RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Democrats are once again advocating for legislation aimed at stripping tax-exempt status from several organizations linked to Richmond’s Confederate history, including the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC).
"We can't allow this to continue. It's not the Virginia Way," Delegate Alex Askew (D-Virginia Beach) said.
The members of Virginia's Legislative Black Caucus support this initiative, highlighting the UDC's role in perpetuating a sanitized version of the Confederacy known as the Lost Cause.
"Organizations like United Daughters of the Confederacy have promoted the Lost Cause, a romanticized and false narrative of the Confederacy, built statues to worship the Confederacy, the KKK, and pushed the lie that that war was about states rights rather than slavery," Askew said.
Askew, who sponsors the bill, clarified that the legislation does not seek to challenge these organizations' right to exist.
"It's not about free speech. It's not about taking down monuments. That's something we did a few years back. It's about fairness and financial and fiscal priorities of Virginia," he said.
The bill successfully passed its first committee hurdle on Monday along party lines and could be voted on by the full Democrat-controlled House as early as Friday.
In response, the UDC's president criticized the bill as unnecessary and divisive, labeling it "viewpoint discrimination" from the ruling party and cautioning that it could set a precedent for others to lose their tax-exempt status.
The UDC asserts its founding principles date back to 1894, established to support veterans and their families affected by "the War Between the States," and it strongly denounces any promotion of racial divisiveness.
The General Assembly approved a similar bill last year, but it was vetoed by Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin.
In his statement, Youngkin acknowledged that while Virginia's property tax exemption laws may require reform, "narrowly targeting specific groups sets an inappropriate precedent."
Askew expressed his surprise and disappointment regarding the veto, acknowledging that while he does not expect Youngkin to alter his position this year, he plans to reintroduce the bill next year under a new Governor.
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