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 […]
Is Union “Dues Skim” Coming to Virginia?
There are many reasons why Governor Abigail Spanberger should veto the collective bargaining bill headed to her desk, a bill requiring local and state governments to bargain with union bosses even if less than a majority of public employees want the union or the bargaining. There is the fact that it will force major spending […]
The Virginia General Assembly Passed Nine Bills to Increase Electricity Costs
The 2026 Virginia General Assembly has passed at least nine separate new laws that will increase the cost of your electricity. Not one of the bills creates a single megawatt of additional energy for our use. Most of the bills create new ways for the utilities to take money from all their ratepayers and spend it […]
Will Voters Bring Gerrymandering Back to Virginia?
Unless Virginia voters reject the constitutional amendment on the ballot April 21, gerrymandering will return to Virginia. Five years ago, 66% of Virginia voters — 2.8 million Virginians — approved a bipartisan redistricting constitutional amendment ending gerrymandering. The result was a map that is widely regarded as one of the fairest in the country. The new proposal, however, for […]
House and Senate Budgets Propose No Major Tax or Spending Increases
The Senate and House of Delegates’ financial committees met on Sunday to approve competing sets of amendments to the next Virginia budget, neither proposing any general tax increases. The Senate version included modest tax reform: a small taxpayer rebate for this year and an increase in the income tax standard deduction. The Senate, however, allows […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Youngkin’s State of the Commonwealth Highlights Virginia’s Commonsense Renaissance
Governor Glenn Youngkin’s final State of the Commonwealth address last night offered more than a farewell, it served as an empirical rebuttal to the claim that conservative, pro-growth governance, like those supported by the Thomas Jefferson Institute, cannot deliver tangible results. By every meaningful metric — jobs, investment, education outcomes, revenue growth, and regulatory efficiency […]