Tag: Stephen D. Haner
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Bill Slams Exits Used for Electricity Competition
Legislation that effectively eliminates two avenues for electricity customer choice in Virginia gets its first public hearing in a House subcommittee Thursday afternoon. House Bill 2477, introduced by House Commerce and Labor Committee Chairman Terry Kilgore, prohibits additional customer choice if a utility’s overall demand is not growing more than two percent annually. That describes…
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Rage, Ruin, And You Pay The Bill In Full
I hear hurricanes a blowin’ And I know the end is coming soon I fear rivers overflowing I hear the voice for rage and ruin Bad Moon Rising, Credence Clearwater Revival The acronym we all must learn for the 2019 General Assembly session is “CCR,” but it doesn’t stand for Credence Clearwater Revival. Coal combustion…
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Love The Middle Class? Index Virginia’s Taxes
Virginia’s most effective tax collector is inflation. Virginia’s long refusal to adjust any element of its income tax for slow but constant inflation means that each year, a slightly higher percentage of your growing income is taxed, and the rising costs of living shrink the value of the standard deduction and push more of your…
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The Exact Moment Virginia Changed Forever
For veteran observers of the Virginia General Assembly, a brief oral exchange between an Amazon executive and the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday was a bright flash of insight into Virginia’s new political landscape. You do not see people, especially not people seeking a major expenditure of state funds, get that cavalier…
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GILTI And Other Tax Provisions Of Great Interest
In proposals which would further distance Virginia from the tax reforms of President Donald Trump, the General Assembly is being asked to let Virginia corporations keep two major deductions no longer allowed at the federal level. If the General Assembly agrees, the chance for a general corporate income tax rate reduction probably goes away. The…
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SCC Rejects Most of Dominion Grid Proposal
The State Corporation Commission Thursday rejected in large part the highly-touted Dominion Energy Virginia proposal to rebuild its transmission grid, approving only the elements improving cyber and physical security. Those were the least expensive and least controversial pieces of its application. The 2018 legislation that stated major grid investments were in the public interest also…
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Finally, The SCC Is Full Strength
Former Chief Deputy Attorney General and Circuit Court Judge Patricia West is heading to the State Corporation Commission and the only question it raises is, why did the Republicans feel compelled to ram her election through with such speed? Was the coalition that fragile? West apparently has not practiced law in front of the Commission…
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Uh, Why Does JLARC Scare AG Herring?
Just what does Mark Herring have to hide? One of my goals during four years as director of administration for Attorney Generals Mark Earley and Randy Beales was to keep the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission busy somewhere else. Having JLARC combing through your office asking inconvenient questions is no fun. But had JLARC…
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Transportation Revenue Focus of Concern Again
In the middle of a booming economy, with many state revenue sources surging, flat transportation revenues were the focus of warnings Monday in presentations by Virginia Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne and Secretary of Transportation Shannon Valentine. “I think we are heading for a cliff,” Layne told the House Appropriations Committee. “For the first time…
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Doctors Without (State) Borders, Coast to Coast
If taken ill traveling in New York or Texas, or any other of the 50 states, odds are you would not question the basic competence of the medical professionals who treated you there. But consult that same doctor over Skype from within Virginia and state licensing laws might get in the way. A bill introduced…
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Tax Conformity Bills Buried in Rules Committee
The House Finance Committee will hold its first meeting of the 2019 General Assembly Monday morning, finally starting public discussion of Virginia’s response to a major federal tax overhaul from 13 months ago that will… No! Belay that! All House bills dealing with how Virginia conforms to that federal change, and what other policy changes…
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Dominion Withdraws Renewable Tariff Effort
In the wake of the State Corporation Commission’s recent approval of a renewable energy tariff for residential customers of Appalachian Power Company, Dominion Energy Virginia has given up the application for its own more expensive proposal for a similar service to its residential and smaller business customers.
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I’m Shocked, Shocked To See Corporate Checks In Here! (Your Donations, Sir.)
Interesting to see Governor Ralph Northam channeling Claude Rains Monday, choosing the first day of the annual two-day General Assembly campaign finance feeding frenzy to highlight his support for a series of campaign finance proposals. Campaign fundraising by state legislators and their pooled caucus accounts goes dark with the opening of the regular session today. …
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Are You In…The Hugo Zone?
Delegate Tim Hugo (R-Centreville) is the point person for a state income tax proposal centered on less-than-full conformity with the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. It only helps a narrow subset of Virginia taxpayers, those in The Hugo Zone. We will now try to take you there. (If you want to imagine Rod Serling’s…
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Republicans Retreat From Trump Tax Successes
Virginia’s House Republicans on Friday rolled out proposed changes in the state income tax which backpedal from the signature accomplishment of President Donald Trump’s first year, his tax reform package which supercharged the economy. They would conform Virginia’s taxes to the new federal law only in part (more details here). One of the best policy…