Tag: Stephen D. Haner
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The Strings On The Money Revealed
And now, from our You Can’t Make This Stuff Up Department, come two Richmond lobbyists providing strong evidence that the money really does have strings and you only get it if you play along. We had no idea, right? First, see the story on Blue Virginia, with newly-elected Del. Dawn Adams, D-Henrico, sharing a recent…
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Health Care Only Matters If You Can Get It
A family member was on hold with a neighborhood chain pharmacy during a recent call. The purpose of the call? To schedule her second shot in the new shingles vaccination regimen. Even though she got shot number one there, the response was not one single outlet of the giant chain in the Richmond region had…
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Tax Conformity Addendum: Has Virginia Already Conformed?
During a discussion today about the issue of whether and how Virginia should amend its taxes in response to recent federal changes, the question came up: just what is the situation today? I was reminded that the conformity bill that originally passed in the 2018 General Assembly was subsequently amended at the request of the…
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Signs Virginia Will Keep Tax Reform Windfall
The following is from remarks prepared for a meeting of the Thomas Jefferson Institute in Richmond today. As of right now all the signs indicate that the Virginia General Assembly and the Northam Administration are going to allow the federal tax reform to generate additional tax revenue for the Commonwealth. Some of what the Congress…
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Things Legislators Didn’t Hear (Or Want To)
“It might have happened without this bill.” “I think it was going to develop anyway.” Both comments were made today about the prospect that Virginia will actually see 5,500 megawatts (MW) of new solar and wind generation installed within its borders in the next few years, the amount of new solar designated as “in the…
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Florida Mounts New Raid on Virginia Carrier Fleet
Here we go again. Florida wants one of Virginia’s aircraft carriers. U.S. Sen. Mark Rubio, R-Fla., and others are apparently trying once again to authorize the Mayport naval base to make the improvements it would need to become home port for one of the eleven jewels of the fleet. Virginia’s congressional delegation is gearing up…
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Aunt Virginia Needs You (As An Election Officer)
One of the sheets of paper taped on the wall in Richmond’s Maple Avenue Fire Station Tuesday was a recruiting poster seeking additional qualified people to become “one of the elite!” Not Marines, not Green Berets or fire fighters – election officers. Uncle Sam and Aunt Virginia need you for this job, too. The various…
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Being Dealt A Losing Hand That Lingers
There are times in life when four aces is a tough hand to hold. Common themes on this public policy forum include poverty and its causes and cures, school failure and related discipline matters, health problems and the difficulty understanding why these conditions remain so widespread in this great nation and commonwealth. I invite you…
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Conservative Values + Money + Authenticity
Thirty years ago the Republican Party threw in the towel and nominated a candidate who had no chance to beat Charles Robb for the U.S. Senate and really no chance of giving Robb a semblance of a race. The same thing probably happens again Tuesday, especially if the predictions of a Corey Stewart victory in…
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Medicaid Fraud Unit Grows With Program
It would be interesting to know which is growing faster, the Medicaid program itself or the state-run legal and investigative team charged with rooting out and prosecuting the fraud, waste and abuse that appear on pools of dollars like algae on a still pond. My guess is the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU), now around…
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Public Meetings And Private Texts Don’t Mix
As a registered lobbyist I am prohibited from walking onto or sitting on the floor of either chamber of Virginia’s legislature while in session, and can get no closer than the desk at the front door or the benches in gallery. If I wish to speak to a member during session the custom is to…
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Rolls-Royce Revs Its Engine (Factory)
The Rolls-Royce Crosspointe facility outside Petersburg is growing, demonstrating once again that economic development projects are hard to predict but can reward patience. A story posted at the Times-Dispatch reports another batch of new jobs may bring the total close to 400 this year. When it was announced in 2007, the first plant built from…
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State Budget Bacon Bits: Reserves and R&D
And now for the some other interesting elements of Virginia’s new $117 billion two-year state budget, because Medicaid expansion sucked all the wind out of the room (understandably.) The House Appropriations Committee added this summary presentation yesterday while the Senate members were filling up their Facebook and Twitter accounts with Riveting Speeches before delivering votes…
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Make The Next Round A Double
Virginia leaders like to get up on their soapboxes and worry that Virginia is too dependent on defense spending and promise elaborate strategies to diversify the economy. Be grateful in some places the focus remains on building more combat ships at Newport News Shipbuilding, keeping its 20,000 plus employees and thousands of suppliers and contractors…
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Their Money is Bad and Our Money is Righteous
During the 2018 session I received a curious meeting invitation, hush-hush, from somebody who indicated a possible alliance in the struggle against the pending utility legislation. We had to meet away from the Pocahontas Building to avoid observers. My curiosity led me to take the meeting, and it turned out to be about the Clean…