Virginia is notorious for its hostility toward charter schools. In the Old Dominion, charter schools must be approved by local school boards, which see educational alternatives as a threat rather than a potential blessing. Virginia has a grand total of eight charter schools, compared to 88 in New Jersey, a...
The U.S. Labor Department announced that Virginia added nearly 5,000 jobs in August. We’ve added almost 50,000 new jobs over the last year. One reason for this is Virginia’s commitment to expanding our energy resources. U.S. natural gas exploration and distribution has helped transform both our nation’s and Virginia’s economy....
On April 26, 1607 Captain Christopher Newport and the Virginia Company colonists first set foot on Virginia’s shore just west of Cape Henry, at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Soon afterwards, these men and women established Jamestown and our incredible history began. Since then, Virginia has been a maritime...
As the old saying goes, you find what you look for. And in its examination of occupational licensing in Virginia the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) largely found what it was looking for — inefficiencies and overcharges. Conducting the review was worthwhile, but the exercise was small ball...
Families in the Richmond region saw the rate of their inflation-adjusted incomes having the second fastest growth among all 383 metro areas in the nation. Median household income rose 5.3 percent in the Richmond metro area in 2017 compared with 2016, according to data released in mid-September by the U.S....
There is no question that personal transportation will undergo significant changes in coming decades. Three such changes will be the advent of affordable electric vehicles, fully autonomous vehicles, and mobility as a service (MaaS) in which people opt to rely on shared vehicles rather than individually owned vehicles. These are...
A U.S. District Court in South Carolina last month revived President Obama’s Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule in 26 states (now 23 states due to another decision.) The decision is a temporary setback. This, from the court: “The court reiterates that the issue currently before the court is...
When the General Assembly meets in January 2019, it should fully conform Virginia’s tax system to the new federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, but it should not stop there. It should also take immediate steps to reduce the tax increases that conforming the tax code will automatically create for...
The Richmond Public School System is in crisis, roiled by two independent audits and the publication of new state data showing that the administration is hobbled by rampant inefficiency, there are deep and pervasive achievement gaps between white students and black and Hispanic students, and the high school dropout rate...
Jefferson Journal: Tax Conformity Alone Is Not Enough
When the General Assembly meets in January, it should fully conform Virginia’s tax system to the new federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, but it shouldnot stop there. It should also take immediate steps to reduce the state tax increases that conforming the tax code will automatically create for many...