Governor McAuliffe Celebrates Success of Virginia Values Veterans Program

Over 11,000 Veterans Hired by V3-Certified Employers

RICHMOND – Governor Terry McAuliffe today recognized Virginia businesses for their ongoing commitment to creating employment opportunities for Virginia’s veterans.  The 350 businesses certified under the state’s Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Program have hired over 11,000 veterans.

Governor McAuliffe presented 15 awards to individuals and announced significant veteran hiring milestones made by V3-certified companies.  Since 2010, over 80,000 veterans have been added to Virginia’s labor force – more than all other states combined.

“The V3 program is a true example of what we can achieve when the public and private sectors work together for the good of our Commonwealth,” said Governor McAuliffe. “I am so proud to announce that we met my goal of hiring 11,000 veterans through the V3 program 900 days ahead of schedule, and that today we are raising the bar to hire 20,000 before the end of my term. It is an honor to work with these companies to leverage the unique training and talents of our veterans so that they can lead happy and productive lives in a new Virginia economy.”

Making veterans a part of the new Virginia economy is a top priority for Governor McAuliffe.  To ensure that veterans have the opportunity to find challenging, well-paying jobs that capitalize on their talent, skill, and drive, the Governor in 2014 (via Executive Order 23) charged the Virginia Department of Veterans Services to ensure that V3-certified companies had hired 11,000 veterans before the end of his term.

“More service members are leaving the military now than at any time in recent history,” Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs John C. Harvey, Jr. said.  “Businesses have a great opportunity to capitalize on these highly trained men and women leaving the military to help their businesses grow and succeed.  The V3 Program helps Virginia companies implement solutions for filling urgent work force demands with a very high-quality supply of talented veterans.”

To recognize the significant commitment of Virginia businesses to hiring veterans, Governor McAuliffe presented fifteen awards to companies in two categories:  the V3 Governor’s Award recognized companies for the total number of veterans hired in Virginia, while the V3 Perseverando award recognized companies for their perseverance in making Virginia the most veteran-friendly state in the nation in which to work.

The V3 Governor’s Award winners are:

Enterprise Employer Category (1,001+ employees)

·         Apex Systems, Inc.

·         CACI International, Inc.

Large Employer Category (301 – 1,000 employees)

·         C.R. England

·         Norfolk Sheriff’s Office

Medium Employer Category (51 – 300 employees)

·         PD Systems, Inc.

·         ITA International, LLC

Small Employer Category (1 – 50 employees)

·         Command Post Technologies

·         Veteran Reporters, Inc.

State Agency Category

·         Virginia Tech

·         Virginia Department of Transportation

The winners of the V3 Perseverando Award are:

·         Enterprise Category (1,001+ employees):  Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries

·         Large Category (301 – 1,000 employees):  Stratford University

·         Medium Business (51 – 300 employees):  PD Systems

·         Small Business (1 – 50 employees):  G2 Global Solutions

·         State Agency: Virginia Department of Transportation

“Veterans have the knowledge, skills, and ability to help Virginia businesses succeed,” said Virginia Department of Veterans Services Commissioner John L. Newby II.  “We are honored to recognize these 15 companies at today’s ceremony, and are excited to see even more great things from more great companies in the future.”

The Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Program is a Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Veterans Services Program. V3 helps employers understand, design, and implement nationally recognized best practices in recruiting, hiring, and retaining veterans.  For more information about the V3 Program, contact Andrew Schwartz at Andrew.Schwartz@dvs.virginia.gov or visit us athttps://www.dvsv3.com/.

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Governor McAuliffe announces 16% economic impact increase of the Virginia Film Industry in 2013

~ AMC’s “TURN,” National Geographic’s “Killing Kennedy” among most significant projects ~

RICHMOND -- Governor Terry McAuliffe announced that the total economic impact of the film industry in Virginia in 2013 was $382.5 million, providing $19.4 million in state and local tax revenue for the Commonwealth.  This is a 16% increase from 2012 when the economic impact was $328.4 million.   In 2013, a total of 2,014 full-time jobs were available in the film industry.    

Among the major projects filmed in Virginia in 2013 were Killing Kennedy for the National Geographic Channel and the AMC television series TURN: Washington’s Spies.  Feature-length films included The Field of Lost Shoes, filmed in Lexington and Richmond, and Big Stone Gap,filmed in Wise County.  Significant TV production activity occurred in the Hampton Roads area, locally-produced indie feature films worked around Roanoke and Lynchburg, and Northern Virginia hosted a portion of the major motion picture Foxcatcher – releasing this weekend.  

“I am pleased to see Virginia’s film industry growing, which helps boost our local economy,” said Governor McAuliffe.  “Bringing jobs and revenue to the Commonwealth is my top priority, and the sixteen percent increase shows that our incentive program has been successful in generating more business and jobs for the Commonwealth.”

Many productions filmed in Virginia benefit from incentive programs designed to support the Commonwealth’s film production industry while making the filming experience in Virginia as economical and efficient as possible for production groups that choose Virginia for their projects.

Virginia has two separate incentive funds. One is the Governor’s Motion Picture Opportunity Fund, which is a grant fund. The other is the Virginia Motion Picture Tax Credit fund, which is a refundable tax credit program.  In addition to the incentive funds, the Commonwealth also has a Sales and Use Tax Exemption that applies to the purchase of production related supplies and equipment. 

“Film and television production provide solid, good-paying jobs, and the industry has proven to be important for the diversification of our economy.” said Maurice Jones, Secretary of Commerce and Trade.  “This is an asset we have that we need to maximize for continued growth.”

“We are particularly interested in continuing to bring episodic television series to Virginia,” said Andy Edmunds, Director of the Virginia Film Office.  “These productions stay longer, hire more Virginians, and provide a greater impact on the economy.  With the support of the Governor and the General Assembly, I believe that TURN: Washington’s Spies will be the first of many major TV series that will choose Virginia.” 

The economic impact data was collected in a November 2014 study by Fletcher Mangum of Mangum Economics, based on information from the Virginia Employment Commission and the Virginia Film Office.

The Virginia Film Office is a division of the Virginia Tourism Corporation. Tourism is an instant revenue generator in Virginia. In 2013, visitors spent $21.5 billion, supporting 213,000 jobs and contributing $1.42 billion in state and local taxes.

(Hope you do not mind that we are taking credit for what another Governor did before we got into office.  We do deserve to after all don't we?  Besides, he got arrested and went to jail.)

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Virginia Moves to End Veteran Homelessness by the End of 2015

English: Homeless veteran (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Communities across the state engage in the 100 Day Challenge to house veterans experiencing homelessness

RICHMOND, VA - Today marks the kickoff of the statewide 100 Day Challenge to house veterans experiencing homelessness. On any given night, 617 veterans in Virginia are homeless based on the 2014 Point-In-Time Count, a survey of sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons. Understanding the gravity of this situation, Governor Terry McAuliffe and mayors from Alexandria, Hampton, Richmond, Petersburg, Salem, Roanoke, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Newport News signed the Mayors Challenge. The initiative is designed to encourage community leaders to collaborate on strategies targeting veteran homelessness. 

“Together, we can be a force for positive change,” said Governor McAuliffe, one of only five state executives to sign the Mayors Challenge. “We must renew our commitment to better serve our veterans in every community across the Commonwealth. Our labors on their behalf pale compared to the sacrifices these men and women have made in service to our country.”

This 100 Day Challenge is a step toward ending veteran homelessness by the end of December 2015. It follows a two-day Boot Camp in which community partners from Roanoke, Richmond and Hampton Roads teamed up to create local goals based on unique challenges that each community is experiencing in housing veterans faster.  The initiative was sponsored by the Governor’s Homeless Coordinating Council, the Virginia Department of Veterans Services, and the Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness. The National League of Cities also has been an active partner in encouraging local leader participation in the Challenge.

“This important effort will significantly strengthen Virginia's ability to end veteran homelessness,” said Brandi Jancaitis, Executive Director of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services/Virginia Wounded Warrior Program. “The Boot Camp and 100 Day Challenge highlight the importance of collaboration on federal, state and local levels to tackle this challenge.   In the past two days, communities set concrete goals, and the 100 Day Challenge puts urgency behind these goals and our Governor's commitment to end homelessness for veterans in the Commonwealth.”

The 100 Day Challenge is an opportunity for members of local, state, and federal governments, as well as nonprofits, charities, and faith-based organizations, to join together in teams to implement strategies that have been proven effective in ending homelessness in communities across Virginia and the nation. The Housing First model is one of the adopted approaches. It focuses on providing housing for the most chronically homeless veterans, then connecting them with additional resources to retain their housing. These resources include case management, health care, mental health and substance abuse counseling, and job training. This was a primary strategy used by Phoenix, Arizona, and Salt Lake City, Utah. Leaders of the two cities announced early this year that they have ended chronic veteran homelessness in their communities. Another key to their success was the deployment of navigation teams into the communities to work directly with veterans and obtain any documentation they may need to obtain housing. Once housed, veterans are linked to additional resources and provided with what they need to create a stable lifestyle and remain in housing.

“The 100 Day Challenge is an acknowledgement of the need to bolster our efforts and establish clear, sharp goals for ending veteran homelessness without delay,” said John Harvey, Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs.

Bill Hazel, Secretary of Health and Human Resources, added, “The swift, enthusiastic response by communities across the state gives me confidence. We can meet this important goal and eradicate veteran homelessness by the end of 2015.”

“Bold leadership at the state and local levels will ensure that veterans affected by homelessness have an opportunity to live in stable housing,”said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Maurice Jones. “This should be a minimal expectation in our society. Our veterans have earned it.”

“Ending homelessness among veterans in Virginia is a goal that is within our reach,” said Phyllis Chamberlain, executive director of the Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness. “We have the political and community will to do this. It is the right thing to do to house veterans who have served our country. It also makes economic sense, as housing vulnerable veterans is generally less expensive than keeping them in homelessness.”

The Hampton Roads, Roanoke and Richmond metro area communities, in partnership with the Veterans Affairs Medical Centers, have rigorously evaluated their current systems and created a plan to efficiently house as many veterans as they can in the next 100 days. Through this effort, they will also be eliminating the duplication of processes, challenging groups to look at this issue in a new way, and moving veterans into housing first while connecting them to services more quickly.  This collaboration of local, state and federal efforts is a pivotal movement that will push Virginia closer to becoming the first state to reach the federal goal of ending veteran homelessness by the end of 2015.

These local communities are continuously searching to create partnerships with individuals, organizations and landlords who want to contribute to the lives of the men and women who have protected our freedom.

About Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness: A statewide nonprofit organization that advocates for increased resources and implementation of best practice strategies, such as the Housing First model, to prevent and end homelessness.

About Department of Veteran Services (DVS): (www.dvs.virginia.gov):The Virginia Department of Veterans Services operates 23 benefit services offices where representatives assist veterans and their family members in filing claims for federal veterans benefits.  Among other services, DVS operates two long-term care facilities offering nursing and domiciliary care for veterans, and also provides veterans with direct linkages to needed services including behavioral healthcare, veteran’s benefits, housing, employment and other public and private assistance programs.

(Anyone do the math on this?  100 days between now and the end of December, 2015?  Looks more like over 400 days to me, but I might be doing the old math.)

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Statement of Governor Bob McDonnell on Retirement of Delegate Onzlee Ware

English: Governor of Virginia at CPAC in . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

RICHMOND – Governor Bob McDonnell issued the following statement this afternoon following the news that Delegate Onzlee Ware (D-Roanoke) will retire from office.

“Over the past ten years, I’ve gotten to know Onzlee Ware very well. I know him as someone who always puts Virginia first. And I know him as a leader who will always tell you, directly and without nuance, just where he stands.

“Those two traits were on full display when Onzlee took the floor of the House of Delegates during the final debate on this year’s historic transportation bill. Onzlee rose to let the body know why he, a Democratic representative from Roanoke, was voting for this measure. He made it clear he didn’t love the bill. That’s the nature of any compromise. But he said he was voting for the legislation because, ‘I always tell people it’s easy to do nothing, because you don’t have to think, just say no.’ And he noted, ‘I intend on voting on this bill because in my opinion, it’s the right thing to do for all Virginians.’ And he did the same thing when he also took to the floor to support the creation of the Opportunity Educational Institution that will help turnaround failing schools in our Commonwealth. Onzlee always put policy ahead of party; he put results ahead of rhetoric. He strove to do the right thing for all Virginians. We’re all better for it.

“Onzlee has always sought out common ground in the service of our Commonwealth, and now our Commonwealth will greatly miss his service to our people. I know that personal reasons have made this decision necessary, and Maureen and I extend our thoughts and best wishes to Onzlee, his mother, and their family. I hope his involvement in the life of our Commonwealth will extend far beyond this day. Virginia needs more individuals like Onzlee Ware in public service.”

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Governor Bob McDonnell Announces Extension of Amtrak Service to Roanoke

Due to 2013 Transportation Bill, Train Service Will Return to Star City for First Time in 34 Years

ROANOKE- Standing on the Railside Amphitheater, Governor Bob McDonnell today announced that the Commonwealth of Virginia, Norfolk Southern, Amtrak and the City of Roanoke have joined together to start work to extend Amtrak Virginia regional intercity passenger rail service from Lynchburg to Roanoke.  It has been 34 years since intercity passenger rail has served the City of Roanoke. The return of passenger rail to Roanoke is a result of the passage this past session of the General Assembly of Virginia’s first major transportation funding plan in nearly three decades. The governor was joined at today’s announcement by local elected officials including Roanoke Mayor David Bowers, state leaders including Thelma Drake, Director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, and rail officials including Charles W. Moorman, CEO of Norfolk Southern and Joe McHugh from Amtrak.

            “For many years, the citizens of Roanoke and the Valley have asked when intercity passenger rail will return,” said Governor McDonnell. “I am pleased to announce today that the Department of Rail and Public Transportation, through its partnership with Norfolk Southern, Amtrak and the City of Roanoke, will begin work on bringing service back to this historic railroad city. This achievement is a direct result of the bipartisan effort this past winter to pass Virginia’s first major transportation funding plan in over a generation. We had gone far too long without investing the necessary resources in our roads and railways. This infrastructure is crucial to future job creation and economic growth in our state. With the passage of that bill, we’re cutting a lot of ribbons. We’re building new roads and railways all around the Commonwealth. All of this will lead to new jobs for our citizens, and a more prosperous Virginia. And right here in Roanoke, it means the return of intercity passenger rail service to the Star City. ”

            “The signing into law of the Governor’s transportation bill provided a dedicated funding source for intercity passenger rail, which can be used for capital and the expansion of service,” said Transportation Secretary Sean T. Connaughton.  “The administration placed a high priority on extending Amtrak Virginia to Roanoke as a viable transportation option for travel to cities along the Northeast Corridor.”

            Work to bring Amtrak Virginia service to the city, as an extension of the highly-successful Lynchburg line, is anticipated to take between three and four years.

            Thelma Drake, director of the Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), said, “Conceptual design work and rail capacity analysis is already underway. Work will be done by Norfolk Southern, Amtrak and the City of Roanoke.”

            “Norfolk Southern is happy to play a role in a new chapter of the Star City’s rail history as we support the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation’s efforts to extend passenger service to Roanoke,” said Norfolk Southern CEO Wick Moorman. “While freight is at the core of Norfolk Southern’s business, we understand the importance of passenger service to the Roanoke Valley.”

            “This new service to Roanoke connects passengers to other areas of the Commonwealth as well as cities along the Northeast Corridor,” said Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman. “We offer travelers a safe, efficient and reliable alternative that mitigates the effect of high gas prices and pervasive highway and airline congestion.”

            “The entire Roanoke region is excited about having passenger rail service back in the Star City for the first time since 1979. Roanoke, the home of the Norfolk & Western for many decades, is once again a ‘railroad town.’ Bringing passenger rail service to Roanoke has been Roanoke's most important economic development priority,” said Roanoke Mayor David. A. Bowers. “I thank Governor McDonnell and his Administration, particularly DRPT Director Thelma Drake and her team, for their leadership and successful efforts to bring passenger rail service back to Roanoke.  I also want to thank AMTRAK and Norfolk Southern for partnering with us.  This is a tremendous accomplishment for the Commonwealth, the Roanoke Valley region and our City and, again, I sincerely thank the Governor for his leadership."

            Known as the “Amtrak Virginia” partnership, Roanoke is the latest step for the Commonwealth to lead the way as one of the few states in the country to successfully negotiate the addition of new intercity passenger rail service in major rail corridors, balancing freight and economic development needs with additional intercity passenger rail options.