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Virginia Issues

Va Taxes : VirginiaPlaces.org: Virginia Taxes and Tax History

2024-06-13: TJI: Virginia Climate Data Shows No Crisis, by Stephen D. Haner
There is no evidence of any climate-driven crisis, certainly not in Virginia. There is little evidence of any climate change at all. Drastic steps to rapidly eliminate use of hydrocarbon fuels in power plants, cars or homes are not justified by those fears.

2024-06-05: Va OAG: Va will exit California EV mandate at year's end, by Jason Miyares
Governor Youngkin today announced the end of the California electric vehicle mandate in Virginia, effective at the end of 2024 when California's current regulations expire. Virginia is not required to comply with expansive new mandates adopted by the unelected California Air Resources Board (CARB) set to take effect January 1, 2025.

2024-05-23: Bacon's Rebellion: UVa Thoroughly Committed to Marxist DEI, by James Bacon
Adam Andrzejewski and his team at Open the Books, a non-profit dedicated to transparency in government spending, have reassessed their March study that the University of Virginia is spending $20 million in payroll for 235 employees (including student interns) on work relating to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Their figures were way too low.

2024-03-03: Fx GOP: 14 Bills That Hurt Virginia Elections, Deserve Governor's Veto
Virginia already has some of the worst election laws in the country, passed by Democrats starting in 2020. Fourteen more bad bills are ready for the governor to veto, including HB1454 and SB246: removing the identifying features used to distinguish between citizen and non-citizen driver's permits (so illegal aliens could vote).

2024-02-06: WT: Youngkin's deal with Monumental Sports is "Good for Virginia", Tim Parrish
Typical sport-stadium deals (Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills, Las Vegas Raiders and Oklahoma City Thunder) use general obligation, or GO, bonds, which basically leave taxpayers on the hook to fund a project with funding that would otherwise be used for roads, water systems and other state infrastructure. Gov Youngkin instead made a deal with Monumental Sports and Entertainment to use a revenue bond tied solely to the arena itself. So no new taxes or tax increases!

2024-01-29: UVa: Virginia's demographic landscape is being transformed, by Hamilton Lombard
The flow from large population centers is being felt in nearly every part of Virginia, and migration into Virginia's rural counties is the most widespread since the 1970s.

2024-01-29: Cardinal News: Va rural population gains; Fairfax Co loses big, by Dwayne Yancey
We’re seeing a historic turnaround. Most rural counties now see more people moving in than moving out. However, Fairfax County and Virginia Beach have posted the biggest population declines in the state.

2024-01-17: Cardinal News: Va school enrollment to drop faster than expected, by D. Yancey
The biggest percentage decreases will come across Southwest and Southside, but the biggest drops in terms of actual number of students will be in Fairfax County. More than one-quarter of the projected statewide enrollment decline will come from Fairfax County, which is currently losing population for the first time since the 1820s.

2024-01-10: AP: Va Senate Dems Nix Proportional Committee Representation, by Sarah Rankin
Democrats who control the Virginia Senate are continuing the practice of stacking General Assembly committees with their own members in a proportion greater than their razor-thin majority.

2024-01-06: FCTA Speaks at Pre-2024 General Assembly Public Hearing -- 3 speakers
... on tax rates, transportation, green energy, right-to-work, school choice, pensions

2023-12-20: WT: Washington Metro's woes show folly of Alexandria arena plan, by David Ditch
The recently announced $2 billion arena project in Alexandria that would be the new home for the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards is a net loser for Alexandria and Virginia, especially since there is not enough parking, and Metro cannot provide the amount of spot service needed for the fans. The primary beneficiary would not be Northern Virginia residents, but billionaire Ted Leonsis, owner of the Wizards and the Capitals.

2023-12-14: Bacon's Rebellion: Boys Left Behind Academically in Virginia, by James Sherlock
Girls significantly outperform boys in English Language Arts (ELA) (reading and writing) in public schools -- both in high-performing Loudoun County and in poor-performing Richmond City schools. The progressive ed-school establishment is consumed with the "inequity" of racial gaps in educational performance, while ignoring this obvious gender gap.

2023-11-01: Daily Caller: Illinois Gov Funding Key Va Democrat Races, by Mary Lou Masters
... and you wondered how they could afford those expensive 30-sec Super Bowl ads.

2023-09-12: AP: Front Royal Library Going Woke and Broke, by Matthew Barakat
Like many libraries across the country, the Samuels Public Library in Warren County has found itself embroiled in conflict over books with LGBTQ+ themes. But the conservative five-member Board of Supervisors is having none of it -- threatening to cut off the $1 million annual funding it receives from the County unless the library removes its "child porn" books.

2023-06-28: TJI: The $3.6 Billion Decision - Give it Back, by Derrick A. Max
Virginia's overly large $3.6B surplus is mostly due to inflationary wage increases and the failure of Virginia policymakers to index deductions to keep up with inflation. So taxpayers overpaid, and the priority should be to give them their money back.

2023-06-22: Bacon's Rebellion: Clean Virginia Win Bad News for Gas Consumers, by Steve Haner
The biggest regulatory problem in Virginia remains the General Assembly's demand that Virginia charge toward an energy future with absolutely no use of any fossil fuels. Neither Dominion Energy nor Clean Virginia is fighting for the average Virginia consumer who wants inexpensive, reliable energy.

2023-06-10: Bacon's Rebellion: Va Fails to Regulate Nursing Home Owners, by James Sherlock
Virginia needs mechanisms to: (1) track and report nursing home ownership and facility names in near-real time; (2) stop Medicaid reimbursement of nursing homes in violation of health regulations; and (3) block Virginia acquisitions by ownerships with bad track records or insufficient assets.

2023-05-17: AP: Phonics improves reading scores in the Deep South, by Sharon Lurye
Deep South states, modeling Florida law, have adopted similar reforms that emphasize phonics and early screenings for struggling kids. The country has taken notice -- Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky and Virginia are among the states that have recently adopted some of the same policies.

2023-05-12: Daily Wire: Gov Youngkin Demands Answers On Loudoun Enemies List, by Luke Rosiak
Outrage ensued in Virginia on Thursday after The Daily Wire detailed how Loudoun County leftists took part in a secret group -- the Loudoun Love Warriors -- that discussed shooting and ruining the lives of conservative parents, and made a list of 115 of their neighbors who they said were "bigots". Members of the group included a campaign staffer for the local Soros-funded prosecutor.

2023-04-13: Heritage: Wokeness at Colonial Williamsburg, by Brenda Hafera
Colonial Williamsburg is trending toward wokeness and is at a crossroads. It can follow James Madison's home of Montpelier, which seeks to use historic sites to reinterpret America as a nation defined by white privilege and systemic racism. Or it can aspire to be like George Washington's Mount Vernon, which is committed to historical standards and commemorating Washington's and America's story fairly, honestly, and modestly.

2023-04-05: Bacon's Rebellion: More Discouraging News for Virginia Student Test Scores
As recently as 2015, the percentage of Virginia high school graduates qualifying for college credit on at least one Advanced Placement test ranked third in the nation. In the 2021-2022 school year, according to data released by the College Board, Virginia's percentage had fallen to 11th in the country.

2023-03-23: AMAC: Trio of Soros-Backed Prosecutors Under Fire in Virginia, by Shane Harris
Even in reliably blue northern Virginia and with backing from Soros-linked funds, Descano, Biberaj, and Dehghani-Tafti each face a real threat of losing re-election this fall, with all three looking at tough primary challenges. Perhaps even in liberal enclaves, Americans have had enough of the perverse vision of justice put forth by the left.

2023-03-21: Bacon's Rebellion: The Left's New DEI Bureaucracies at Virginia's Colleges
So why a new, 84-person DEI establishment at UVa? Why did suddenly every Department need an Associate Dean for DEI? Some two. What these new employees actually do is apparently up to them ... and dangerous to free speech and the conduct of regular business at the university.

2023-03-06: WT: Va Dems' opposition to born-alive law is wake-up call, by M. Dannenfelser
Former Gov Northam's endorsement of infanticide lives on. Last week, Virginia Senate Democrats blocked a "born-alive" bill that would ensure that a baby born alive during a late-term abortion would receive the same lifesaving medical treatment as any child born alive at the same gestational age. (Related: Bristol cross-state abortion traffic)

2023-02-16: WT: Va Dems kill all 12 gender-switch bills, by Valerie Richardson
Virginia Democrats have now killed all 12 so-called "anti-trans" bills, including Sage's Law requiring parental notification of in-school grooming, and bills barring cross-sex hormones and surgeries for minors and barring biological males from girls' sports. These bills all passed in the Republican-controlled House, but failed in the Democrat-led Senate.

2023-01-31: AP: Virginia's Error Leads Local Schools to Overestimate Aid
The Virginia Dept of Education acknowledged an error in a mathematical formula it provides to local K-12 school divisions led some schools to expect more state funding than they are set to receive -- an "overly generous" difference of $201 million between expectation and reality statewide over two fiscal years.

2023-01-07: FCTA: Speech at Pre-2023 General Assembly Public Hearing, by Thomas Cranmer

2022-12-01: Bacon's Rebellion: No Climate Crisis, Very Little Climate Change, by Steve Haner
Predicting increased extreme weather is now the go-to move for the alarmist media. In every case, the long term trends do not agree. There is no climate crisis; there is very little climate change. The data are why I reject the need for a crash program to reduce CO2, such as Virginia's ongoing rush toward energy poverty.

2022-11-18: FCTA'S 2023 Legislative Agenda for the Virginia General Assembly

2022-10-27: Gatestone: VMI Went Super-Woke, and Enrollment Fell 25%, by Daniel Greenfield
Virginia Military Institute, the institution that gave us Patton, Marshall and Byrd now asks about your "gender role", urges you to reimagine "masculinity" and spews hate toward anyone who happens to be white. Consequently, enrollment fell 25% -- from 522 in 2020 and 496 in 2021, to 375 in 2022.

2022-09-06: Bacon's Rebellion: Consequences of the Zero Carbon Fantasy, by Steve Haner
Virginians may finally be waking up to the consequences of the headlong rush to adopt utopian energy policies under our previous governor. As Virginia approaches its next round of legislative elections in November 2023, debate should commence regarding the net zero statutory mandate and the evidentiary claims behind it.

2022-09-02: Fx Times: Soros-funded prosecutors in Virginia hurting our local communities
George Soros, a progressive liberal who funds Democrat Commonwealth's attorneys in Virginia, is the sole reason some counties have become incredibly unsafe for people simply trying to live their lives. In no places is this misplaced, devaluation of public safety more evident than in Fairfax's Steve Descano and Loudoun's Buta Biberaj.

2022-08-05: AP: Va regulators OK Dominion's planned offshore wind farm, by Sarah Rankin
State regulators on Friday approved an application from Dominion Energy Virginia to build a 176-turbine offshore wind farm 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach and recover the cost from ratepayers. A typical residential customer is expected to see an average monthly bill increase of $4.72, with a peak monthly bill increase of $14.22 in 2027.

2022-07-29: SP Global: GEICO Virginia auto rates increase 26% in June, by Hassan Javed
GEICO subsidiaries received regulatory approvals for 27 rate hikes across seven states in June. More than half of the $418.7 million premium increase is expected to come from Virginia. GEIGO is increasing auto rates in Virginia by 26%, effective 6/16/22 for new business, 8/14/22 for renewals.

2022-05-19: WT: Public schools slammed for deceiving parents on test scores, by Sean Salai
A Virginia Dept of Education report released Thursday accuses the state's public schools (and itself under past administrations) of lowering academic standards to avoid being honest with parents about worsening test scores and racial achievement gaps for K-12 students. In 2019, Virginia fourth- and eighth-graders achieved only 35% reading proficiency on national testing (NAEP), compared to 75% on state reading tests.

2022-05-08: Bacon's Rebellion: Planning for Telecommuting's Effects on Va, by James Sherlock
I think that we don't yet realize the full impacts of the revolution being wrought by the telecommuting that accelerated during COVID. I am sure I don't. But Virginians and our state and local governments, must try to figure it out. For example, is VRE expansion still cost-effective? How about metro rail, which has had similar ridership declines?

2022-03-12: AP: Lawmakers go home with budget work unfinished, will return, by Sarah Rankin
Virginia's divided part-time Legislature, unable to reach an agreement on a budget, opted to adjourn Saturday and reconvene later at the call of the governor to finish the year's work.

2022-02-04: CFACT testifies against harmful VCEA climate law before Va House of Delegates
CFACT's president testified against the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), signed into law in 2020, which mandates Virginia's electric grid transition to 100% so-called "clean" energy by 2050, by drastically increasing energy prices and destroying much of Virginia's forests and farmland in order to build solar facilities. HB 118, sponsored by Del. Nick Freitas, aims to repeal the VCEA.

2022-01-30: Brownstone: Grading the States on Covid Restrictions
Many states had (and have) wildly different policies during the pandemic. In a state-by-state comparison, we find that tight restrictions had no measurable impact on COVID-19 deaths. Least restrictive states: IA(1st), FL, WY, SD, TX, AK, SC, OK, MS, MT ... to most restrictive: RI, ME, CT, CA, NY, WA, VA(48th), DE, DC, VT(51st).

2022-01-08: FCTA Speaks at Pre-2022 General Assembly Public Hearing -- 3 speakers

2021-12-18: Fx Times: Yes, Virginia - there is CRT in our schools, by Elizabeth Schultz
School districts across Virginia have been expending resources, directing staff time, and hiring consultants to address "equity" in curriculum delivery and for professional development of teachers and other employees. Fairfax and Loudoun, the two largest counties in the Commonwealth, have set the lead in driving the changes in education and embracing critical race theory and "anti-bias" in their respective divisions.

2021-12-18: FCTA: For the Left, Government Is Always Underfunded, by Arthur Purves
No matter how fast government spending increases, Virginia Public Media will say that "essential services" are "underfunded". [Fx Sen Chap Peterson begs to differ!] But most of our taxes are wasted on: 1) $19B for schools that teach almost nothing; 2) welfare to subsidize poverty; and 3) costly mass transit projects instead of roads.

2021-12-10: Fx Times: Why does Virginia have such a big surplus?, by Va Sen Chap Peterson
"The bottom line is that the state surplus is not about 'good stewardship'. It's about collecting more in taxes while providing fewer state services. That model is not sustainable. And it will change."

2021-12-10: 538: Virginia's 2022 Congressional District Map -- vs old map
Virginia finally gets clean and compact U.S. Congressional districts via the special masters appointed by the Supreme Court of Virginia, no longer jiggered to favor a political party. Check out the current and proposed maps and see for yourself.

2021-10-04: Ron Paul: Parents Should Control Education, but Terry McAuliffe disagrees!
Virginia Democrat gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe doesn't think parents should have a say in their children's education. They think parents should obediently pay the taxes to fund the government schools and never question any aspect of the government school indoctrination program.

2021-08-24: RT: Terry McAuliffe calls on businesses to mandate Covid-1984 vaccine
Former Clinton bag man and Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe called on "every Virginia employer" this week to mandate Covid-19 vaccines among all "eligible employees". "We can't force them. We're not going door to door, but you make life difficult," he said. McAuliffe is facing off against the Trump-backed Republican Glenn Youngkin in what has become a heated race.

2021-07-21: Bacon's Rebellion: Yes, CRT Is Being Taught in Schools, by Hans Bader
"Many high schools and middle schools are assigning" Ibram Kendi's book Stamped to students, notes George Mason University law professor David Bernstein, even though this "book associated with Critical Race Theory" is filled with factual errors, and contains "bad history". For example, Amazon spent $5,000 to distribute hundreds of copies of Ibram X. Kendi's book "Stamped" to Virginia public school students in Arlington, Va.

2021-06-28: CER: Virginia 49th in Charter School Ranking of States

2021-04-23: Fox News: Virginia to dumb down math courses in name of 'equity', by Sam Dorman
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is moving to eliminate all accelerated math options in government schools prior to 11th grade, effectively keeping higher-achieving students from advancing as they usually would in the school system.

2021-03-02: WalletHub: VA Has Most Restrictions, Highest COVID-19 Death Rate, by Adam McCann
WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia to determine the states with the fewest coronavirus restrictions, and note their coronavirus death rate. Virginia came out dead last in both categories. South Carolina, by contrast, has almost no restrictions and a low Covid-19 death rate.

2021-02-24: Bacon's Rebellion: Work-at-Home and the Transportation Revolution
It may be time for a major re-think of transportation policy. Alan Pisarski, a Northern Virginia transportation consultant, argues that new technologies and business models, some accelerated by the COVID-19 epidemic, could radically change decades-old travel patterns. So states should refrain for now from expanding their transportation systems and just concentrate on maintenance.

2021-02-19: AMAC: Email Records Show Teachers Unions Are Fighting to Keep Va Schools Closed
For months, Virginia teachers unions have peddled fear: Reopening public schools for in-person learning was and is too dangerous. Email records show the unions also have engaged in an intense behind-the-scenes pressure campaign to influence Democrat state lawmakers, sending thousands of emails to Democrat House delegates about school-reopening plans.

2020-11-23: American Thinker: It's in the Code: Hanky-Panky in Virginia Votes, by Nick Chase
Translating the JSON code provided by the New York Times... At 11:03 PM EST on November 3, total votes were 2,724,165, and Trump had 1,419,290 votes (52.1%), Biden had 1.258,564 votes (46.2%). Between 11:14 and 11:42 came a big Biden vote dump, with vote totals then 1,512,627 (45.8%) for Trump and 1,771,663 (52.6%) for Biden. Now when I make adjustments for the fraud, I get 2,629,289 votes (56.5%) for Trump and 2,023,030 (43.5%) for Biden. Trump wins (13 electoral votes).

2020-11-21: TBE: "Drop and Roll" in Virginia (just like PA,MI,WI,GA) , by Dr. Robert Warren
This election fraud technique, witnessed in PA, MI, WI, and GA, was also seen in Virginia. The DROP: With Trump comfortably ahead with 2/3 of the vote counted, batches for Biden were in the hundreds of thousands and put him in the lead (but reported as fractions?). The ROLL: Thereafter, Biden maintained a mysteriously uniform lead, without the usual ebb and flow.

2020-11-15: Gateway Pundit: Election Fraud Occurred in Virginia Too after 11 PM, by Joe Hoft
Up through 11:03pm on Election Day, President Trump was leading 52% to Biden's 46% with about 75% of the vote. Then things went off the rails. After 11pm, nearly 70% of the votes recorded in Virginia went to Biden. This include hundreds of thousands of negative votes and late votes that all had the same proportion of Biden to Trump. These entries indicate election fraud occurred in Virginia.

2020-10-27: ZeroHedge: The "Wokeness" Wars Comes to Loudoun County, by Philip Giraldi
The Loudoun County school board has spent $422,500 on a consultant to apply Critical Race Theory (CRT) to a new program of instruction that will be mandatory for all employees and will serve as the framework for teaching the students. When schools eventually reopen, all kindergarteners, for example, will be taught "social justice" in a course designed by the Southern Poverty Law Center and "diversity training" will be integrated in all other grade levels.

2020-10-18: CFACT: California's energy nightmare is coming to Virginia, by Bonner Cohen
For Virginians, California's rolling blackouts and sky-high electricity prices may seem little more than the travails of distant strangers on the other side of the country. But Virginia's Democrat-controlled General Assembly last fall passed a California-style "Green New Deal" which will cost consumers mightily.

2020-10-09: AP: Disputed redistricting reform on the ballot in Virginia, by Matthew Barakat
Virginia voters are about to decide whether to alter their state constitution to support redistricting reform that would take the once-every-10-year task of drawing maps out of legislators' hands, at least to an extent, and give it to a bipartisan panel. The proposal isn't perfect, but it's the best that could be achieved and a clear improvement over the status quo.

2020-09-14: CNS News: Will Va. Teach Critical Race Theory to Kindergartners?, by Hans Bader
This week, the Virginia Board of Education will meet to discuss a report that may promote destructive racial ideologies -- the August 2020 "Final Report of the Virginia Commission on African American History Education in the Commonwealth." Bacon's Rebellion writer James Sherlock laments that the "report is critical race theory brought to life".

2020-09-07: WT: Gade sees military service as run-up to Senate bid, by David Sherfinski
Daniel Gade says he doesn't see his Senate bid in Virginia this year as all that different from his military service, which included losing his right leg after he survived an explosion in Iraq in 2004. He is taking on Democrat Sen. Mark R. Warner, and if elected, would like to serve on the Veterans' Affairs and Armed Services committees. He wants to see more veterans in Congress.

2020-07-07: Sun Gazette: Have Democrats written off rural Virginia?, by David Kerr
Virginia's Democrats seem to forgotten about the Commonwealth's rural voters. They found their formula for winning -- and it has worked -- but for the most part it doesn't include the vast swaths of Virginia that consider themselves rural. But Democrats can't just be the party of the left. They're going have to allow more moderate members of their party to have a seat at the table.

2020-07-05: AP: Developers cancel long-delayed, $8B Atlantic Coast Pipeline, by Sarah Rankin
Despite a victory last month at the United States Supreme Court over a critical permit, Dominion Energy and Duke Energy said in a news release that "recent developments have created an unacceptable layer of uncertainty and anticipated delays" for the 600-mile project designed to cross West Virginia and Virginia into North Carolina.

2020-07-02: Breitbart: Va Dems Seek to Reduce Assault on Cops to Misdemeanor, by John Nolte
If you are not already convinced, this proposal from Virginia Democrats should sway any fence-sitters of just how heart attack-serious Democrats are when it comes to de-funding and abolishing the police, which is only a means towards their ultimate goal, which is full-blown anarchy.

2020-06-15: AP: Supreme Court paves way for Atlantic Coast Pipeline permit, by Mark Sherman
The Supreme Court on Monday paved the way for a critical permit for a proposed natural gas pipeline that would cross under the Appalachian Trail, siding with energy companies and the Trump administration and reversing the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that had thrown out the permit for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.

2020-06-04: Connection: Republican Primary Candidates for U.S. Senate -- June 23
Republicans are about to decide which candidate they want to appear on the ballot this November against incumbent U.S. Sen. Mark Warner -- Daniel Gade of Mount Vernon; Thomas Speciale of Woodbridge; or Alissa Baldwin of Lunenburg County. Here are their profiles...

2020-06-02: CFACT: The Virginia Clean Economy Act is a Disaster, by Collister Johnson
So radical are these mandates that, for the first time in history, the State Corporation Commission has effectively been entirely stripped of its authority to regulate electricity generation in Virginia, thereby jettisoning the SCC's historical responsibility to assure Virginians of both the lowest possible cost of electricity coupled with the highest reliability.

2020-05-12: WT: Ralph Northam now only exists to do the left's bidding, by Grover Norquist
Mr. Northam is a governor in name only. Even though Mr. Northam tries to flex his muscle with hare-brained power plays, he is nothing but an errand boy for the far-left Virginia Democrat Party. The moment Mr. Northam is no longer useful, the left will chew him up and spit him out. Sadly, it is Virginians who will pay the price of Mr. Northam's tax-and-spend policies for years to come.

2020-05-08: TJI: Spaced Out, Hidden, Here Come the 2020 Tax Hikes, by Stephen D. Haner
The 2020 General Assembly, with its new progressive Democrat majority, passed nearly two dozen changes in Virginia tax laws that will begin to hit individuals and businesses in a few weeks on July 1. Because of the COVID-19 economic shutdown, a few amendments were made to the implementation schedule during the reconvened session on April 22, but no tax increase was repealed.

2020-05-08: WT: How we prevented COVID-19 cases at Liberty University, by Jerry Falwell Jr.
Looking back over our plan to prevent COVID-19 cases at Liberty University while simultaneously prioritizing the needs of students who lacked the resources and accommodations to weather the storm, we seemed to have struck the perfect balance. Our crisis response plan prevented any cases of COVID-19 on our campus, and it serves as a model for other institutions to follow in the future.

2020-05-04: AP: Dominion Energy expects bills to rise to pay for renewable mandates
Customers of Dominion Energy Virginia can expect their bills to increase by an average of about 3% annually over the next 10 years as the company changes its generation mix to comply with new renewable energy mandates passed by the General Assembly, Dominion recently told regulators and lawmakers.

2020-04-24: Fx GOP: Major Changes in Virginia Election Law, by Scott Spitzer
Democrats have softened Virginia's election laws, making voter fraud easier as follows, effective 07/01/2020: 1) repeals voter ID requirement; 2) allows absentee voting without any stated excuse; 3) implements Automatic Voter Registration at DMV; 4) expands absentee voting timelines; 5) extends election poll hours; 6) allows same-day voter registration. Future changes will likely include Vote By Mail; Ballot Harvesting; and National Popular Vote Compact.

2020-04-10: AP: Governor Northam signs gun-control bills into law, by Alan Suderman
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has signed several new gun restrictions he championed during this year's legislative session, cementing gains by gun control advocates they hope will serve as a "blueprint" for states around the country. Banning of AR-15-style rifles will be attempted again next year.

2020-04-08: AP: Dominion Energy says new natural gas generation not viable, by Sarah Rankin
Dominion Energy Virginia recently told state regulators "significant build-out" of natural gas-fired power plants is no longer viable because of the Virginia Clean Economy Act of 2020 that the General Assembly passed earlier this year. A move away from natural gas would mark a significant shift from Dominion's 2018 plans, which called for at least eight new gas-fired plants.

2020-04-07: AP: Gov Northam to postpone teacher raises, freeze tuition, by Suderman & Rankin
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam plans to delay some long-sought Democrat priorities until more is known about the pandemic's affect on the economy, pushing back decisions on whether to give teachers and state workers raises, freeze in-state college tuition, and implement other new spending in budget recently passed by lawmakers.

2020-03-18: JPJ: Sixteen Tax Hike Bills Approved by the General Assembly, by Stephen D. Haner
What did this year's General Assembly cost you in taxes? Here are at least 16 bills approved by the 2020 General Assembly which create or raise taxes on Virginians or authorize a local government to do so. If anybody would or could run the fiscal projections on these 16 tax bills, they might combine into a major tax hike comparable to those in 2004 and 2013.

2020-03-18: JPJ: Dominion Energy Gets a "Blank Check" from the General Assembly, by Lee Ware
The most expensive offshore wind project in U.S. history's projected energy cost is 13.8 times greater than new solar facilities. The forecasted cost of energy from the pilot is 78 cents/kWh. For comparison, Dominion Energy residential customers currently pay an average electric rate of 10.83 cents per kilowatt-hour.

2020-02-14: Daily Caller: Va Political Malpractice with Nat'l Popular Vote, by Eddie Zipperer
Virginia's House of Delegates brought them one step closer to joining the National Popular Vote Compact (NPVC), thus pledging to surrender Virginia's electoral votes to the national popular vote winner. So Virginia's lawmakers are willing to go against their own voters and allow people outside of the state to choose their electors.

2020-02-14: CLIC-VA: Status of Bills in the General Assembly, by Carol Stopps

2020-02-10: WT: When Big Labor Forces unionism on Virginia workers, by Mark Mix
On Jan. 7, after disingenuously suggesting during last year's state campaigns that right-to-work protections for employees in Virginia would not be in jeopardy if his party took over control of the General Assembly, newly-minted Senate Majority Leader Richard Saslaw, Fairfax County Democrat, introduced legislation that would eliminate those protections.

2020-02-03: WT: The utterly American history of 'We will not comply', by Amy Swearer
Gun-control advocates have denounced the Second Amendment Sanctuary movement as undemocratic and anti-American. But voicing a collective refusal to comply with laws perceived as unconstitutional or unjust is a fundamental part of American democratic discourse. In fact, the mantra "we will not comply" helped set the stage for America as it exists today.

2020-02-03: WT: Va's elected officials must not eliminate right-to-work law, by George Allen
The very fact that bills to overturn our right-to-work law are on the legislative table in Virginia this year is already damaging our state's credibility as a reliable business-friendly state. Such a law would benefit Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, or any Right to Work state located to the south or west of Virginia.

2020-01-25: CLIC-VA: Status of Bills in the General Assembly, by Carol Stopps

2020-01-16: JLARC: Virginia Compared to the Other States
Provides figures, percentages, and state rankings for all 50 states interactively in numerous categories including 1) Population size, economy, education, and health; 2) Taxes and Revenue; 3) Government spending, debt, and employment; 4) Education costs & spending; and 5) Public assistance, transportation, and public safety spending. (PDF version.)

2020-01-09: AP: Va Dems pledge to let locals move Confederate statues, by Rankin & Suderman
Newly empowered Democrat leaders in Virginia pledged Thursday to let local governments remove Confederate monuments, but Gov. Ralph Northam said he's still weighing what to do with one of the state's most prominent ones -- a towering statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee.

2020-01-06: NRA: Crime in Virginia is Falling, but Governor Focuses on Making You a Felon
Disgraced Governor Ralph Northam and his Bloomberg-bought anti-gun allies in the newly elected legislature have made it clear they are hell-bent on enacting gun control. They want to take your guns and they want taxpayers to fund it. They've seen the same research that has shown that gun control doesn't work.

2020-01-06: NRA: Bloomberg Dismisses Texas Hero, Prefers Mass Shootings
The video of the mass shooting attempt at that church in White Settlement, Texas shows the carnage was over in six seconds, thanks to armed congregant Jack Wilson. Gun-control politicians are now on notice that lawful concealed carry saved many lives in just that one episode. But Michael Bloomberg (and his Bloomberg-bought Virginia General Assembly) seem to prefer mass shootings over self-defense.

2020-01-05: Daily Caller: Va Amendment Would Allow Inmates To Vote, Locally, by Luke Rosiak
Virginia Democrats Mamie E. Locke and Kaye Kory will introduce a measure Jan. 8 that would allow prisoners to vote from jail in the state. The bill appears to allow prisoners to vote in the jurisdiction of the jail, potentially making inmates a powerful voting bloc in sparsely populated communities.

2020-01-05: Va General Assembly Bills for 2020, by David Swink
This data is culled from Richmond Sunlight, and placed onto a single web page, for ease of research. One can narrow your search by entering a word or phrase into the search box -- for example the last name of your delegate or senator, or perhaps how many gun control or vote-related bills are being proposed and by whom.

2020-01-02: NR: Ralph Northam's Losing Battle on 2nd Amendment Sanctuaries, by Cam Edwards
Ralph Northam is about to make the biggest tactical mistake in Virginia since Cornwallis decided to park his army at Yorktown. With his attempt to force local commonwealth's attorneys and sheriffs in Second Amendment sanctuaries to enforce his unconstitutional gun laws, Governor Northam is setting himself up for a catastrophic failure. In fact, there's no way for Northam to win the fight he seems intent on picking with Virginia gun owners and Second Amendment sanctuaries.

2020-01-01: AP: Lawmakers pledge "Extra Rights Amendment" will pass in Va, by Rankin & Crary
Supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment are already making plans for how they will celebrate Virginia becoming the critical 38th state to ratify that measure, passed in 1072. But 1982, the extended deadline for passage, is ancient history, and five states have since reversed their approval.

2019-12-31: AP: Opponents push to abolish death penalty in Virginia, by Denise Lavoie
Virginia has executed nearly 1,400 people in its 412-year history -- more than any other state. But as a new Democrat majority prepares to begin the legislative session, some see an opportunity to end executions in Virginia. A bill to abolish the death penalty has been filed by Del. Lee Carter (D-Manassas), and several additional bills are expected.

2019-12-23: Daily Caller: Democrats Seek To Outlaw Single-Family House Zoning, by Luke Rosiak
Virginia House Del. Ibraheem Samirah introduced a bill that would override local zoning officials to permit multi-family housing in every neighborhood, changing the character of quiet suburbs -- whether residents want it or not.

2019-12-18: Epoch Times: Culpeper Sheriff Scott Jenkins on Proposed Gun Laws, by Bowen Xiao
As a majority of local counties in Virginia are declaring themselves "Second Amendment sanctuaries", a direct response to a new push by Democrats to pass stricter gun control measures, one of the state's county sheriffs says he'll "deputize citizens" as auxiliary deputies to protect their constitutional right to bear firearms.

2019-12-05: WT: Second Amendment sanctuaries -- editorial
Some on the left are angry, if not apoplectic, that conservatives are turning the tables on them and co-opting one of their own tactics. If liberal "sanctuary" cities, counties and even states defiantly refuse to cooperate fully with federal immigration laws, then their objections should fall on deaf ears when other towns, cities and counties won't go along when liberal governors and Democrat-controlled legislatures enact strict gun-control measures.

2019-11-23: WaPo: "Second Amendment sanctuaries" pop up in rural Virginia, by Greg Schneider
A resistance movement is boiling up in Virginia, where Democrats rode a platform on gun control to historic victories in state elections earlier this month. In the past two weeks, county governments from the central Piedmont to the Appalachian Southwest have approved resolutions that defy Richmond to come take their guns.

2019-11-14: Epoch Times: Virginia Goes Blue, Pro-China Communists Claim Credit, by T. Loudon
Virginia went blue because a handful of well-organized pro-Chinese communists made it happen. The group in question, New Virginia Majority (NVM), has exploited Virginia's changing population and "liberal bleed out" from the Washington area to flip not just Northern Virginia but also districts across the state. NVM claims that by going after the minority vote with mass voter registration drives, you can flip almost any state.

2019-10-27: Bacon's Rebellion: Will "One Fairfax" Become "One Virginia"?, by Tom Pafford
'One Fairfax' gives enormous powers to its overwhelmingly Democrat Party Board of Supervisors to legislate policies eradicating as many socially constructed barriers as its sees fit -- renaming schools and roads, redrawing school boundaries and busing of students, and enacting transgender protection policies. It seems Fairfax County is in the nascent stages of a huge social transformation -- and one that soon may go Commonwealth wide!

2019-10-10: Free Beacon: Virginia Dems Reject Federal Gun Crime Funding, by Stephen Gutowski
Virginia turned down $665,673 in federal money used to combat gun crime in 2018, rather than comply with federal immigration authorities. (So the Commonwealth, like Fairfax County, wants to pad its voter base with illegal aliens, and this ranks higher than virtue signaling on "gun safety".)

2019-10-08: JPJ: Purple to Blue, by James A. Bacon
Virginia stopped being a red state a decade or two ago. Come January Democrats will control all statewide offices and the General Assembly. Virginia, we now can say, is the southernmost Northern state -- Maryland with a larger rural hinterland.

2019-10-04: AP: Virginia to develop 4 new solar energy projects, by Jimmy O'Keefe
Permits were issued Thursday for the construction and operation of four new solar projects that are expected to offset carbon dioxide emissions in the state by 459 million pounds. The projects include: 1) 12 MW in Pittsylvania Co, 2) 80 MW in Campbell Co, 3) 80 MW in Mecklenburg Co, and 4) 20 MW in Henrico Co. (No mention of how this might affect future energy prices.)

2019-09-18: AP: Population is expected to shrink in rural Virginia, by Emma North
Of the state's 133 cities and counties, U.Va.'s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service projects that 53 will lose population by 2040. Most of those shrinking localities are in south, southwest and western Virginia. Other parts of Virginia will grapple with dramatic population gains. Overall, the state population will grow 14%, to almost 10 million, by 2040.

2019-09-18: Breitbart: Virginia Colleges Still Practice Reverse Discrimination, by Penny Starr
The Center for Equal Opportunity released a report focused on five public universities in the commonwealth: University of Virginia, William & Mary, Virginia Tech, James Madison University, and George Mason University. UVA and William & Mary, give the heaviest admission preferences and they are to African Americans, with a black-white SAT gap of 180 and 190 points, respectively.

2019-08-27: JPJ: Virginia's $450 Million Windfall Tax Hike!, by Stephen D. Haner
Virginia state government ended Fiscal Year 2019 awash in cash largely for one reason: A $466 million tax increase that fell on about 30 percent of individual taxpayers, caused by conforming to the new federal tax law without any corresponding tax reform to increase Virginia's standard deduction.

2019-08-22: Sun Gazette: Put the focus squarely on student achievement -- Editorial
Elected and appointed school leaders, in Virginia and elsewhere, need to either get more aggressive in addressing the issue, or get out and turn the situation over to those who will. Otherwise, another generation of students will come and go, ill-served by the educational system that should have its best interests at heart.

2019-08-13: Bacon's Rebellion: Latest Virginia SOLs: More Declines in Reading, Writing
Virginia public school students backtracked slightly in their Standards of Learning (SOL) tests for the 2018-19 school year. While changes to the test methods make it difficult to make valid comparisons for math and history/social sciences, reading and writing test scores declined somewhat, most markedly for blacks, students with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged students.

2019-08-13: WTOP: Student achievement declines in Virginia, gaps remain, by Max Smith
Overall pass rates on Virginia's Standards of Learning tests fell last school year, while significant achievement gaps persisted. Economically disadvantaged students, black students and Hispanic students have much lower SOL pass rates in general than wealthier, Asian or white students.

2019-08-05: FCTA: "Progressive Education" and Racial Inequality, by Arthur Purves
FCTA president Arthur Purves is running for Virginia's 32nd Senate District seat currently held by Janet Howell. This is the presentation he gave to the Fair Lakes Tea Party on August 5, 2019.

2019-07-30: College Fix: In Va, 80% of highest-paid public employees are in higher education
Nearly 80 percent of the highest paid state employees in the state of Virginia are public university staffers. Those individuals all pull down significant six-figure salaries, with one making over a million dollars per year.

2019-07-16: AP: Virginia Pension Plan shortfall bad news for taxpayers
Virginia state and local governments may have to pay more each year to cover public employees' retirement costs. The Virginia Retirement System could lower its expected rate of investment returns from 7% to 6.75% or 6.5%. The fund said it earned a 6.5% last fiscal year.

2019-07-10: CNBC: Why Amazon chose Virginia for HQ2, nixed New York, by Scott Cohn
Virginia is the Top State for Business in 2019, while New York ranks 49th, and Virginia offers the best workforce in the nation, according to the CNBC survey. The state also ranks No. 1 for education, tied with Massachusetts.

2019-05-13: WaPo: Virginia's transportation funding stacked against roads, by Del. Dave LaRock
The Virginia Smart Scale system is supposed to identify projects for funding based on bang for the buck, but the Northam administration is ignoring cost benefits in favor of mass Transit. The governor recommends 92 percent of the $200 million in recommended funding on transit/bike/pedestrian projects. Only a pittance, $16 million, would go to roads.

2019-04-08: AP: CBD and THC-A oil dispensaries set to open across Virginia, by Ben Burstein
Virginians with a doctor's recommendation soon will have access to CBD and THC-A oil dispensaries throughout the state. The Virginia Board of Pharmacy has approved five companies to open the dispensaries - one in each of the commonwealth's five health service areas.

2019-04-05: AP: State "health" officials take steps to ban conversion therapy, by J.M. McNeill
Conversion therapy, which aims to correct the sexual orientation, gender expression or identity of LGBTQ individuals, has been banned in several states across the U.S. but is still legal in Virginia. Now the Virginia Board of Psychology has issued a letter of guidance stating that conversion therapy should be considered a "violation of standard practices", so attempts to convince LGBTQ-ers to become normal should be outlawed.

2019-03-21: AP: Virginia pension fund in trouble if market meltdown hits, by Alan Suderman
Virginia's pension fund is in a worse position to handle a market meltdown than it was before the Great Recession more than a decade ago, according to a recent state report. That's despite a 10-year bull market and pension reform efforts by lawmakers to make the fund more resilient.

2019-03-11: Jefferson Journal: The State of Taxaginia - Taxes Times Four, by Stephen D. Haner
Wealth taxes are all the rage now in national discussions, with Democrats usually getting battered for proposing one. But as final versions of the income tax bill moved around the 2019 General Assembly, Democrats slipped in a provision to cap the amount of deductions wealthiest taxpayers can claim, raising their tax bills. Republicans agreed to it.

2019-03-03: WT: Va. bill nixes Bloomberg funds to pay for climate lawyers, by V. Richardson
Virginia has become the first state to crack down on billionaire Michael Bloomberg's effort to embed within the attorney general's office privately funded lawyers dedicated to pursuing climate change litigation.

2019-02-28: CFACT: Giant solar has Virginia in uproar, by Bonner Cohen
If being "green" means "nature friendly", solar is anything but. Big industrial solar farms, like one currently being proposed by sPower Company off the I-95 corridor in Northern Virginia, are notorious for not only chewing up large tracts of open spaces but also threatening area wildlife.

2019-02-18: Bull Elephant: Moe, Larry and Curly, by Lou DiLeonardo
Here in Virginia, We the People are now the laughing stock of the country. Lately, we have been treated to a spectacle of spectacular callousness by the top 3 elected officials in the State. You might think of them as the Three Stooges of politics for their hapless shenanigans.

2019-02-15: Va Tax: Va Now Processing Individual Income Tax Returns -- Std Ded x1.5 in 2019
Earlier today, the Governor signed legislation conforming Virginia's tax laws to the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. We are now able to prepare our systems to begin processing 2018 returns, and will start processing over Presidents' Day weekend. All 2018 tax forms and instructions are now available on our website. (2018 Standard Deduction not increased.)

2019-02-07: NY Post: Virginia is for LOSERS -- Front Page

2019-02-06: FCTA: Of Blackface, Statues, and Virtue Signaling, by David Swink
The Left has perfected the art of "virtue signaling", pointing to alleged evils on the other side while maintaining that their own are as pure as the driven snow. So this week, the worm has turned, and Virginia's Northam/Fairfax/Herring alleged misdeeds are now under the media spotlight.

2019-02-01: AP: Virginia sees population booms and big declines, by Andrew Gionfriddo
Virginia's population has grown by 6.5 percent since the 2010 census. Even so, the state's annual population growth this decade is the lowest since the 1920s. Seventy of the state's 133 cities and counties gained population. The population of Loudoun County, in Northern Virginia, jumped 30 percent. But the remaining 63 localities -- largely rural areas in the southern and western parts of the state -- saw population declines.

2019-01-29: Daily Caller: Kathy Tran (D-Fairfax) Introduces NY-style Infanticide Bill
Democrat Delegate Kathy Tran introduced HB2491, or the Repeal Act, which seeks to repeal the state's current restrictions on late-term abortions. This comes just after New York passed a similar law. The bill has received support from Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam as well as a number of Democrat lawmakers. [Later tabled on a 5(R)-3(D) vote.]

2019-01-18: FCTA: Virginia Gun Bills Defeated in Committee -- email from NRA
This week, the Virginia Senate Committee on Courts of Justice and the House Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee heard and voted to defeat many of Governor Ralph Northam's requested gun control bills.

2019-01-17: WTOP: What Va. road, bus projects will be funded this year, by Max Smith
With $779.8M available statewide through Virginia's "Smart Scale" process, the recommendations to the Commonwealth Transportation Board include funding three major projects in Northern Virginia with at least $50 million each: 1) New east entrance to Crystal City Metro Station (per Amazon deal); 2) Alexandria's West End Transitway bus rapid transit project; and 3) Fairfax County's Richmond Highway bus rapid transit between Huntington and Fort Belvoir.

2019-01-10: Tax Foundation: Va on Cusp of $600M Unlegislated Tax Increase, by Jared Walczak
Virginia requires taxpayers who take the federal standard deduction (now a generous $12,200 for single filers and twice that for married couples) to also take the state's standard deduction, a comparatively stingy $3,000 that about 650,000 filers will have to take, even though it would otherwise be to their advantage to itemize on their state return ... unless legislators act to change Virginia's tax code.

2019-01-06: Bacon's Rebellion: Virginia Republicans Retreat From Trump Tax Successes
Virginia's House Republicans are acting like Blue State Democrats in their proposals to modify the state tax code to match the Trump tax cuts. They would appease the rich by allowing unlimited deductions on state tax returns for high local taxes. But the middle class would only get a one-third increase in the standard deduction, rather than the 100% increase in the federal tax code.

2019-01-04: FCTA: Virginia General Pre-Assembly Testimonies, by Charles McAndrew
1) Virginia needs to double its standard deduction to match the new Federal tax code. 2)Transportation funds should go more toward roads, and not be siphoned off to fund that black hole we call Metro. 3) The Virginia Retirement System and Virginia's budget for Medicaid need some attention.

2018-12-31: WT: Trump tax cut foiled by Va. itemized deduction rule, by David Sherfinski
Virginia lawmakers have a choice to make during the 2019: Take steps to change the state tax code or risk a $500 million-plus increase in their constituents' state tax bills. The simple solution would be to double the state's standard deduction (to match what the Feds did).

2018-12-02: WT: Virginia taxpayers, ratepayers to get scammed with offshore wind power
Virginia's lawmakers recently approved a project to construct wind turbines 27 miles off the coast of Norfolk, to begin operation by the end of 2020. Virginians will pay 78 cents/Kwh for "wind farm" energy vs the 3 cents/Kwh wholesale price for coal, gas, hydroelectric, or nuclear electricity in the Commonwealth.

2018-11-13: WT: The Californication of Virginia, by A.J. Rice
The problem is the interests of Northern Virginia couldn't be more different from those of the rest of Virginia, which would prefer not be bound by them, much less have to help pay for them. Ask someone is Northern California what its like to subsidize the craziness of Los Angeles and San Francisco. Perhaps the solution is for Northern Virginia and the rest of Virginia to go their separate ways.

2018-10-17: Epoch Times: Has China Influenced Virginia's Elections?, by Trevor Loudon
The New Virginia Majority (NVM) and Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) are apparently using data generated at Wuhan University in China to win elections for Democrats. Having effectively flipped Virginia, the FRSO now seems intent on applying McClure's technology across the U.S. South. If the FRSO can "flip" certain high "minority" Southern states from Republican to Democrat, it will permanently alter the U.S. political map in the left's favor.

2018-08-24: Bacon's Rebellion: Peeling Back the Layers of Hospital Dysfunction
There are many layers to the dysfunction of America's (and Virginia's) health care system. I'm not sure how you'd label the system we do have -- there's too much private ownership to call it socialism. But whatever it is, it sure as hell isn't a market-based system.

2018-08-23: Bacon's Rebellion: Solar Power and the Gentrification of the Countryside
Virginia has committed itself to an energy future that eventually will rely upon solar energy for some 25% of its electric generating capacity. While a portion of that capacity will be installed on rooftops and other urban/sububurban locations, most of it will take the form of vast solar farms consuming thousands of acres in the countryside.

2018-08-22: Bacon's Rebellion: A Discouraging Slippage in Virginia SOL Scores
Virginia public school students backtracked slightly in their Standards of Learning test scores administered this year compared to the previous year across the board -- in reading, writing, math, science, and history/social studies -- according to data released today by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE).

2018-08-14: Tax Foundation: Federal Tax Reform Implications for Virginia, by Jared Walczak
The new federal tax law cuts federal taxes for most filers in Virginia, but absent legislative action, many Virginians will experience an unlegislated increase in their state tax liability.

2018-07-23: Bacon's Rebellion: Unfunded Pension Liabilities Not Just a Funding Problem
Unfunded state pension liabilities have two main components: assets and liabilities. In Virginia, most attention is focused on the asset side of the equation -- how much money state and local governments have set aside to pay for retiree benefits, and how well VRS is managing the pension portfolio. Less attention is given to the benefit side -- how rapidly are liabilities increasing.

2018-07-09: Bacon's Rebellion: State Employees Not Funding Own Retirement, by Steve Haner
State and local employees, like many of their peers in the private sector, are declining in droves to contribute to their own retirement plans, despite the availability of matching funds, a.k.a. free money which compounds for decades.

2018-05-29: WTOP: Va. Senate set to back budget with Medicaid expansion, by Max Smith
The Virginia Senate is set to pass a $115 billion, two-year budget Wednesday that includes Medicaid expansion, but only after some significant drama Tuesday afternoon in the Senate Finance Committee.

2018-04-13: Bacon's Rebellion: Leveraging Offshore Gas Drilling to Build Offshore Wind
First, take oil drilling off the table -- only drill for natural gas. Second, Virginia should get the first-mover advantage of establishing an East Coast offshore drilling industry. Third, an offshore drilling industry was the precursor in Europe to developing an offshore wind industry, and it could be the precursor in Virginia, too.

2018-02-08: WTOP: Va. House GOP unveils their Metro funding plan, by Max Smith
The new version of a bill sponsored by Del. Tim Hugo, chairman of the Republican Caucus, was unanimously approved by the House Transportation Committee and will serve as a counter in negotiations with the state Senate over a final Metro funding bill. It would provide Metro $105 million a year, less than the roughly $150 million requested, and would only do so if Metro limits operating spending increases to 2 percent per year.

2018-01-26: NRA: Slew of Anti-Gun Bills Die in Subcommittee

2018-01-19: Sun Gazette: Va. Senate keeps rqmt for meals tax referendum, by Brian Trompeter
Measures in Richmond that would have allowed the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to impose a meals tax in the county without voter approval have been dispatched to the political graveyard for 2018. The same measures would have allowed localities to up their meals-tax rates to 8 percent, double the current rate -- a rate imposed on top of the 6-percent sales tax.

2018-01-10: Utilitydive.com: Will Virginia join Carbon Cap-n-Trade Scam?, by Robert Walton
As part of a joint legislative agenda proposed yesterday by Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Governor-elect Ralph Northam, Virginia could become the first southern state to put a cap on carbon emissions by formally joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. If the proposal goes through, Virginians can expect much higher electric utility rates -- all to appease the Global Warming crowd.

2018-01-03: FCTA: Virginia's Medicaid Toll Lanes, by FCTA president Arthur Purves
High Occupancy Toll lanes are Virginia's latest way of raising taxes, ostensibly for transportation. They should be called Medicaid Lanes instead, because the taxes that could have paid for transportation were siphoned off by Medicaid, the state's fastest growing budget item.

2018-01-03: FCTA: Governments' Misplaced Priorities, by FCTA webmaster David Swink
As Virginia state delegates and senators head off to Richmond to discuss what needs to be done for Virginians, please keep in mind: 1) The U.S. can't afford national defense because of entitlements; 2) Virginia can't afford infrastructure and education because of Medicaid and state pensions; 3) Localities are losing residents because of excess spending; and 4) DC Metro is unsustainable.

2017-12-11: FCTA: Testimony in support of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, by Thomas Cranmer
To Va. State Water Board: "By approving the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, you have an opportunity to reduce poverty, decrease pollution, and increase employment in depressed areas. With more inexpensive fuel available in Virginia, increased industrial development will occur. Please support the pipeline."

2017-12-10: FCTA: Proposed bill to raise state retirement age to 66, by James Ruland
FCTA's James Ruland has worked up a draft of legislation to raise the age retirement for Virginia state employees to 66, to be submitted for consideration in the General Assembly during the upcoming legislative session.

2017-11-28: AP: Gov. McAuliffe Sued by Electric Car Company Investors, by Suderman & Amy
A group of Chinese investors is suing Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe over his past work for troubled electric car maker GreenTech Automotive. The investors filed a lawsuit in Fairfax County last week accusing McAuliffe and Hillary Clinton's brother Anthony Rodham of milking their political connections to perpetuate a $120 million scam.

2017-11-22: Bacon's Rebellion: Virginia: 31st in Tax Climate
Just a reminder: Virginia is not a low-tax state. According to the Tax Foundation's 2018 ranking of state business tax climate, Virginia scored 31st. While the Old Dominion scores pretty well for corporate taxes and sales taxes, it flunks the grade for individual taxes and unemployment insurance taxes.

2017-11-08: Bull Elephant: The Virginia Blues, by Michael Giere
Ed Gillespie's loss yesterday, at least to this observer, was no surprise. The Commonwealth, at least in statewide races, is light blue at best. In the end, a boring Republican lost to a boring Democrat. Of more concern is Republicans' timidity, in the Virginia Assembly as well as the U.S. Congress.

2017-10-30: Dems: Ralph Northam's nasty pick-up truck video (1:00 min)

2017-10-27: Breitbart: Alexandria Church Removes Washington, Lee from its Member List
An Episcopal church in Alexandria that counted as members both our first president, George Washington, as well as Confederate General Robert E. Lee, will seccumb to the Left and remove the historical plaques memorializing both figures in order to be more "welcoming".

2017-10-19: Va Senate: Virginia Retirement System Overview

2017-10-11: CER: Parental school choice Nationally and in Virginia (ranks 31st)
Virginia is one of the few states that offer little in the way of schooling choices, public or private. However, the state gets into the top five in digital learning opportunities and the state has a strong teacher quality program which helps to support excellent teachers.

2017-10-08: WT: Dems, Northam shun Bluegrass and 'Bubba' for Urban vote, by Seth McLaughlin
Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, in his bid for Virginia's governorship, has called for stricter gun laws, leaving the state's rural residents feeling increasingly written off by a party that used to reach for their votes. Virginia Democrats, as in the 2016 election, have found that their path to victory runs through the growing suburbs of Washington and Richmond, and the Tidewater area.

2017-10-06: Watchdog.org: Virginia ripe for asset-forfeiture reform, by Michael Carroll
Virginia falls well behind other states in upgrading its asset-forfeiture laws, and property can be legally appropriated by the state without requiring a criminal conviction. Virginia earned a grade of "D-minus" in 2015 from the Arlington-based Institute for Justice, which advocates for property rights, free enterprise and free speech. Twenty five other states have changed their laws for the better since 2014.

2017-09-02: Analysis of the Virginia State Budget, by Fred Costello-195

2017-08-29: Southern Heritage: Open Letter to Gov. Terry McAuliffe, by Sherwin W. Dillard
The destruction of Virginia's monuments to her war dead is sacrilege and those, who urge and execute it, are nothing more than cemetery vandals. If you find it impossible to respect your elders, attempt at least to revere your betters.

2017-06-28: Bacon's Rebellion: Metro Sales Tax Bad for Va, Worse for Loudoun, by Dave LaRock
D.C.-based interest groups have been pushing for a 1% sales tax increase across the region served by Metro to fill a funding gap currently estimated at $7.5 billion over ten years. While this may sound like a reasonable proposition to some, when you drill down it becomes clear this is very unbalanced against Virginia and even less equitable for Loudoun County.

2017-06-18: Election Law Center: College Democrat will plead guilty to voter fraud in Va.
Andrew Spieles, a student at James Madison University, will spend at least 100 days in prison for submitting the names of deceased individuals to the Registrar's Office. The Registrar's office did not have the authority to dismiss registration forms based on false content. There is no current entity that verifies the validity of Virginia voter registration forms. (Also, from WTVR.)

2017-06-18: Funding of Virginia Transportation Projects, by Fred Costello-196

2017-06-14: BallotPedia: 2017 Virginia gubernatorial primary results: Northam vs Gillespie
-- DEM for Gov: Ralph Northam (55.9%), Tom Perriello (44.1%)
-- DEM for LtGov: Justin Fairfax (49.1%), Susan Platt (39.2.1%), Gene Rossi (11.7)
-- GOP for Gov: Edward Gillespie (43.7%), Corey Stewart (42.5%), Frank Wagner (13.8%)
-- GOP for LtGov: Jill Vogel (42.8%), Bryce Reeves (40.0%), Glenn Davis (17.2%)

2017-05-30: WT: Audit finds noncitizens voted for years in Virginia, by Stephen Dinan
More than 5,500 noncitizens were registered to vote in Virginia this decade, and were only bumped from the rolls after they admitted to being ineligible. Some 1,852 of them even managed to cast ballots that were likely illegal, though undetected. Just as troubling was Virginia's efforts to try to hide the information from the public, says the Public Interest Legal Foundation.

2017-03-01: WT: Thousands of noncitizens lurking on Virginia's voter rolls, by R. Scarborough
When Virginia Delegate Robert Marshall asked the state's 133 local governments to provide numbers on noncitizens and jury pools, Loudoun County produced some hefty figures. Between 2009 and 2014, the county of more than 350,000 residents had disqualified more than 9,000 of them for jury duty because they were not U.S. citizens. ...

2017-03-01: Daily Caller: SCOTUS Hands Dems a Win in Redistricting Battle, by Kevin Daley
The case concerned 12 state legislative districts drawn by the GOP-controlled legislature in Virginia, in connection with the redistricting process begun after the 2010 census. A lower court concluded that 1 of the 12 districts challenged in this case had been racially gerrymandered.

2017-02-05: Times Dispatch: Why the Virginia college enrollment decline?, by Karin Kapsidelis
Where have all the high school seniors gone? Total enrollment at the state's public and private colleges and universities dropped this academic year -- a loss that came despite an increase in the pool of high school seniors who could have filled those seats.

2017-02-01: Governor: Nestlé USA to Relocate HQ from California to Arlington County
Company to invest almost $40 million and create 748 new jobs.

2016-12-16: CFACT: Property owners to Dominion: Pipeline YES, eminent domain NO
Representatives of energy giant Dominion Resources were caught off guard this week by Virginia landowners outraged over the company's threatened use of eminent domain in the construction of the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP).

2016-11-06: Daily Caller: Gov. McAuliffe uses autopen to pardon 60,000 felons, by Luke Rosiak
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has granted voting rights to as many as 60,000 convicted felons just in time for them to register to vote, nearly five times more than previously reported and enough to win the state for his long-time friend, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

2016-10-28: ODU Report: Virginia's Economy STILL Sluggish, by Brendan O'Hallarn
In the second annual State of the Commonwealth report, Old Dominion University researchers will show how sluggish Virginia's economy is, how its transportation infrastructure is under stress and how the commonwealth would be better off if communities worked more effectively together. Te report's authors predict Virginia's GDP will grow at a rate of less than 2 percent in 2016.

2016-10-17: WT: Nevada endorses Educational Savings Accounts -- Why not in Virginia?
Last week the Nevada Supreme Court upheld the legitimacy of Education Savings Accounts. Nevada's decision is the latest to reject constitutional Blaine Amendments and uniformity clauses as potential legal barriers to expanding educational options for children -- the two challenges faced in most other states in school-choice litigation.

2016-10-14: NV Daily: Shenandoah supervisors REJECT more local taxing power -- Imagine THAT!
Shenandoah County leaders won't back an effort to ask state legislators to give localities equal power to tax meals. (State code allows cities and towns to impose a meals tax without holding a voter referendum. However, counties must hold a referendum to gauge voter support for the levy.)

2016-10-11: ACTA: Virginia GA being lobbied to allow Meals, Tobacco Taxes without referendum
"VACo supports granting counties the authority to adopt a local meals tax without referendum. VACo proposes the county meals tax rate be raised to a cap of eight percent, which is consistent with current rates used by cities and towns. VACo also supports equal authority among all counties to levy and collect a tobacco tax." -- Virginia Association of Counties

2016-10-06: ACTA: Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe Earns a 'D' for 2015 -- Cato
The Cato Institute released their 13th biennial fiscal report card on America's governors yesterday. In the new "Fiscal Policy Report Card on America's Governors," Cato scholar Chris Edwards examines the tax and spending decisions made by U.S. governors since 2014.

2016-10-02: Breitbart: Illegal Foreign Voting in Virginia Covered Up, by Neil McCabe
"Virginia election officials don't seem to care that thousands of [foreign] aliens have corrupted their voter rolls," by illegally registering to vote, said J. Christian Adams, the former Department of Justice lawyer, and now the president of the Public Interest Legal Foundation. "Even worse than doing nothing about it, they are trying to cover it up."

2016-09-29: Times Dispatch: 20 dead voters just registered in Harrisonburg, by Graham Moomaw
Harrisonburg officials and the FBI are investigating allegations of voter registration fraud after officials say almost 20 voter applications were turned in under the names of dead people. The applications were submitted by a student working for 'HarrisonburgVOTES'.

2016-09-26: Daily Signal: Hundreds of Noncitizens on Virginia Voting Rolls, by Fred Lucas
Watchdog groups have pushed local election officials in seven Virginia jurisdictions to reveal hundreds of noncitizens who are registered to vote. So far, they have found more than 550. But these groups say the Virginia State Board of Elections has resisted release of information on ineligible voters.

2016-09-19: Bacon's Rebellion: Virginia Welfare Trends

2016-09-14: Sun Gazette: The wrong way to improve SOL scores -- Editorial
A long-ago episode of "The Simpsons" saw the principal of Springfield Elementary School send underachieving students on a long bus ride just as standardized testing was being conducted at the school. What better way to improve average scores, he reasoned, than eliminate the low-scorers? A similar incident was recorded at a Virginia school.

2016-09-08: Conservative Review: Voter fraud alive and well in Virginia, by H. von Spakovsky
Election integrity foes tell us voter fraud is a myth. So when legitimate voter fraud is actually discovered, these foes pretend it didn't happen, fail to take steps to investigate or prosecute such cases, or try to cover it up. Take Virginia, where the State Board of Elections and some local election officials want to hide a blatant case of voter fraud involving noncitizens.

2016-08-31: WT: GOP lawmakers file contempt motion over felon voting rights, by Andrea Noble
"The practical effect of Governor McAuliffe's August 22 decision to issue over 200,000 individual restoration orders is precisely the same: his newly announced process will effectively suspend Virginia's general constitutional prohibition against felon voting for over 200,000 felons," the motion reads.

2016-08-26: AP: McAuliffe: 'Tough decisions ahead' as $1.5B shortfall looms, by Alanna Richer
RICHMOND, Va. - Gov. Terry McAuliffe warned Virginia lawmakers Friday to brace for "tough decisions ahead" to address a roughly $1.5 billion budget shortfall driven largely by lower-than-expected income and sales tax collections.

2016-08-22: ACTA: Is Virginia Prepared for the Next Recession?
"Based on its business cycle characteristics, Virginia would need $1.15 billion to make it through a recession of average severity if the state decided to rely on its combined rainy day fund and general fund balances rather than cutting spending or raising tax rates." -- Report by GMU's Mercatus Center

2016-08-18: Patch: Where Are The Top Teacher Salaries in Virginia?, by Greg Hambrick

2016-07-22: Wapo: Va. high court invalidates McAuliffe's en masse felon voting rights order
In a 4-to-3 decision, the state Supreme Court court agreed with state Republicans who challenged McAuliffe's order, arguing that the governor can only restore voting rights on a case-by-case basis and not en masse.

2016-07-18: Times Dispatch: Richmond DJ is the ambassador for Malaysian Pop Yeh Yeh
A short-lived phenomenon, the golden age of Pop Yeh Yeh in the 1960s might have been lost to history had it not been for Richmond DJ Carl Hamm, who has made it his mission to curate and preserve this culture's legacy and share it with music lovers all over the world.

2016-07-12: Bacon's Rebellion: The Seven Percent Assumption [by VRS on Investments]
The future 35 years of investment returns will not match that of the previous 35 years, one of the great bull market eras of U.S. financial history. Therefore, the VRS (and other all pension funds) are reckless to assume that recent history will be any guide at all to future performance.

2016-06-27: WT: McDonnell's bribery conviction overturned by Supreme Court, by Ryan McDermott
Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell was cleared of corruption charges Monday in a unanimous decision by the Supreme Court. Justices Roberts and Breyer suggested that the bribery law could be considered unconstitutionally vague, and thus a recipe for giving the Justice Dept and their prosecutors enormous power over elected officials.

2016-06-17: WND: Obamatrade cost Randy Forbes his job, by Curtis Ellis
The populist uprising against phony "free trade" has taken its first scalp. Rep. Randy Forbes, GOP establishment stalwart and longtime Obamatrade supporter from Virginia's 2nd Congressional District, will soon be unemployed. Voters rejected him in favor of his primary opponent Scott Taylor, former Navy SEAL, who stridently opposed Obamatrade.

2016-06-08: WT: Gloucester Co to appeal transgender bathroom ruling, by Brad Richardson
The school board of Gloucester County, Virginia, has announced that it will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court whether federal law requires schools to allow restroom and locker room access on the basis of gender identity. Its current policy was struck down in April by the Richmond-based U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.

2016-06-03: Examiner: Terry McAuliffe's latest scandal just the tip of the iceberg
Money and political power, coming together in business deals involving some of the world's most corrupt people. The latest investigation into Terry McAuliffe proves the Clinton '90s never really ended.

2016-05-xx: FCTA: Democrat and Republican local web sites in Virginia, by David Swink

2016-05-31: AP: Court costs can be crippling for low-income drivers, by Larry O'Dell
Catch 22: Poor Virginia drivers get speeding tickets ... can't pay monthly payment plus court costs ... lose drivers' license ... now unemployed and unable to legally drive anywhere to apply for jobs ... debts continue to mount.

2016-05-01: Common 2015 Tax Forms: 760,760Instr...1040,1040Instr,1040A,SchA,SchB,SchD,SchE

2016-04-22: WaPo: Gov. McAuliffe restores voting rights for 206K ex-felons; gift to Hillary
Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) will make all ex-felons in Virginia eligible to vote in the upcoming presidential election. Many Republicans viewed McAuliffe's action as a blatant favor to his longtime friend Hillary Clinton, for whom he and his wife recently raised $2 million at their McLean home.

2016-04-19: WT: 4th Circuit sanctions transgender bathroom use, by Brad Richardson
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a Virginia case that public school students have a right to use the facilities of their self-identified gender. The 2-1 decision overturned a U.S. district court decision that Title IX bans discrimination according to "sex", the word used in the law. Neither the word "gender" nor the term "gender identity" appears in the 37-word law.

2016-03-24: Bearing Drift: Terry McAuliffe vetoes voter fraud bill
The Democratic governor vetoed legislation patroned by Delegate Mark Cole (R-Fredericksburg) requiring voter registration forms to ask applicants for their social security number, their citizenship status, and whether they are ineligible to vote for other reasons, such as a felony conviction. And since Democrats encourage voter fraud, the veto is unlikely to be overridden.

2016-03-15: Truth In Accounting: Financial state of Virginia -- Ranks 15th in 2015
Virginia has only $35.1 billion of assets available to pay bills totaling $39.2 billion. To fill the $4.2 billion financial hole, each Virginia taxpayer would have to send $1,500 to the state. The commonwealth's reported pension debt grew from $3.3 billion in 2014 to $6.8 billion in 2015. The commonwealth is still hiding $361.7 million of pension debt from taxpayers.

2016-03-11: AP: Virginia's 2016 legislative session ends, by Alan Suderman
The session ended Friday evening after lawmakers passed a $100 billion two-year spending plan that does not include any new taxes or increased fees. The new budget includes about $900 million more in K-12 spending in the next two years than the last biennial budget did.

2016-03-10: Richmond Sunlight: 2016 bills put before the Virginia General Assembly

2016-03-10: Cville Tomorrow: New proffer era has begun for Virginia localities, Sean Tubbs
Virginia counties had formalized a cash policy proffer system that established specific amounts all developers would pay per unit to help offset the impact each rezoning would have on school population, area roads and other government services. Legislation signed this week by Gov. Terry McAuliffe will change all that.

2016-03-08: Bacon's Rebellion: Va Property Taxes -- Not as Bad as Jersey but Worse than D.C.
Virginia has the 14th highest property tax burden among the 50 states (and Washington, D.C.) The real estate tax rate is modest (16th lowest) but it combines with relatively high median housing prices (11th highest) to create the 23rd highest average tax on the median-value house.

2016-03-03: Watchdog.org: Virginia nonprofit hospitals doing well without Medicaid expansion
Virginia's nonprofit hospitals are taking in revenue far in excess of their expenses, with 88 percent turning the nonprofit equivalent of a profit, without Medicaid expansion in the state. Revenue averaged $30 million more than expenses. (Republicans in the General Assembly again refused to include Obamacare expansion in their latest budget.)

2016-02-19: AP: Virginia lawmakers subsidized by lobbyists - legally, by Alan Suderman
Behavior that would get lawmakers locked up in other states or at the federal level is perfectly fine in the Old Dominion. Virginia is the only state where lawmakers can raise unlimited campaign donations from anyone, including corporations and unions, and spend the money on themselves.

2016-02-14: Watchdog.org: Va. hospitals cry poor in effort to keep anti-competitive regs
The Virginia House of Delegates could vote Monday to pass major reforms to the state's Certificate of Public Need licensing rules. Critics say the COPN is a cartel-like scheme that helps hospitals protect their bottom lines at the expense of consumers and competition.

2016-01-28: AP: McAuliffe, Republicans to announce deal on guns, by Suderman & Richer
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Republican lawmakers have reached a deal that strengthens some gun control measures while reversing a policy that would have invalidated concealed handgun permits in Virginia held by residents of 25 other states.

2016-01-27: Cooper Center: 2015 Population Estimates for Virginia and its Counties Cities

2016-01-27: AP: Court to rule on transgender bathroom issue, by Larry O'Dell
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Public schools and courts across the country will be closely watching a Virginia case for guidance on restroom policies about gender and gender identity, now before a Richmond-based federal appeals court. Gavin Grimm, 16, is challenging a policy that bars [her] from using the boys' restrooms at Gloucester High School.

2016-01-21: Bacon's Rebellion: Is Virginia Ready for Car Tax Reform?, by Bill Tracy
Due to high local car taxes, many Virginians have learned to be modest in their new car selections, or they purchase used cars instead. As a consequence, we are throttling new car sales. In addition, the tax functions as a de facto green car penalty.

2016-01-12: FCTA: I-66 Tolling Plan Inside Beltway Wrong, by Rob Whitfield prior to Va-GA
The proposed I 66 tolling plan for Inside the Capital Beltway (ITCB) is wrong both as a matter of principle and as a misuse of our principal.

2016-01-11: FCTA: Reinstate Runoff Elections in Virginia, by David Swink to Va-GA senator
Va. Senator Carrico's SB 742, a 2015 bill to reinstate runoff elections in Virginia, was meant to prevent winning without a majority of the vote, as happened with Gov. Terry McAuliffe and U.S. Sen. Mark Warner. The bill failed to make it through both houses. So this email simply asked Sen. Carrico to please try again.

2016-01-09: FCTA: Alternative to Medicaid Expansion, by Arthur Purves to Fx Va-GA delegation
Medicaid expansion has good intentions, as do the other War on Poverty programs. But these programs have utterly failed. Poverty has won. And the biggest problem is the collapse of marriage.

2016-01-08: CFACT: Virginia land barons terrorize Fauquier farmer, by Bonner Cohen
The list of transgressions against Martha Boneta is endless, causing countless hours of time away from farming, lost business, hardship and duress. One is struck by the brazen attempt by the well-connected and well-to-do to use their outsized local influence to crush a local farmer.

2016-01-08: Fx Free Citizen: Medicaid Expansion: Where Will It End?, by Nancy Piotter
Governor Terry McAuliffe is attempting once again to expand Medicaid in his record-breaking $109 billion biennial budget released on December 17. But by defeating pro-expansion candidates backed by McAuliffe last November, Virginia voters clearly signaled opposition to Medicaid expansion because it is an expensive, inefficient, and broken program.

2016-01-07: FCTA: General Assembly townhall meeting in Reston, by Charles McAndrew
The minutes of the two-hour townhall meeting in Reston. Delegate Ken Plum and Senator Janet Howell spoke about issues of concern to them, including Gun Control, Education, Medicaid, Mental Health Problems, Cigarette tax, Tire rubber on school playing fields, Climate change, and Transportation. (Welcome to LIBERAL LAND.)

2016-01-06: HB389: Parental Choice Education Savings Accounts, introduced by Del Dave LaRock
Allows Virginia parents 90%-level educational funding to apply toward their child's education in a school of their choice, as certified by the state.

2015-12-22: WT: Virginia halts concealed carry reciprocity with 25 states, by Kellan Howell
Attorney General Mark R. Herring announced Tuesday the commonwealth will no longer recognize concealed carry handgun permit reciprocity agreements from 25 states that have regulations weaker than Virginia's: AK, AZ, AR, DE, FL, ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, MN, MS, MT, NE, NM, NC, ND, OH, PA, SC, SD, TN, WA, WI and WY. Agreements will remain with MI, OK, TX, UT and WV.

2015-12-20: FCTA: The hidden cost of Medicaid "expansion", by Bill Peabody Lou Dileonardo
Medicaid expansion funding is best described as the gift of a baby elephant. If you accept it, you must feed it, and as it grows it will eat more and more.

2015-12-18: Examiner: Allah prayer gets classes canceled for Augusta Co. schools, by J. Lott
Teacher Cheryl LaPorte was educating her students about the development of calligraphy. She had them practice by copying out the Shahada from Arabic -- "There is no god but Allah. Muhammad is the messenger of Allah." When parents found out about it, outrage followed, causing officials to shutter an entire Shenandoah Valley school district this Friday.

2015-11-26: Watchdog.org: Va's restrictive health care regs under scrutiny, by Eric Boehm
Dr. Mark Baumel runs successful clinics in other states, treating patients and giving potentially life-saving colon cancer screenings, using a CT scanner instead of requiring a probe up the tail-pipe. But before he can buy CT scanners, under Virginia's COPN laws, he needs a "permission slip" from the state health commissioner.

2015-11-24: AP: Virginia to extend I-95 Express Lanes in both directions, by Matthew Barakat
Gov. Terry McAuliffe said Tuesday that I-95 Express Lanes will be extended about two miles on their southern end in Stafford County. On the northern end, the I-395 Express Lanes will be extended all the way to the border with the District of Columbia. (The state had wanted to do that in the first place, but was stymied by opposition from Arlington County.)

2015-11-18: WT: Roanoke mayor's Syrian refugee stance irks Hillary's campaign
Roanoke Mayor David Bowers has been asked to step down from Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's leadership team in Virginia for voicing his support for halting the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the U.S. by apparently endorsing the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

2015-10-23: WT: Bloomberg aims anti-gun barrel at Virginia elections, by Deborah Simmons
A Michael Bloomberg Gun Safety nonprofit group has announced plans to spend $700,000 on one election in Virginia -- a state Senate race in the Richmond area that could easily deliver control of the chamber into the hands of the Democratic Party. Everytown said it will spend another $1.1 million to influence Virginia's November elections.

2015-09-16: Stat Chat: Virginians leaving the Commonwealth, reversing trends, by H. Lombard
During the decades since WWII, Virginia's population has been one of the fastest growing among states on the east coast. However, IRS migration data for 2012 and 2013 shows that this trend may have come to an end. Virginia had over 3,000 more households leave the state in 2013 than moved in. Virginia's economic growth in 2014 was the third slowest nationally.

2015-08-24: Bacon's Rebellion: More Sequestration Pain for Virginia
The pain of federal budget sequestration cuts in Virginia is not yet over. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia says: "If we have the return of sequestration, it's going to be even worse than it was a couple of years ago, because every agency, particularly the Defense Department, has cleared out most of their coffers."

2015-08-16: WT: Virginia lawmakers convene to redraw congressional map, by David Sherfinski
Virginia lawmakers return Monday to Richmond for a special session to redraw the state's current congressional map, facing a Sept. 1 deadline after a federal court ruling they illegally packed black voters into Rep. Bobby Scott's southeastern district.

2015-08-01: Times Dispatch: 'Go Virginia' - with caution -- OpEd
The bigger question for the general public is whether Go Virginia will produce truly innovative approaches to growing the state's economy, or whether it will end up looking like more corporate welfare by a different name.

2015-07-26: Breitbart: Mass Migration Turning Virginia Blue -- the new California
Virginia, once one of the most reliably-red of red states, is being rapidly turned into a progressive stronghold. These changes are the result of the federal government printing millions of visas and distributing these admission tickets to the poorest and least-developed nations in the world.

2015-07-03: Watchdog.org: Virginia's public university leaders get big pay packages
As tuition continues to climb and the percentage of full-time professors on campuses continues to drop nationwide, the presidents at Virginia's colleges and universities are seeing more and more generous compensation packages.

2015-06-26: AP: With Terry McAuliffe in office, old friends find new opportunities
After Terry McAuliffe took office as Virginia's governor in early 2014, some of his friends -- who had never lobbied in Virginia before -- started registering as lobbyists, with several companies interested in contracting with the state.

2015-06-24: WT: Virginia business stagnation raises worry for future, by Brennan Weiss
A group of economists and business leaders gathered this week at George Mason University to discuss the state's suddenly sluggish economy. Virginia's growth in gross domestic product stalled completely in 2014, with neighboring states West Virginia (up 5.5 percent), North Carolina (up 1.4 percent) and Maryland (up 0.8 percent) in positive territory.

2015-06-14: FoxNews: Ballot machines easy targets, including Virginia's WINVote
It used to be a "conspiracy theory" but now the potential for electronic tampering with voting machines is being recognized as a problem. The Virginia Information Technologies Agency issued a report finding that the AVS WINVote machines Virginia has used since 2002 have such flimsy security that an amateur hacker could change votes from outside a polling location.

2015-06-10: WT: Nuclear energy may have big future in Virginia, by Brennan Weiss
Virginia imports over 50 percent of its current power needs. With a projected 4,000 megawatts of additional power needed by Virginia by 2021, the study suggests that just four new nuclear power plants would do the job better than any other alternatives.

2015-06-10: AP: Va. economic growth flat in 2014 -- 2013: 0.4%; 2012: 0.7%; 2011: 0.6%
Forty-seven other states saw growth, led by North Dakota at 6.3 percent. Alaska and Mississippi were the only states whose GDP dropped in 2014. The nationwide growth was 2.2 percent.

2015-06-09: Daily Press: Volcker blasts state budgets, including Virginia's, by Dave Ress
... for "budgeting and accounting practices that obscure their true financial position, shift current costs onto future generations, and push off the need to make hard choices on spending priorities and revenue practices." Virginia voters and taxpayers are not given a clear picture of state finances.

2015-05-27: WT: Virginia Gov. McAuliffe ices talk of state divestment from fossil fuels
... said he would not support having Virginia divest its retirement fund and other accounts from fossil fuel companies, despite his commitment to combatting global warming.

2015-05-06: Watchdog.org: Water war: Va GOP senators blast EPA's 'end-run' rule, by K Ward
Virginia's 21 Republican state senators say a "Waters of the United States" rule targets farmers and could cost the state and landowners untold millions of dollars.

2015-04-17: Watchdog.org: Penalized Va. Express Lanes drivers file class-action lawsuit
A private company is operating many of Virginia's thoroughfares, but that doesn't mean it can charge drivers thousands of dollars in unexpected fines and penalties. That's the gist of a class-action lawsuit filed against toll operators Transurban and Faneuil.

2015-04-06: Watchdog.org: Virginia ranked No. 40 in tax freedom, by Kathryn Watson
"You often hear how Virginia is a low-tax state, but that's not really the case." ... "When you add up the individual and corporate income taxes, the commonwealth's "very high" unemployment insurance taxes, the Business Professional and Occupational Licensing tax, sales taxes, car taxes and home property taxes, it's a pretty cumbersome bill."

2015-04-01: Watchdog.org: Gov. McAuliffe vetoes sunshine law for state-hired lawyers
Gov. Terry McAuliffe vetoed a bill that would have made all legal contracts the state makes with outside special counsel available online for the public and capped payments to outside lawyers, saying that would "needlessly impose harmful restrictions on the ability of the commonwealth to secure specialized legal services and prosecute its cases."

2015-04-01: Watchdog.org: EPA carbon plan will kill 38,000 Virginia jobs, report says
... and will boost Virginia's electric rates 25 percent. "This (report) is exactly what we've been saying. (The air rules) will be a lot more expensive than the EPA is willing to admit," U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith told Watchdog.org in a phone interview.

2015-03-30: Watchdog.org: McAuliffe veto opens polls for Hillary Clinton 'ghost voters'
Plowing the ground for Hillary Clinton's presidential bid, Gov. Terry McAuliffe vetoed an election-reform bill that leaves a gaping hole for absentee-ballot abuse in Virginia.

2015-03-17: Watchdog.org: McAuliffe's choice: Fair or flawed elections, by Kenric Ward
Republicans are challenging Gov. Terry McAuliffe to sign three election-integrity bills: 1. HB 2379, requiring crosscheck of voter registrations; 2. HB 1315, requiring access to jury excusal forms; 3. HB 1318, requiring photo ID to obtain an absentee ballot.

2015-03-16: Ars Technica: Virginia passes 7-day limit on keeping license plate reader data
Virginia has become the first state in America to impose a very short data retention limit on the use of automated license plate readers (LPRs, or ALPRs). VA cops will now only be able to keep such data for seven days unless there is an active, ongoing criminal investigation.

2015-03-12: Times Dispatch: State revenues rise 21.7 percent in February from a year ago
...fueled largely by a reduction of almost $87 million in taxpayer refunds and an increase in income taxes withheld from payroll. Tax collections grew 6.6 percent from the beginning of the fiscal year that began July 1 through the end of February.

2015-03-11: Watchdog.org: Without accountability, some local Virginia boards go AWOL
The Virginia General Assembly has done nothing to demand audit reports and general oversight for the roughly 700-or-so supervisory bodies, bodies such as jail authorities and library boards that controlled a total of $450 million in revenue as of 1999.

2015-03-02: Watchdog.org: Runoff elections ensure majority rule -- so why not in Virginia?
If Virginia had maintained its long-held system for runoff elections, it's entirely plausible that McAuliffe and Warner would not be in office today. Runoffs between the top two vote-getters prevents candidates from triangulating their way to victory with mere pluralities. Mysteriously, SB 742 passed in the Senate, but never got to the floor of the House, where Republicans hold a super majority.

2015-02-28: Watchdog.org: Virginia Senate surrenders in war on coal, by Kenric Ward
Bowing to the EPA, the state Senate reversed course and killed a bill that would have required General Assembly review of stricter carbon emission rules. The defeat of Senate Bill 1365 in the waning hours of the 2015 legislative session will result in a predicted "backdoor rate increase" for Virginia electric consumers.

2015-02-18: Watchdog.org: Virginia revenue windfall soaks taxpayers, by Kenric Ward
State tax collections are running "well ahead" of projections, so Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe wants to raise public-sector pay. Others ask: Why not give the millions back to taxpayers -- or least cut them a break by adjusting Virginia's antiquated income-tax brackets for inflation?

2015-02-17: Watchdog.org: Virginia House bills put roads over rails, by Kenric Ward
Northern Virginia rail ventures -- will face a steeper climb if state lawmakers approve House Bill 1470. Delegate Dave LaRock's measure makes "congestion reduction" the primary goal of any transit projects funded by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. Currently, mass transit is exempt from the requirement.

2015-02-13: Watchdog.org: Speeding bill is road kill in Virginia, by Kenric Ward
Delegate Jeffrey Campbell, R-Marion, tried to revise the "reckless driving" threshold, which was not changed when the state raised its highway speed limits years ago, but his House Bill 1317 never made it out of the Courts of Justice Committee. So drivers can still be fined $2,500 for driving a mere 11 mph over the interstate posted speed limit.

2015-02-09: Watchdog.org: 'Sneak and peek' bills trigger 4th Amendment backlash, by K Ward
Watchdog.org's report on controversial "sneak and peek" legislation approved by the Virginia House and Senate is triggering a backlash from civil-liberties activists -- and buyer's remorse from some lawmakers, especially state Sen. Jennifer Wexton (D-Leesburg) and Delegate Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond).

2015-02-09: WT: Senate bill calls for runoff vote in close elections, by David Sherfinski
The measure would ensure that elected officials receive majority support, and comes after elections in 2013 and 2014 in which several Democratic candidates, including Sen. Mark Warner, were elected to office with less than the majority of the vote. It passed on a 22-16 vote. (See related article.)

2015-02-05: Fredericksburg.com: Stimpson vows to control state spending -- vs Speaker Howell
"We have a spending problem in Richmond, not a revenue problem. In fact, since Bill Howell has been speaker, Virginia's budget growth has far outpaced population growth and inflation. A budget that was $42 billion in 2001 has more than doubled to $95 billion in 2014."

2015-02-05: Fx Free Citizen: State Healthcare Exchange Bill Fails, by Donna Hamilton
SB 1363, a bill to create a state healthcare exchange, was narrowly defeated Monday by a 7-6 vote in the Virginia Senate Commerce and Labor Committee. Voting against the bill were Senators Wagner, Newman, Obenshain, Stuart, Stanley, Cosgrove, and Chafin. Those in favor were Senators Watkins, Colgan, Saslaw, McWaters, Alexander, and Dance.

2015-02-02: MyFox5DC: E-ZPass Payola to Virginia politicians?, by Emily Miller
Drivers have been hit with tens of thousands of dollars in fines for accidentally missing tolls on their E-ZPass Express Lanes in Virginia. Did lawmakers realize that they signed up for this type of extortion when they signed up with the Transurban partnership? Unlike federal campaign laws, Virginia allows corporations to give directly to candidates.

2015-02-02: WT: Virginia weighs joining Article V convention, by David Sherfinski
National and state GOP leaders are supportive of the idea, saying that a convention of the states is needed to stop an out-of-control federal government, but some conservatives say such a gathering could end up as a free-for-all and risk radically altering the founding document.

2015-01-29: Watchdog.org: Virginia bill would bar 'backdoor energy tax', by Kenric Ward
Warning an Obama administration "Clean Power Plan" would sharply increase Virginians' electric rates, Republican lawmakers want to put themselves between the Environmental Protection Agency and Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe. Targeting both the EPA and the state's Department of Environmental Quality, Senate Bill 1442 would require General Assembly approval of any rules submitted to Washington by the DEQ.

2015-01-28: Watchdog.org: Virginia lawmakers roll over for Mark Herring, by Kenric Ward
Instead of challenging Attorney General Mark Herring's edict that illegal immigrants are entitled to in-state college tuition, self-professed conservatives at the General Assembly look for ways to reimburse the schools. That's how legislative sausage gets made, and why Richmond is behaving more like Washington, D.C., these days.

2015-01-27: CFACT: "Boneta Bill" passed; protects farmers from meddling local officials
Backed by the Virginia Farm Bureau, the new law protects customary activities at agricultural operations from local bans in the absence of substantial impacts on public welfare. It also prohibits localities from requiring a special-use permit for a host of farm-related activities that are specified in the bill. The law takes effect on July 1.

2015-01-24: Fx Free Citizen: Virginia Fourth Amendment -- Guest column by Mark Fitzgibbons
Virginia doesn't have a Fourth Amendment in its Constitution. HJ 578 will give Virginians constitutional protections of their private data and other important types of private property. It will protect our rights and give us security against lawless snooping and spying by state and local government officials.

2015-01-22: Waychdog.org: VA universities spend $128 million on travel, by Kathryn Watson
George Mason University allows employees to buy airline tickets above and beyond $5,000, the state's transaction limit... The University of Virginia allows workers to spend up to $500 a night on hotel rooms at conferences...

2015-01-21: Watchdog.org: GOP defections save in-state tuition for VA migrants, by K Ward
A bill to block Virginia from granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrants died on a nearly straight party-line vote in the state Senate Tuesday. The 20-19 defeat effectively ends any legislative attempts to override Attorney General Mark Herring's ruling that illegal immigrants are eligible for discounted in-state college tuition.

2015-01-20: Va. Dept of Human Resource Mgmt's presentation of state employee compensation
This presentation was made by Sara Wilson, director of Virginia's Dept of Human Resource Management. Her presentation was delivered to the Senate Finance Committee (chaired by Sen Walter Stosch), the General Gov't subcommittee (chaired by Sen Jill Vogel), and to the corresponding subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee.

2015-01-05: Watchdog.org: Amid War on Coal, Virginia falls from leader to laggard, by K Ward
After years of outpacing the nation in economic growth, Virginia is sputtering. Employment is lagging, real estate is flat and the Obama administration's War on Coal isn't helping.

2014-12-29: Watchdog.org: Amendment would pour raw milk into Constitution, by Kenric Ward
The 2015 General Assembly will debate a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to buy homegrown food items at Virginia farms. According to the amendment: "The people shall have the right to acquire for their own consumption farm-produced food directly at the farm with agreement from the farmer who produced it."

2014-12-22: Watchdog.org: Motorist group criticizes Virginia's 'reckless' speeding law
In a hurry this holiday? Beware that Virginia ranks as one of the toughest states on speeders, and police are proud of it. Driving 20 mph over the speed limit classifies as reckless driving in Virginia law. That offense is not a mere traffic citation, but a Class One criminal misdemeanor punishable by a $2,500 fine and up to a year in jail.

2014-12-17: Watchdog.org: Stimpson blasts Virginia's public-private deals, by Kenric Ward
STAFFORD, Va. -- Former Stafford County Supervisor Susan Stimpson will take on House Speaker Bill Howell in the GOP primary, accusing GOP leaders of favoring corporate partnerships at taxpayer expense -- a reference to Virginia's use and alleged misuse of public-private partnerships for road construction.

2014-12-02: Fx Ti404: Time to remove "spoilers" from election process, by FCTA's David Swink
Robert Sarvis' third-party candidacy in two consecutive Virginia elections has "flipped" the election results. Perhaps Virginia should consider a runoff option similar to Georgia and Louisiana.

2014-11-29: Fx Free Citizen: Yes to 'Convention of States', by Rita Dunaway, COS Project
In Article V, the Founding Fathers provided the people with a way to trump Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court. Through our state legislatures, we apply for a Convention of the States to propose amendments that will set the record straight and close the loopholes the Court has opened. If 34 states apply, the Constitution explicitly requires Congress to issue the "call", and then to step back and let the states do their work.

2014-11-19: Va Free Citizen: Virginia School Board Association wants to adopt Common Core ??
Believe it or not, the Virginia School Board Association (VSBA) is encouraging the Virginia Board of Education (VBOE) to adopt Common Core. Have they not paid any attention to the abundance of states that are trying to get out of Common Core? (Read The "Common Core" Debacle.) Fortunately, VBOE remains opposed.

2014-11-18: WaPo: Arlington cancels Columbia Pike, Crystal City streetcar projects
Arlington County announced Tuesday that it is canceling the long-planned Columbia Pike and Crystal City streetcar projects in the face of strong and vocal opposition from county residents, a surprise decision that sparked sharp criticism from officials in neighboring Fairfax County. (How's that for Implications of the Vihstadt Election.)

2014-11-16: Daily Press: The Virginia Way: Politics, Power and Profit, by Dave Ress
In Virginia, the line between right and wrong -- or, more correctly, between legal and illegal -- is very thin. This eight-part series explores the many ways that Virginia lawmakers can use to benefit themselves while minding the public interest.

2014-11-13: Bacon's Rebellion: The Statewide Implications of the Vihstadt Election
The election of John Vihstadt to the Arlington County Board in the general election last week is rocking the Democratic political establishment in Virginia's most liberal jurisdiction. Arlington is the bluest of blue electorally, but its citizens have had it up to their eyeballs with gold-plated spending schemes, including the $350 million streetcar project.

2014-11-10: Times Dispatch: General Assembly approves budget fix despite conservative revolt
A conservative revolt in the House of Delegates ended Monday without a dissenting vote against a bill to fill a $2.4 billion revenue shortfall in the two-year state budget and also without delaying a transfer of almost $50 million in sales tax revenue to transportation. Even the principal opponent of the bill, Del. Robert G. Marshall, R-Prince William, voted for it.

2014-11-10: Watchdog.org: Lawmakers try to protect transportation funds, restore kill switch
Republican delegates Bob Marshall and Mark Berg say they will offer amendments "to ensure that transportation taxes will cease if diverted by the state or localities in Northern Virginia and Tidewater." (The budget bill -- HB 5002 -- neutered the transportation tax "kill switch" and authorized spending $30 million of the new road money for other purposes.)

2014-11-08: FCTA: Virginia Democrats' BFF: Robert Sarvis and the GOP, by David Swink
In two consecutive years now, Robert Sarvis' third-party candidacy plus GOP stinginess have caused both Ken Cuccinelli and Ed Gillespie to narrowly lose to Terry McAuliffe and Mark Warner respectively. I thus award to both Robert Sarvis and the GOP the social networking title of "Best Friends Forever" to Virginia Democrats.

2014-11-04: CFACT: Property rights day of action in Richmond, and an UPDATE!
Radical Green groups have placed property rights under siege in Virginia and throughout the United States. Martha Boneta is a great example. CFACT is joining forces with concerned citizens and organizations for a day of action in Richmond, Virginia this Thursday.

2014-10-31: Fx Ti404: Obamacare driving health insurance costs up -- Letter from Fran Haines
"Earlier this month, my husband and I were notified by Anthem that our monthly premium will increase from $348 to $935 and that our annual deductible will be $11,000. When I called Anthem, they told me that this was because of Obamacare's requirements and, essentially, because our family is healthy."

2014-10-25: Fx Free Citizen: For More Obama, Vote for Incumbents -- by FCTA's Fred Costello
... If you like your government, you can keep your government -- vote for the incumbents. If you're disturbed by the foregoing, vote against the incumbents on whose watch these policies were implemented.

2014-10-20: WT: Ed Gillespie and Wapo: Mark Warner -- Editorial endorsements for U.S. Senator

2014-10-17: Bacon's Rebellion: The EPA's War on Virginia -- appease the god of global warming
Voters need to ask Virginia's congressional candidates -- most prominently Senatorial candidates Mark Warmer and Ed Gillespie -- what they think of the EPA mandates and what they, as congressmen, can do to mitigate the impact on Virginia ratepayers.

2014-10-15: Examiner: Virginia plans 565 layoffs, budget cuts, costlier booze
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe on Wednesday announced the layoff of 565 state workers, other targeted cuts and a liquor price-hike as he aims to close a shortfall in the state's two-year budget.

2014-10-10: Watchdog.org: Virginia's fork in road: Internet tax or gas hike -- Kenric Ward
Unknown to most, Virginians are about to be slapped with an $800 million-plus tax hike. A little-noticed provision in the state's 2012 transportation package triggers a 45 percent increase in Virginia's gas tax if Congress fails to enact a national Internet sales tax.

2014-10-10: FCTA: VRS Investment Professionals' Compensation -- VRS response to FCTA's query
"Dear Mr. McAndrew: Senator Howell asked me to respond to your email concerning recent news articles highlighting the compensation of Virginia Retirement System investment personnel. I believe that the points below help to illustrate the value added to the VRS trust fund by its investment professionals..."

2014-10-08: Bacon's Rebellion: Virginia Students Achieve SAT Gains, after bad SOL results.
Virginia public school juniors and seniors ranked fourth nationally for the percentage (19.2%) earning a qualifying score (at least 3 out of 5) in one or more exams.

2014-10-08: Watchdog.org: Gerry Connolly defends funding Hamas-backed unity government
Connolly (D-Va.), at a Sept. 28 Arab American Candidates Night forum, emphasized his determination to fight House of Representatives colleagues who might block the funding for a group the U.S. says is a terror organization.

2014-09-25: Watchdog.org: Arlington streetcar moves amid rising costs, controversy, by K Ward
Arlington County Board member John Vihstadt calls the 7.6-mile streetcar venture "a fiscal and transit albatross" that will clog streets and increase taxpayer debt, with guaranteed delays adding to the cost. Recommends a more flexible and less costly bus rapid transit (BRT) line.

2014-09-24: FCTA calculates Obamacare costs in Virginia, using Kaiser's Subsidy Calculator
Presented are the latest calculations of Obamacare costs, using the Kaiser Family Foundation's easy-to-use form. Anyone can go to the free anonymous calculator without entering their name, social security number or address. It takes only five minutes.

2014-09-21: Times Dispatch: 25 highest-paid state employees -- VRS officials top the list

2014-09-15: Va Free Citizen: Great News for Va, $2.4B Shortfall is Vanishing!, Susan Stimpson
The $2.4 billion shortfall that Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced a few weeks ago is vanishing among positive economic news from his own Secretary of Finance Ric Brown. The news of increased tax revenues in Virginia is buttressed by corresponding parallel trends at the federal level.

2014-09-08: HB5008: Virginia Health Care Independence Act (Tom Rust's bill defeated 34-66)
Obamacare costs Virginians $2B per year in taxes and fees without any benefits returned. The goals of this bill are to provide health insurance, help the transition from Medicaid to private insurance, reduce costs in the health program, and return Virginians' funds to Virginia for its use.

2014-09-05: Bacon's Rebellion: The Emerging Exurban Dead Zone -- "The Great Submergence"?
A dozen or more exurban counties on the metropolitan fringe of Washington, Richmond and Hampton Roads are likely to experience deflating land values, shrinking real estate property revenues and chronic fiscal stress. Their scattered, low-density settlement patterns have high embedded costs and local governments will be hard-pressed to maintain the supporting services and infrastructure.

2014-08-27: WaPo: Virginia state academic tests show stagnant scores on reading, writing
Of the state's 132 school districts, 110 divisions improved their average scores on math tests and 13 remained the same last school year compared with the previous year. On state reading tests, students in 64 school divisions saw overall reading scores drop and 76 districts recorded losses on writing exams.

2014-08-26: Sun Gazette: Fairfax election officials identify 17 who double-voted in Va., Md.
The Fairfax County Electoral Board has referred the names of 17 individuals to the Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney, the Virginia Attorney General and the federal Department of Justice for investigation of possible voter fraud. (But one must wonder: Will there be any prosecutions?)

2014-08-21: Watchdog.org: 14,646 duplicate voters flagged in Fairfax, Maryland, Kenric Ward
FAIRFAX, Va. -- An election-integrity group is challenging the status of nearly 15,000 voters reportedly registered in both Fairfax County and Maryland. Virginia Voters Alliance on Wednesday urged Fairfax's electoral board to do what state officials have so far not done across the commonwealth: Purge those duplicate voters.

2014-08-15: Watchdog.org: $15 billion in unfunded county debts go dark in Virginia, by K Ward
RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia has stopped reporting billions of dollars in unfunded county debts, leaving the public in the dark about the depth of the red ink. The last online report by the state Auditor of Public Accounts showed that Virginia's 95 counties had piled up $15,474,494,443 in "unfunded debt" in 2012.

2014-07-30: Watchdog.org: Vote fraud cases go nowhere with Fairfax prosecutor, by Kenric Ward
FAIRFAX, Va. -- Four years after the Fairfax County election board began uncovering cases of alleged voter fraud, the local prosecutor has not taken action, and has nothing to say. More than 200 names were turned over to Commonwealth Attorney Raymond Morrogh for investigation. The names appeared on voter rolls, even though the individuals had excused themselves from jury duty because they were not citizens.

2014-07-28: FCTA: Gov't Size in Virginia Counties Cities - 2012
Examines how many employees Virginia counties and cities each have on the public payroll as a percentage of the local population. In other words, how efficient is each jurisdiction in providing government services to their citizens?

2014-07-24: Daily Signal: Green Group Watched for Trespassing, Harassment at Fauquier Farm
What began as a laudable effort to provide financially stressed landowner with tax breaks in exchange for setting aside land for conservation has been converted into a vehicle for government land grabs.

2014-07-15: Watchdog.org: Virginia GOP candidate rails against 'inflated' streetcar campaign
A GOP General Assembly candidate in Democrat-heavy Arlington County is challenging a controversial streetcar project, even as Gov. Terry McAuliffe tries to sweeten the deal with $65 million in new state funding.

2014-07-01: Examiner: States' Economic Growth Since Great Recession
Western and Plains states fared well after 2010, whereas most Northeastern states fared poorly. With the noteworthy exceptions of Virginia (46th) and Louisiana -- which, like Maine, hardly grew at all in three years, Southern states turned in mediocre performances, below the national average, with Tennessee leading the pack at 7 percent.

2014-06-30: FCTA: Budget Efficiency by State
Examines how much Virginia and other states spend per resident. In other words, how efficient is each state in providing government services to their citizens?

2014-06-27: Senator Kaine to constituent: I support the War On Coal
In a letter to an FCTA member, Senator Tim Kaine espouses his belief in the manmade global warming myth, and supports the EPA's War On Coal.

2014-06-23: Bacon's Rebellion: When the Bubble Pops
There's only so much that Virginia and local government officials can do to counteract the inevitable squeeze of federal government spending. Uncle Sam's long-term budget crisis is far from over. The federal government will continue to be a drag on the regional economy for a long, long time.

2014-06-16: WT: Prince William renews push for deportation data on illegal immigrants
The Virginia county that ignited a national debate by using local police to round up illegal immigrants is planning a new legal maneuver to force the U.S. government to divulge what it did with the more than 7,000 people turned over to deportation authorities.

2014-06-13: Fx Free Citizen: Virginia GA Passes Budget Without Medicaid Expansion
"This is a tremendous victory for the citizens of Virginia. Not only have we defeated establishment politicians and big hospital lobbyists, but we have breathed new life into transforming the way we deliver healthcare to the most needy in our state."

2014-06-13: Alex Times: Driving Lyft, Uber out of the market
Just when you thought the Department of Motor Vehicles could not get any less popular, Virginia's DMV officials sent cease-and-desist letters to passenger carrier companies Uber and Lyft, urging them to stop doing business in the commonwealth.

2014-05-22: Watchdog.org: 308,000 Virginia voters registered in other states, by Kenric Ward
The Virginia Voters Alliance reports that some 308,000 Virginia voters are also registered elsewhere, according to an analysis of 22 states' election records.

2014-05-16: Watchdog.org: Marshall urges impeachment of attorney general, by Kathryn Watson
"Voters shouldn't stay with Republicans too long if they're not wiling to defend what they claim they believe. They're going to have so many more violations and predatory acts by Herring and (Gov. Terry) McAuliffe, this is going to be pansy day at the General Assembly," Marshall said.

2014-05-14: Watchdog.org: GOP's No. 2 House leader feels heat at home, Kenric Ward
Barely three weeks to primary election day, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor faces a Republican insurgency that could boot him off Capitol Hill.

2014-05-02: Watchdog.org: 'Unsustainable' corporate giveaways bloat VA budget, by Kenric Ward
Gov. Terry McAuliffe wants to boost corporate-welfare handouts to $136 million over the next two years -- a 24 percent increase. Matt Mitchell, senior research fellow at George Mason University's Mercatus Center, calls such endeavors "unsustainable".

2014-04-29: WT: Virginia's budgetary obesity epidemic
Tipping the scales at $96 billion, the proposed two-year budget sets a record. That's a growth of 11 percent for the state government in just two years, even though the rate of inflation was 2.9 percent and personal-income growth topped 4.5 percent over this same period.

2014-04-28: Watchdog.org: Virginia fails to police voter rolls, critics charge, Kenric Ward
Robert Moore told Watchdog he moved from Fairfax County to Contra Costa County, Calif., in 1999 -- missing almost 15 years of Virginia elections. Yet his name remains on the Fairfax voter rolls. "It's a running joke with my mom, who sees my name on the precinct list every time she votes," he said.

2014-04-23: Watchdog.org: 44,000 voters registered in both Virginia and Maryland, Kenric Ward
"The Virginia Voters Alliance is investigating how to identify voters who are registered and vote in Virginia but live in the states that surround us," Alliance President Reagan George told the State Board of Elections.

2014-04-11: Examiner: McAuliffe says Global Warming Threatens Norfolk
Having apparently drunk too much environmental Kool-Aid, Democratic Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is warning that global warming could raise sea levels high enough to flood the Hampton Roads region, home to the world's largest naval base, without immediate and "smart decisions".

2014-04-09: Fx Free Citizen: The McAuliffe Way: Not What The Framers Intended
Today, in Virginia, the people are not being served by those who have been elected to office, at least not those elected from the Democrat and Progressive factions of the political arena.

2014-04-08: Video: Hostage to Medicaid Expansion (0:31 min) -- Americans For Prosperity

2014-03-27: Medicaid expansion in Virginia? YES or NO: Richmond Times-Dispatch guest opinions

2014-03-26: Bacon's Rebellion: Getting the Healthcare We Deserve
Price transparency for medical procedures is fundamental for a market-based health care system: Without prices, a market cannot function; consumers cannot shop for medical services. What we have in the United States, and Virginia, may be described as a non-governmental health care system but it is not a market-based system.

2014-03-21: Watchdog.org: Spending more on Va. students doesn't mean they're getting smarter
A new study by the Cato Institute finds that, adjusted for inflation, per-pupil spending from 1972 to 2012 has soared 120 percent in Virginia. But SAT scores have remained virtually stagnant. In fact, when adjusted for participation and demographics, Virginia's SAT scores actually fell by 3 percent.

2014-03-10: VirginiaPlaces.org: Land Values in Virginia
1) Based on the assessed value, all the land in Virginia was worth a total of $1 trillion in 2011; 2) The value of all the land in Fairfax County is nearly four times higher than the value of the land in any other local juridiction; 3) 20% of the value of all land in Virginia is concentrated in Fairfax County

2014-03-10: Free Beacon: Muslim Brotherhood-Tied Activist to Host Fundraiser for Gerry Connolly
A Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated activist whose organization recently came under fire for holding an anti-Semitic rally in support of ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi will head a fundraiser for Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.).

2014-03-09: Examiner: General Assembly adjourns without Va. budget
Virginia lawmakers left Richmond Saturday without accomplishing their most important task: passing a roughly $96 billion budget for the next two years. (Democrats seem willing to hold the budget hostage to Obamacaid Expansion, which House Republicans oppose.)

2014-03-07: Richmond Sunlight: Va. House, Senate celebrate Islamic terrorist center
HJ484, "Commending the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center" in Falls Church [of Anwar al-Awlaki fame], was introduced by No. Va. Delegates (Lopez, Kory, Plum, Sickles, Simon, and Watts), and passed by the House and Senate.

2014-03-05: Medicaid Expansion ... Bad Medicine for Virginia
"Virginians for Quality Healthcare" speaks out against Medicaid expansion in Virginia and elsewhere.

2014-02-26: Watchdog.org: 2 Candidates in Va. Slam Investor-Visa 'Boondoggle'
Two Republican congressional candidates in Virginia say the federal investor-visa program is "ripe with abuse" and that it's time for a House cleaning. "It's a total crony boondoggle," Dave Brat said of the EB-5 immigration program.

2014-02-18: WaPo: FBI needs public to help find corruption in Northern Va.
The unusual news release listed the Washington Field Office's telephone hotline (703-686-6225) and an e-mail address (NOVAPC@ic.fbi.gov) for tips.

2014-02-16: WaPo: Va. Senate panel proposes alternative to Medicaid expansion
Instead of expanding Medicaid as it has traditionally operated, the Senate Finance Committee proposed helping up to 400,000 Virginians buy private insurance through a program that would be known as "Marketplace Virginia".

2014-02-11: FxCo: White Paper on Medicaid Expansion in Virginia (Fx Co supports!)
"Fairfax County strongly supports the expansion of Medicaid eligibility in Virginia to 133% of the Federal Poverty Level by the 2013 General Assembly." (Consider the source.) Also the Virginia Hospital Healthcare Association weighs in. (Follow the money.) If a taxpayer is in doubt regarding an issue, he can often confirm a position for or against based on the credibility of other sources.

2014-02-07: Times Dispatch: House defeats bid for Convention of the States, by a 67-29 vote
At a convention, the states would come together and propose constitutional amendments to impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit its power and limit the terms of office of its officials and members of Congress. Article 5 of the Constitution says a convention of the states requires "application of the legislatures of two-thirds of the several states" (34/50).

2014-02-05: WT: Virginia Gov. McAuliffe rerouted funds for inaugural
Former Gov. Bob McDonnell was crucified by the media for accepting gifts while in office. But now Gov. Terry McAuliffe has found a way to route $211,000 from his inaugural fund back to his election campaign and the Virginia Democratic Party. And former Gov. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, used $400,000 of his inaugural funds as seed money to form a political action committee.

2014-01-xx: Richmond Sunlight - 2014 Bills
The Virginia General Assembly is now in session, and these are the bills being presented.

2014-01-31: Richmond Sunlight - HB45 Fails! -- Would allow study of local BPOL tax

2014-01-26: FCTA: What we've done for taxpayers in January
Your humble servants have descended on Richmond twice this year to plea for reduced spending. ... Over 40 letters were dispensed to the Northern Virginia delegation with mixed results.

2014-01-18: WaPo: Virginia to fight same-sex marriage ban
Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring will announce Thursday that he believes the state's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional and that Virginia will join two same-sex couples in asking a federal court to strike it down. (So HB706 really is necessary.)

2014-01-18: WaPo: The ABCs of venal politics in Virginia
Long-time Republican consultant Boyd Marcus merely sold out to the highest bidder when abandoning Cuccinelli for McAuliffe in the campaign for Virginia governor last August.

2014-01-18: FCTA Report of Sully Town Hall Meeting
FCTA's Charles McAndrew and Rob Whitfield attended a two hour town hall meeting at the Sully Government Center to hear Virginia representatives discuss issues such as Medicaid Expansion, Transportation, Income Tax Inequality, Ethics Reform, and School Testing.

2014-01-08: HB706 General Assembly member; legislative standing to defend laws of Commonwealth
Del. Todd Gilbert (R-Woodstock) wants to add a provision to the Code of Virginia in case "the Governor and Attorney General choose not to defend the law". (Now how do you suppose that possibility occurred to him?)

2014-01-04: FCTA: Virginia Education and Welfare Programs Are Broken
Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance testimony to the Fairfax County delegation to the Virginia General Assembly

2013-12-xx: VRS: Virginia Retirement System 2013 Annual Report
Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the year ended June 30, 2013

2013-12-18: Bacon's Rebellion: Game Changer for Medicaid Debate
The debate over Medicaid expansion took a major left turn yesterday when the McDonnell administration revealed that the VCU Medical Center and the University of Virginia Medical Center will lose about $500 million in federal funds to offset uncompensated care between 2017 and 2022.

2013-12-16: McDonnell proposes $10 billion increase in Va. budget
Your household budget may not be growing in this era of flat wages, but Virginia's is. Gov. Bob McDonnell's proposed budget for the next biennium totals nearly $96 billion, an increase from the $86 billion for the current two-year cycle that runs through June 2014.

2013-12-05: Sun Gazette: General Assembly to Tackle Ethics, Medicaid, Mental-Health Issues
They come from opposing political parties and serve in different bodies of the General Assembly, but state Sen. Richard Saslaw (D-35th) and Del. David Albo (R-42nd) largely agree on several issues that will dominate the 2014 session.

2013-12-05: Watchdog.org: D.C. cash flow turns Virginia green -- and blue, by Kenric Ward
While Virginia boasts the highest percentage of federally funded private-sector jobs in the nation, "real" private enterprise in the commonwealth ranks second to last, a new report says.

2013-11-xx: TJ Institute: Long-Term Care Vulnerability - A Case Study in Virginia
Virginia is faced with a serious problem as are all states: The aging population requires us to determine how to handle the additional costs this will bring to government and personal budgets. Long Term Care is one of the more important problems facing all parents. How to address this need for Long Term Care, are examined by this new study on Long-term care funded by Medicaid.

2013-11-29: Bacon's Rebellion: No More Medicaid as Middle-Class Entitlement
When legislators debate expansion of Virginia's Medicaid program in the 2014 session, they would do well to consider the long-term outlook for Medicaid spending. The program already consumes 17% of the state's general fund budget, and that percentage will grow relentlessly as the population ages.

2013-11-29: Watchdog.org: VA 'Tide' warning: Don't get on the wrong track, by Kenric Ward
"Budget overruns are only a symptom of a problem," O'Toole told Watchdog.org. Lest Richmond fall in line for more "mass transit", the Cato expert cautions: "In order to sell it, (proponents) start by low-balling the costs. Even if the original cost projections had been accurate, it would not make sense to build light rail."

2013-10-16: Va Soc CPAs: JLARC Issues Impact Report on BPOL Tax Change to Income Basis
It found that using income as the basis for the BPOL tax could reduce local BPOL revenue by up to 95 percent, would redistribute the tax's effect, and greatly increase complexity of compliance.

2013-10-08: Tax Analysts: In Search of a Win-Win for the Virginia BPOL Tax
There are constant calls for the elimination of the Virginia business, professional, and occupational license (BPOL) tax by the business community, government, and others. In fact, the current Virginia gubernatorial candidates -- Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R), Democrat Terry McAuliffe, and Libertarian Robert Sarvis -- agree, and have issued preliminary proposals to reduce or eliminate the BPOL tax.

2013-09-18: Va Senate: Virginia Retirement System Overview

2013-02-21: FCTA: No Tax Hike Needed for Transportation
Virginia has plenty of money for transportation, without additional tax hikes. New taxes reward and subsidize the General Assembly's and Governor's failure to rein in out-of-control spending on education and Medicaid, programs that are not meeting their goals. Rather than raise taxes, elected officials should better manage the revenue they have.

2012-xx-xx: Virginia Voting Precincts: Info includes districting, population, and lat/long

2012-12-15: WaPo: Controversy surrounds Va. plan to build $1.4 billion toll road
Virginia, a state so strapped for road funds that it dips into the new-construction kitty to patch potholes, is about to bankroll a $1.4 billion highway. It would run for 55miles in southeastern Virginia between Petersburg and Suffolk, parallel to U.S. 460, a four-lane road along which average volume ranges from 9,200 to 17,000 vehicles a day. Low traffic projections have leaders from some more heavily traveled parts of the state fuming.

2012-04-xx: TJ Institute: Tax Restructuring in VA: Revenue Neutral Path to Improve VA's Economy
For many years businesses in Virginia have complained about three taxes that most everyone agrees are unfair and restrict job growth. The most egregious of these is the Business Professional Occupation Licensing (BPOL) tax, levied on the gross receipts of a business.

2010-07-xx: FairUS.org: The Fiscal Burden of Illegal Immigration on Virginia -- graphic

2010-06-30: Virginia's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit 2010 Annual Report

2010-06-24: Va Board of Education: We Oppose "Common Core" National Standards, Support SOLs
The Board supports the development of internationally benchmarked standards for states to adopt outright or to use as models to improve their own standards. The board, however, opposes federal attempts to compel word-for-word adoption of the Common Core State Standards.

2009-10-22: FCTA: VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEM (VRS): A generous system!, by Charles McAndrew
A 2008 study found that only four other States besides Virginia did not require state workers to contribute to their State government rerirement plans. Maryland state workers pay 5% of their salary to their state pension plan, and North Carolina state workers pay 6% to their pension plan.

2009-10-22: FCTA: TAXES ARE NEVER ENOUGH!, by Charles McAndrew
Many years ago, back in the forties and fifties, Virginia operated on a "pay as you go" budget. That is, they spent within the annual budget. The budget usually never increased beyond the inflation and population percentages. However, in the sixties, the "Liberals" took over and things started changing for the worst.

2009-02-03: TJI: Fairfax County - a Case Study on Government Excess Spending
As local governments throughout the commonwealth struggle over budget deficits facing them this year and in the next fiscal year, it is instructive to look at Fairfax County's spending over the past few years.