Issue Position: Jobs and Opportunity

Issue Position

The key to a successful Commonwealth is a robust economy and a pro-business environment. Our economy will grow stronger, but not by making government bigger. We cannot spend our way to prosperity and leave behind unimaginable debt for future generations to reconcile. Instead, we need leaders who will implement policies that unleash the potential of Americans to innovate and prosper through our free enterprise system, to make a better life for themselves and their children.

Recently, the Virginia Chamber of Commerce gave me an "A" rating for my pro-business and pro-jobs voting record from the 2012 legislative session. Also in 2012, Virginia was named the State for Business by Forbes and the Best State for Business by CNBC. Tens of bills passed during the 2012 session with my support, building upon those passed in 2010 and 2011, directly related to economic development and private sector job creation efforts, including the following bills:

H.B. 33- Encourages competitive bidding on thttp://www.lemunyon.com/issues-ideas/ransportation and infrastructure projects to make the most of taxpayer dollars, ensures neutrality, and provides that the 96 percent of the Virginia private construction workforce who are non-unionized have a fair opportunity to compete for projects funded with our tax dollars;

H.B. 585- Creates a small business investment tax credit program to encourage investment in small, local businesses throughout the Commonwealth;

HB 1102- Promotes research and development activity in Virginia by exploring and incentivizing job-creating domestic energy alternatives, boost Northern Virginia's position as a national high-tech leader;

HB 1013 -- Extends the current capital gains tax exemption for startups. This exemption encourages investors to risk their capital on Virginia's entrepreneurs and create more good paying high tech jobs;

HB 551- Extends the telework expenses tax credit for employers through the end of calendar year 2015 and promotes non-traditional work arrangements particularly important in Northern Virginia.

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