Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin delivered the State of the Commonwealth address today as the Virginia General Assembly resumed the 2025 legislative session. The address marks the start of Youngkin’s last term as Governor.
During the address he touched on how the state has become more competitive over the last three years.
“When we started all of this, Virginia was 41st in the nation in net population movement- we are now 9th. For the first time in over a decade, more people are moving to Virginia from the other 49 states than moving away. Virginia was bottom 3rd in job growth, now we have more Virginians working than ever before,” said Youngkin.
He also touted the investment that the state has made in education and encouraged that to continue this year.
“Our investments in education have been transformational. 18 percent raises for Virginia’s teachers…an over 50 percent increase in overall funding for public education… that’s $7 billion,” said Youngkin, “We have increased investment in K-12 public education more than any other General Assembly or Governor has ever. The budget amendments I recently submitted continue that shared effort, with an incremental $517 million in direct aid bringing us to $22.1 billion for the biennium, and an additional $290 million for school construction, for a total investment of nearly $2 billion over the last three years.”
During the address Youngkin also mentioned the investment Microporous has made in the southside that will bring over 2,000 jobs to the region.
“We have welcomed $90 billion in new investment commitments from companies like LEGO, LS Cable, Micron and Microporous, a battery supplier investing $1.35 billion at the Southern Virginia Megasite – proving that we can attract huge investment without giving Virginia tax dollars to companies controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. And these are great jobs – jobs that are rocket fuel for our economy, lifting up all Virginians,” Youngkin.
He also continued to call for tax relief for Virginians including the state car tax and taxes on tips for service industry workers.
“The Car Tax Credit for Working Class Families – will provide a permanent, refundable, income tax credit up to $150 for individuals earning under $50,000 a year and up to $300 for joint filers earning under $100,000 a year. We can fund the first three years with $1.1 billion of the state’s projected surplus. And with the average car tax for a typical family of four being $290, it would fully cover their car tax while keeping localities whole. We also can reduce tax burdens on hardworking hospitality and restaurant staff,” said Youngkin.
Youngkin closed the speech by encouraging Democrats and Republicans to continue to work together as Virginians to strengthen the Commonwealth.