My name is Jill Cox, and I am the business manager with Mark's Pest Control, a licensed pest control company in Virginia. We employ 11 certified pesticide applicators across the Commonwealth.

We fully support the VPMA Petition for Rulemaking to create a new certification category that separates area-wide public health pest control from non-area-wide (backyard) mosquito control.

We feel that having the public health certification has prevented us from adding mosquito control to our services that our customers want.  We are asked often to add this service to private homes during the summer season, and we can not offer it do to the extra certification required.  We would not need the public health certification for any other reason than private mosquito control.

This change will make certification requirements more relevant and achievable for commercial applicators, while maintaining high standards for safety and professionalism. Many technicians struggle to pass the current Category 8 exam because it includes questions unrelated to the work they perform. This adjustment would allow them to advance their careers and strengthen our industry’s capacity to protect public health.

Thank you for considering this important issue. We urge the Board to approve the petition.

Trân trọng,

Jill Cox, Business Manager

and licensed technician