Last year the Thomas Jefferson Institute proved that the reputation it has achieved helped bring positive change to public policy in Virginia, based on our Mission Statement in support of limited government, free enterprise and individual responsibility … and we continue to bring innovative ideas to the public policy debate....
Disagreements over the Commonwealth’s budget may be grabbing the headlines, but under the radar of news reporting ideas are percolating throughout Virginia’s government that could have a much larger impact on the future.
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A renewed effort is making a push for universal preschool in Virginia. But the data simply doesn’t support forcing the middle class to pay for the child care decisions of millionaires.
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Governor Tim Kaine probably saved the Pocahontas Parkway project by putting a private toll operator in charge. Why won’t he do the same for the Dulles Toll Road?
... Virginia’s leaders can make a deal and get the budget finalized, even while moving forward in solving the transportation challenges. Here’s how …
... In a “one-size-fits-all” education world, students with individualized disabilities especially need more options. Why won’t the lobbyists give them a chance?
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One thing is certain: We need more roads and highways to bring our infrastructure into the 21st century. But do we need every penny that the planners say we do? Could these wish lists be just that: wish lists that include projects that will do little for congestion relief?
... Can public policy studies make a difference? It appears Jefferson Institute studies do. Former Governor Mark Warner has credited the Thomas Jefferson Institute and the American Legislative Exchange Council with offering the ideas behind what he says are improvements in state government accomplished during his administration. Warner noted, “Your work...
The Chesapeake Bay is one of the greatest natural resources in Virginia, but it suffers from modern environmental hazards. We need a concerted effort to clean it up, but it doesn’t need to cost the billions the state and federal government want to spend. This report says there is an...
Failure Is OK, When It's Cheap
The biennial budget has now broken through $74 billion, a 20 percent increase over the current biennium, and we’re now at a crossroads: We can do things the old way or we can innovate and find a better way. And if we don’t find a better way, other states will...