Was The Fatal Flaw For This Sensible Tax Bill Simply the Support From Youngkin?
Virginia will remain out of step with the rest of the United States on how it taxes service-providing businesses after General Assembly Democrats voted in lockstep to once again kill a logical income tax reform. There was absolutely no partisan angle to the policy debate, yet party-line votes killed it. It is impossible not to […]
Virginia’s Low Education Standards Continue to Hide Low Student Mastery
Virginia students continued to struggle to meet national proficiency standards based on results in the recently released 2024 data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Reading scores remained stagnant among Virginia’s fourth graders while math scores slightly increased. Among Virginia’s eighth graders, scores in both reading and math declined. Every two years, NAEP […]
Making the Virginia Clean Economy Act More Expansive, Expensive and Onerous
The 2024 General Assembly ended with a promise from its majority Democrats to review and perhaps revise the 2020 Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), which mandates the end of hydrocarbon electricity. The revisions are now pending at the 2025 General Assembly and are uniformly bad. One positive development this session has been an increased and more honest focus […]
Potomac Politics Comes to the James River
The Democratic State Senate last week rejected nine of Governor Youngkin’s appointments to key governing boards in the state. Although Senator Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) used high-minded language to defend the action, it is much more likely that the rationale was baser — simply keeping important policy-making board seats open for what they believe will be an incoming Democratic Governor. It certainly couldn’t have been a problem with the […]
Nobody Pays Retail Anymore!
Gov. Glenn Youngkin has proposed an Education Opportunity Scholarship Grant — similar to what exists in 27 other states — providing $5,000 private school scholarships to each of 10,000 low-to-moderate-income public school K-12 students. Regardless of outcome, the debate over empowering low-income parents to seek better education for their children is an annual event. In this year’s […]
Senate Democrats Threatening $633 Tax Hike on Millions of Virginians
In the past few years, under governors of both parties, Virginia has expanded its standard deduction for income taxpayers from $6,000 for a couple in 2018 to $17,000 today saving those taxpayers $633. When they produce their budget bill on Sunday, the Democrats who hold the majority in the Virginia Senate may try to take back […]
Welcome to National School Choice Week: Here are Four Common Myths (and more)
When Governor Glenn Youngkin proposed an Education Opportunity Scholarship Grant – similar to what exists in 28 other states – providing $5,000 in private school scholarships to 10,000 low-moderate income public school K-12 students, the reaction was instantaneous, underscoring America’s partisan divide: Republicans endorsed it. Democrats opposed it. Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-Mt. Vernon) called it “unconstitutional.” Senator Louise […]
Action Alert: Virginia Needs To Protect the Natural Gas Choice in Law
Virginia’s General Assembly is being asked again to protect the use of natural gas and prohibit local government efforts to restrict or ban it in homes and businesses. A Senate bill pending at the 2025 session is backed by a large coalition which includes the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy and the Virginia Manufacturers Association. […]
Senator Hashmi Chooses Politics Over Virginia Parents and Children
Senator Ghazala Hashmi, chair of the Virginia Senate Education and Health Committee, is introducing a bill that has no chance of becoming law — apparently trying to carry water on behalf of the Virginia Education Association (VEA) in hopes of gaining support for her campaign for Lieutenant Governor. Hashmi’s bill would require a “delay” in the implementation […]
Legislator proposes raising Virginia state income tax rate to 10% for high-income households
In Virginia, a Democratic Delegate, Phil Hernandez, has introduced legislation to raise state income taxes on people making over $1 million per year. Their marginal tax rate would rise from 5.75% to 10%, under HB 2333. This tax increase won’t become law this year, but it might become law under a future Democratic governor. Virginia already has […]