Boosting Virginia's economy by finding ways to create new jobs is the single biggest issue facing our leaders today. Rising home foreclosures, mounting job losses, and the credit crunch have caused more families to seek public assistance as government revenues decline. Virginians cannot bear more budget cuts; we must work even harder to spur job creation and get our economy moving forward.

Creating jobs will be my top priority.

In the Warner and Kaine Administrations we worked to create hundreds of thousands of jobs all over the Commonwealth. I served on the Virginia Economic Development Partnership that focuses on bringing quality jobs to Virginia and helping Virginia businesses expand. I also served on the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission, which works hard to bring jobs to Southside and Southwest Virginia.

Businesses, non-profit organizations, and local governments need low-cost capital in order to make necessary investments. As Lieutenant Governor, I will utilize and expand long-established entities, such as the Virginia Small Business Finance Authority and the Virginia Public School Authority, as well as form new programs, like the Community Capital Bank of Virginia, created during the Warner Administration, to identify and tap into new resources. State government must play a part in helping start-up businesses in industries with high growth potential to gain access to venture capital, and in these difficult economic times we must do even more to make debt financing available.

As a small business owner, I know first-hand that government sometimes creates challenges and unnecessary costs for businesses. That is why I will seek creative ways to further reduce the cost of doing business and cut red tape, allowing Virginia to remain competitive and attract and retain businesses. I recognize that small businesses are the foundation of our state economy. We must continue the great progress the Warner and Kaine Administrations have made in getting our state agencies and universities to purchase products and services from small, women-owned, and minority-owned businesses.

Alternative energy sources hold promise of economic growth here in the Commonwealth, and so do other sectors, such as healthcare, technology, and security, and we must ensure their potential for growth is reached. There is no one solution to solve Virginia's economic challenges, but with the right balance of proven strategies and innovation, together we can improve our economy and emerge stronger.

Greening Our Economy

Download a .pdf of Jody's complete plan for energy and the environment.

The record high oil prices of last summer were a harsh reminder of our nation's need to lessen its dependence on foreign oil and promote energy efficiency. In the Commonwealth's role as both a producer and consumer of energy, we have given little attention to the impact our demand for energy has had on our environment. Harmful pollutants emitted into our air and contaminating our waterways have damaged our environment in ways that our children and grandchildren should not have to endure. It is time we turn the corner and become a leader in the production of clean energy and in energy conservation.

Though progress has been made by our energy producers to begin putting environmental safeguards in place, and partnerships formed by our research institutions and businesses to develop energy efficient products and alternative energy sources, more investment is needed.

While noteworthy, our efforts thus far have barely scratched the surface of Virginia's potential to become a major producer of clean energy. I believe the potential is there to create thousands of new "green jobs" all across the Commonwealth in a number of related fields. Through targeted tax incentives, feasible regulatory goals, and funding for research and development, we can put more Virginians to work in "green jobs" and play a significant role in securing our nation's clean energy future. Plus, Virginia has some of the best research universities in the nation; we need to encourage partnerships between our university researchers and private industry to make sure that all our best ideas have the opportunity to become viable businesses.

We also must work toward becoming more energy efficient with state government leading the way. Governor Kaine has already taken positive steps to "green" new and existing government buildings and institutions, purchase more fuel efficient vehicles, increase recycling, and convert to Energy Star rated equipment. I will ensure this work is carried on in state government and urge private businesses and citizens to adopt these practices.

Improving Education

As the mother of four children, I have always been a strong advocate for education. Without investment in education, our children cannot compete for jobs, and an undereducated workforce limits our ability to attract and retain businesses. Investing in our education system is essential to our economic prosperity.

That is why we must invest in our public schools with the goal of increasing funding in areas that will better prepare our students to enter the workforce and obtain good jobs. I worked with Governor Kaine in his fight to ensure our neediest children get off to a good start with his preschool expansion initiative, and we must continue this effort.

I served as a member of the Commonwealth of Virginia Subcommittee Study of Science, Math, and Technology Education, which focused on ways to bolster science and math education at all grade levels. This good work and others like it must not end. Successful pilot programs have shown that getting students in elementary and middle school excited about math and science increases the likelihood that they will pursue these fields later in life; this will ensure that more of our students graduate prepared for the jobs of tomorrow.

Although Virginia's high school graduation rate is higher than the national average, geographic and socioeconomic disparities exist, and one in five students who enter high school fail to earn a degree. We need to bridge these gaps by reaching out to struggling students and providing them the educational support they need. We also must expose students earlier in their education to a variety of career options and stress the importance of vocational training in high school as an alternative to college.

As Secretary of Finance, I worked to implement the restructuring of higher education, giving institutions more control of their daily operations. I also worked hard to pass the 2008 bond package that included $1.5 billion for 75 projects on college campuses, because I recognize the value that our higher education institutions provide. As a result, we are putting people to work building classrooms to teach engineering, medicine, nursing and science – a very tangible impact on the lives of construction workers and students in Virginia.
Funding for higher education has declined over the years due to competing budgetary priorities – a practice that weakens our economic viability and one we cannot afford to continue. We must find ways to make higher education more affordable and attainable, particularly in these tough economic times.

Expanding Healthcare Coverage

Rising healthcare costs are making it more difficult for people to access quality, affordable healthcare. More than one million people currently lack healthcare coverage in Virginia – that is one in seven people - far too many. Worse yet, that number includes at least 200,000 children.

Thousands of working families throughout Virginia worry how they will pay the medical bill if their child becomes sick. It is a burden that no family should face. In this economic downturn, however, more and more families are finding that they have to choose between buying health insurance and putting food on the table, causing the number of uninsured to rise even higher.

A good first step at reducing the number of uninsured children is to ensure that all children who are eligible for Medicaid and the Family Access Medical Insurance Security Plan (FAMIS) are enrolled in the programs. Increasing the income eligibility of the FAMIS Plan to allow moderate income families to qualify would go even further toward ensuring that all children have access to healthcare coverage in the Commonwealth.

Yet we also must work to reduce the overall cost of healthcare if we are to have a meaningful impact on reducing the number of uninsured.

As a small business owner, I know that providing health insurance is expensive for small businesses to handle alone. To help ease this burden, I support creating health insurance pools for small businesses that will enable them to increase their bargaining power and obtain insurance at more affordable rates.

I am also an advocate for women's reproductive rights. I do not believe that the government should be involved in women's personal healthcare choices. While we must always work to reduce the number of abortions in Virginia, we should not do so by criminalizing the doctors or the women.

Resolving Transportation Problems

Many Virginians looked to public transportation when gas prices reached $4 a gallon, but for many it was either not available in a workable way or not an option at all. The time has come to turn years of talk into action. We must make public transportation available and attractive to Virginians across the Commonwealth.

I live in Hampton Roads and I see every day how our traffic congestion affects people's lives. It limits the time they spend with their families and it also damages our entire state's ability to grow our economy and attract new jobs.

We need a different approach to ease our traffic congestion problem. That means not only investing in new roads, but also devising a long-term strategy to remedy this situation. We must focus on more public transit, more rail, and better systems of funding that meet today's needs. In addition, we should encourage mixed growth development that allows people to live, work, and play in the same area.

Ensuring Fiscal Responsibility

As a key member of the fiscal finance team in both the Warner and Kaine Administrations, I helped make the tough choices that got our state's finances back on track after Governor Jim Gilmore's disastrous approach to budgeting. When Governor Warner took office and found the state with a massive budget shortfall, I helped make the difficult choices needed to balance the budget, including cutting the Department of Treasury's budget by 23 percent.

I worked hard to maintain the Commonwealth's AAA credit rating, which was threatened by the Gilmore administration's fiscal irresponsibility. The result is that Virginia can continue to borrow money at lower interest rates than most other states, saving taxpayers millions of dollars over time. Because of our sound financial management and our AAA credit rating, we have been one of the few states able to borrow money at reasonable rates during the current credit crunch, a capacity which has enabled us to keep investing in our future growth while other states are having more trouble weathering the storm.

With Governor Kaine, we made new investments in critical services and worked to make government more efficient. I was on the Board of the Council on Virginia's Future that helped increase government accountability and helped Governor Kaine establish outcome measurements, which hold each agency accountable for meeting its goals. The information is also used to make budget decisions.

As Treasurer and Secretary of Finance, I helped keep Virginia rated the "Best Managed State in the Nation" despite a national recession that is crippling state budgets across the country. You can count on me to maintain this same level of fiscal restraint and responsible decision making as Lieutenant Governor.

Providing Virginia's veterans with the support they deserve

Get the details of Jody's Contract with Virginia's Veterans here.

There are few responsibilities more important for a community than to care for its veterans. Virginia is fortunate to have one of the highest populations of military service in the country, and the Commonwealth is currently home to more than 813,000 veterans.

Throughout her time in state government, Jody Wagner has been strongly committed to helping veterans and their families. Working with Governors Warner and Kaine, Jody played a key role in helping to fully fund and construct the Sitter-Barfoot Veterans' Care Facility, which now houses nearly 160 veterans who require assisted living care. The Warner and Kaine teams worked to make the Albert Horton Cemetery in Suffolk a reality, while also helping to advance plans for the much-needed Southwest Virginia Veterans' Cemetery. Over the last eight years, the number of veterans' benefits field agents has increased, helping veterans across the Commonwealth get the efficient and effective care and service they deserve. Finally, in a sign of their commitment to effective government, Jody worked with Governor Warner to consolidate three different veterans' agencies into one comprehensive Department of Veterans Services, leading to greater efficiency and accountability.

Senator Webb's historic 21st Century G.I. Bill will help veterans returning from active duty in Afghanistan and Iraq pay for college. Last month, there was a backlog in G.I. Bill payments from the federal government to the Universities that put veterans at risk of being dropped from classes for non-payment. Jody recognized this problem and immediately called on Virginia's Universities to waive the tuition requirement for veterans who had not been issued payment from the federal government. No veteran should be held out of class because of government bureaucracy.

As Lieutenant Governor, Jody Wagner will be committed to fighting for those who fought for us. By helping to move veterans' causes forward, Jody will continue the Warner-Kaine legacy.