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 […]
Your Electricity Bill is the General Assembly’s New Favorite Piggy Bank
Key energy legislation poised to pass the 2026 General Assembly will increase your future electricity bills, not lower them. They will worsen price increases already caused by the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which passed the last time Virginia was under one party control. As the Assembly crosses its first deadline, with each chamber now able to […]
Legislators Not Curious About Cost, Safety or Efficiency As Massive Battery Mandate Rushes Toward Approval
Today, a Senate committee is scheduled to take up the bill directing Virginia’s two investor-owned utilities to propose huge battery installations that will cover square miles of ground, cost ratepayers billions of dollars, and produce zero energy to power our homes and businesses. The bill has Governor Abigail Spanberger’s endorsement. So far, legislators have been in a “see, […]
Virginia’s Paid Family Medical Leave Act Would be Among the Most Expansive and Expensive in the Country
Governor Abigail Spanberger campaigned on a promise to sign “paid family and medical leave” when it reaches her desk. But popular vote-getting concepts often ignore the damaging impact such policies have once they are implemented. Virginia’s proposed paid family and medical leave program (SB2)/(HB1207) is a case study in how expansive design choices can turn a popular benefit idea […]
Revenue-Hungry Democrats Give Themselves a Buffet of Tax Increase Choices for 2026
Governor Abigail Spanberger so far is no more clear on her tax and spending priorities than Candidate Spanberger was, but her fellow Democrats in the General Assembly are laying out a smorgasbord of tax increase options for her. Would she like a major “tax the rich” approach? Start with Delegate Vivian Watt’s House Bill 979, pending in […]
A “Free” Heat Pump Conversion for Oil and Propane Customers, Paid for by Virginia Ratepayers
A free heat pump for thousands of Virginians who are now using oil or propane to heat their homes, paid for by Virginia’s general population of electricity ratepayers. That is the goal of legislation that passed its first hurdle in a House of Delegate subcommittee Tuesday on a bipartisan vote. House Bill 2 is the same as legislation vetoed last year by former Governor Glenn Youngkin (R). The language linked is a substitute adopted […]
Proposed Commission Would Expand Beyond Electricity to Oversee All Forms of Energy in Virginia
A legislative commission created in 2008 to oversee one narrow function of two electric utilities is about to expand its scope of oversight of all forms of energy in Virginia, including nuclear, coal, and natural gas. It will be the legislative counterpart – and counterweight – to the politically independent State Corporation Commission. The bill to […]
Congratulations to Governor Abigail Spanberger on Her Historic Inauguration — A Call for Collaboration and Principled Debate
For Immediate Release By the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy Date: January 17, 2026 Today, the Thomas Jefferson Institute congratulates Governor Abigail Spanberger on her historic inauguration as the 75th governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia — and the first woman in the nearly 250-year history of the Commonwealth to hold this office. Her […]
The VCEA Renewable Certificate Mandate Reduces Energy Affordability
A key, but poorly understood, provision of the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA) is a requirement that Virginia’s two largest electric utilities must either generate or purchase a growing number of renewable energy certificates (RECs). Eventually their RECs must equal 100% of their non-nuclear generation. What are RECs and why do they matter to you? Put simply, […]