2012 – SB280 Massage Therapy licensure bill
Opposed; but after successful negotioations for health freedom amendments, became neutral; Governor vetoed.
2012 – HB345 Dietitians licensure bill
Opposed and tabled
2011 – HB2487 Naturopathic licensing bill
Opposed; tabled
2010 – Study bill to not include traditional naturopaths
Opposed and defeated
2009 – HB 1744 Safe Harbor Exemption health freedom bill
Supported – Tabled Indefinitely
2009 – HB 1820 Naturopathic Physician licensure
Opposed, Defeated
2008 – HB 784 Naturopathic Physician licensing bill
Opposed, Defeated
In 2012 Virginia Freedom advocates were busy fighting HB345, a Dietitians licensing bill in January, only to turn around and go back to the state house when a massage therapy licensing bill, HB280 was introduced in February! Becky Hanks, her husband, and son made it a family event, and stuck with it to the end, defeating both bills. Previously HB2487 was a monopolistic naturopathic licensure bill introduced in Virginia in 2011. All three of the bills would have infringed on the rights of traditional naturopaths and all natural health practitioners to practice their trade and vocations by giving government sanctioned privilege to practice and use of title to one natural health group and criminalizing the rest. Congratulations Virginians for Health Freedom in stopping this bill, and there is much gratitude for your work in stopping a similar bill in 2010. We hope that a safe harbor bill can be reintroduced in Virginia!
In 2008, Virginia Certified Natural Health Care Practitioners (VCNHP) launched a new initiative which they have titled Virginians for Health Freedom. In 2009, the group lobbied against a naturopathic physician licensure bill NP1820, and stopped it from passing. They also introduced HB1744 in 2009, a health freedom safe harbor exemption bill. Diane Miller went to Virginia to testify. However, HB1744 was tabled indefinitely. VCNHP had an urgent challenge in January 2008, when a Naturopathic licensing bill was introduced that would have shut down all traditional naturopaths in Virginia as well as many other natural health care practitioners. VCNHP mobilized the entire natural health community and successfully convinced the legislature to take the bill off the table for the 2008 session.
Diane Miller of NHFA gave a lobbying workshop to VHF in January of 2008 to educate 20 of the VHF leaders about health freedom concepts and provide lobbying training and feedback to grassroots lobbyists. Virginia activists are strong and determined, and we are looking forward to their victory for freedom and natural health.
Sunshine Health Freedom Foundation State Coordinator, Dick Williams, is working hard to support the efforts in Virginia, and has rallied citizens to attend the important hearings. Williams is the head of a National Managers organization for Nature’s Sunshine distributors.
Becky Hanks has lobbied at the state house for years as needed.
Virginia
Sunshine Health Freedom State Coordinator
Dick Williams
804-739-9670
Email: fyiherbs@aol.com
Becky Hanks
5716 Court House Rd.
Prince George, Va. 2387
Phone: 651-70-7367
theherbasket@gmail.com
Virginia Chapter of the CNHP
Janet Sutton, Pres.
Phone: 804-590-0360
State/Bill Number:
2013 Virginia H.B. 1614
Subject:
Req HPV Vax for boys
Position:
Oppose
Status:
Not Passed – died in Cmmtt
Link:
http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?131+ful+HB1614+pdf