Economic Opportunity

2008 was 10 long years ago, but the effects of the Great Recession are fresh enough that the nation’s worst economic downturn since the Great Depression is still an open wound. In light of new jobs and wages data, just how far has Virginia’s economy bounced back to work? And who is it working for?

Black immigrants living in Virginia are an important part of the state’s economy and future. A majority of working-age Black immigrants are employed; many have a bachelor’s degree or higher, and most have lived in the United States for many years.

One in eight Virginians is an immigrant to the United States. New Virginians often come seeking a better life for themselves and their families. And Virginians – whether born-heres or come-heres – value that Virginia is a good place to raise a family. The good news is that there is a general consensus among economists that immigration energizes the economy and expands opportunity for U.S.-born individuals as well. A new report provides critical new information on how. 

A targeted working families tax credit can help families earning low wages meet basic needs. For families struggling to make...

Virginia’s new budget finances multiple measures to help improve the lives of Virginians. The budget funds the extension of health care coverage to nearly 400,000 newly eligible Virginians, and it funds increased salaries for teachers, nurses, counselors, and other staff in Virginia’s public schools. However, lawmakers failed to continue the progress made over the past two years in increasing support for Virginia’s poorest families with children, despite the serious erosion in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits over the last two decades. 

Virginia’s new budget finances multiple measures to help improve the lives of Virginians. The budget funds the extension of health care coverage to nearly 400,000 newly eligible Virginians, and it funds increased salaries for teachers, nurses, counselors, and other staff in Virginia’s public schools. However, lawmakers failed to continue the progress made over the past two years in increasing support for Virginia’s poorest families with children, despite the serious erosion in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits over the last two decades. 

When Governor Northam signed a budget that included Medicaid expansion on June 7, it was the culmination of years of work by hundreds or even thousands of Virginians, and will mean real improvements in the lives of hundreds of thousands of Virginia workers and families. Medicaid expansion has been at the center of Virginia policy debate for six years, and The Commonwealth Institute has been highlighting the benefits of this policy all along. 

Special Session: Comparing the governor’s, House, and General Assembly budgets to the FY 2018 budget With no agreement on the...

Voting along party lines, Congressional Republicans are proposing to decrease nutritional assistance for low-income families in the Farm Bill, creating a partisan fight over a bill that has long had bipartisan support. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the most effective anti-hunger program in the country, supports over 374,000 households (794,780 individuals) on average each month in Virginia. But the newest Farm Bill proposal – passed by the House Agriculture Committee on April 18 and could be voted on by the full House this month – will end or cut SNAP benefits for many people, while setting up costly bureaucratic hurdles to qualify that do more harm than good.