Please call and email as private citizens giving home address. Each Senator's Secretary will ask what the bill does? Tell them:
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Senator: Please vote for the SB-675 as a revised substitute (I can send word document), by having one of the Senators who voted to PBI, make a motion before the beginning of the Senate General Laws Committee meeting to reconsider the last question.
SB-675, if adopted by the General Laws Committee as a revised substitute, would establish the Pelham Chapel, found in § 57-5 of the Code of Virginia, as an official State war memorial to help bring tourist attention to the historic Soldiers Home site. The revised substitute provides that the Lessee shall supply and display Virginia Flags and removes those requirements as a burden on the Governor and the Commonwealth, to encourage tourism when the war memorial is open to the public to increase out-of-state visitor's Tax-Relief for Virginia citizens.
Senator, I do not understand why you would oppose allowing a two-sided sign that describes the building as a Confederate War Memorial and lists the times when this memorial is open to the public. This would encourage repeat visits from out-of-state visitors.
Tourism is Virginia's second largest industry that creates new jobs! The tour guide at the Pelham Chapel is one of those jobs paid for without cost to the Commonwealth as a requirement of the Lessee.
This State memorial is dedicated to the war dead of volunteer soldiers and conscripted civilians who were ordered into battle by the Virginia General Assembly.
Therefore, it is the responsibility of the Virginia General Assembly to see that it is included as a visible tourist destination for the benefit of all those who are memorialized with honor and all out-of state visitors who want to travel to visit this historic site. Because of the removal of the Memorial's permanent signage, our State misses an opportunity for a repeat visit because visitors are unaware it is a war memorial and that the building is open for tours.
I strongly urge Republican Senators to reconsider the PBI vote by asking the Chairman of the Committee to call a meeting at his desk to reconsider the last question as soon as possible.
Please give Chairman Ruff notice of your intent to support the attached SB-675 revised amendment as a substitute and ask him to call a meeting of the Committee on General Laws at his desk.
I sincerely appreciate your kindness in voting for this bill's revised amendments after voting to reconsider the last question to PBI. This revised bill's amendment in the nature of a substitute can provide a needed boost to tourist tax revenue during the Sesquicentennial to bring balance to Commonwealth's budget. This bill increases tourism tax revenue, to provide citizens a needed source of out-of-state tax relief.
Sincerely,
Name:
Home Address:
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Copy above type starting at the words (Senator Please) and paste it to your email with your home address:
The Senators will vote with the Majority of the people who call and email. They have a record of calls and emails on their computer for each bill. Then, if the yeas have more calls and emails, the Senator decides to vote yes, even if they do not like what they are voting for. Senators vote for bills that have a large volume of calls and emails, regardless of where they live. So call Republican Senators on the General Laws Committee, and mass email all the Republicans.
See their email addresses below.
Do not believe those aides and secretaries that tell you that this Bill is dead when the rules of the Senate state that the Committee has the option to reconsider the last question. This Bill was the last bill on the docket and as such is eligible under Robert Rules of Order to be reconsidered, amended and reported to the Senate floor for a vote of the Senate.
Senator Chairman Frank Ruff, Jr.(R) Clarksville, Danville, Pittsylvania, Campbell, Halifax, Charlotte, Mecklenburg, Lunenburg, Brunswick, Dinwiddie, Nottoway, Prince George,
804-698-7515 email:
district15@senate.virginia.gov Senator Richard Black(R) Loudon, Manassas, Fairfax,
804-698-7513 email:
district13@senate.virginia.gov
end of Republicans on the Committee on General Laws. -----------------------------------
