Become a Member  |  Donate  |  Renew  |  Shop for Activist Wares  |  Join Our Mailing List
Action Alert - visit www.farmtoconsumer.org     
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.


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
   

The House Agriculture Committee will hear House Bill 268 on Monday, Jan. 20th at 4 p.m. Please attend the hearing! 

  

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.  
ItemA
More Information
 
See details about HB 268 at www.lis.virginia.gov/HB268 and SB 51 at www.lis.virginia.gov/SB51

Read FTCLDF's press release about the new On-Farm Activities Bill (HB 268/SB 51).

Also support HB 135, The Food Freedom Act, also being heard on Monday, Jan. 20 at 4 p.m.   
ItemB
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. David W. Marsden   (D) - District 37  (804) 698-7537
district37@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.gov

Sen. 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.  

ItemC
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.
Phone numbers are listed above. 

 


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.

NEW! Subscribe to Food Rights News RSS Feed. 
Join NowDonate Now
            
Donations to the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund are always appreciated though not tax-deductible. Prefer to make a tax-deductible donation? Go to www.farmtoconsumer.org/PIL for information about "public interest litigation" (PIL).

Questions? Contact us by email at info@farmtoconsumer.org or call 703-208-FARM (3276).   

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.