A Birthday Letter to America: Celebrating 250 Years of History and Community
A Birthday Letter to America As the United States approaches its historic 250th milestone in 2026, organizations and industries across the country are pausing to honor our shared heritage while charting a course for the future. The Virginia Chamber of Commerce is proud to contribute to this national celebration with our Birthday Letter to America, […]
Virginia’s New Budget: What It Means for the Business Community
Following weeks of delay, on June 22 the Virginia General Assembly voted to approve a budget for the Commonwealth’s fiscal biennium beginning July 1, 2026. Governor Spanberger proposed 14 amendments following its passage by the General Assembly, all of which were accepted by the General Assembly. Because the legislature accepted the Governor’s proposed amendments, the […]
What Virginia Employers Need to Know Before July 1
This year’s General Assembly session saw the passage of several major employment laws in the Commonwealth, many of which will go into effect on July 1, 2026. Read on for more information about the new laws Virginia employers need to know before July 1. Wage/Salary Ranges and Inquiries House Bill 636 and Senate Bill 215 create a new […]
December Government Affairs Spotlight
Governor Youngkin Releases Proposed Budgets On December 17, Governor Youngkin released his budget proposal for fiscal years 2027 and 2028, as well as amendments to the budget for the FY2025–FY2026 biennium (the caboose budget). While the both the new budget and the caboose budget are expected to be revised to reflect the priorities of Governor-elect Spanberger and the General Assembly, items of interest to the business community include: Economic Development $30 million in FY2027 and $20 million in FY2028 for the Virginia Business Ready Sites Program $35 million to complete design and perform site improvements for the planned inland port in Washington County Nearly $50 million total funding for custom and discretionary economic development incentive grant programs $50.6 million for the Virginia Growth […]
Virginia SCC Approves Dominion’s Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center: What it Means for the Commonwealth
November 26, 2025 – Yesterday afternoon, the Virginia State Corporation Commission officially approved Dominion Energy’s plan to build a new 944-megawatt natural-gas peaker plant in Chesterfield County, the Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center (CERC). This decision marks an important step toward strengthening Virginia’s energy infrastructure at a time of rapidly growing demand. In September, Keith Martin, […]
Commission on Unemployment Compensation Workgroup Convenes Inaugural Meeting
On September 18, the Commission on Unemployment Compensation’s Adjustments to Weekly Benefits Workgroup met for the first time. Created by legislation from the 2025 General Assembly session, the workgroup is tasked to study making annual adjustments, based on the average weekly wage, to individual weekly benefit amounts for unemployment compensation. The workgroup received two presentations […]
Virginia Chamber Statement on Federal Government Shutdown
RICHMOND, VA – Today, the Virginia Chamber of Commerce Interim President and Chief Executive Officer Keith Martin released the following statement on the federal government shutdown: “The Virginia Chamber of Commerce urges leaders in Washington to work together and find a bipartisan solution to end the current federal government shutdown. A shutdown will inflict immediate […]
Virginia Prepares for Fiscal Shifts Ahead
The Senate Finance and Appropriations, House Appropriations, and House Finance Committees Governor Youngkin’s Fiscal Assessment Governor Glenn Youngkin presented his assessment of Virginia’s fiscal position to the Joint Money Committee, identifying four key points about the Commonwealth’s financial standing: Financial Position: Virginia has generated $10 billion in excess revenue through consecutive surpluses, with a $4.7 […]
Learn More From our 2025 Virginia Healthcare Conference Sponsors
Below, please find a resource library for additional materials from our 2025 Virginia Healthcare Conference: Genentech Genentech Video: LINK HERE Johns Hopkins Medicine Johns Hopkins Care in Arlington, Virginia: LINK HERE PhRMA PhRMA MAT One-Pager: LINK HERE Virginia Rural Health Association Rural Health Voice Conference Save the Date: LINK HERE
Governor Youngkin Finalizes 2025 Legislative Actions: What Virginia’s Business Community Needs to Know
Bills signed by the Governor on May 2 of interest to the business community include: HB 1730 (Delaney) and SB 894 (Perry/Obenshain) create a new legal standard that could employers liable for injury or death of a “vulnerable victim” that resulted from the criminal conduct of an employee. As defined in the bill, a “vulnerable […]
