which is important as I don't have any options for public transit from my home to work in Downtown Richmond. But for several reasons, related to personal health, protecting clean air, connection to communities, sustainable growth of our communities and our environment, I would like to have the option of public transit for the majority of my day to day needs. Too many transportation systems in the Commonwealth lack the necessary infrastructure to provide essential public transit needs. This house resolution HR542, would direct the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation to conduct a transit modernization needs study. This would include an audit of a full array of transit necessities that today often aren’t in place for riders - including benches, shelters, real-time arrival signs, GPS technology to live-track buses, Integrated payment systems, dedicated bus lanes, infrastructure for electric buses, and more. Through HR 542 transit providers would have data and understanding to improve transit accessibility, adequacy of transit infrastructure, implementation of emerging technology, transit safety, and public engagement. Getting people out of cars and using public transportation is one of the best ways to cut pollution and carbon emissions from transportation. In order to make public transit in the Commonwealth a world-class transportation system, we must analyze equity issues as we focus on improvements, increased efficiency, and modernization. By conducting this modernization needs assessment now, we could create a better understanding of what riders need and the investments required to create a more mobile and resilient transportation systems throughout Virginia. Please support HR 542 during the 2021 legislative session when this legislation is before you.
I am your constituent and a person of faith and conscience. I urge you to support the Human Right to Water Resolution (HJ 538) and Transit Equity and Modernization Study (HJ 542). Water and transit accessibility challenges often disproportionately impact vulnerable populations. I encourage you to also support the Human Right to Water Resolution (HJ 538) and Transit Equity and Modernization Study (HJ 542) because I believe we have a moral obligation to protect our neighbors, especially the vulnerable."
As a person of faith and conscience, I urge you to support the Human Right to Water Resolution (HJ 538) and Transit Equity and Modernization Study (HJ 542). Water and transit accessibility challenges often disproportionately impact vulnerable populations. I encourage you to also support the Human Right to Water Resolution (HJ 538) and Transit Equity and Modernization Study (HJ 542) because I believe we have a moral obligation to protect our neighbors, especially the vulnerable."
Since 1980 in Virginia, the transportation sector has produced more carbon pollution than the electric power sector. Virginia needs a study to examine how to modernize transportation and improve transit funding and services for current riders as well as for the future. As a person of faith, I encourage you to support the equity in public transportation and modernization study because transportation is a justice issue. There is a connection between transportation, equity, and the fight for racial justice. This study is crucial in achieving equitable and modern public transportation that doesn’t damage our common home and creates thriving communities.
Climate change is an existential crisis. The transportation sector accounts for about 48% of carbon emissions. Additionally, a safe, widely accessible, frequent public transportation system increases social mobility for riders, especially in communities of color and low-income communities, giving them opportunities to access education, jobs, and all the things communities offer to not just live but thrive. Please support and pass this bill that will provide vital information needed for modernizing our transportation system.
HJ549 - COVID-19; JLARC to study the impact on Virginia's public schools, students, and school employees.
Please don't ruin our lives and State ! Thank You
Queen of Virginia skills has contributed $140 million to the state of Virginia. It needs to be renewed for another year regulation and taxation of the skill games in Virginia.
HB1789 I support political audits HB 1990 I support Criminal Justice HB 2208 I DO NOT support statue removal, you have too many mixed feelings on this issue and by continuing removal of said statues, you isolate a percentage of the populations beliefs which is MUCH larger than you think..The ideal solution is simple...If you want to remove ANY statue, You either remove ALL or none... HJ 516 Yes I do 100% support becoming a part of the convention of states, I am well aware of this bill... HJ 530 I fully support decriminalization of certain substances hence marijuana and any other low level form of narcotic substance, I support this on both state and FEDERAL level... HJ549 I do not support this, we need to open the doors of truth to the people first, I have a panel of 36 worldwide doctors condemning WHO for dishonesty about Covid, and the fact it has a temperate design of Dec through April ... HJ573 At this point I 100% support that any vaccine be voluntary only....It is injustice to require immunization Wheres too much static as to whether this is a truly harmful pandemic or just a politically motivated stunt to incite fear.... HR237 I will support holding anyone responsible who is guilty of this Covid Conspiracy and to where it began and by who it originated even if it was a Harvard shipped virus, keep it open to hold only those accountable that truly are the guilty HR 238 I do NOT support The American People decide who gets appointed and where and THIS needs to be changed....
I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
Virginia PTA supports the JLARC study as proposed by HJ549 to determine the impact COVID 19 has had on Virginia's public schools, students, and school employees. Over the past year our children have faced an unprecedented and unplanned for interruption in their formal education due to COVID-19. While many school divisions were able to support a rapid shift to on-line learning, others found themselves without the basic connectivity tools needed to maintain a robust educational program. Additionally, the aging state of our school buildings, chronic overcrowding and different standards for school nurses and support staff combined with staffing shortages resulted in a direct reliance on local governments to meet the educational needs of their students in the best way they were able to. Consequently, students across the Commonwealth have had radically different learning opportunities over the past year as some schools returned for full or partial in-person instruction while others still only have access to four days of virtual education. While we commend the efforts of students, parents and staff for rising to meet the challenge, we know that these disparate approaches to education rise from historic underfunding of education staffing and infrastructure. It’s imperative that the shortfall in current resources as well as the long-term projected needs of our students be documented to ensure adequate funding and programs are developed to address pandemic learning loss and the historic lack of equitable resources.
HJ562 - International Overdose Awareness Day; designating Aug. 31, 2021, & each succeeding year thereafter.
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I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
The Virginia Recovery Advocacy Project and The McShin Foundation support recognizing August 31st as International Overdose Awareness Day. However, we respectfully ask the patron to amend the resolution slightly, but importantly: In line 10, after "substance" strike "abuse" and replace with "use" to be more in-line with current language surrounding addition. The disease is "substance use disorder" - NOT "substance abuse disorder"
HJ563 - Corporate tax; DLS to establish group to assess transitioning to unitary combined reporting system.
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I tried to check off as many as I could understand 🙃why not just get to work for the money we pay
I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
HJ567 - Income tax, state; JLARC to study increasing the progressivity of Virginia's system.
Please don't ruin our lives and State ! Thank You
I tried to check off as many as I could understand 🙃why not just get to work for the money we pay
I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
HJ572 - Wolf Creek Cherokee Tribe of Virginia; General Assembly to extend state recognition.
Please don't ruin our lives and State ! Thank You
I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
My name is Annette Price. I am not a member of the Wolf Creek Cherokee Tribe of Virginia, but am a Virginia citizen. I have been working with the Wolf Creek Cherokee tribal family members for years trying to establish the respect that should be given this tribe. State recognition is just that. Respect. These tribal family members, have met all the qualifications required by the Commonwealth Secretary and these are on file but nothing has been done. They continue to work to bring Cherokee culture, history and outreach to our public free of charge at their tribal center and museum. They are well know by other tribes of Virginia and well respected in the Native American community. The Cherokee history of Virginia is well know and Cherokee contact with the Spanish predates English contact by 80 years. In this time of inclusion of all people, now is the time to respect and state recognize the Wolf Creek Cherokee Tribe of Virginia.
I would like to introduce myself, I Gordon Selby Hallock currently reside in New Kent County. My daughter who is a Native American princess and dances occasionally and I myself drum at the Wolf Creek Cherokee museum. My mother is on the Tribal Council and my Uncle is Chief Terry Price. I am a 13 year army veteran, father of two wonderful children one that is currently serving in United States Air Force in Arizona. I served in Iraq in 2009/2010 and also served six years as a law enforcement officer in Nottoway County for Blackstone Police Department until I received a job for the federal government at Ft. Eustis Virginia. Wolf Creek Cherokee Tribe of Virginia has for a long time been asking the General Assembly of Virginia to recognize our tribe for several years. Our tribe has done more for the community in Virginia than any other tribe to teach students, soldiers, and visitors of this great state. Our heritage is taught in every elementary and middle school in the state. So as a veteran and a lifelong Virginia resident I hope you will consider this bill and allow my family to be considered part of the Great Cherokee Nation in Virginia.
I am a member of the Wolf Creek and as a direct blood descendant of the Chief, whom has ancestors that can be traced back to the 1800's and before. We are hoping to be recognized as one of the tribes that are indigenous to our area. We have existed here in Virginia for generations but due to the actions of Walter Ashby Plecker much of our history, as well as other native history, has been erased. This coupled by the many restrictions placed on native tribes prior to 1978 our culture and traditions have taken a lot of effort to preserve. We have been trying to gain recognition for sometime, and have always been hopeful that someday we would be given this honor. However my mother passed away unexpectedly at the age of only 57 about a year and a half ago, and she spent the last years of her life hoping to see this happen for us with no resolve. My concern now is for the others people in my tribe. Will they too go to their grave without ever being given the dignity that our ancestors, the people whom existed here thousands of years before the English settlers, deserve? I humbly beg of you to please grant this recognition! It goes beyond your understanding as to what it means for my Tribe!
HJ578 - Criminal justice, behavioral health, & other records; DBHDS to study feasibility of secure database.
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DBHDS appreciates the ability to study the issue outlined in HJ578 and develop recommendations with stakeholders. We are able to do this without a fiscal impact.
I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
HJ579 - Speaker of the House of Delegates; confirming appointment to VCU Health Sys Authority Board of Dir.
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I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
my name is kamran and i'm grateful for being alive :)
HJ583 - Liberty Amendments Month; designating as June 19 through the third Monday in July 2021.
Please don't ruin our lives and State ! Thank You
I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
HJ596 - Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month; designating as September 2021 and each succeeding year thereafter.
Please don't ruin our lives and State ! Thank You
I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
my name is kamran and i'm grateful for being alive :)
On January 7, 2018, my sister, Alicia, suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm at the age of 30. She was at home with Louis, her husband, who was able to respond immediately following her seizure. A CT scan revealed a subarachnoid hemorrhage (blood in the brain released from the ruptured aneurysm). Within 24 hours her medical team successfully performed an endovascular procedure known as “coiling” to repair the bleeding aneurysm. Thrown into the unknown of dealing with a ruptured aneurysm and a recovery that would be challenging, varied, and long, we reached out to our network of family and friends to better understand how we could support her. As Alicia experienced physical and mental challenges over her long recovery, hearing from families and patients who suffered from ruptured brain aneurysms provided a better understanding of the complexity of brain aneurysms and that every situation is different, as is every recovery. These personal testimonies helped Alicia, and her support team, acknowledge the incredible patience that is required in the healing process, how temperamental recovery can be, and how we could help. Subsequent to her rupture and diagnosis, we leaned on materials from the Brain Aneurysm Foundation to understand this silent disease. Some quick facts: -1 in 50 people in the U.S. will develop an aneurysm. -Every 18 minutes a brain aneurysm ruptures. -Approximately 15% of patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) die before reaching the hospital. -4 out of 7 people who recover from a ruptured brain aneurysm will have disabilities. -20% of people diagnosed with a brain aneurysm have more than one aneurysm. -6.5 million people in the U.S. have an unruptured brain aneurysm. -Up to ¼ of patients experience misdiagnosis or delays in diagnosis when seeking medical attention. -Each year 30,000 people in the U.S. suffer a ruptured brain aneurysm. I hope you consider making September Brian Aneurysm Awareness Month so that others can also learn about the impact and signs of brain aneurysms. Having resources not just to identify aneurysms prior to their rupture, but also to guide families, caretakers, and survivors subsequent to an aneurysm diagnosis can greatly impact recovery and provide critical support to those who need it as they are in unchartered territory, especially in the face of what we know are inevitable feelings of helplessness. In watching Alicia recover from her ruptured brain aneurysm, and in seeing her prepare for a craniotomy to repair a second recent aneurysm diagnosis, I have seen how brain aneurysm survivors face greater adversity than many of us will know in our lifetimes. A survivor’s display of strength is nothing short of heroic, especially as from one day to the next their life can be completely altered. In the words of a brain aneurysm survivor, my sister would like to extend her thanks. “I am deeply appreciative of your consideration and hope that we are able to help others by raising awareness and providing resources. The recovery process can be lonely, and it was incredibly beneficial to me to lean on the experience of other survivors. In granting this request I hope that we can make one less family feel lonely and envelop them with support by providing resources.” I appreciate your time and consideration and I hope that together we will make September Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month so that we can help survivors, caretakers, families, and friends.
HJ604 - General Assembly; confirming appointment to Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission.
Please don't ruin our lives and State ! Thank You
I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
HJ605 - Victims of COVID-19 Remembrance Day; designating March 14, 2021 & each succeeding year thereafter.
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I am in agreement with making the Chinese held accountable, a am for a COVID Day in March and voting pole review for the states that obviously illegally changed their legislation. Review of Dominon machines if there is ever an election again to be considered fair and legal.
I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
HJ606 - Equal Citizens Month; designating as November 2021 and each succeeding year thereafter.
Please don't ruin our lives and State ! Thank You
I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
HR238 - House Ethics Advisory Panel; confirming appointment by Speaker of the House of Delegates.
Please don't ruin our lives and State ! Thank You
HB1789 I support political audits HB 1990 I support Criminal Justice HB 2208 I DO NOT support statue removal, you have too many mixed feelings on this issue and by continuing removal of said statues, you isolate a percentage of the populations beliefs which is MUCH larger than you think..The ideal solution is simple...If you want to remove ANY statue, You either remove ALL or none... HJ 516 Yes I do 100% support becoming a part of the convention of states, I am well aware of this bill... HJ 530 I fully support decriminalization of certain substances hence marijuana and any other low level form of narcotic substance, I support this on both state and FEDERAL level... HJ549 I do not support this, we need to open the doors of truth to the people first, I have a panel of 36 worldwide doctors condemning WHO for dishonesty about Covid, and the fact it has a temperate design of Dec through April ... HJ573 At this point I 100% support that any vaccine be voluntary only....It is injustice to require immunization Wheres too much static as to whether this is a truly harmful pandemic or just a politically motivated stunt to incite fear.... HR237 I will support holding anyone responsible who is guilty of this Covid Conspiracy and to where it began and by who it originated even if it was a Harvard shipped virus, keep it open to hold only those accountable that truly are the guilty HR 238 I do NOT support The American People decide who gets appointed and where and THIS needs to be changed....
I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.
my name is kamran and i'm grateful for being alive :)
HB1789 - Auditor of Public Accounts; audits of certain political subdivisions.
Please don't ruin our lives and State ! Thank You
Under current Virginia Code § 30-140, authorities, commissions, districts and similar entities, whose governing body members are not elected by popular vote, are required to have an audit performed and filed with the Auditor of Public Accounts within three months of the end of a fiscal year. A three-month timeframe for meeting this requirement is very challenging. Within this tight turnaround, these entities must close their books and schedule review of financial statements by the auditor, who then must prepare the audit report, present it to the applicable governing board for approval, and then finalize the audit. Thus, this bill proposed to allow five months, instead of three, for such audits to be completed and sent to the APA. (Note that local governments have until December 15 to submit their financial data to the state).
I tried to check off as many as I could understand 🙃why not just get to work for the money we pay
HB1789 I support political audits HB 1990 I support Criminal Justice HB 2208 I DO NOT support statue removal, you have too many mixed feelings on this issue and by continuing removal of said statues, you isolate a percentage of the populations beliefs which is MUCH larger than you think..The ideal solution is simple...If you want to remove ANY statue, You either remove ALL or none... HJ 516 Yes I do 100% support becoming a part of the convention of states, I am well aware of this bill... HJ 530 I fully support decriminalization of certain substances hence marijuana and any other low level form of narcotic substance, I support this on both state and FEDERAL level... HJ549 I do not support this, we need to open the doors of truth to the people first, I have a panel of 36 worldwide doctors condemning WHO for dishonesty about Covid, and the fact it has a temperate design of Dec through April ... HJ573 At this point I 100% support that any vaccine be voluntary only....It is injustice to require immunization Wheres too much static as to whether this is a truly harmful pandemic or just a politically motivated stunt to incite fear.... HR237 I will support holding anyone responsible who is guilty of this Covid Conspiracy and to where it began and by who it originated even if it was a Harvard shipped virus, keep it open to hold only those accountable that truly are the guilty HR 238 I do NOT support The American People decide who gets appointed and where and THIS needs to be changed....
I would like to know what the bills have in them. Don't want anything in them hidden like they do in Washington.