Local Majority provides research that is practical and accessible for state district campaigns. Acting as a personal research department, we distill national research studies and put together packets with specific and targeted information for candidates’ campaigns to support their efforts. Read here for some of our in-depth research reports supporting Democratic campaigns.

RESEARCH REPORTS


SOCIAL MEDIA BUNDLES FOR KEY ISSUES

Local Majority provides free social media creative assets combined to support our key issue papers. Find them at these buttons and share them on your social media.

VIRGINIA


2023



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VA-ECONOMY

New Reports coming soon!

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) is historically progressive, bold legislation designed for sustained economic recovery, recognizing that it will not be possible without advancing racial equity. Even though not one Republican in the U.S. House or Senate voted for this $1.9 trillion stimulus package, including the four Republican U.S. Representatives from Virginia, it was successfully passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joseph R. Biden on March 11, 2021.

It is not just individuals and businesses that will receive stimulus funds—the Commonwealth of Virginia’s government will control a significant portion of the over $4 billion in ARP funds directed toward Virginia. To ensure these ARP funds are spent in an effective, equitable, and racially just manner, as intended in the legislation, it is critically important that Democrats continue to control Virginia’s legislature and the executive branch.

Read our reports for complete details at these links:

Issue Report: Democrats Deliver the American Rescue Plan to Virginia  -  July 4, 2021

Talking Points: ARP  -   July 5, 2021

Social Media Bundle: Resources for your use.


2021



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VA-ECONOMY

Democrats Deliver the American Rescue Plan to Virginia

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) is historically progressive, bold legislation designed for sustained economic recovery, recognizing that it will not be possible without advancing racial equity. Even though not one Republican in the U.S. House or Senate voted for this $1.9 trillion stimulus package, including the four Republican U.S. Representatives from Virginia, it was successfully passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joseph R. Biden on March 11, 2021.

It is not just individuals and businesses that will receive stimulus funds—the Commonwealth of Virginia’s government will control a significant portion of the over $4 billion in ARP funds directed toward Virginia. To ensure these ARP funds are spent in an effective, equitable, and racially just manner, as intended in the legislation, it is critically important that Democrats continue to control Virginia’s legislature and the executive branch.

Read our reports for complete details at these links:

Issue Report: Democrats Deliver the American Rescue Plan to Virginia  -  July 4, 2021

Talking Points: ARP  -   July 5, 2021

Social Media Bundle: Resources for your use.



VA-Infrastructure

Virginia's Digital Divide

Virginia’s digital divide has been widening for two decades.  Broadband, once regarded as a luxury used by suburban kids to watch movies via BitTorrent, is now considered a necessity, an essential utility. As innovation in technology has advanced, many aspects of life have increased their reliance on access to broadband internet. The COVID-19 pandemic showed clearly how living without robust broadband means being cut off from remote work, online school, medical care, business opportunities, and access to government services, such as voter registration. Broadband access and adoption disparities exist among several demographic groups, including rural communities, Blacks, Latinx, people living on Tribal lands, older adults, and those with lower levels of education and income Many urban families have broadband infrastructure physically available but are unable to afford internet services and computers. Three times as many households without broadband are in urban areas. Lack of broadband is impacting Virginia’s economy. A recent U.S. Chamber of Commerce report said improved broadband could increase revenues in Virginia by $2.24 billion annually, add more than 9,400 jobs, and boost wages by more than $450 million.

Read our report for complete details at this link:

Broadband & the Digital Divide    -  Sept. 13, 2021



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VA-Economy

Making Virginia’s Broadband Better

What electricity and then telephone connections did to improve rural life 100 years ago, broadband in rural areas can do today. But while “rural broadband” is now a catchphrase, lack of access to broadband is an issue in poor urban communities, too. Virginia’s superintendent for public instruction, Dr. James Lane, has called internet access “the civil rights issue of our time.” The COVID-19 pandemic showed clearly how living without robust broadband means being cut off from remote work, online school, medical care, business opportunities and access to culture. A recent U.S. Chamber of Commerce report said improved broadband could increase annual sales in Virginia by $2.24 billion annually, add more than 9,400 jobs, and boost wages more than $450 million.

Read our report for complete details at this link:

Issue Report: Making Virginia's Broadband Better. -  Sept. 13, 2021



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VA-Economy

Wage Theft in Virginia

In 2017 the Economic Policy Institute issued a report assessing the magnitude and prevalence of minimum wage violations in the ten most populous states, finding that millions of workers are cheated of billions of dollars of wages annually. The report’s recommended solutions were: “Strengthen states’ legal protections against wage theft, increase penalties for violators, bolster enforcement capacities, and protect workers from retaliation when violations are reported.” That is exactly what the Democratic majority in the Virginia legislature has done over the past year. Now Virginia workers have a private right of action against employers who steal their wages, with stiff penalties for such violations, criminal prosecution possible, and a prohibition against retaliation.

Read our report for complete details at this link:

Issue Report: Wage Theft in Virginia -  Sept. 3, 2021



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VA-SOcial Justice

Critical Race Theory

What Every Candidate Needs to Know

For 345 years of this country’s 414 years of existence, African Americans were, at best, second class citizens or, at worst, slaves. For those 345 years of this country’s history, its cultural, economic, social and legal institutions, customs, and practices developed in the context of Blacks in those roles.

Rather than looking at racism by individuals as the source of racial disparities, racial tension, and white supremacy in the country today, Critical Race Theory looks at the continuing impact of ingrained racism and white supremacy in the institutions, customs and practices governing our lives today.

Read our report for complete details at this link:

Issue Report: Critical Race Theory -  Aug 14, 2021



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Image from Local Majority. Click on the Twitter link for the full video:  https://t.co/VA1NB2pejE


VA-Criminal justice

The Emerging Movement for Police Reform

The brutal murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Daunte Wright and the persistence of police violence across the country have led to efforts in more than 20 major cities to reform the role of police by redistributing some funding to other agencies and institutions.

Advocates for systemic police reform propose a new model of policing, variously called “reimagine the police,” “abolish the police,” and “defund the police.” However, not all proponents of police reform are in favor of abolishing the police. Many local communities are working to redefine what the police do, advocating for better training, increasing funding for crisis first responders such as mental health providers and social workers as well as focusing on the root causes of crime: poverty and racism and pushing to maintain law and order through education, jobs, and mental health services.

Advocates of reallocating police funding to alternative services differ from police reformers, who argue that police departments need more funding for anti-bias training and other programs. This paper will discuss both approaches to re-imagining policing in America.

Read our report for complete details at this link:

Issue Report: The Emerging Movement for Police Reform  - July 22, 2021

Social Media Bundle: Resources for your use.



VA-Environment

Virginia Takes Bold Steps on Environment

Thanks to Democratic control of the Virginia state legislature, Virginia has leapt into an environmental leadership position in the south and in the nation. Democrats in Virginia made significant progress on protecting the environment, reducing greenhouse gasses, and preparing for the devastating effects of climate change. They passed the Virginia Clean Economy Act which jumpstarts a clean energy transition and breaks open energy markets to new participants and could add 13,000 new clean energy jobs. Virginia officially joined the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the cap-and-trade program that reduces emissions in the electric power production sector. Virginia passed the Clean Car Standard which will encourage more EV car adoption. Read our report for details on these ground-breaking bills as well as more than a dozen other environmental bills in the transportation, fossil fuel regulation, clean energy, energy efficiency, and clean air initiatives.

Read our report for complete details at this link:

Issue Report: Virginia  Takes Bold Steps on Environment - August 26, 2021

Talking Points: Environment  - August 26, 2021



minimum wage
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VA-ECONOMY

Tipped Employees need a raised minimum wage too.

The new Virginia minimum wage law does not cover tipped employees. A tipped employee will still earn only $2.13 per hour plus tips with their minimum wage as little as $7.25 per hour, while most non-tipped workers must now be paid a minimum of $9.50 per hour, increasing to $15 per hour by 2026 (if the Legislature remains in Democratic hands). Tipped workers are also subject to racial discrimination and sexual harassment as most of their income is reliant on customers for tips.

Read our report for complete details at this link:

Issue Report: The Virginia Minimum Wage Should Apply to Tipped Employees - July 12, 2021



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VA-ENVIRONMENT

Potential MEGA-Landfill in Cumberland County (HD66)

In 2018, Green Ridge Recycling and Disposal Facility, LLC (“Green Ridge”) proposed a new and very large—54,000,000 cubic yards—municipal solid waste sanitary landfill in Cumberland County, near the western border of Powhatan County. The Cumberland County Board of Supervisors approved the plan. Green Ridge filed the permit application and associated documents with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in January, 2020. The review process has begun, with supplemental studies and plans provided as requested by the DEQ. No permit has been issued yet.

The Cumberland County Board of Supervisors approved the plan based on the need for a landfill in their area and the anticipated income it will generate. Nearby residents in Cumberland and Powhatan Counties are concerned about associated traffic, noise, visual disturbance, and pollution. Opponents of the landfill see the issue as a classic case of jobs versus the environment, and jobs versus social injustice.

Read our report for complete details at this link:

Issue Report: Potential Mega-Landfill -  June 8, 2021



VA-CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Qualified Immunity

Qualified immunity is a defense available to government officials, including police officers, to a claim of liability asserted against the government official for violating the constitutional rights of the person making the claim. Importantly, this defense is available only in civil cases seeking money damages. It is not available in criminal cases. Also, it is a federal law concept, created and embellished by the Supreme Court and other federal courts. The defense can be asserted in cases brought under a federal statute passed following the Civil War which provides a cause of action for persons alleging a violation of their constitutional or other legal rights by “state actors”.  Unfortunately, qualified immunity as refined by court decisions has become a barrier to relief for victims and to accountability for police officers whose actions harm people and violate their rights.

Read our report for complete details at this link:

Issue Report: Qualified Immunity -  June 3, 2021



VA-ECONOMY

Democrats Raise the Minimum Wage

The minimum wage in Virginia is finally going up, thanks to the 2019 elections, when Democrats attained the majority in the Virginia legislature. In 2020, the General Assembly enacted legislation to raise the minimum wage over time to $15 per hour, and also eliminated many minimum wage exemptions. Effective May 1, 2021, Virginia’s minimum wage rose from $7.25 to $9.50 an hour. It will rise to $15 an hour by 2026. Virginia has now joined the 29 other states and Washington, D.C. that have a minimum wage above the $7.25 federal minimum and will be one of the very few states (9 only) (and D.C.) that now have or will have a $15 minimum wage. However, maintaining Democratic control of the legislature is essential to protect and expand this long-overdue minimum wage increase for Virginia’s lowest-paid and most vulnerable workers.

Read our report for complete details of the new legislative progress made by Democrats at this link:

Issue Report: Democrats  Raise the Minimum Wage -  May 31, 2021

Talking Points: Democrats Raise the Minimum Wage - June 9, 2021

Social Media Bundle - Resources for your use



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VA-VOTING RIGHTS

Democrats Protect the Right to Vote in Virginia

One of the main pillars of our democracy is the constitutional right to vote. When Republicans controlled the state legislature, they passed restrictive voting laws that prevented eligible voters from exercising that sacred right. Those laws disproportionately affected people of color, low-income citizens, and young voters. After taking control of the legislature in 2019, Democrats have acted to restore democracy to Virginia. Ensuring the right to vote for all eligible citizens has been one of their top priorities for the past two years.

Read our report and summary talking points for complete details of the new legislative progress made by Democrats at these links:

Issue Report: Democrats Protect the Right to Vote -  May 25, 2021

Talking Points: Democrats Protect the Right to Vote - June 4, 2021

Social Media Bundle - Resources for your use



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VA-ECONOMY

Worker Misclassification in Virginia

Workers in the U.S. are taken advantage of by being inaccurately labeled as independent contractors instead of as employees. The default classification for workers is to be employees; only if specific criteria are met can a worker be an independent contractor. Misclassified workers are generally paid less and lose many worker protections. Worker misclassification is a widespread problem in Virginia that harms workers, compliant businesses and the revenue streams of government. Thanks to the more worker-friendly Democratic-controlled general Assembly, Virginia workers now have more protections against unscrupulous employers.

Read our report for complete details at this link:

Issue Report: Worker Misclassification -  May 10, 2021

Talking Points: Worker Misclassifications - June 5, 2021

Social Media Bundle - Resources for your use



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Image by Chloe Moissis Designs from Local Majority.

VA-Criminal justice

Criminal Justice Reform—Democrats Lead the Way

Since the Democrats gained control of Virginia’s General Assembly in 2019, they have undertaken major criminal justice reforms. During the legislative sessions of 2020 and 2021, the General Assembly, with both the House and Senate under Democratic control for the first time since 1993, passed more than 20 criminal-justice reform bills.

Read our reports for complete details at these links:

Talking Points: Criminal Justice Reform - April 21, 2021

Issue Report: Criminal Justice Reform -  April 14, 2021

Social Bundle: Social media tools for your use.



VA-Economy

Labor Unions in Virginia – an Update

In 2020, Democrats in the House of Delegates and Senate passed a number of progressive-oriented measures to expand voting rights, provide some sensible regulation on gun ownership, guarantee a minimum wage increase, and expand and protect rights of the LGTBQ community. But in the area of labor unions, Democratic progress was tentative, limited to permitting (but not requiring) local authorities to engage in collective bargaining with unions representing public employees. Right-to-work remains the law of the state and public employees continue to be banned from striking even if represented by a union.

Read our reports for more details:

Labor Unions in VA - An Update  -  April 13, 2021

Labor Unions and Right to Work Laws   -   Aug. 5, 2019


2019


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VA-Healthcare

HB 2411: Republican Efforts to Undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA)

In 2017, the Trump Administration, along with Republicans in the U.S. Congress, pushed to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the 2010 federal law that expanded access to affordable health insurance. Following repeated attempts to gut ACA protections, Republicans in the Virginia House of Delegates introduced HB 2411, a bill that would have rolled back health insurance regulations to the pre-ACA status quo.

Read our paper for more detail:

Gutting the Affordable Care Act  -  June 24, 2019


 
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VA-CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate Change and Green Jobs in Virginia

Dealing with climate change is difficult. But as a state particularly vulnerable to climate impacts, Virginia can lead the way. Solving climate change means creating clean energy jobs, investing in rural economies, and prioritizing people’s health, homes, and livelihoods. A multifaceted approach is needed to make the state more resilient. To show climate leadership, Virginia can promote innovation in five ways:

  • Increase targets for requiring renewable energy
  • Kickstart energy-efficiency investment
  • Invest in clean cars and transit systems
  • Control short-lived climate pollutants
  • Ensure that all people – from fishing economies to historically marginalized communities – have the tools to adapt to climate change.

Read our paper for more details:

Climate Change  -  Sep 21, 2019


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VA-ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Energy Efficiency in Virginia

Energy efficiency is the cheapest and most achievable way to meet Virginia’s energy needs and address the threat of climate change. Yet historically Virginia has lagged below the national average in energy efficiency spending and energy savings. That poor performance can be directly attributed to resistance from Virginia’s predominant utility, Dominion Energy.

Energy Efficiency -  Sep 21, 2019

Talking Points - Energy Efficiency -  Oct. 7, 2019


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Image from Pixabay

VA-ECONOMY and JOBS

Retraining for Solar Jobs in Virginia

Virginia has lost many coal industry jobs due to the 45% decline in Appalachian production in recent years. There are larger labor needs in the solar industry than in coal’s current use of large scale automation and shrinking employment opportunities, i.e. solar requires more labor input, thus creating more jobs.

Solar Jobs -  Aug. 29, 2019


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Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

VA-LGBTQ+

LGBTQ+ Conversion Therapy Bans

Conversion therapy is a practice or treatment seeking to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including eliminating sexual attractions toward individuals of the same sex. The American Psychiatric Association in 1973 removed homosexuality from the second edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, declared that no reliable evidence exists that conversion therapy works and opposed conversion therapy as unethical. Yet the Republicans continue to push for this harmful therapy.

LGBTQ+ Conversion Therapy-  Aug. 29, 2019


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VA-INFRASTRUCTURE

Rural Broadband

Much of VA is Underserved

The most recent data from Gov. Northam’s “Commonwealth Connect” report indicates 660,000 homes and businesses lack access to broadband, with the highest concentrations in Southern Virginia and the Appalachians. Read our report to understand what the Virginia Legislature is doing to bring high speed internet to rural communities.

Rural Broadband Talking Points -  Aug. 18, 2019 


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VA-Economy

Minimum Wage in Virginia

The minimum wage for most workers in Virginia is $7.25 per hour. This puts full-time minimum wage workers below the federal poverty level. When their paychecks fail to cover basic living expenses, workers must use public assistance. Thus, the public is subsidizing businesses that do not pay their employees a living wage. Virginia Democrats have been leading the fight for an increased minimum wage.


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VA-Economy

Wage Theft in Virginia

The Economic Policy Institute reports that wage theft, “the practice of employers failing to pay workers the full wages to which they are legally entitled, is a widespread and deep-rooted problem that directly harms millions of U.S. workers each year.”[1] Wage theft harms all Virginians. Read our report to learn what the Democrats in the state legislature are doing to solve the problem.


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VA-Economy

Workers' Compensation in Virginia

Workers’ compensation insurance provides monetary benefits to employees who suffer work-related injuries and illnesses. This no-fault system, however, is in critical need of reform, as a considerable percentage of eligible workers are either denied the cash and medical payments they deserve or don’t apply for benefits at all.

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Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

VA-Economy

Employee Misclassification in Virginia

Worker misclassification is the practice of falsely labeling employees as independent contractors. It is a flagrant violation of workers’ rights and protections in Virginia and across the country and robs the state and federal government of much-needed revenue. In some industries, up to 40% of employers misclassify their employees. Read more about how this practice affects workers and Virginia.


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VA-Politics

The GOP Legislative Low-Lights of the 2018 and 2019 Sessions

With thousands of bills proposed every session, much of the legislating occurs behind closed doors, within committees. This is our topic-by-topic summary of almost every awful bill proposed and every great bill killed in the past legislative session.

New: Updated with 2019 session bills


VA-Economy

Labor Unions

Labor unions were formed to fight for workers’ rights to higher wages, safer working conditions, and health benefits, all of which still resonate with wage labor challenges in today’s gig economy. Yet listening to conservative spokespersons today, “right to work” proponents advocate anti-union policy under the guise of First Amendment free speech, when in fact their goal is to silence workers protected by those same unions. Read more about Democrats' efforts to protect workers' rights. more


VA-Economy

Rural Poverty

The state’s rural areas—Appalachia, Southside and the Eastern Shore—trail in measures of community and personal wellbeing. Published by the Virginia State Health Commissioner, the Virginia Plan for Well-Being (2016-2020) is a comprehensive five-year initiative that highlights strategies for improving health and well-being among urban and rural communities by 2020. In addition to the work conducted by public and private organizations, legislators can play a key role by paying closer attention to the unique needs of the rural population. more


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VA-Economy

Education-Business Partnerships

To participate in the competitive global economy, our educational institutions have to transition away from academic-only emphases to a model encompassing career and life readiness as well as traditional academics. The way forward must include and involve the industries and businesses that drive the new economy. more


VA-Education

Higher Education Funding

The cost of a college education over the last thirty years has increased in the staggering amounts. Average college costs grew eight times faster than average wages from 1989 to 2016. For the 2016-2017 academic year, overall state funding for two- and four-year public colleges was nearly $9 billion below the level in 2008, adjusted for inflation.. more


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VA-Education

K-12 Education Funding

Teacher pay in Virginia has been among the lowest in the nation. In 2018, when adjusted for inflation, Virginia’s teachers made on average 4.5 percent less than they did ten years prior. Read our new report on the efforts of Democrats to make progress  toward alleviating the teacher pay issue in Virginia. more


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Image by Rex Medlen from Pixabay

VA-Marijuana

Marijuana Legalization Legislation

The war on drugs has cost an estimated one trillion dollars. For over four decades, states have enforced draconian drug policies, perpetuating vicious cycles of poverty, addiction, and mass incarceration, while producing little to no reduction in drug usage rates. In recent years, many states have begun to recognize that the most effective way to combat substance abuse is to frame the issue as a public health crisis, rather than one involving the criminal justice system. This realization has led state legislators to legalize marijuana for medical and recreational purposes. more


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VA-Economy

Affordable Housing

There is an urgent need in the U.S. today to resolve the glaring disparity between housing demand and housing supply. Democratic lawmakers in Virginia and around the country have been pushing for solutions to the affordable housing crisis. more


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VA-Healthcare

Prescription Drug Pricing

Prescription drug pricing is incredibly complicated and is made all the more so by the lobbying power of the multiple major players involved. The State of Virginia spent $707 million on prescription drugs in FY 2015. The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) identified options for states to help to lower or reduce healthcare costs. The long process to get things under control needs to begin by taking back Democratic control of the State House and State Senate so that regulatory bills can make it out of committee.

New: Prescription Drug Legislation July 26, 2019


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VA-Gun Violence

Gun Violence Prevention

Every 10 hours, a person is killed with a gun in Virginia in cases that involve suicide, domestic violence, accidental shootings, or interpersonal disputes. Virginia’s gun laws are among the weakest in the country. Read our report to understand what can be done to prevent gun violence. It starts with voting Democrat in 2019.


VA-Healthcare

Abortion and Trigger Laws

Virginia is among the states with highly restrictive abortion laws. Abortion Trigger laws bypass potential legal conflict by not challenging Roe v. Wade, but by putting in place an immediate and automatic ban on abortion should Roe v. Wade be overturned. It's critical that Democrats be elected in 2019 to safeguard a woman's right to body autonomy.


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VA-Human Rights

Equal Rights Amendment

During the three decades Republican Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights, HD66) has served in the Virginia House of Delegates (1989-present), he has done little, if anything, to support women’s rights, specifically withholding his support for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). By not forcing a vote to the floor and upholding the negative vote by the Republican-run subcommittee that he selected to consider the resolution, Cox essentially kept Virginia—and the nation—from ratifying the ERA amendment.


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VA-POLITICS

The Dillon Rule

Under the Dillon Rule, authority flows from the state in allowing a local jurisdiction to make laws or regulations. There is no shortage of examples of the application of the Dillon Rule in Virginia that frustrate local jurisdictions.


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VA-Energy

Renewable Energy

Virginia lags behind its neighboring coastal states in both solar and wind energy production. Only 1% of Virginia’s total electricity output comes from solar energy and 0% from wind energy.Who stands in the way? Utility companies such as Dominion.

Renewable Energy Talking Points     May 17, 2019


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VA-inequality

The Racial Wealth Gap

The disparity in wealth in the U.S. is highand is growing. Since 1986, about half of all gains in wealth have gone to the top 0.1 percent of households. Racial minorities are especially affected by this, with typical black households possessing just 6 percent of the wealth of white households.


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VA-Environment

Virginia Under Water

Virginia is experiencing the highest rate of sea-level rise on the East Coast and one of the highest rates in the U.S. overall. Flooding from sea-level rise is projected to cause billions of dollars in damage and displace hundreds of thousands of people.


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VA-Opioids

The Growing Opioid Epidemic

In 2013, drug overdoses surpassed car crashes as the leading cause of unnatural deaths. Evidence of the growing crisis is the rise in emergency room visits for heroin overdoses, which rose 89 percent in the first nine months of 2016 compared to the same period in the previous year.


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VA-Politics

Gerrymandering: A Real Power Grab

There are more Democratic voters in Virginia than Republican, as shown in presidential, gubernatorial, and senatorial races in the commonwealth, yet Republicans hold a majority in both the state House and the state Senate. This is due to gerrymandering, when politicians choose their voters.


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VA-Politics

The Increased Youth Vote in Virginia

Virginia youth have turned out in increased proportions in the most recent midterm election in 2018. This follows and exceeds the national trend of increased youth voter turnout.


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VA-Politics

Virginia: Sold to the Highest Bidder

A collaboration of corporations, lobbyists, and legislators, ALEC works to block progressive legislation in every state, and Virginia is no exception.


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VA-Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice Reform

Starting in the 1990s, Virginia has overemphasized the punitive aspects of justice without a concomitant effort towards rehabilitation. Republicans have shown little inclination to help former inmates who have served their sentences and completed post-release obligations take up productive lives. This is particularly true of the Republicans on the House of Delegates’ Courts of Justice Committee.


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VA-Education

How Republicans Block Educational Reforms

Since 2014, Rep. Steve Landes (R-HD25) has been the chair of the House Education Committee in the Virginia General Assembly. He has been unwilling to let progressive bills created by Democrats come to a vote, mirroring the approach of the Appropriations and Finance Committees. All three have reviewed bills that could have greatly improved the educational system of the Commonwealth–and then let them die.


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VA-LGBTQ+

LGBTQ+ Rights and Legislation

Protections on hold even as the culture changes. The Courts of Justice Committee in the House of Delegates (chaired by Rob Bell, R–HD58) killed every pro-LGBTQ+ bill in the 2018 session.


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VA-PIPELINES

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline

Dominion Energy and three other major energy companies are pushing to continue building a project laying a major gas pipeline across the state of Virginia with the potential for severe environmental, renewable energy, and social impacts.


2017


VA-Climate Change

Virginia Under Water

A study by Old Dominion University predicts that vast areas of Virginia will be underwater due to climate change. Scientists are predicting a rise of up to 7½ feet by the year 2100. Many communities in Virginia will experience chronic flooding, which means 10% or more of its land area will be flooded by high tides an average of 26 times per year (every other week).  Read here to find out what needs to be done now.


Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice Reform

Starting in the 1990s, Virginia has overemphasized the punitive aspects of justice without a concomitant effort towards rehabilitation. Here is a look at some of the issues that characterize criminal justice in the United States and in Virginia — with a focus on those that the Republican-led House of Delegates has done little to tackle.


Gun Safety

Gun Safety Regulations

Every 10 hours, a person is killed with a gun in Virginia in cases that involve suicide, domestic violence, accidental shootings or interpersonal disputes. Two-thirds of Virginians support a law to limit the purchase of guns to one/month according to a Quinnapac poll released in April 2017. It's time to close the loopholes and keep firearms out of the hands of ineligible buyers.


Renewable Energy

Energy Efficiency

Virginia residents have the 10th highest electricity bills in the nation. Large additional rates are imposed for building new power plants that would be unneeded if Virginia implemented higher energy efficiency standards. But Virginia ranks 33rd out of 50 states on the effectiveness of their energy efficiency policies and programs. Virginia lags far behind the rest of the nation because the Republican-controlled state legislature has not imposed regulations forcing utilities to implement energy efficiency programs or meet energy savings targets.


Renewable Energy

Renewable Energy

The Republican legislature has repeatedly voted against expanding solar energy credits and net-metering to residents and small businesses, favoring corporations and utilities, even extending tax credits to earth-killing coal companies. More than a dozen clean energy bills were introduced but were killed in committee in deference to the utility companies.


Racial Inequality

The Racial Wealth Gap

Since 1986, about half of all gains in wealth have gone to the top 0.1 percent of households. Racial minorities are especially affected by this with typical black households possessing just 6% of the wealth of white households and the typical Latino household having just 8% of the wealth that a white household has. Read our report to find out why racial disparity exists in America and Virginia.


Ethics

Campaign Finance Disparity

Big corporate donors in Virginia clearly favor Republicans at the district voting level. Do VA Democrats really want to live in a state paid for by corporations?


Healthcare

Medicaid Expansion

Republicans denied 400,000 Virginians access to healthcare, refused $2 billion in federal funds and 15,000 good jobs.


Healthcare

Opioid Crisis in Virginia

Opioid body count rises. Virginia Republicans deny 400,000 access to treatment. more information . . .


Voting Rights

Gerrymandering

Stop Republican manipulation of districts to stay in power and enact a right-wing agenda!


Education

Democrats work to Strengthen Schools

Elect Democrats to improve teacher pay, offer career and technical education options, and provide age-appropriate evidence-based classes in family life and consent.

Education Talking Points   
Education Research Report


Economy

Democrats Support Living Wages

Vote Democrat to get legislation to raise the minimum wage passed.


Economy

Inequity Waits in Virginia

In Virginia, $2.13/hour is the mandatory wage a restaurant must pay a waiter or waitress who gets tips. The VA taxpayer supplements nearly half of food-service workers with assistance. Vote Democrat to change this broken system.


Voting Rights

Help Safeguard Voting Rights


Economy

Expand Rural Broadband

Access to high speed broadband is critical for economic progress in rural communities.


LGBTQ

LGBTQ Discrimination

Republicans pass legislation to allow discrimination against LGBTQ and single parents.


Pipelines

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline and The Mountain Valley Pipeline

Read Local Majority's analysis of these complicated issues.


Economy

Proffer Bill: a Win for Developers

Should you pay higher taxes when a developer builds new homes?