Ask Your Representatives to Support HB268 and SB51
Attend the Hearing or Contact Your Representatives!
 | Martha Boneta, one of the farmers
behind HB 268/SB 51
Attend the hearing or
contact your representatives about companion bills HB 268 and SB 51.
Also support The Food Freedom Act
being heard at the same hearing.
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Monday, Jan. 20 at 4 p.m. Eastern
General Assembly Building
West Conference Room, 7th Floor
1000 Bank St
Richmond, VA 23218 [directions]
(804) 698-1619
In 2012, farmer Martha Boneta was threatened with a $15,000 fine per day for hosting, on her farm, a birthday party for her friend's 10 year-old daughter. In response small farmers in Virginia supported legislation in the 2013 session, "The Boneta Bill," that would have limited local government's ability to overregulate certain on-farm activities. That bill did not make it into law, but the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) established a task force to work out agreeable language for the 2014 session. House Bill (HB) 268 and Senate Bill (SB) 51 are the unanimous result of the workgroup.
With HB 268/SB 51 in place, Virginia's small farmers would be able to fearlessly engage in on-farm activities and on-farm sales without the threat and burden of local government regulation and harassment.
Show your support for food freedom and attend the hearing on Monday, Jan. 20th at 4 p.m! Can't attend the hearing? Please see action items below! It's time to free our farmers!
Please share this alert with friends and family.
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What You Can Do
Ask your representatives to vote YES on HB 268/SB 51, The On-Farm Activities Bill.
1. Attend the public hearing scheduled for Monday, January 20, 2014 at 4 p.m. in the West Conference Room, General Assembly Building 7th Floor 1000 Bank Street, Richmond, VA 23218.
2. Comment on the Richmond Sunlight webpage about the companion bills at
http://www.richmondsunlight.com/bill/2014/hb268 (House Bill 268)
http://www.richmondsunlight.com/bill/2014/sb51 (Senate Bill 51)
3. Please send an email to AND call all Committee Members and ask delegates to support HB 268 and senators to support SB 51 (contact info below). (This is the same bill introduced in both chambers). When you call or write, please emphasize that you want them to support small farms by supporting this bill: "House Bill 268/Senate Bill 51: Agricultural operations; local regulation of certain activities." House Agriculture Committee Members - House Bill 268:
Chairman Danny Marshall: R District 14 (804) 698-1014
DelDMarshall@house.virginia.gov
Del. Matthew James, District 80 (804) 698-1080
Del Barry Knight, District 81 (804) 698-1081
Del Jackson Miller (R) Distict 50 (804) 698-1050
Del James "Will" Morefield (R) District 3 (804) 698-1003
Del Bobby Orrock (R) District 54 (804)698-1054
Del Charles Poindexter (R) District 9 (804) 698-1009
Del Mark Sickles (D) District 43 (804) 698-1043
DelMSickles@house.virginia.gov
Senate Local Government Committee Members - Senate Bill 51:
Chairman Sen. Ralph K. Smith (R) - District 19 (804) 698-7519
district19@senate.virginia.gov Sen. Henry L. Marsh III (D) - District 16 (804) 698-7516 Sen. L. Louise Lucas (D) - District 18 (804) 698-7518 Sen. Stephen H. Martin (R) - District 11 (804) 698-7511 Sen. Emmett W. Hanger, Jr. (R) - District 24 (804) 698-7524 Sen. Linda T. Puller (D) - District 36 (804) 698-7536 Sen. Frank M. Ruff, Jr. (R) - District 15 (804) 698-7515 Sen. Mamie E. Locke (D) - District 2 (804) 698-7502 district02@senate.virginia.gov
Sen. William M. Stanley, Jr. (R) - District 20 (804) 698-7520 district20@senate.virginia.gov
Sen. John C. Miller (D) - District 1 (804) 698-7501
district01@senate.virginia.gov
Sen. Adam P. Ebbin (D) - District 30 (804) 698-7530
district30@senate.virginia.gov
Sen. Barbara A. Favola (D) - District 31 (804) 698-7531
district31@senate.virginia.govSen. John A. Cosgrove (R) - District 14 (804) 698-0000 district14@senate.virginia.gov
If you send an email, please be sure to personalize your message! To make a much bigger impact, add a couple of sentences about who you are and why HB 268/SB 51 matters to you.
SAMPLE MESSAGE for emails or calls:
My name is ___ and I am a Virginia resident. I am calling/emailing to urge Delegate/Senator ____ to vote YES on HB 268/SB 51.
Please support bills HB 268 and SB 51, introduced by Delegates Orrock and Senator Stuart. I support the right of farmers and consumers to engage in direct sales and farm activities. The passage of this legislation will create untold economic opportunity for Virginia farmers!
Thank you for your support.
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Email Address List
Copy the below lists into your e-mail client's "To" field to e-mail every member of this committee.
Email list for House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee (HB 268): "Ed Scott" <DelEScott@house.virginia.gov>, "David Bulova" <DelDBulova@house.virginia.gov>, "James Edmunds" <DelJEdmunds@house.virginia.gov>, "Matt Fariss" <DelMFarriss@house.virginia.gov>, "Matthew James" <DelMJames@house.virginia.gov >, "Mark Keam" <DelMKeam@house.virginia.gov >, "Barry Knight" <DelBKnight@house.virginia.gov >, "Lynwood Lewis" <DelLLewis@house.virginia.gov>, "Danny Marshall" <DelDMarshall@house.virginia.gov>, "Don McEachin" <district09@senate.virginia.gov>,
"Jackson Miller" <DelJMiller@house.virginia.gov >, "Will Morefield" <DelJMorefield@house.virginia.gov >, "Ken Plum" <DelKPlum@house.virginia.gov>, "Brenda Pogge" <DelBPogge@house.virginia.gov >, "Charles Poindexter" <DelCPoindexter@house.virginia.gov>, "Margaret Ransone" <DelMRansone@house.virginia.gov>, "Mark Sickles" <DelMSickles@house.virginia.gov>,
"Luke Torian" <DelLTorian@house.virginia.gov >, "Lee Ware" <DelLWare@house.virginia.gov>, "Michael Webert" <DelMWebert@house.virginia.gov>, "Tony Wilt" <DelTWilt@house.virginia.gov >"Tommy Wright" <DelTWright@house.virginia.gov>
Email List for Senate Local Government Committee (SB 51):
"Ralph Smith" <ralphsmithsenate@cox.net>, "Harry Blevins" <district14@senate.virginia.gov>, "Adam Ebbin" <district30@senate.virginia.gov>, "Emmett Hanger" <district24@senate.virginia.gov>, "Mark Herring" <district33@senate.virginia.gov>, "Mamie Locke" <district02@senate.virginia.gov>, "Louise Lucas" <district18@senate.virginia.gov>, "Dave Marsden" <district37@senate.virginia.gov>, "Henry Marsh" <district16@senate.virginia.gov>, "Bob Marshall" <DelBMarshall@house.virginia.gov>, "Steve Martin" <district11@senate.virginia.gov>, "Joe May" <DelJMay@house.virginia.gov>, "John Miller" <district01@senate.virginia.gov>, "Jim Scott" <DelJScott@house.virginia.gov> "Bill Stanley" <district19@senate.virginia.gov>
To be most effective, please follow up your email with a phone call to each representative.
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Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit [EIN 20-8605130], defends the rights and broadens the freedoms of family farms and artisan food producers while protecting consumer access to raw milk and nutrient-dense foods. Learn more About Us or FTCLDF 2012 Summary.
Membership benefits include the possibility of representation in court; the Fund typically pays for all court costs. The Fund is not an insurance company and cannot guarantee representation on all legal matters. Your membership fees and donations help to keep local food sources available and preserve family farms facing unjust enforcement actions.
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Please forward this alert to others who are concerned about protecting locally-sourced nutrient-dense foods and preserving sustainable small family farms and artisan food producers as well as defending the rights to sell and to access the foods of one's choice from the source of one's choice.
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