We began preparing for this change some time ago.  We have put several new resources in place to help educate the new leadership about manufacturing priorities and advocate for public policies that ensure Virginia's economic competitiveness. We have distributed the new Virginia MFG Competitiveness Plan to the entire General Assembly. This is the product of a year of work by all VMA Committees and our Board of Directors.  This is also supported by our new MFG Competitiveness Index where we can clearly demonstrate to legislators how Virginia ranks against other states.

However, in today's social media environment, pictures are truly worth a thousand words.  So, we have produced an entirely new type of advocacy tool to show legislators the economic impact that manufacturers have on their individual legislative districts.  The VMA MFG Economic Impact Portal is an interactive visualization tool that even allows legislators to compare their district to another over time.  It provides tax information, employment, wages and the number of establishments in each district.  It's a powerful tool and we encourage all members to share it with their professional network and encourage their legislators to visit.

We have also entirely changed the way we communicate with members about the bills we are working.  The new system provides much more detail on these bills and we encourage members to review them here and give us feedback.  Members may also reach all these tools at the VMA website through our new "Advocacy" menu.

Finally, since this session has already proven to be one of the most anti-business sessions in recent history, the VMA, NFIB, Retail Federation and 19 other trade associations organized the Coalition for a Strong Virginia Economy to speak with a united and single voice against efforts to repeal the right-to-work, establish a $15 hour minimum wage, create new mandatory employee leave regulations, and a number of other issues.  For more information, please see the article below.

In closing, the new General Assembly leadership has an opportunity to temper the enthusiasm of its newly elected majority.  If they cannot, Virginia will assuredly lose its elite business ranking and move ever closer to a Maryland, New York, Illinois and California business environment.  It's our heavy burden to showcase the failures of these states in retaining and growing their manufacturing sector while building productive relationships.  We need members to be prepared for intense political challenges that require the engagement of your employees and retirees.

Thank you for supporting the VMA.  We look forward to seeing you on February 3rd at the VMA Day on the Hill.