The Shadow
RICHMOND, Va. (VR) – Gov. Glenn Youngkin delivered his final State of the Commonwealth address in Mr. Jefferson’s Capitol, calling Virginia “stronger today than she has ever been” as he prepares to turn the Governor’s Mansion over to Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger.
Youngkin said Virginia is “soaring,” “alive with opportunity,” and “competing, and winning,” crediting Virginians, his administration, and the General Assembly for what he called a four-year “Great Virginia Renaissance.”
Four years ago, Youngkin said, Virginia was lagging. Schools were 46th in the nation to reopen. Fourth-grade reading and math had the largest learning loss in the country. More than 25,000 small businesses closed in 2021. Violent crime hit a 20-year high. And for nine straight years, more people moved out of Virginia than moved in.
He said his administration set out to reverse that trend by lowering taxes, restoring educational excellence, enforcing the law, overhauling behavioral health, expanding broadband and infrastructure, investing in veterans, and transforming economic development.
Youngkin said Virginia has now posted more than $157 billion in business investment, more than the previous six administrations combined, and created nearly 270,000 more jobs. The state has 255,000 open jobs, another 80,000 new jobs in the pipeline, and 40,000 construction jobs. He said Virginia has grown more than 20,000 high-growth startups.
Major recent projects include AVIO’s $500 million plant with 1,500 jobs, a $300 million Southside facility with more than 1,000 jobs, and a $1.2 billion plant in the Piedmont employing nearly 300. The next administration will inherit a pipeline exceeding $100 billion in capital investment and 32,000 jobs.
Youngkin said regulations were cut by 35 percent, saving $1.4 billion a year and reducing the average cost to build a home by $24,000. Workforce programs were consolidated into Virginia Works, and the Talent Accelerator was created. He said Right to Work must remain unchanged, warning that altering it would cause jobs and people to leave the state.
Virginia’s job growth, he said, has driven record revenue — $10 billion in surplus and 8 percent compounded growth for four straight years, 60 percent faster than the previous decade. The state delivered $9 billion in tax relief while increasing spending on Medicaid, education, law enforcement, and capital projects.
December revenues were up 20 percent over last year, with $1.2 billion in growth over six months and another $395 million added last month. Revenues are growing at 8.6 percent.
Education funding is at a record level, with a $7 billion increase since the pandemic. Teacher pay is up nearly 20 percent, vacancies are down 36 percent, and Virginia was ranked the No. 1 state to be a teacher. Four out of five high school students now graduate with a credential or certificate. The state has launched 15 Lab Schools serving 5,000 students. Math proficiency has risen 20 percent, and Virginia leads the nation in reducing chronic absenteeism.
Cell phones are now banned during the school day statewide under Bell-to-Bell Cell Phone-Free Education.
Youngkin said violent crime has dropped, with murders down 30 percent. Virginia seized enough fentanyl to kill every Virginian ten times over and cut fatal fentanyl overdoses by 59 percent, the best reduction in the nation. The state distributed 400,000 naloxone doses and trained nearly 100,000 people to use them.
Behavioral health capacity has increased 241 percent. 988 crisis calls have risen 456 percent to more than 30,000 per month, with mobile crisis teams responding in an average of 42 minutes. The workforce has grown by 30,000 health-care workers.
After Hurricane Helene, volunteers rebuilt or repaired 110 homes and helped 4,000 households. Route 58 and the Creeper Trail are being rebuilt, and a $50 million recovery fund is now flowing.
Youngkin called for an all-of-the-above energy strategy, including more gas and nuclear generation, and urged lawmakers to undo the Virginia Clean Economy Act and stay out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which he said raises costs and risks brownouts.
He said Chesapeake Bay health is the best in decades, maternal mortality is down 68 percent, and the Building Blocks program serves 74,000 children with 6,000 more slots in the proposed budget.
Government operations improved, he said, with the Virginia Employment Commission clearing 1.7 million backlogged cases and DMV wait times dropping to 5.9 minutes, the shortest on record.
Youngkin closed by tying Virginia’s transformation to the state’s role in America’s founding, noting the upcoming 250th anniversary and saying, “America was made in Virginia.”
“It has been the honor of a lifetime for Suzanne and me to serve,” Youngkin said. “Thank you, Virginia.”
