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September 28, 2017
Greater Richmond Convention Center
SAVE THE DATE!
Virginia Conference on World Trade
October 17-18, 2017
The Williamsburg Lodge
Virginia Economic Summit
December 1, 2017
The Williamsburg Lodge |
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President's Message
On June 8th, we were pleased to host the 7th Annual Health Care Conference in Richmond. That morning, Secretary Bill Hazel provided opening remarks and we heard from Virginia's business and health care leaders during panel discussions. At lunch we were pleased to hear from Randy Pate, Deputy Administrator, CMS and Director, Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight. You can view photos from the day
here.
Over the summer, we are continuing to meet with stakeholders and collect input on priorities for Blueprint Virginia 2025. We also plan to meet with both candidates for Governor over the summer to share preliminary Blueprint recommendations with them. The final Blueprint 2025 document will be presented to the Governor-elect following the November election.
I also hope you'll mark your calendars for some of our fall events. You can find a full listing of our upcoming events in the sidebar of this email.
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September 28, 2017
Greater Richmond Convention Center
The 2017 Virginia Workforce Conference will bring together leading educators, employers, human resources managers, veteran groups, and policymakers to explore solutions to providing greater access to in-demand skills.
This year's conference will focus on the workforce pipeline and helping employers do a better job recruiting, hiring, and retaining highly-skilled veterans and translating their training to private sector employment.
Early bird tickets: $95
Hosted by
Co-Hosts
Presenting Sponsor
Presenting Bank Sponsor
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Platinum Sponsor
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THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR SPONSORS!
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Virginia Ranked 6th in Site Selection Magazine's 2017 Prosperity Cup
On May 31st, Site Selection Magazine released its 2017 Prosperity Cup rankings. Virginia ranked 6th (in a tie with Ohio), an improvement over last year's ranking of 13th.
The Prosperity Cup determines states' competitiveness based on new and expanded facilities, job creation, capital investment, and tax climate. In addition, the Prosperity Cup considers each state's rank in the corporate real estate executive survey portion of the 2016 Site Selection Top U.S. Business Climates ranking, performance in the Beacon Hill Institute's State Competitiveness Report, and the number of national career readiness certificates per 1,000 residents aged 18-64.
To view the full Prosperity Cup rankings, click here.
We continue to work on an important initiative with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the Virginia Tech Pamplin School of Business to track our national rankings and identify initiatives that will improve our standings. These recommendations will be an important part of Blueprint Virginia 2025. |
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Seattle's Minimum Wage Hike May Have Gone Too Far
In January 2016, Seattle's minimum wage jumped from $11 an hour to $13 for large employers, the second big increase in less than a year. New research released Monday by a team of economists at the University of Washington suggests the wage hike may have come at a significant cost: The increase led to steep declines in employment for low-wage workers, and a drop in hours for those who kept their jobs. Crucially, the negative impact of lost jobs and hours more than offset the benefits of higher wages - on average, low-wage workers earned $125 per month less because of the higher wage, a small but significant decline.
To view the report, click here. |
Real Property Contractors Guidance Document Posted
During the 2017 Session, the Virginia General Assembly enacted House Bill 1890 and Senate Bill 1308 (2017 Acts of Assembly, Chapters 436 and 449) which, effective July 1, 2017, change the Retail Sales and Use Tax treatment of sales of certain tangible personal property that is affixed by the seller to real property.
The legislation repeals part of Va. Code ยง 58.1-610(D), the Retail Sales and Use Tax provision requiring dealers that both make retail sales and also install fences, venetian blinds, window shades, awnings, storm windows and doors, floor coverings, cabinets, countertops, kitchen equipment, window air conditioning units or other like or comparable items to collect the tax from their customers on such sales. In the same manner as other real property contractors, these retailers will now be required to pay the tax on their purchase or use of these items.
The Department of Taxation is currently in the process of developing guidance on this law change and has posted a draft of such guidance
here. Please send any comments you may have regarding the draft guidance via e-mail to Vivek Bakshi at
[email protected].
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Transurban Smart Highways Challenge - Applications Open
Transurban and startup incubator, 1776, open the application process for the Transurban Smart Highways Challenge. In looking to drive transportation innovation, Transurban and 1776 invite the global start-up community to identify solutions that can improve our region's roadways and benefit drivers in Northern Virginia. The challenge asks for startups focused on vehicle monitoring, smart transportation and road safety to apply to the program.
Applications are open for a three-week period and startups will be able to compete for the chance to contribute in one of the key areas. Winning applicants will each receive $25,000 and travel to Northern Virginia to spend three months from August to October working with the Transurban Innovation Lab on solutions to these challenges.
You can find more information here.
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Business News
These articles cover mentions of the Virginia Chamber, state and federal policy updates, election news and general business news. Be sure to check back each Friday for a recap of the week's news!
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Interested in International Expansion? Take Advantage of VITAL!
The Virginia Chamber is proud to partner with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership on VITAL, the Virginia International Trade Alliance. As a VITAL partner, our member companies have access to steeply discounted rates for international market research as well as international trade shows and international trade missions facilitated through VEDP.
Click below for more information:
If you or a company that you work with is interested in learning more about VITAL, please contact Samantha Quig, Director of Communications and Program Manager, at [email protected] or 804-237-1457.
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Blog Post: Preparing for Paid Leave Law Changes
by Amy Marcum, Insperity
Although many American workers receive paid leave for vacation and illness, a significant percentage of the population is not offered this employee benefit from their employers. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that 73 percent of American workers receive paid vacation time and 68 percent receive paid sick leave. These percentages may increase further as a growing number of cities, counties and states adopt paid leave laws.
To read the full post, click here. |
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Keep up with the Virginia Chamber on Twitter!
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