Va. jobless claims saw slight decrease last week
Virginia’s initial and continued unemployment claims decreased last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. For the filing week ending July 24, the state recorded 6,178 new jobless claims, down 126 from the previous week, while continued claims totaled 33,603, down 1,599 from the previous week. Compared to the same week last year, continued claims […]
Northam proposes $111M for undergrad financial aid
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday that he wants to designate $111 million in federal aid to financial aid for undergraduate students: $100 million for public higher education institutions through the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia and $11 million for private institutions eligible for SCHEV’s Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant program. The General Assembly [&hellip[...]
Northam proposes $936M for unemployment fund, VEC
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday that he wants to spend $935.6 million of $4.3 billion in federal aid on the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund and upgrading the Virginia Employment Commission. The General Assembly will meet Aug. 2 for a special session to allocate the funding, which the state received through the the $1.9 […]
Northam appoints members to newly created cannabis boards
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has appointed members to three newly created oversight boards for the legalization of recreational marijuana, his office announced today. On July 1, Virginia’s adult-use cannabis legislation changes began going into effect. This year, the General Assembly legalized possession of up to one ounce in public and home cultivation of up to […]
Virginia finishes FY21 with record $2.6B surplus
Virginia reached the end of fiscal year 2021 with a $2.6 billion surplus, the largest in the commonwealth’s history, according to a statement released by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday. Total revenue collections grew 14.5% over fiscal year 2020, ahead of 2.7% growth projections. State collections reached $8.6 billion in the final quarter of […]
GO Virginia awards $11.1 million in economic recovery grants
The state’s GO Virginia economic development initiative announced Wednesday that it has allocated $11.1 million in grants to advance economic recovery efforts across Virginia, including a $1.45 million award to create a statewide system to support cybersecurity jobs training for Virginia’s defense contracting industry. “The targeted support that GO Virginia provides is critical to en[...]
Va. General Assembly to convene special session on Aug. 2
The Virginia General Assembly will convene in Richmond on Aug. 2 for a special session to allocate more than $4.3 billion in federal relief funding, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday in a proclamation. In May, Northam and Democratic leaders from the Virginia State Senate and the House of Delegates outlined their priorities for the special […]
State sees historic 66.2% General Fund revenue increase in May
The state’s General Fund revenue rose 66.2% in May 2021 compared with May 2020, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday, the largest increase in more than 50 years. He also announced the appointment of the state’s new secretary and deputy secretary of finance. May is usually a big month for revenue collections due to the state’s […]
VMI report released; calls school ‘traditionally run by white men, for white men’
A long-awaited state report on an alleged culture of racism at Virginia Military Institute was released Tuesday afternoon, concluding that “VMI has … traditionally been run by white men, for white men,” although the state-funded military institution in Lexington has made “incremental steps towards a more diverse, inclusive VMI.” In a statement Tuesday, Virginia Gov. [[...]
Va. new jobless claims dip below 10,000
Virginia saw another decrease in initial unemployment claims last week, with 9,843 new claims in the filing week ending May 22, down 799 from the previous week, according to the Virginia Employment Commission’s Thursday report. Continued claims decreased by 6,250 last week, with 54,163 filed by May 22. This time a year ago, during the […]
Va. Finance Secretary Aubrey Layne to join Sentara
Virginia Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne will join Norfolk-based Sentara Healthcare as the health system’s senior vice president and chief of staff, effective July 1. Layne’s responsibilities will include overseeing Sentara’s legislative affairs and corporate social responsibility teams, as well as the Sentara Foundation and the Sentara College of Health Sciences. He will repor[...]
Va. GOP prepares for nomination convention on Saturday
On Saturday, roughly 54,000 Virginia Republican convention delegates will have the opportunity to choose their party’s 2021 nominees for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. Unlike the typical “firehouse convention,” currently prohibited due to COVID-19 precautions, the state GOP has opted for an “unassembled convention” with 39 voting locations open Sa[...]