The Half Sheet

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?

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. 

The rate of female suicide in Virginia has climbed 24 percent since 2010. Nationally, the rate of female suicide has risen 50 percent since 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While males continue to be a large majority of those who die by suicide in Virginia (76 percent in 2016), and the rate has increased for men as well, this trend among women is troubling and requires further examination from Virginia mental health stakeholders. 

Black women in the United States are 3.4 times more likely than White women to die during pregnancy or within one year of pregnancy. These outcomes for pregnancy-related deaths are even worse in Virginia. The passage of Medicaid expansion provides an opportunity to help combat this pressing issue by providing coverage to more mothers and ensuring continued coverage to recent mothers formerly in the coverage gap – if the state makes the health care needs of this population a priority. Simply providing coverage is not enough. Health care providers will need to better address the unique health needs of Black women and the challenges Black women encounter when accessing mental and physical care. 

On June 21, the U.S. Supreme Court opened the door for states to require out-of-state online retailers and other remote sellers to collect state and local sales taxes. For Virginia, the decision could mean additional state revenue of $250 to $300 million each year, according to estimates from Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne. The court’s ruling overturns a pair of previous rulings that were decided before the rapid growth of e-commerce and the decision has been praised by state lawmakers and small business owners. 

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. 

On May 30, the General Assembly finally reached agreement on a new budget to fund Virginia’s public services over the next two years. Significantly, the budget expands the Medicaid program to provide health care coverage for hundreds of thousands more Virginians while also making key investments in areas like early childhood education and K-12 education. 

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. 

More than 700 schools across Virginia are eligible to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), a program where high-poverty schools provide a nutritious free breakfast and lunch to every student. CEP is federally funded, reimbursing schools for most or all of the cost of providing meals. 

Virginia lawmakers will face a decision at some point over how to respond to last year’s federal tax legislation and how federal changes will impact state income tax revenues. First, some context: As a share of the economy, state revenues are still not back to pre-recession levels which has led to large unmet needs in crucial areas like K-12 education, health care, and infrastructure. Deciding whether to conform to – or decouple from – federal legislation could mean the difference between hundreds of millions more in state revenues to invest in these key priorities or not. Legislators should not let this critical opportunity pass by. They should conform to the new tax law.

Refugees are major contributors to Virginia’s communities and economy (as we’ve written about before). And a groundbreaking new report by the Fiscal Policy Institute (FPI) and Tent Foundation adds substantial evidence to further demonstrate the valuable role refugees play in the workplace.