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.

I am a nurse working on my local hospital's HIRU (High Intensity Respiratory Unit for non-intubated covid patients). My home med-surg unit was temporarily shut down in November due to a covid outbreak in staff and patients. When my home unit resumed services, it was at 50% capacity due in part to our unit staff being floated to the HIRU and in part because another unit took over half our beds so a second HIRU could be formed. Another med-surg unit closed to provide staff to that new HIRU. Hospital-wise, all RNs and CNAs were told they could be expected to staff the HIRU at some point, and recently even non-clinical staff have been redeployed to serve as gophers on the covid units. The re-deployed staff don't enter patient rooms--though they do hand supplies into the rooms--and the hospital will not provide them N95 masks. We still have an N95 shortage and on HIRU units are required to wear the same N95 for three consecutive 12-hr shifts; this is an improvement over last summer when nurses wore a single N95 for 30 days before the N95 was reprocessed and then worn for another 30 days. My hospital does not provide or allow nurses on non-covid units to wear N95s, nor are we allowed to provide our own N95s. It is not uncommon to admit patients to the HIRU from a non-covid unit, sometimes days after they've been unknowingly infecting staff. Many types of patients are not routinely covid-tested, and no staff is routinely tested. Despite my direct care for covid patients, my employer has never qualified me to be tested, and if I choose to be tested by an outside provider, I am not allowed to work until the test results negative. I have received both doses of the vaccine. To the best of my knowledge, no employees in my health system receives any additional pay or compensation for working directly with covid patients. The effects of covid reach much further than the covid units. All staff are exposed to covid in a variety of ways, such as being infected on the job, being floated to new areas, taking on additional patient responsibilities/loads, and working extra shifts--not to mention the compromises forced by our constant concern that at any point we might be infected and might infect our family. On the HIRU, I average hours a day in a closed room in close proximity to each of my patients. In order to conserve PPE, we take a team approach and cluster care. I assess my patients, obtain and administer meds, draw blood, monitor telemetry and pulse ox, titrate oxygen, coordinate with the entire health care team, and schedule/carry-out zoom calls with family or call them with updates. Yet when I'm in the room I also get vitals, check blood sugar, turn and feed patients, brush their hair and teeth, change linens and gowns, assist them to the chair or bathroom, change briefs, bathe them on the spot if they're soiled, mop their floors, clean the toilet/bedside commode, and empty the trash and linens. We also frequently clean touchpoints outside patient rooms. Health care workers undergo a tremendous risk to provide care for covid-positive patients. Data support a higher infection rate in health care workers. We serve our community and work exhaustively for the health and well-being of the public. If there are negative health ramifications from doing our job, we should be afforded the benefit of Workers' Comp.

I am available to answer questions as a subject matter expert for Workers' Compensation.

I am a Registered Nurse with 35 years experience. I usually work 40 hours a week. Because of the increase in inpatients with COVID-19 infections, I have been working mandatory overtime. My work with patients is up close and personal. Even with PPE, I am more at risk of contracting COVID-19 than any other profession or work. I cannot maintain a social distance of six feet when I am getting a patient out of bed, when I am changing a wound dressing, when I am auscultating lungs, a heart or an abdomen. I spend more time with patients than any other person in the hospital. I sometimes spend up to two hours with one patient at one time and more if that patient has had a change in condition. I cannot work behind glass or by Zoom. Patients come to hospital for nursing care, assessment, observation and education. I keep patients safe by watching and observing trends. I am the sentinel. We are working short staffed as the COVID patients take more nurses. That increases the nurse to patient ratio that I have to work with. On top of that, I volunteered to administer vaccines at UVA. I have given COVID-19 vaccines to staff and the public. Nurses do vital and important work. I appreciate the hand clapping and thanks but my work is misunderstood. I want support and protection. I am part of a serious, expert profession that is not subordinate to, but colleagues of medical doctors, physical therapists, occupational therapist sand other healthcare professions. When everyone else has gone, or does not come to work in a snow storm, I am there. When housekeeping and catering do not turn up, I am there. I already work in difficult conditions and long before COVID-19. I care for patients with many infectious diseases, I worked for many months without a properly fitting N95 mask as the correct one for me was not available. I now have to wear a respirator that is extraordinarily uncomfortable and slips when I sweat. And you sweat when you work hard. That is what I do. I urge those in opposition to work one hour in my shoes, never mind 12-14 hours for 3 three days in a row. But you won't, because that puts you at risk and we do not allow visitors in order to protect our patients.

I am a registered nurse of 50 years and have never witnessed anything like the COVID-19 pandemic. It has had a devastating impact on so many, and particularly those nurses and other health care personnel who work tirelessly every day to care for those afflicted with the virus. Throughout my career, we have also experienced a nursing shortage, regionally. We can't afford to not take care of those who are caring for others. Show that YOU care and please support HB 1985. Thank you. Respectfully, Janet Haebler MSN RN

I am a Professor Emerita from Shenandoah University and up until five years ago, practice clinically in a rural hospital. I have been overwhelmed at the tragedy before us with COVID-19 crisis and the burden on the healthcare system and healthcare personnel. These professionals place themselves in harms way and often did not/do not have the personal protective equipment or the TIME to exercise every precaution to prevent contracting the disease since the staffing is inadequate for the demands and needs of the patients. Please provide workers' compensation to the healthcare workers if they contract COVID-19. God bless each of them for their fearless battle against this invisible foe. Support HB 1985

Please consider putting these bills into effect.

Please support our front-line workers, sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, aunts, and uncles.

This is very necessary legislation for all front line workers.

I am a retired nurse. My younger colleagues caregiving up time and families to care for COVID-19 patients. Please support HR-1985 and support those people who are giving everything to care for those in need. Thank you.

As a nurse care manager for Bon Secours Mercy Hospital employees- I see first hand how many front line healthcare workers are effected financially by COVID-19 illness. And the lack of compensation specially for those who have prolonged recovery. This effects not only those who require inpatient admissions, but also those who are managed in the outpatient setting requiring cardiology, pulmonology, neurology visits in addition to their primary care physicians. Co-insurance, copayments add up for many and there is no compensation or deductions as there is no distinction between work and community exposure. For my patients they use vacation time for one week and then are placed on short term disability which is only 60% of their pay. Please support our front line workers by showing their risks are compensated!

Hello I am writing in support of HB 1978 workers compensation for COVID-19. As a registered nurse currently working in a ambulatory clinic with the Active Duty population myself and co-workers are put at greater risk for exposure to patients who have COVID. Since the Pandemic last year we have had multiple cases within our clinics put staff at risk and reducing the work force due to staff having to quarantine or isolate. While my counterparts in the hospital settings are feeling more of the impact from COVID-19. This impacts you not only physically but mentally. Having to choose between who gets a bed or not. Who gets one of the fr vents and who doesn’t. There will be long term affects from that healthcare workers like myself will have even after the pandemic.

In favor of programs to better facilitate the development and progress of my community.

Pre-Covid I was an inpatient surgical nurse. When the pandemic arrived, my unit was converted to a Covid unit and my life was instantly changed. I'm sure you're aware that we had to learn as we went through this pandemic. Recommended treatments, medications, and prevention were ever changing as the world as a whole tried to figure out how to tackle this. As a nurse I have spent the last 11 months on a rollercoaster. The elation of making inroads in care was quickly doused by the increasing stress brought on by patient loss, understaffing, stress of low PPE supplies, and having to deal with people in our lives outside of the hospital promising us this thing is "just a hoax". We tackled this head on as professionals do. With no increase in pay, but often an increase in required extra shifts, we have done our best to be the best we can for our patients. We do all we can to keep ourselves and our families safe. We distance from our loved ones, wear our masks on our days off, and strip down outside of our homes in 30 degree weather so we're not bringing scrub inside. We put ourselves on the line to help other people. We walk into the Covid unit every day with as much courage and positivity as we can. I have been coughed on, urinated on, and vomited on. We are screened before each shift because contracting Covid under these work condition is a very real possibility. I would be much safer staying home. It is for this reason that essential frontline workers should be covered under workman's comp in the event that they test positive for Covid. Healthcare workers, EMTs, police officers, firefighters, corrections officers, and teachers required to do in person classes should all have this benefit available to them. I urge you to vote for this cause. We'll be paying attention. Thank you for taking the time to read my comments.

To Whom This May Concern: I am a nurse. I have been a nurse for the past 20 years. Early in my career I worked in critical care as a Neuro ICU nurse. Then, for 13 years I worked as a civilian medevac/flight nurse. For the past 3 years I have had my boots on the ground in a community hospital Emergency Dept. COVID is crushing nurses. Hospital administrators are crushing nurses. The past 10 months have been brutal but the weeks post Thanksgiving are devastating. Hospitals focus on low volumes and ignore the high acuity. There is no support for floor nurses. My administrators leave at 14L30 every day. Not once have they donned PPE and cared for a critical ill COVID patient. Our "heroes" have zero protection if they catch COVID. You are forced to use your accrued paid time off (your vacation time). There are no protections for those that daily put their lives at risk to care for others. Everyday we gear up, have unsafe patient ratios, risk our lives, risk our licenses due to staffing and risk taking this virus home to our families. Everyday we are the ones grasping the hands of the dying listening to them struggle to breathe, listening to patients beg us to save them and beg us to tell their families they love them. Of course, due to the hypoxia they can only utter 1-2 words at a time. We are the ones doing CPR on bodies that are rotting on ventilators because families won't make their loved one a DNR. We are the ones using our own phones to FaceTime with families so that they can say goodbye. We are the ones trying to hold it all together for our patients, our colleagues and our families-but who is there for us? No one to be quite frank. Instead we are screamed at and threatened with violence daily in the ER because families won't accept the visitation policy. We are asked to do more with less-putting our licenses on the line-and we are asked to do CPR, pronounce a patient, bag their body and then check in the next patient. And in between clean and decon the COVID room because there is no one to help with that either. And let's not forget that we are getting 1 mask per week. But we are "heroes." What I know for sure is that the burnout crisis, and the providers that will permanently leave healthcare because of the COVID pandemic and how we are treated by our facilities, may be an even greater crisis than the one we face right now. Simple assurances to protect the health and safety of those on the front line would make a significant impact. Speaking from the heart-if things don't change & if support is not given to the frontline workers think about who is going to care for your loved one-not me, not my friends, not my colleagues. We will have left the profession. The "hushed" secret in this pandemic is the horrific treatment of the bedside provider by hospitals and corporations and quite frankly our elected officials. I am begging you to please do something. Protect those at the bedside before there is no one left at the bedside

On Dec. 2, I started to get sick but never thought it was Covid 19 as a nurse we never take care of ourselves like we do our patients. On Dec. 4 I tested positive for Covid and immediately started to quarantine because my son has chronic asthma and my mother is over 75. While isolating I progressively got worse and on Dec. 10 I was bought to the ER with low saturations. The physician did an x-ray and told me I had Covid pneumonia. I asked the physician if I could have any antibiotics and was told it was nothing he could give me accept something for my cough. I was told if my symptoms got worse to return to the ER. I was sent home to die. I asked my mother to go to the store and buy me a pulse oximeter. On Dec. 13 I was back in the ER symptoms worse and barely able to breath. I felt like I was drowning and the same physician who sent me home was my doctor. When he saw me he just looked like he couldn't believe how bad I had gotten in 3 days. The next thing I know I had another doctor and was being admitted to the hospital for hypoxia and Covid pneumonia. My story goes on and fortunate after a week in the hospital I was able to go home but that feeling that you are going to die to wishing you just would die was real for me and as a nurse I know that Covid patients are suffering everyday and they don't know to go out and buy a pulse oximeter so that they can monitor their oxygen levels so that when they are sent home they actually can see they are getting worse and know to go back to the hospital. I was fortunate but many are not over 400,000 people have died from Covid and something needs to be done. This is just a portion of my story and I am happy to speak to anyone who would like to hear the rest.

I am a nurse on the ICU at VCU MCV, a COVID Unit from the beginning. This is a common sense legislation. Please support us, who have fought for Virginians since the beginning of this pandemic. We put ourselves and our families in harms way every day to save lives in the community. This virus is more contagious and deadly than anything in generations. People are dying from it on my unit every week. We have received no compensation, extra staffing, or rewards of any kind. Please care for those of us that contract this disease while fighting for all of us. Thank You Ry Bergum RN BSN VCU Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit

Hi, I would like to pass the Covid-19 workers compensation presumption law which is HB 1985 Hurst. I am a Critical care nurse working in Veterans Hospital. We have many of our employees who had affected by covid in our unit as well as in our hospital. Actually there was an outbreak of Covid- 19 in one of the unit because of unidentified covid patients. In the beginning of this pandemic, not all the patients were not tested because of the uaavailability of diagnostic kits and many of our nurses got this disease from patients who were undaignosed as covid in the first place. They still suffer from the affer effect of it. In my experience as a critical care nurse , if the patient is being coded or going to fall, we risk our lives and our families lives in order to save the patient. During the code event we wont get enough time to use all the Personal Protective Equipment(PPE) before entering the patients room. Our ultimate goal is to save the patients life even if risk our own health. That is a nurse's Conscience. Many of our nurses are physically, mentally and emotionally affected by this pandemic. So far we have not recieved any compensatory pay or benefits. I would like the congress to pass the law for all the employees working in covid situation should get the benefit of complensation. Thank you

I am a nurse working at a local hospital in the Richmond area. While my children attend daycare, the school is diligent about social distancing, mask wearing, and handwashing. I, too, am diligent about these behaviors. I came down with COVID in the beginning of this month, and I believe I contracted the virus in the hospital. My entire family became infected, including my four year old and my six year old. My husband was affected the worst. Additionally, I missed two weeks of work as a result. I believe that Workers Compensation should cover the time that I, and anyone else that likely contracted the illness in their line of work, especially front-line workers, missed and any medical expenses that occur as a result of my illness. Thank you.

Here to answer any questions on behalf of DHRM.

I support the worker's compensation for COVID- 19. There are a lot of workers that are struggling to pay their bills because of illness or a dependent being ill which makes them have to lose wages because of it. Most of these workers have lost income because of their spouse dying or being ill from COVID-19. I support worker's compensation, please pay the workers while they adjust to changes in their lives.

I am a RN at Carilion Giles Community Hospital and work in the SCU with Covid-19 patients. Unfortunately, I have cared for those suffering and gasping for air with no family or clergy at their side. Nurses and CNA's have been the one's holding the hands of those taking their last breath. Many staff on our unit have contracted Covid-19, requiring extended days off work. Carilion no longer pays for time off r/t Covid-19. They assume either outside exposure or that the staff member was not wearing the PPE properly. This is unacceptable! Health care workers should not have to go into financial distress due to the fact of willingly caring for Covid-19 patients. Please support this bill and health care workers. Thank you! Patricia Miller, BSN, RN, CCRN, FNP-S

My former husband, the father of my child died on January 15, 2021. He would have turned 60 today. He was exposed at his place of employment. He received a text message on Sunday night December 13, 2020 informing him that one of his co-worker's had tested positive. He started feeling bad later that week, went to the ED on Monday 12/21/2020 and never came home. My daughter just moved back to the area with her son to be closer to us and is now having to bury her father. Her 3 year old son keeps asking where his granddaddy is. This is awful! Employer's who do not test or mandate strict precautions need to be responsible and Worker's Compensation should cover these expenses.

Last Spring, I contracted Covid-19 while directly working on a inpatient Covid-19 unit. This was not my normal area of employment at the Hospital. I have been a Registered Nurse for 24 years. I normally work in a Outpatient Surgery Center on the Hospital's campus. However, since elective surgeries were shut down, I needed to work to provide for my family. So, I went to a inpatient Hospital unit directly working with Covid-19 patients that were positive and being ruled out. After a month of working on that unit where I had to re-use supplies on a consistent basis I acquired Covid-19 and was very ill. I have asthma which is controlled and has been for quite some time and was probably in the best shape of my life. But I am here to tell you that this virus knocked me down. At times I could not even walk up my stairs to get to my bedroom, I had to figure out how to breathe and survive. At one point I had to go to the ER for severe chest pressure. Also, my Husband who has multiple sclerosis also got the virus from me. He was actually sicker than me and even longer than me. However, his employer which is a bank took care of him from the start enacting emergency leave for a minimum of 2 weeks and instructed him he would have it for 7 weeks at a minimum. You ask how do I know I gave it to him? He works from home because of his multiple sclerosis. I want you to imagine that you have kids, just like my girls who were 11 and 13 at the time, They in addition to my Louisa Neighborhood/community and my Church, Hopeful Baptist provided meals, checked on us constantly, provided groceries, took our trash to the dump, fed our chickens, mowed our lawn and countless other tasks that needed to get done. My children were the ones who poured our ginger-ale, made our jello, got us popsicles and soup just so we could stay hydrated. Recently, I went to a Workmen's Compensation Hearing and presented my case, I am currently waiting on the decision. Although I was paid in full, I went because no one knows what the future holds for Covid-19 survivors and I contracted this virus while employed! I feel strongly about this because my Dad died early from getting Asbestos at his place of employment so many years ago and it took multiple people to stand up for themselves in a court of law. I am hoping as Legislators that you take a moment to process if I was your daughter or loved one, what would you want for them. I almost gave my life taking care of others with no concern for myself. Again, I want you to hear I almost died from this virus while helping and caring for others who needed my expertise and care at their time of need!!!! I would love to share more but I currently am working and only had a few moments to write this, that's how important I feel about it!!! So please I would have been more than willing to appear in person had I known about this hearing.

Please support the COVID-19 workers compensation presumption legislation. As an APRN caring for COVID patients and seeing the impact of COVID on my colleagues, nurses need this legislation. We need to care for the caregivers/nurses. We need to be supported for our work and dedication to caring for these patients.

As a nurse, I think that it is critically important that those working with covid patients have access to worker's compensation coverage when they become exposed to or infected by covid as a consequence of their job caring for sick and dying patients. We ask healthcare providers to serve their communities, month after month. The least we can do is ensure that they have some minimal degree of financial protection if they become ill as a consequence of this work serving their communities. I encourage support of this legislation.

Dear honorable representatives of the house subcommittee L&C I am both a doctorally prepared advance practice nurse in the hospital and in an outpt facilty owned by the same health care system. I was exposed and diagnosised with COVID from my work exposure as it was wide spread to many of us. I have been proud of how my employer has executed a plan to take care of patients. However, I have been more than concerned about the care of employees. In brief, I found out accidentally that I had been exposed at a work related wide spread exposure, which impacted my exposure to those in my "circle" (put my 90 year old mother at risk, my daughter tested +; my grandkids them missed 2 weeks of traditional school), had to find my own testing center, and had to use my limited PTO (new to this position) for my time off. I know of many non health care businesses that are taking better care of their employees, covering testing, time off etc., than our own health care systems. Yet everyday, we get up and put our health and the health of our loved ones at risk. We need your support! Dr. Rosie Taylor-Lewis, DNP, ANP-BC, GNP, PMHNP-BC

I have been caring for COVID-19 positive patients since it's arrival to our county in a critical care setting. During my typical shift, at least four of my five patients will be COVID-19 positive. The patients I care for are weak, confused and anxious. They are medically fragile and code quickly. I have always volunteered to take these patients knowing that I have increased risk. I spend much of my twelve hour shift in PPE, trying to provide quality care to scared people. I sit at the beside and hold hands to comfort my patients because of their panic attacks and isolation. I have to run into rooms to keep patients from falling because they removed their oxygen and have become confused. I have helped with CPR on patients that are only later confirmed to be COVID-19 positive . PPE gowns and gloves rip, masks slip during care and anxious patients grab at PPE as they cough in our faces. We reuse PPE. Cohort studies report frontline HCWs have a significantly increased risk of COVID-19 infection. For persons working in a healthcare setting, COVID-19 is an occupational disease, and should be compensable under the Workers' Compensation Act. We should not have to prove contact as it is nearly impossible.

My name is Holly Zimmerman; I have been working as an RN for 34 years. It is the only job I know. When I got sick with COVID-19 on July 27, 2020, I had seizures and a severe respiratory infection. I subsequently developed long-haul syndrome with cognitive deficits and vision changes. I have been so weak I require physical therapy due to frequent falls. Among a multitude of other symptoms. Since I contracted COVID-19 at work, I was not able to collect Unemployment or Workman's compensation due to the CARES act. This translates to 6 months of absolutely NO income. I have been living off my 401K and receiving public assistance. I am in the process of selling my car. COVID-19 has ruined my life as I knew it. My neurologist doesn't think I will be able to return to nursing at the bedside due to cognitive losses. I also have changes in my heart function. I get frustrated because I miss my patients. Nursing is all I ever wanted to do. In my opinion and through research, the CARES act was TO quickly created. By excluding healthcare providers, a situation has been created that has destroyed many healthcare workers financially. No one could predict there would be long-term consequences from COVID-19 or that so many would lose everything, including their life. Passage of HB 1985 will help thousands regain what they lost a financial future.

Please support HB1985

As a nurse on a COVID-19 unit, I saw patients struggling for every breath. One patient was on the unit for almost 2 months while we supported his oxygenation. He needed high-flow nasal cannula and an oxygen mask most of that time. When he eventually left the unit, it was to get a lung transplant because the scarring from his battle with COVID had damaged his own lungs too badly. Our protective masks have to be so tight, they are leaving marks on our faces for hours after our shifts end. This has become the new normal but we should not settle for this world that COVID has made for us. We should not become complacent with the lives lost or scarred forever.

As a frontline nurse in a busy Newport News Emergency Department, I contracted the COVID -19 virus and was denied to return to work for 14 days, with no pay unless I wanted to use my hard-earned vacation time. I should not have to use vacation time to cover living expenses (bills, gas, insurance) when I put myself on the frontlines to save lives. A workman's compensation presumption legislation will alleviate the burden of meeting my needs for wages, associated medical and ongoing care expenses, disability benefits, and funeral assistance. Please support HB 1985!!

Mr. Chairman Thank you for allowing me to present these comments concerning HB 1985 concerning COVID 19. This bill is quite different than all of the rest of the bills you will be seeing as it only relates to Health Care Providers. This bill does nothing for firefighters, EMS providers and so forth. The code section referenced , 8.01-581.1 which defines "Health Care Providers", it does not relate EMS providers. Even though a reference is made to emergency medical attendant or technician, these are not the providers that are in 32.1-111. EMS providers are under the Department of Health and not Health Professions. Therefore the organizations that I represent are OPPOSED to this piece of legislation. Thank you for the opportunity to provide these written comments.

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.

On behalf of the Bristol Lodge 48 Fraternal Order of Police, Bristol, VA , I am writing to ask for support for the Investigations Unit for the Department of Corrections. These fine and courageous men and women are tasked with investigating all criminal activity that occurs in our prison system. This includes any and all internal affairs investigations . The amount of psychological stress and physical danger is almost impossible to comprehend. The agents of the SIU are dealing with the most dangerous criminals , who in often times have nothing to lose. Some of the investigations involve dangerous members of notorious street gangs. During the ongoing pandemic, law enforcement agents work in an environment where they may be exposed to the Coronavirus (COVID-19). There is also a threat of exposure to many other communicable diseases and infections. These agents are required to respond at any time to conduct their investigation, conduct interviews and collect evidence. Once complete the agents the carry the criminal charges through our court system until a verdict is given. This is a brief example of the amount of time given by these agents. The agents also respond and assist other Federal, State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies in any manner that is asked. Their service is invaluable. As part of the Law Enforcement Division the agents in the SIU should absolutely receive comparable retirement benefits as the Department’s Probation Officers, Corrections Officers, and sworn law enforcement personnel employed by the Virginia State Police, Conservation Police, Alcohol Beverage Control Board, campus police at state universities, Marine Resources Commission, and corrections officers employed by the Department of Juvenile Justice. This bill will enhance recruitment and retention efforts. The sacrifices made by the SIU agents while they are held up to the professional standards of the Department of Corrections and of the Office of the Inspector General warrant these brave men and women classified the same as other law enforcement agencies across our Great Commonwealth. In closing, I want to express my appreciation to these agents and all of Virginia’s Law Enforcement Community. My daughter leads our family nightly prayers every night before bed. We pray every day for all of our police officers and their families. We pray for all of our Law Enforcement. May God bless you all. Respectfully, Eric Turner Director Fraternal Order of Police Bristol VA Lodge 48 P. O. Box 1141 Bristol, VA 24203-1141 Phone # 276-494-6789

The City of Chesapeake SUPPORTS the following items: (The system would not let us sign up to speak) Virginia Retirement System; retired law-enforcement officers employed as school security officers • This would allow a retired law- enforcement officer to continue to receive his Virginia Retirement System service retirement allowance during a subsequent period of employment by a local school division as a school security officer. • Provides that if a retired law-enforcement officer was employed by a local school division as a school security officer on January 1, 2020, and had a bona fide break in service of at least one month between retirement and employment as a school security officer. • This would also provide that such person is not required to establish a 12-month break in service that would otherwise be required by law. Virginia Retirement System; retired law-enforcement officers employed as fingerprint examiners • Earlier this year the General Assembly passed legislation amending 51.1-155 of the Code of Virginia to allow retired law enforcement officers to work as school security officers in a full time capacity without negatively affecting their retirement. • The legislation includes conditions such as a twelve month break in service and the absence of any early retirement program. • Over the last several years the Automated Fingerprint Identification System Unit has experienced a great deal of turnover. It is currently staffed by one full time and one part time examiner. • Automated Fingerprint Identification System Unit examiners go through intensive and time consuming training. • They must pursue continuing education to retain those certifications and stay up to date on current analysis techniques. • The City of Chesapeake is recommending a legislative change that would allow retired police officers with the appropriate certifications, skills, and experience, to work as full time fingerprint examiners without a negative impact on their retirement. • Such a change would allow law enforcement agencies to retain highly specialized employees. These valued employees could continue to utilize their skills after retirement.

The Virginia Association of School Superintendents is in support of HB 2195. Thank you, Dr. Tom Smith VASS

In favor of programs to better facilitate the development and progress of my community.

It is critical that you support HB2207. Our Corrections Officers work hard to provide a safe environment  for the offenders of the Commonwealth to serve their sentences and prepare them for a productive re-entry to society. They play a critical role in keeping our communities safe. If one of our Corrections Officers were to be unfortunate enough to contract this deadly virus in the line of duty, they shouldn't be burdened with the need to prove  they contracted the virus in the workplace. They deserve this protection due to the nature and environment in which they work while serving the citizens of Virginia. Thank you for your consideration and support. Charles (Bubba) Craddock President National Coalition of Public Safety Officers, CWA Local 2201

This bill will provide certain workers with the presumption of illness for their occupations from COVID-19. This legislation is needed for the uniformed corrections employees of Virginia's Department of Corrections. Correctional officers are often forced to come into contact with inmates that suffer from many infectious diseases. The closed environment of a correctional facility and responsibilities that officers have while on duty increase the risk of exposure that these officers have in becoming infected. We support reporting this bill and we ask for your vote in its favor. This bill will make a real difference for the men and women who work on these posts. Del. Jones' budget amendment is listed below. Thank-you.

Our Union along with our Sister Local in Richmond represent Corrections Officers in the VA Department of Corrections at all facilities across Virginia. All law enforcement officers, corrections officers and emergency medical service personnel deserve to be protected with this presumption due to the immediate threat they all face from coming in contact with the virus daily. There have been tremendous numbers of COVID-19 outbreaks in the VA Correction Facilities since the outbreaks started in March of 2020. Virginia DOC staff and inmates are at great risk due to the confined and close housing environments, that exist at all these facilities. Please support HB2207 and show law enforcement, corrections officers and EMS Personnel that Virginia stands with them in the work they do every day. Chuck Simpson President NCPSO/CWA Local 2204 Roanoke VA

I am available to answer questions as a subject matter expert for Workers' Compensation.

Please consider putting these bills into effect.

In favor of programs to better facilitate the development and progress of my community.

Here to answer any questions on behalf of DHRM.

Answering questions related to Workers' Compensation Bills

The Virginia Sheriffs Association supports HB 2207. There are hundreds of COVID cases in Virginia’s Sheriff’s offices and one death of a deputy sheriff just last week. Deputy Sheriff’s in jails, on patrol and in our courts are exposed daily to this virus as a direct result of their profession.

I recommend support of Delegate Jones bill. Working families in Virginia need to know they are protected when their essential jobs continue to make them susceptible to potentially contracting COVID-19. There should not be such an unprotected risk while they are working to provide for their families. We represent telecom employees who perform work each day in customer's homes and businesses. This puts them at risk for COVID-19 daily. We also represent Officers in the Virginia Department of Corrections, who are at extreme risk of contracting the virus because they work daily in enclosed areas with positive and potentially positive cases. As of today, there are active COVID-19 cases that include 704 offenders and 337 VADOC staff members across the commonwealth. Please join us and the working families of Virginia in supporting HB 2207.

On behalf of the more than 9,000 Virginia Professional Fire Fighters, I rise in support of HB2207 and thank Delegate Jones, as well as Senator Vogel and Senator Saslaw for bringing this critically important legislation forward. Since the beginning of the pandemic Virginia’s firefighters and paramedics have been on the frontlines providing emergency medical care and transporting very sick patients with COVID-19 to the hospital. We do so in uncontrolled environments, requiring us to be in close proximity and for prolonged periods of time. Despite the best safety protocols and increased levels of PPE we are not immune to COVID-19 and the number of cases among those in uniform continues to rise. However Virginia’s Workers Compensation Act falls short of providing assurances that our firefighters and paramedics will be protected when they are infected with COVID-19 through an exposure to a sick patient. HB2207 has language at the request of our localities and insurance providers. • On lines 47 – 49, the legislation requires “a positive diagnostic test for COVID-19, an incubation period consistent with COVID-19, and signs and symptoms of COVID-19 that require medical treatment.” • Additionally, to curb the fiscal impact, language was added on lines 89-94 to establish a window for a COVID-19 diagnosis between March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2021 These men and women proudly serve our communities across Virginia everyday, it is imperative that our firefighters serving can access benefits that they valiantly deserve should they require medical care. Please support the bill, thank you!

The City of Chesapeake SUPPORTS the following items: (The system would not let us sign up to speak) Virginia Retirement System; retired law-enforcement officers employed as school security officers • This would allow a retired law- enforcement officer to continue to receive his Virginia Retirement System service retirement allowance during a subsequent period of employment by a local school division as a school security officer. • Provides that if a retired law-enforcement officer was employed by a local school division as a school security officer on January 1, 2020, and had a bona fide break in service of at least one month between retirement and employment as a school security officer. • This would also provide that such person is not required to establish a 12-month break in service that would otherwise be required by law. Virginia Retirement System; retired law-enforcement officers employed as fingerprint examiners • Earlier this year the General Assembly passed legislation amending 51.1-155 of the Code of Virginia to allow retired law enforcement officers to work as school security officers in a full time capacity without negatively affecting their retirement. • The legislation includes conditions such as a twelve month break in service and the absence of any early retirement program. • Over the last several years the Automated Fingerprint Identification System Unit has experienced a great deal of turnover. It is currently staffed by one full time and one part time examiner. • Automated Fingerprint Identification System Unit examiners go through intensive and time consuming training. • They must pursue continuing education to retain those certifications and stay up to date on current analysis techniques. • The City of Chesapeake is recommending a legislative change that would allow retired police officers with the appropriate certifications, skills, and experience, to work as full time fingerprint examiners without a negative impact on their retirement. • Such a change would allow law enforcement agencies to retain highly specialized employees. These valued employees could continue to utilize their skills after retirement.

Please consider putting these bills into effect.

In favor of programs to better facilitate the development and progress of my community.

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.

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.