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
[email protected]
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
[email protected]
Senate Local Government Committee Members - Senate Bill 51:
Chairman Sen. Ralph K. Smith (R) - District 19 (804) 698-7519
[email protected] 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 [email protected]
Sen. William M. Stanley, Jr. (R) - District 20 (804) 698-7520 [email protected]
Sen. John C. Miller (D) - District 1 (804) 698-7501
[email protected]
Sen. Adam P. Ebbin (D) - District 30 (804) 698-7530
[email protected]
Sen. Barbara A. Favola (D) - District 31 (804) 698-7531
[email protected]Sen. John A. Cosgrove (R) - District 14 (804) 698-0000 [email protected]
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" <[email protected]>, "David Bulova" <[email protected]>, "James Edmunds" <[email protected]>, "Matt Fariss" <[email protected]>, "Matthew James" <[email protected] >, "Mark Keam" <[email protected] >, "Barry Knight" <[email protected] >, "Lynwood Lewis" <[email protected]>, "Danny Marshall" <[email protected]>, "Don McEachin" <[email protected]>,
"Jackson Miller" <[email protected] >, "Will Morefield" <[email protected] >, "Ken Plum" <[email protected]>, "Brenda Pogge" <[email protected] >, "Charles Poindexter" <[email protected]>, "Margaret Ransone" <[email protected]>, "Mark Sickles" <[email protected]>,
"Luke Torian" <[email protected] >, "Lee Ware" <[email protected]>, "Michael Webert" <[email protected]>, "Tony Wilt" <[email protected] >"Tommy Wright" <[email protected]>
Email List for Senate Local Government Committee (SB 51):
"Ralph Smith" <[email protected]>, "Harry Blevins" <[email protected]>, "Adam Ebbin" <[email protected]>, "Emmett Hanger" <[email protected]>, "Mark Herring" <[email protected]>, "Mamie Locke" <[email protected]>, "Louise Lucas" <[email protected]>, "Dave Marsden" <[email protected]>, "Henry Marsh" <[email protected]>, "Bob Marshall" <[email protected]>, "Steve Martin" <[email protected]>, "Joe May" <[email protected]>, "John Miller" <[email protected]>, "Jim Scott" <[email protected]> "Bill Stanley" <[email protected]>
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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