Virginia becomes first state to opt-in to FSTC

Governor Glenn Youngkin announced on Friday that Virginia is the first state in the nation to opt-in to the Education Freedom Tax Credit, also known as the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit or “vouchers”.

Starting January 1, 2027 Taxpaying individuals or organizations will be able to claim a dollar-for-dollar, nonrefundable tax credit up to $1,700 for contributions to Scholarship Granting Organizations.

The SGOs then provide K-12 scholarships to be used in private school or religious institution tuition, tutoring, education therapies, and other education related services.

Governor Youngkin has already submitted the initial list of eight SGOs to be used in Virginia including:

  • Step Up, Virginia! (statewide)
  • Torah Education Scholarship Fund (statewide)
  • The Endowment Project Foundation (national)
  • American Federation for Children (national)
  • Children’s Scholarship Fund (national)
  • Reficio (national)
  • ACE Scholarships (national)
  • EducationSuperHighway (national)

Opponents including the Virginia Education Association, the Commonwealth’s largest teachers union, estimate the loss of enrollment between 12,600 – 54,000 students for public schools and a loss of $222-$956 million annually in funding.

Additional guidance will come later from the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service.

For the full announcement from Governor Youngkin, click here. 

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here. 

Governor and First Lady Youngkin celebrate official portrait

Governor and First Lady Youngkin celebrated the recent completion of the Governor’s official portrait.

The portrait was painted by Virginia artist Jonathan Linton.

Governor Youngkin’s portrait will be displayed on the third floor of the Virginia State Capitol in the Governor’s Gallery along with sixteen previous predecessors.

Part of the rotation of portraits, Governor Youngkin’s portrait will hang in the Governor’s Gallery for 60 years before being rotated out and placed at the Library of Virginia for permanent preservation. 

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Governor Youngkin announces LEGO expansion and job opportunity in Virginia

Governor Youngkin announced a new 2-million square-foot warehouse and distribution center from the beloved family-owned toy company, LEGO is coming to Prince George County.

The popular toy manufacturer will invest $366 million dollars, creating 305 new jobs in the region.

Youngkin comments that this decision will send a “powerful message: Virginia is a place where global leaders thrive, grow and succeed.”

The new facility, located at 8800 Wells Station Road, will operate alongside the factory currently being constructed in Chesterfield County.

The Secretary of Commerce and Trade Juan Pablo Segura says: “This investment brings high-quality jobs to Prince George County and reflects our broader commitment to building healthy, vibrant communities.”

The household toy manufacturer name originally derived from the two Danish words LEg GOdt, meaning “Play Well.”

Creating new job opportunities agencies will support the LEGO Group goals of job creation through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Nodal Exchange invests $300,000 in Vienna expansion

Governor Glenn Youngkin announced on Wednesday that Nodal Exchange LLC, North America’s largest power futures exchange, will invest $300,000 to expand its operations in Fairfax County.

The investment will create 33 new jobs and help to expand the current capabilities of the facility located at 1921 Gallows Road in Vienna.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the Fairfax County EDA to secure the project and funding from the Virginia Jobs Investment Program will support the company’s employee recruitment and training activities.

During the announcement, Governor Youngkin said, “Nodal Exchange’s expansion in Fairfax County demonstrates Virginia’s ability to attract and retain global financial technology leaders… This expansion reinforces Virginia’s position as a premier location for businesses at the intersection of finance and technology.”

To view the full announcement, click here.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Grant process begins to improve fresh food access

Governor Glenn Youngkin announced last week that the next round of applications for the Virginia Food Access Investment Fund program grants is now in the pre-proposal period.

From December 1st through December 31st, applicants may apply for grants which support new or expanding food retailers to improve access to fresh food throughout the Commonwealth.

During the pre-proposal period, applicants may submit proposals and ask questions to ensure mandatory requirements are met.

Then the application period continues from February 3rd to February 28th with grants awarded in the spring of 2025.

Grants from the Virginia Food Access Investment Fund regularly vary from $10,000 – $50,000 and support business development, construction, rehabilitation, equipment upgrades, or expansion in low-income communities that have low access to fresh food.

This upcoming round of funding will also include a large-scale category for stores exceeding 15,000 sq ft.

They are eligible for a grant of up to $250,000.

Governor Youngkin said, “Improving food access and building partnerships with community food organizations and private industry is an innovative approach to increasing access to nutritious food and eliminating hunger in urban and rural Virginia.”

For more information on the application process, click here. 

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

General fund revenues exceed projections

Governor Glenn Youngkin announced yesterday that general fund revenues increased 12.4% for the month of September versus the same period last year and are 9.9% ahead of the first three months of the prior fiscal year.

Compared to the Fiscal Year 2025 forecast, revenues have exceeded projections by $395.8 million for September and are ahead of year-to-date-projections by $601.4 million.

Governor Youngkin said, “The positive trend is fueled by our consistently strong labor market and business investment.”

Secretary of Finance Stephen Cumming added “We are tracking ahead of the official forecast, which assumed a mild recession in the calendar year 2024… We will continue our prudent revenue forecasting process as we develop the Governor’s proposed budget in December.”

A link to the full September 2024 revenue report is available here.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Governor Youngkin recognizes veteran employers

Governor Glenn Youngkin recognized ten Virginia Values Veterans Certified Employers for their commitment to recruiting, hiring, and retaining veterans and military spouses at Thursday’s V3 Awards Luncheon in Richmond.

The Governor’s Awards included Amazon which operates a distribution center in Clearbrook, among other locations, for businesses of 1000 or more employees.

Synertex in Reston was also recognized for medium sized businesses as well as Ryde Technologies in Alexandria for the Small Business category.

American Systems in Chantilly was selected for the Breakthrough Award for their innovative readiness and training programs for veterans.

Two other Northern Virginia businesses were recognized for their strategies to recruit, hire, and retain veterans including ISI Professional Services in Sterling and MAG Aerospace in Falls Church.

To view the full announcement, click here.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Future Educators Academy opens in Culpeper

Governor Glenn Youngkin attended the ribbon cutting for Germanna Community College’s Future Educators Academy in Culpeper earlier this week.

The new lab school is focused on creating a teacher pipeline in and around Central Virginia.

This model cultivates and trains homegrown teachers for two years during high school, allowing many students to complete their associates degree before graduating from high school.

The opening of the lab school is part of a $100 million campaign which began in 2022 to develop educational programs like the Future Educators Academy.

Additional lab schools are planned throughout the Commonwealth including at George Mason University and James Madison University.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Governor Youngkin releases statement on tech outages

Governor Glenn Youngkin released a statement on the global tech outages Friday morning.

The outages began following a problem with an update to the antivirus software used by cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike to protect Microsoft Windows devices.

Youngkin said that the Commonwealth conducted overnight assessments for government agencies and found that critical health and safety systems including 911 call systems and transportation infrastructure are operational with the exception of airlines which continue to experience significant instructions.

The assessment also found disruptions to government administrative functions and the Commonwealth continues to coordinate with local, regional, federal and private sector partners to establish normal operations.

The Governor also requested Virginians remain patient as they work through the outages.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Aerospace company selects VA as rocket launch site

Governor Glenn Youngkin announced that Firefly Aerospace has selected Virginia as the new launch site for its orbital Alpha rocket.

Firefly Aerospace plans to launch Alpha in 2025 from the Virginia Spaceport Authority’s location on Wallops Island.

The Alpha rocket provides responsive, reliable launch services for commercial, civil, and national security missions with the capability of launching more than 1,000kg into low-Earth orbit in 24 hour notice.

Bill Weber, CEO of Firefly Aerospace said, “Governor Youngkin and his teams at Virginia Spaceport Authority and the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation are great partners as we expand Firefly’s launch services for both Alpha and MLV. Their support is enabling greater launch schedule flexibility while simultaneously creating new, high-tech jobs in Virginia.”

To view Youngkin’s full announcement, click here.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.