Email from Senator Tammy Mulchi

Youngkin Administration Accomplishments

Greetings,

As we rapidly approach the end of 2025 and the end of the four-year Youngkin administration, I wanted to take some time to focus on the many accomplishments the outgoing Governor has achieved. Under Governor Youngkin’s policies, Virginia has made great strides in areas such as maternal health, veterans' services, broadband deployment, reductions in fentanyl overdoses, DMV wait times, and more.

In recent weeks, the Governor’s “X” feed, aka Twitter, has focused on underscoring his many successes. By sharing regular updates and clear data online, the administration has made it easier for Virginians to see how these policies are translating into real progress in their communities.

These “Chart of the Day” posts offer citizens a direct view of improvements in areas such as employment, health, education, and support for veterans. Communicating these achievements ensures that everyone can appreciate the positive changes happening across the Commonwealth.

Below are but a few examples of major triumphs in Virginia during the last four years:

VEC: The Virginia Employment Commission backlogs are down to zero! Since day one, we have been working to fix this critical agency that helps keep Virginia working. In addition to clearing the backlog of more than 700,000 work items we found in January 2022, we have resolved one million new work items that have come in since we started. Today, the Commission clears items within the standards established by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Teachers: Teacher vacancies are down 35.9 percent from their post-pandemic peak. With 19 percent increases in teacher compensation, cell phone-free education across the Commonwealth, nationally leading academic standards, and a teacher licensing process that now works — it’s no surprise that vacancies are way down and Virginia was recently ranked the #1 state to be a teacher.

Energy: Power bills are going up — and inflationary “green” policies are to blame. Recently, the State Corporation Commission made some major decisions affecting power in the Commonwealth of Virginia and your electricity bills. First, the bad news: as I’ve consistently warned, costs will continue to rise until the VCEA is overturned. The SCC just approved a nearly $135/year increase for the average Dominion residential customer. To prevent further increases, Virginia must repeal the VCEA and avoid rejoining RGGI and other hidden tax schemes that drive up bills. The chart below breaks out the incremental costs of these inflationary policies — translating into over $480/year for the average household and more than $2,500/year for small businesses.

Veterans: Virginia is the Best State for Veterans! According to a recent study from the nonprofit charity-rating organization http://SmileHub.org, Virginia is the best state for veterans — driven by community support and the job opportunities offered to the roughly 700,000 veterans who call the Commonwealth home. We are proud to support our military heroes and their families by:

Eliminating state taxes on up to $40,000 of retirement pay, delivering a total of $12,688 in relief to a typical family
Working with employers to hire more than 58,000 veterans into Virginia businesses over the past four years
Serving more than 53,000 veterans through our new one-stop hub, the Virginia Veterans Network
Supporting education for more than 10,700 students through the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program.

JOLTS: The latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) says that the Commonwealth has 222,000 open jobs! Combined with the growth of 277,000 new jobs since January 2022, over 85,000 jobs in the pipeline, and an anticipated 40,000 construction jobs from our $146 billion of announced economic development projects, we are at 624,000 jobs connected to Virginia’s dynamic growth.

Visit http://virginiahasjobs.com and find your next career in Virginia!

A growing job market, record business investment, increasing salaries and wages, and strong consumer confidence drove a 60% increase in the general fund growth rate during the past 4 years, allowing us to provide record tax relief, fund our reserves to record highs, invest record amounts in key priorities like education, law enforcement, and health care. Factoring in the tax relief, we’ve seen over an 8% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) compared to 5% in the prior decade. Our strong revenue forecast underpins the balanced budget that I will deliver to the General Assembly this month.

DMV: DMV wait times are down, and lines are moving faster than ever before! We promised to fix the DMV and make government work for Virginians, not against them. On Day One, we went to work. In 2019, pre-pandemic wait times averaged 37 minutes. In 2025, average wait times to date are just 15 minutes, and in early October we recorded the shortest average wait in history — 5.9 minutes! Thank you to our DMV team for their great work and for putting Virginians first.

Fentanyl: Our nationally leading fight against fentanyl is a comprehensive campaign involving stakeholders and allies from around the Commonwealth. The First Lady and I are grateful to have seen a 59% reduction in fentanyl-related overdose deaths since we came into office in January 2022. But the fight continues.

Visit http://ItOnlyTakesOne.virginia.gov to sign up today and commit to having a conversation about the dangers of fentanyl with someone you love.

Broadband: Virginia is leading the way on building rural broadband high-speed internet connections! When our administration took office in 2022, there were 435,924 customers left unserved across Virginia. Since then, we’ve built THREE TIMES MORE CONNECTIONS than any other state—over 185,000 in just 3.5 years—and funded the remaining connections, with construction starting in Spring 2026. By leveraging state and federal funding, we’ve ensured access for 100% of homes and businesses across Virginia.

Maternal Health: Maternal mortality is down 68% since 2021! To be the best place to raise a family means Virginia has to be the best place for healthy moms to give birth to healthy babies. Our Healthy Moms, Healthy Families, Healthy Communities initiative centers on three key pillars: improving data, increasing awareness, and expanding access to high-quality care. We’ve partnered with providers to increase prenatal and postpartum care, doula services, and mobile OBGYN services, and we’ve set new requirements such as standardized protocols—known as “safety bundles”—at hospitals and birth centers to identify obstetric emergencies and ensure expectant moms receive the care they need. There is more work to do, but Virginia has made huge strides to keep moms and babies safer and healthier!

Regarding the Governor’s actions on maternal health, I understand there are concerns in Southside about the closure of two significant labor and delivery facilities in the 9th District since 2023. I am working closely with hospital administrators to address these gaps and ensure that every expectant mother and newborn receives the necessary resources, regardless of their circumstances.

While Virginia has moved the needle in a positive direction over the last four years, we cannot take our foot off the gas. We must hold the incoming administration and Governor-Elect Spanberger accountable for continuing to move the Commonwealth in a direction that improves taxpayers' quality of life. That will require us to be diligent in making our voices heard on issues important to our families and communities.

It will also need the incoming administration to push back against the newly elected progressive-liberal majority in the General Assembly. The new Governor should veto job-killing and revenue-reducing legislation that may end up on her desk. Virginia cannot move backwards. To echo the words of Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, “Ever Forward."

As always, my staff and I are here to assist you with any issues or concerns. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if we can be of service. You can reach us at 434.374.5129 or by email at

[email protected]

Applications Now Open for the Virginia Rural Leadership Institute (VRLI)!

VRLI is a groundbreaking initiative by the Virginia Rural Center, and it is the only program in the Commonwealth dedicated to retaining and attracting rural Virginians. VRLI fosters the development of innovative, responsible, and civic-minded leaders who can strengthen regional communities. Applications are due by February 13th. For more details, visit cfrv.org/vrli

Through four comprehensive sessions, VRLI Cohort Members will gain essential leadership and economic development skills, empowering them to drive long-term economic growth in their communities and regions. The program also promotes enhanced cooperation, collaboration, and coordination across a diverse range of organizations and sectors. Interested individuals can apply directly through this link, and if you know someone who would be a great fit, you can refer them here!

For any questions, feel free to contact the Virginia Rural Center team at [email protected].

CONSUMER ALERT: Attorney General Miyares Shares Instructions for Virginians to Receive Restitution from $700 Million Google Settlement

Attorney General Jason Miyares today issued a consumer alert informing Virginians that they may be eligible to receive payments from a $700 million settlement with Google secured by Virginia in December 2023.

In this settlement, consumers who made purchases on the Google Play Store between August 2016 and September 2023 and were harmed by Google’s anticompetitive conduct may receive payments. Google has also agreed to change its practices to stop the conduct that harmed consumers and app developers.

“There is a fine line between free market capitalism and crony corporatism. Big Tech giants, like Google, wield an enormous amount of power and influence over our lives and must be held to the highest standard. I’m proud of my office’s stellar Consumer Protection team for their years of work to secure this settlement and encourage Virginia consumers who may be eligible for compensation to follow these instructions,” said Attorney General Jason Miyares.

On December 2, 2025, affected consumers began receiving notices about the settlement funds’ distribution process. Most will not need to take any further action to receive payment. The settlement fund will make the majority of payments automatically, and no claim form is necessary in most cases.

If the court grants final approval at the hearing scheduled for April 30, 2026, consumers will receive an email from PayPal or a text from Venmo notifying them of their incoming payment. The notice will be sent to the email address or mobile numbers associated with their Google Play account. If that email address or phone number matches an existing PayPal or Venmo account, the payment will be deposited directly into that account. If it does not, consumers may create a new account or direct the payment to another PayPal or Venmo account.

There will be a supplemental claims process after the automatic payments process is complete for consumers who either:

Do not have an existing PayPal or Venmo account and do not want to sign up for PayPal or Venmo;
No longer have access to the email address or mobile phone number associated with their Google Play account; or
Were expecting to receive a payment but did not.

If consumers would like to be notified by email when the supplemental claims process starts, they may submit their name, email address, and mobile phone number on the settlement website. Note: the settlement website may not be accessible if you are connected to a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

Attorney General Miyares encourages all affected consumers to keep track of important upcoming dates in the settlement approval process:

Consumers who do not want to receive payment from the settlement fund and want to bring their own case against Google must submit a request to be excluded online or in writing by February 19, 2026.
Consumers who want to object to the settlement can file a written objection by February 19, 2026.
The court will hold a hearing on April 30, 2026, to consider whether to approve the settlement.

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Clarksville, VA 23927

(434) 374 5129

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