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President's Message
On May 7th, we hosted our 2015 Legislative Awards Recognition and 91st Anniversary Celebration Dinner in conjunction with our spring Board of Directors meeting in Arlington, where we released our 2015 Legislative Report Card. We were pleased to host over 250 guests as we saluted Virginia's pro-business legislators for their work during the 2015 General Assembly session. That evening, we were pleased to hear from Speaker Bill Howell, who provided remarks on the 2015 General Assembly session. You can view Speaker Howell's remarks here.
We also presented a special Education and Workforce Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Bob Templin. Dr. Templin served as President of Northern Virginia Community College for over a decade. During his tenure, his efforts in workforce training, education, economic development and immigration policy played a critical role in building a stronger, more prosperous Commonwealth. As the top issue outlined in Blueprint Virginia, we were very pleased to present Dr. Templin this award for his outstanding contributions to improving education and workforce development. Following the presentation of his award, Dr. Templin delivered remarks on the state of Virginia's workforce. Click here to view his remarks.
Many legislators were in attendance that evening as they were recognized for their pro-business voting records during the 2015 session. A full recap of the 2015 Legislative Report Card can be found below, along with a link to download a copy. Virginia Chamber members will be receiving a copy of the report card by mail this summer.
General Assembly Members at the 2015 Legislative Awards Recognition Dinner
I also want to share with you the public policy briefing documents that were presented by Keith Martin, Vice President of Public Policy and General Counsel, to our Board of Directors at our meeting earlier this month. We are constantly working on your behalf, and these documents provide timely updates on Virginia's state rankings and statistics, public policy briefings on state and federal issues, and a comprehensive list of all of the bills we tracked during the 2015 General Assembly session. Please find these documents linked below.
On Thursday, June 4th, we'll host the 2015 Virginia Health Care Conference. This year's program will center around advancing Virginia's triple aim of better health, better care, and lower cost amid sweeping changes in the health care industry. More information on the 2015 Virginia Health Care Conference can be found below. We hope to see you there.
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2015 Legislative Report Card
 On May 7th, the Virginia Chamber of Commerce released its 2015 Legislative Report Card, which grades legislators based on their support of pro-business issues during the 2015 legislative session. Calculated annually based on legislators' voting records on the principles and issues outlined in Blueprint Virginia: A Business Plan for the Commonwealth, the Legislative Report Card recognizes legislators for their support on initiatives that will help move Virginia forward.
"The Virginia Chamber of Commerce's annual Legislative Report Card allows us to recognize lawmakers whose leadership and voting records make Virginia a better place to start and grow a business," said Barry DuVal, President and CEO. "We are particularly pleased with the bipartisan progress made this session to improve education and workforce development, the top priority in the Blueprint Virginia business plan for the Commonwealth."
This year, 9 Legislators were awarded with the Champion of Free Enterprise Award for their 100% voting record and 74 Legislators earned a grade of "A."
Senator Ryan McDougle was named the 2015 Legislator of the Year. During the 2015 General Assembly session, Senator McDougle championed policies that position Virginia for prosperity and long-term economic growth. He encouraged businesses to repatriate money from overseas and invest in Virginia, fought for more transparency and accountability in regulations that could harm businesses, and stood against legislation that would increase the cost of doing business.
The following legislators were also recognized for their leadership in specific areas:
Champions of Free Enterprise (grade of 100%)--Delegate Rob Bell, Delegate Ben Cline, Delegate Mark Cole, Delegate Todd Gilbert, Delegate Greg Habeeb, Delegate Chris Head, Delegate Barry Knight, Delegate Charles Poindexter, and Delegate Ed Scott
Business Advocate of the Year-Delegate Israel O'Quinn
Leadership in Energy Award--Senator Frank Wagner
Economic Competitiveness Award--Delegates Glenn Davis and David Ramadan
Small Business Advocate Award--Delegates Scott Taylor, Glenn Davis, Chris Head and Joseph Yost and Senators John Edwards and Frank Wagner
Excellence in Education and Workforce Development Award-Senators Mark Obenshain and Frank Ruff and Delegates Rob Bell, Kathy Byron and Tag Greason
Military and Veterans Affairs Advocate Award-Senators John Cosgrove, Louise Lucas and Toddy Puller and Delegates David Yancey, Rich Anderson, Kirk Cox and Chris Stolle
Champions of Regulatory Reform-Senator Tom Garrett and Delegates Chris Head and Margaret Ransone
To view the full 2015 Legislative Report Card, please visit www.vachamber.com.
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May 2015 Public Policy Briefing
At the Virginia Chamber, we are constantly working on your behalf on both the state and federal levels to ensure that Virginia is the best state in which to do business. This document provides you with a comprehensive update on all of those efforts and is divided into two main sections. The first is an overview of our state rankings and statistics, which shows how we stack up against our competition, as well as helpful information about our labor force.
You'll also find public policy briefings on both state and federal issues, including the state and federal budget, trade, transportation funding, regulatory updates and much more.
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This document provides a comprehensive list of all of the bills we tracked during the 2015 General Assembly session, outlined by topic area, and also reports whether the bill passed or failed.
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5th Annual Virginia Health Care Conference
Transformation in the Health Care Industry: Accelerating Value and Innovation
June 4, 2015
Greater Richmond Convention Center
Please join more than 750 industry stakeholders and employers for the 2015 Virginia Health Care Conference. This year's program will feature advancing Virginia's triple aim of better health, better care, and lower cost amid sweeping changes in the health care industry.
Conference Highlights Include:
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Health Care: Exploring a New Realm of Possibilities
Jeff Bauer, PhD, Health Futurist & Medical Economist
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The Future of Health: A Conversation with Virginia's Industry Leaders
  
   
Moderator:
Dr. Len Nichols, Director, Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics, George Mason University
Nancy Agee, CEO, Carilion Clinic
Peter Bernard, CEO, Bon Secours
Dave Bernd, CEO, Sentara Healthcare
John Fitzgerald, CEO, Inova Fair Oaks Hospital
Dr. Richard Hamrick, Chief Medical Officer, HCA Virginia Health System
Pamela Sutton-Wallace, CEO, UVA Medical Center
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2015 Graduating Class First to Graduate with Economics and Personal Finance Requirement
The Virginia Chamber of Commerce's Blueprint Virginia recognizes financial education as a key component of education and workforce development, citing the need to "promote financial education so all students obtain basic economic and financial skills and support initiatives for teacher training in this area."
Economics and personal finance education provides students with the essential life-skills they need regardless of their future vocation. Financial education teaches an economic way of thinking that helps individuals make better choices in all areas of their lives.
2015 high school graduates of public school systems in Virginia will be the first class to graduate with Virginia's new required course in Economics and Personal Finance. As one of only two states with a full-credit high school requirement, Virginia has a competitive advantage over other states.
A recent Richmond Times Dispatch op/ed by Secretary of Commerce and Trade Maurice Jones and Dan Mortensen, Executive Director of the Virginia Council on Economic Education, highlights the economic benefits of having an economically and financially literate population. You can read the op/ed here.
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Virginia Is Open to Business, Not Litigation
New York lawmakers are considering legislation that would "make foreign companies submit to the jurisdiction of New York courts as a condition of doing business in the state" in an effort to draw more corporate litigants into its courts. Such legislation would create "litigation tourism." The proposed New York legislation would be unfriendly to foreign business and could "discourage outsiders from considering business in New York." Virginia, on the other hand, has one of the best lawsuit climates in the country, ranked among the top 10 business-friendly lawsuit climates in the nation by the Institute for Legal Reform.
To read more from the Wall Street Journal on this issue, click here.
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Keep up with the Virginia Chamber on Twitter!
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Atlantic Coast Pipeline Coalition
Dominion Resources, in cooperation with the Virginia Chamber, is seeking to form a coalition of businesses to advocate the need for new natural gas infrastructure in Virginia associated with the Atlantic Coast Pipeline -- thereby promoting energy price stability and enhancing economic opportunity in the commonwealth.
A study, conducted in 2014 by Chmura Economics and Analytics, found the pipeline's construction would produce approximately $1.42 billion in additional economic activity in Virginia; support almost 8,800 jobs, including almost 5,000 directly supported by spending on construction activities; and generate more than $14.6 million in additional tax revenues for the state, including individual income and corporate income tax revenue.
By becoming involved in the Atlantic Coast Pipeline Coalition, you will help raise awareness about the need to support natural gas infrastructure investments and promote future economic development in the Commonwealth. If you and your business would be interested in joining the coalition and lending your company's name to a list of Virginia businesses that supports the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, please contact James Beazley, Dominion, 804-814-5448 or [email protected] and Samantha Quig, VA Chamber, [email protected].
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Virginia ranks 14th in Chief Executive Best & Worst States for Business
Virginia ranks 14th in this year's Chief Executive Best & Worst States for Business.
That ranking represents a drop of three spots for the Old Dominion since last year's list.
Chief Executive magazine has been surveying CEOs for 11 years on which states they believe foster growth through progressive business programs. In its profile of Virginia's business climate, Chief Executive was generally favorable.
"Virginia continues to be a pro-business state with low taxes and regulation, along with quality workers and a reasonable cost of living," it said. "Continued expansion of the federal government results in more opportunities for businesses in Virginia."
The magazine also noted that Virginia has low unemployment compared with the national average and continues to have positive domestic net migration, gaining nearly 30,000 residents last year - the seventh best among the states. However, the magazine also noted that Virginia's gross domestic product grew only 0.1 percent from 2012 to 2013, a reflection of declining federal spending, especially defense spending. That figure put the commonwealth 1.7 percentage points below the national average.
For the full survey results, click here.
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The U.S. Supreme Court Finds Maryland's Partial Income Tax is Unconstitutional
After months of anticipation, the U.S. Supreme Court has released its 5-4 opinion in Comptroller of Maryland v. Brian Wynne, No. 13-485. The Court affirmed the Maryland Court of Appeals decision, finding Maryland's personal income tax scheme failed the dormant Commerce Clause's "internal consistency test because if every State adopted Maryland's tax structure, interstate commerce would be taxed at a higher rate than intrastate commerce."
In this case, the taxpayer paid tax on his flow-through income from an S Corporation to his resident state (Maryland) and in 38 states where the S Corporation did business. However, under Maryland law, the Wynne's only received a credit for taxes paid to other states for the state portion of the income tax (4.75 percent rate) and not on the "piggyback" county income tax (3.2 percent rate). The Court also found the scheme operates as a tariff designed to restrict trade, so it is inherently discriminatory. The Court rejected the state's argument that the tax scheme is immune from the dormant Commerce Clause due to its taxing power under the Due Process Clause.
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US Chamber of Commerce's Young Entrepreneurs Academy
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation (USCCF) is proud to be a national sponsor and partner of the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!). The USCCF supports YEA!'s mission to educate youth on the free enterprise system and its vital place in the American economy. The USCCF provides launch grants to our local chamber members to bring YEA! to their communities and empower our nation's youth to take charge of their futures and strengthen American competitiveness for generations to come.
YEA! works to transform middle and high school students into confident CEOs. Students ages 11-18 generate business ideas, conduct market research, write business plans, pitch to a panel of local investors, and launch their own, real companies or social movements.
Chambers across the country adopt YEA! as a means of generating revenue, garnering media attention and engaging members.
- 68% of chambers running YEA! generate non-dues revenue of $30,000 or more annually.
- Chambers running YEA! earn positive media coverage, averaging 275,000 impressions annually.
- Chambers running YEA! have experienced a 47% increase in member engagement.
- 2,298 YEA! students nationwide have launched more than 1,700 real businesses.
To bring YEA! to your community, call (585) 272-3535 and apply by May 30 for up to $2,500 in Sam's Club Startup Funds available through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce at www.uschamberfoundation.org/yea.
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State Council of Higher Education to host "A Summit on Quality and Value in Virginia's System of Higher Education"
In collaboration with Virginia's institutions of higher education and the Virginia Assessment Group (VAG), the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) is planning a one-day summit on quality and value in undergraduate education.
Goal for the Day
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Creating a more robust workforce that meets the needs of a growing and diverse business community is imperative to the Commonwealth's growth and success. This conference will explore partnerships between the business community and higher education in order to meet workforce needs of the Commonwealth.
Agenda highlights include remarks from:
Delegate Kirk Cox
Virginia General Assembly
Barry DuVal
President & CEO, Virginia Chamber of Commerce
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