The Powell Memo
The Powell Memorandum has been praised and vilified, denounced as a blueprint for business to seize control of American life, and embraced as a way to protect liberty and free enterprise. Whether because of its lasting influence or alarming prescience, the Powell Memorandum has become one of the most important single documents i[...]
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[...]
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 Vi[...]
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 [...]
Va. new jobless claims edged up last week
Virginia’s initial unemployment claims increased slightly last week while continued claims decreased again, as they have for several weeks, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. For the filing week ending July 17, the state recorded 6,304 new jobless claims, up 352 from the previous week, while continued cl[...]
Virginia Lottery reports record $3.26B in annual revenue
The Virginia Lottery posted an all-time record $3.26 billion in annual sales and a record $765 million in profits for the fiscal year that ended June 30, the lottery’s board announced Wednesday. The lottery saw a 52% increase in revenue and a nearly 30% increase in profits over the prior fiscal year. The introduction of [&[...]
Virginia could receive $530M from $26B opioids settlement
Virginia is expected to receive about $530 million as part of a $26 billion settlement that the nation’s three primary drug distributors and pharmaceutical manufacturer Johnson & Johnson reached Wednesday with the states that would release the companies from legal liability in the opioid crisis. A majority of the roug[...]
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 [...]
Virginia to spend $700M on universal broadband by 2024
Ahead of the General Assembly’s August special session, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday he wants to spend $700 million of Virginia‘s federal relief funding on expanding broadband access to all of Virginia. Virginia received $4.3 billion in federal funds through the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan passed in Ma[...]
Virginia unemployment rate improves to 4.3% in June
Virginia’s unemployment rate dropped again in June, landing at 4.3%, 0.2 points below May’s jobless rate, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday. In June 2020, the unemployment rate was at 8.8%, 4.5% higher than June 2021. Virginia also continued to trend lower than the nation, which was at 5.9% unemployment last month, and the state had […]
Va. jobless claims continued decline last week
The state’s initial unemployment claims continued to decrease last week, dipping below 6,000 in the filing week ending July 10, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. Continued claims also decreased last week. For last week, initial claims totaled 5,952, a decrease of 873 claims from the previous week, while[...]
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 bil[...]