In this time of crisis, the government must work with businesses to create policies that encourage job growth and eliminate laws and regulations that kill jobs.

Virginia needs policies that encourage our existing businesses to grow, inspire people with good ideas to start new businesses, and attract businesses from other areas to relocate here. Businesses grow when they have an educated workforce, good infrastructure, and low taxes, and aren’t burdened by over-regulation. 

Recent legislation in Virginia is moving us in the wrong direction and making it more expensive to do business here by increasing the minimum wage, raising taxes, and making it easier for employers to be sued. We need new policies to encourage businesses to re-hire those who have been laid off and re-train those whose jobs have been permanently lost.

We are working to bring employers, communities, and political leaders together to ensure that every region of Virginia has a voice in developing better ways to create jobs.

Every Virginia student should have the opportunity to obtain a first-class education regardless of where they live.

Where students live should not determine their access to a first-class education. Unfortunately, where they live all too often determines what educational opportunities they have. We can do better, and that is what we must work toward. There is not one solution to solve this problem. We can work with parents, teachers, administrators, local governments, and community leaders to identify problems and create solutions.

Our ideas include increased teacher training and salary, moving money from the central office into the classroom, more technology and broadband access, new and renovated facilities, more regional and specialty schools, more challenging classes open to everyone and increased access to online courses, incentives for new teachers to stay in teaching, and ensuring that the best teachers receive better pay. 

While all of these ideas will help our education system, it is important for our children to have a safe learning environment. We can work together to solve problems and give our children the first-class education they deserve.

The most basic responsibility of government is to provide for the safety of its citizens. Every day, our first responders go out and put themselves at risk to protect our lives, health, and property.

Our first responders play a crucial role in our society. By enforcing our laws and responding to fire and health emergencies, they give us the security to work, go to school, and pursue our daily routines. Law enforcement also has the responsibility to protect our right to free speech and free assembly. Peaceful protests, marches, and rallies are free speech. Trespassing, assault, arson, and looting are crimes, regardless of the reason.

We need to ensure that our first responders are fairly compensated, well-trained, and well-led. If they break the rules, we must also ensure that they are fairly disciplined.  Based on past experiences, there is a clear lack of trust within minority communities that their members will be treated fairly by law enforcement. This is a problem that must be addressed both locally and statewide.

Better training, better management, more minority officers, and more involvement with minority communities will help address this problem. Defunding police will not make anyone safer, especially with the recent increase in violent crime in many areas.

Our goal is bringing Virginians together to solve problems. We must rebuild our economy to restore lost jobs and create new ones. We must also offer every child, wherever they live, a chance for an excellent education. Finally, we must provide safe schools, safe streets, and safe neighborhoods for our citizens.

There are many problems facing Virginia today, and the federal government won’t solve them for us. We need to bring together Virginians from different regions, backgrounds, life experiences, and political perspectives to identify and solve our problems. We need people who are willing to work together, because when we work together, we can get things done.

Good ideas can come from almost anywhere, and we have to keep our minds open to them. Only by talking and listening to each other can we be effective.