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REGISTRATION OPEN!
June 8, 2017
Greater Richmond Convention Center
SAVE THE DATE!
2017 Virginia Workforce & Education Conference
September 28, 2017
Greater Richmond Convention Center |
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President's Message
On May 24th we hosted over 400 business and industry leaders for the 2017 Energy and Sustainability Conference. That morning, we heard from Governor McAuliffe on his energy accomplishments over the past 4 years. We also enjoyed panel discussions on corporate sustainability strategies and innovative energy partnerships. At lunch, Vincent DeVito, Energy Policy Counselor to United States Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke provided an update on the new administration's energy plan. Photos from the event can be viewed
here. We are grateful to all of our sponsors for their support of the conference--a full list can be found
here.
On Thursday, June 8th we will host the
7th Annual Virginia Health Care Conference. We look forward to hearing from Secretary Bill Hazel as well as Randy Pate, Deputy Director of CMS and Director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight. We will also be conducting live, interactive polling on priorities for Blueprint Virginia 2025. You can view more information about the conference, including a link to the full agenda, below. We hope to see you next week in Richmond.
Our team continues to travel around the Commonwealth holding regional meetings for Blueprint Virginia 2025. To learn more about upcoming Blueprint events, or submit recommendations via our poll or survey, you can visit
www.vachamber.com/blueprint-virginia.
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Thursday, June 8, 2017
Greater Richmond Convention Center
INDIVIDUAL TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE!
| FEATURING KEYNOTE REMARKS BY: |
Randy Pate
Deputy Administrator, CMS and
Director, Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight
VOTE ON HEALTH CARE PRIORITIES FOR
BLUEPRINT VIRGINIA 2025!
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Attendees will have the opportunity to help set the policy goals for Virginia's health care future through polling for
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Draft Virginia Tax Amnesty Program Guidelines
As you may know, there will be a Virginia Tax Amnesty Program for a period ranging between 60 and 75 days during Fiscal Year 2018. All penalties and 50 percent of the interest will be waived upon payment of the taxpayer's remaining balance. At the conclusion of the amnesty period, any remaining amnesty-qualified liabilities will be assessed an additional 20 percent penalty.
The Virginia Department of Taxation is required to issue guidelines for the procedures regarding participation in the Virginia Tax Amnesty Program, as well as any other rules that are deemed necessary by the Tax
Commissioner. A draft of these guidelines can be viewed here. Text highlighted in yellow reflects the fact that dates and some other parameters have not yet been established.
Please send any comments you may have regarding the development of these guidelines via e-mail to John Josephs at
TAX-Guidelines@tax.virginia.gov
by the close of business on July 31, 2017.
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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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2017 Transitioning Military & Employer Networking Receptions
The Virginia Chamber Foundation is partnering with the Virginia Department of Veterans Services on the Veterans Career Network program. The program will capitalize on Virginia's highly skilled veteran talent pool to help strengthen our workforce. We will be hosting military and employer networking receptions designed to provide transitioning service members the opportunity to connect one-on-one with community and industry leaders.
Transitioning service members will gain access to valuable contacts and receive career advice from industry professionals representing local military-friendly companies hiring for jobs in finance, healthcare, shipbuilding, maritime, aviation, logistics, and law enforcement.
To learn more about the program and view a list of the currently scheduled networking events, click here.
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New Research on the Benefits of Early Childhood Education
As state revenues recover from the Great Recession, states are investing more resources into early childhood education. States are moving to fund pre-kindergarten programs after research indicates the benefits to the attendees' long term career outlook. In 2014, 4.7 million three- and four-year-old children attended preschool, with 2.0 million at private preschools and 2.7 million attending public preschools.
In a joint study by The Brookings Institute and Duke University's Center for Child and Family Policy researchers studying pre-K education often found that children from low-income families gain more attending pre-kindergarten programs than their more advantaged peers. In addition, children who have dual-language capabilities "show relatively large benefits from pre-K education" - both in their English-language proficiency and in other academic skills. Researchers noted that while not all preschool programs are alike, more thought and consideration should be spent on what the next generation of preschool education looks like while keeping in mind "a well implemented, evidence-based curriculum" and an emphasis on the quality and continuous training of pre-K teachers.
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U.S. Supreme Court Addresses Forum Shopping
In 2014, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit that sought to hold Daimler Chrysler liable in California for the actions of its subsidiary in Argentinian. In the Daimler decision, the Court created a new test for personal jurisdiction. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court , in BNSF v. Tyrrell, made it clear that the Daimler test applies to all civil cases, not just cases involving non-U.S. companies. The Court stated that "out-of-state plaintiffs could not sue in Montana when the railroad company in question wasn't incorporated there, the plaintiffs didn't live there and the injuries didn't occur there." Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote for the majority, stating "the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause does not permit a State to hale an out-of-state corporation before its courts when the corporation is not 'at home' in the State and the episode-in-suit occurred elsewhere."
The Supreme Court has heard several forum shopping cases this term, including a case last week in which the Court limited forum shopping in patent infringement cases. The Supreme Court is expected to provide a decision in another forum shopping case, Bristol Meyers Squibb v. Superior Court of California, in the coming weeks.
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Mike Rowe: Trade Schools Can Close Skills Gap Without Big Student Debt
Actor and pitchman Mike Rowe--of "Dirty Jobs" fame--recently produced a short video providing his take on how best to close America's skills gap. "I can think of nine magazines off the top of my head that rank the top colleges," Rowe says. "None of them ever include a trade school." Yet trade jobs account for more than half of the labor market, according to the video.
Over the next 10 years, there will be more than 3.5 million job openings in America's manufacturing sector, but roughly 2 million of those jobs will go unfilled due to the skills gap. Rowe concludes, "The jobs that exist right now don't require massive amounts of debt. They don't require four years of liberals arts study. They require the willingness to learn a skill that is actually in demand." See the video here.
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Save the Date for the Smithfield, VA Forum on June 21st
The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay's
ForumPlus and
Businesses for the Bay programs are teaming up to host a joint Forum in Smithfield, Virginia on June 21st.
The combined Forum aims to provide a space for business professionals and watershed, conservation, and community groups to come together in a day of discussion surrounding local environmental issues, sea level rise, and coastal resiliency in the region.
For more information about the Forum or to register, visit the Businesses for the Bay website.
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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 s.quig@vachamber.com or 804-237-1457.
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Member Spotlight - Patient Services, Inc.
Patient Services, Inc. (PSI) helps chronically ill patients with unaffordable medical expenses. Since 1989, PSI has helped individuals and families avoid financial ruin or a reliance through our numerous premium and copayment assistance programs. The end goal is simple - offer services that provide peace of mind to a patient and his/her family by helping them afford the medical treatment they need in order to facilitate well-being and prevent financial devastation. To learn more about PSI,
click here.
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