The General Assembly session is just about wrapped up for the year. The Democrat- controlled house sent Republican Governor Youngkin 916 bills to consider. On Sunday, Youngkin signed 599 bills into law, vetoed 157 bills, and sent 159 bills back to the General Assembly with amendments. On this episode, we talk about a few of these new laws taking effect soon in Virginia.

We just couldn’t get enough of tax season so we’re back again this week to talk in more detail about our Virginia state income tax returns. What do all those questions on the forms actually mean and why do we have them?

When doing your state taxes, it’s easy to just click through the boxes and not think much about what they mean. So on this episode, we are doing a deep dive into Virginia state taxes. What are the types of taxes we pay, where does the money go and how did we wind up with the system we have?

This time of year, there is a ton of news about the Virginia general assembly. Bills being proposed, bills being passed through committee, and soon, crossover! If this has you spelunking into the depths of your high school civics class, we are here to give you a refresh! We’ll talk about the history of the General Assembly, how a bill becomes a law, and give you some tips for processing legislative news. 

Every state in the US regulates alcohol and liquor in a different way. Their right to do so is even enshrined in the US Constitution! So how did Virginia’s Alcohol and Beverage Control Authority come about? Why is liquor only sold in ABC stores? And is it true that Virginia doesn’t have any bars?

44% of all renters in Virginia pay more than 30% of their income in rent and the average rent in the US has gone up 19% since 2019. So what is Virginia doing about it? What’s the role of state government in affordable housing policy? The Democrat-controlled General Assembly and the Republican Youngkin administration have managed to pass some affordable housing legislation over the past 3 years. Has affordable housing become a bipartisan issue in Virginia?

More than 4 million people voted in Virginia and on this episode we break down those results from the top of the ticket down to the upcoming General Assembly special elections. We also discuss the controversial purge of voters days before the election, other voting access issues and the end of gerrymandering in Virginia.

This week we’re talking about roads. How they’re built, how new projects are proposed and funded, and how they’re maintained. Michael Barnes, Director of Planning for Albemarle County breaks down these questions and helps us better understand the considerations of transportation planning.  

Solar has been getting a lot of attention in the past couple years and counties across Virginia have been passing stringent regulations on new solar developments. This week we spoke with Dr. Lee Daniels, Professor Emeritus of Land Rehabilitation and Dr. Ryan D. Stewart, Professor of Soil Physics & Hydrology, both at Virginia Tech about the effects of solar farms on the land and soil.

In 2020, Virginia started on a path to incrementally increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2026. But this year the governor vetoed the annual increase. In this episode, we talk with Levi Goren, Director of Research & Education Policy at the Commonwealth Institute, about what the minimum wage is, how it is related to inflation, and who is impacted by its stagnation.