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Subcommittee reports bill requiring public cemetery maps for Northern Virginia planning district
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Summary
Sen. Roehm’s bill would require Northern Virginia planning districts to publish maps showing cemeteries to protect historic gravesites in high‑development areas; the subcommittee reported SB44 with a substitute, recording an 8‑0 vote.
Sen. Roehm introduced Senate Bill 44 to require Northern Virginia planning district authorities to maintain and publish maps indicating cemetery locations. He said a permissive code section passed years earlier did not produce the intended results in fast‑developing Northern Virginia and that public maps would help avoid damage to historic cemeteries in redevelopment and site‑plan negotiations.
Sen. Roehm read constituent testimony from Frank Washington of the Thoroughfare community urging protection for gravesites and framing cemetery preservation as a human‑rights matter for the deceased. No in‑room opposition was recorded during the hearing.
The subcommittee considered a substitute motion (including a reenactment clause to allow additional conversation) and voted to report SB44 with substitute; the clerk recorded the vote as 8‑0 in favor.
