Governor’s Paid Leave “Fix” Leaves the Biggest Problems Untouched
Earlier this year, I warned that Virginia’s proposed Paid Family and Medical Leave Act would create one of the most expansive and expensive paid leave programs in the country. I had hoped the Governor’s new amendments issued just before midnight last night would fix those concerns. They don’t. The legislation would still establish a statewide insurance system funded by mandatory payroll contributions from workers […]
Governor Spanberger: Don’t Make Principals Jump Through Hoops to Keep Students and Teachers Safe
By Ali Ahmad and Derrick A. Max Conservatives across the country are salivating at the idea that Virginia’s new governor may sign a bill that opens her to the charge that she is siding with school bullies and delinquents over teachers and principals. House Bill 298, patroned by Delegate Delores McQuinn, is now on Governor Spanberger’s desk. […]
The Schoolhouse as Clinic: The Dangerous Mission Creep of Public School Mental Health Screenings
Virginia parents should be alarmed that the Virginia General Assembly just passed House Bill 355 which mandates annual mental health screenings for all public school students in grades 6 through 12. While framed as a compassionate response to a very real “mental health crisis,” it represents a fundamental shift in the mission of public education: from academic instruction to clinical surveillance. By institutionalizing mandatory mental health screenings, HB 355 threatens […]
Collective Bargaining Will Only Further Divide Virginia’s Universities
Cardinal News ran my guest column this morning warning that collective bargaining at Virginia’s public universities will only further depen the political divides that are undermining Virginia’s once esteemed system of higher education. The push to unionize university workers in Virginia is not about increased pay, better working conditions, or fairness. Beneath the rhetoric it is clear this debate […]
In Today’s Richmond Times-Dispatch: Students Can’t Afford the Learning Loss that Will Come from Paid Leave Bill
The Richmond Times-Dispatch ran my guest column this morning that warns of the significant learning loss that will likely occur from the Paid Family and Medical Leave bill (SB2) that is quickly winding its way to the Governror’s desk for her promised signature. As I have written previously, the Virginia General Assembly is about to pass the most […]
The General Assembly’s 22.5% “Labor Tax” Gamble
As the Virginia General Assembly enters the final weeks of its 2026 session, a wave of new labor mandates is about to reach the Governor’s desk, two of which she has promised to sign, and one she seems inclined to support as well. House Bill 5 (Paid Sick Leave), Senate Bill 2 (Paid Family and Medical Leave), and House […]
Supreme Court Restores the Rule of Law and, for a Moment, Increased Economic Freedom
The Supreme Court’s decision in Learning Resources v. Trump is a landmark reaffirmation of one of the Constitution’s most fundamental principles: the power to tax belongs to Congress alone. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution explicitly vests in the legislative branch the authority “to lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises.” Tariffs are taxes, and the Court […]
The Death of Fair Representation: Every Partisan-Drawn Map is an Insult, but Virginia’s is the Most Insulting
There is a difference between redistricting and rigging. One is a constitutional necessity. The other is political temptation. Right now, Virginia stands at the crossroads between the two. On April 21st the voters will decide which way we turn. Using current congressional delegation data and 2024 presidential vote totals, we can measure fairness in a straightforward way: compare a party’s statewide vote share in the last Presidential […]
Democrats Vote to ‘Disenfranchise’ Rural Voters by Outsourcing Virginia’s Presidential Vote and Gerrymandering Its Congressional Map
In a dizzying display of power, the Democrats in the General Assembly voted this week to assign Virginia’s electoral college votes to the Presidential candidate who wins voter-dense urban and suburban areas in other states nationwide. They also voted to approve a gerrymandered congressional map that will give progressive and populous Northern Virginia control over five Virginia […]
Stacked Local Taxes Are Making Virginia Less Affordable, Not More
Virginia’s restaurant and lodging sector is still in a fragile post-COVID recovery, yet local governments across the Commonwealth are piling on new and higher taxes that make affordability worse for families and survival harder for small businesses. A new statewide analysis of meals, lodging, and related sales taxes across all 133 Virginia localities by the Virginia […]