RICHMOND, Va. (AP) 鈥 Legislation that would end tax benefits for the United Daughters of the Confederacy 鈥 the Richmond-based women's group that helped erect many of the country's Confederate monuments 鈥 is on its way to Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who hasn't said whether he supports it.
The Democratic-led House of Delegates gave final passage Monday to that would eliminate both a recordation and property tax exemption for the group. A separate, that reached final passage last week also eliminates those exemptions.
The bills have moved through the legislature with mostly party-line support and relatively little debate. The few individuals who have spoken out against the legislation have called it discriminatory, while supporters argued the tax benefits have amounted to state-sponsored subsidies for Confederate monuments and are out of line with 21st-century values.
鈥淪ince Virginia no longer supports the legacy of the Confederacy, we need to reflect that in our legislation,鈥 Democratic Sen. Angelia Williams Graves of Norfolk, the sponsor of the Senate version of the bill, said in a legislative hearing.
The United Daughters of the Confederacy for over a century has 鈥渟pread the lie鈥 of the Lost Cause 鈥 an ideology that downplayed the role slavery played in the Civil War 鈥 and 鈥渋nstilled fear in marginalized groups by erecting Confederate monuments around the United States," Williams Graves said.
The nonprofit group, which owns a marble-clad Memorial Building positioned on a prominent Richmond boulevard with an assessed value of over $4.4 million, did not respond to requests for comment Monday.
But last week, it the state created the property-tax exemption in 1950, also extending 鈥渁n offer of land in Richmond鈥 to erect the Memorial Building.
The property tax exemption helps the group, which had members in the House gallery Monday, provide aid to other organizations, including the Wounded Warriors Project and homeless veterans organizations, the statement said.
鈥淚t is our hope that Governor Youngkin appreciates the complicated history of this organization,鈥 the statement said. The group added that it wanted the governor to see the bill as an 鈥渦nfair and unwarranted tax-reform bill targeting and punishing the United Daughters of the Confederacy for simply existing.鈥
Both bills were amended as they went through the legislative process to also end the property tax-exempt designation for two other groups related to the Confederacy: the Stonewall Jackson Memorial, Incorporated, and the Confederate Memorial Literary Society.
An entity called the Confederate Memorial Literary Society is listed in city property records as the owner of the former White House of the Confederacy, which is part of Richmond's multi-site American Civil War Museum. A museum representative didn't respond to phone and email messages seeking comment.
United Daughters of the Confederacy was founded in 1894 and is open to membership by female descendants of individuals who served in the Confederate military or who 鈥済ave Material Aid to the Cause,鈥 according to the group鈥檚 website. The group denounces white supremacy, is 鈥済rieved鈥 that certain hate groups have adopted the use of the Confederate flag, and believes Confederate monuments are part of 鈥渙ur shared American history and should remain in place," its website said.
Articles and studies have found the group helped erect hundreds of monuments and other tributes to the Confederacy around the country. The group in more recent years aimed at stopping the removal of monuments from public spaces.
Many of Virginia's Confederate monuments have been removed since the passage of that gave local governments control over their fate.
Youngkin removed monuments and did not strenuously object to of a massive statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from state property during his 2021 campaign. But he has said he believes monuments that are removed should be placed in museums or battlefields.
Youngkin will 鈥渞eview any legislation that comes to his desk," said spokesman Christian Martinez when asked whether the governor supports the bills.
In 2022, a teenager launched the push to remove the group's exemption, according to , bringing the issue to Democratic Del. Don Scott, who is now speaker of the House of Delegates.
Scott's the benefits died last year 鈥 when the House was under Republican control 鈥 without a recorded vote after it was left in a committee.
House speakers preside over the chamber and typically don't sponsor many bills. This year, the House version was carried by Democratic Del. Alex Askew, who represents parts of Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
鈥淭his bill does not attempt to challenge the UDC's right to exist. It is not about free speech, about taking down monuments or which version of history is accurate. It鈥檚 about fairness and the financial priorities of the Commonwealth,鈥 Askew said during a hearing, adding that the tax revenues being foregone now could help pay for schools, workforce development or mental health programs.
Several female speakers who testified against his bill in a subcommittee hearing argued that it unfairly targeted the group.
The Richmond Assessor's Office the group's headquarters would be taxed at the city's regular property tax rate if the bill passes. That would mean an annual tax bill of over $50,000.
