Category: Municipal & Government
By Philip Newswanger
philip.newswanger@insidebiz.com
While the region waits for the body blow of defense cuts, local firms are still winning contracts.
The Department of Defense awarded a $20 million contract to the Norfolk office of Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp., a consulting company whose principal offices are located in McLean, for U.S. Navy services, the federal agency announced last Tuesday.
By Philip Newswanger
philip.newswanger@insidebiz.com
Virginia has been praised for being the best state for business.
But it ranks in the middle of the pack among 50 states, according to a survey by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation.
The eighth edition of the State Business Tax Climate Index ranks each state based on its statutory taxes, not its effective rates.
A statutory tax rate is the number enshrined in state law. The effective rate measures how much corporations actually paid to states.
The 2012 Virginia General Assembly convened Jan. 16 and will end March 10.
House legislators have introduced 473 bills while Senate legislators have introduced 143 bills.
Below are many of the bills that relate to business. Some of the more interesting bills not detailed here include House Bill 5, permitting bear hunting at night, or House Bill 114, which considers a discarded cigarette butt a criminal offense and punishable by a $100 fine.
To find those or other bills, you can search by title or by number at http://lis.virginia.gov/121/lis.htm.
By Bill Cresenzo
bill.cresenzo@insidebiz.com
The closure of the U.S. Postal Service's Norfolk Processing and Distribution Center would save the postal service more than $20 million per year, but cost the area 260 jobs.
The postal service's Richmond District Office conducted a study on the feasibility of closing the center at 600 Church St. near downtown Norfolk and consolidating its operations with Richmond's center.
The post office said the initial results of the study "support the business case for consolidation."
By Susan Smigielski Acker
Correspondent
Whether it's a small, mid-size or large company dealing with the federal government, contractors all face the same problem - they are dealing with a tough customer.
This was the message at the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce's inaugural Government Contracting Council event, "Government Contracting at All Levels," at the Point Plaza Hotel in Newport News. The event last week included three speakers representing small, mid-size and large government contractors in Newport News.
By Bill Cresenzo
bill.cresenzo@ins idebiz.com
The Virginia branch of the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Mexico aimed at informing Mexican national workers about their rights.
The memo was signed in Norfolk last week by Anibal Gomez Teledo, head of the consular section of the embassy for the United Mexican States and Bruce W. Clark, the district director for the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division in the Richmond District Office.
A House committee has approved sweeping postal service legislation that could put the Norfolk post office's distribution center at risk of closure, according to an employee there who is also involved in the postal service's union.
Mark Snell, a mailing requirement clerk at the distribution center in downtown Norfolk, handles bulk mail at the center. He said two pieces of the legislation could directly affect the center - one that relaxes standard delivery services from one day to three, and another that scales delivery service back from six days to five.
An investigation into currency trading irregularities by the Bank of New York Mellon is heating up - and Virginians will be affected.
A front-page Wall Street Journal article Oct. 12 described the probe based on a secret informant who worked at the bank.
During the first week of this month, the Justice Deptment and the state of New York filed separate lawsuits in federal court and state court against BNY Mellon.
The two lawsuits join lawsuits filed by Virginia and other states against BNY, alleging
Mention taxes and you're sure to start an acrimonious debate.
This is especially true with corporate taxes.
Should corporations have their tax rate lowered? Or should the loopholes that lower corporate taxes be closed?
These questions have been the subject of many partisan debates.
It is especially serious now, since there is such a stampede to reduce the U.S. debt so Americans can once again chase the American dream.
Two reports issued in August and September offer insights into the hotly debated tax on corporations.
On Thursday, Sept. 8, the city of Virginia Beach will hold a public meeting to discuss the first phase of the Lynnhaven Strategic Growth Area plan.
City officials will ask for input from the community on conditions in the area at the 6 p.m. meeting at the London Bridge Baptist Church gymnasium at 2460 Potters Road.
The city named Urban Design Associates of Pittsburgh, Pa., the design team for the project. The company will work with local sub-consultants, according to Jeryl Phillips, a comprehensive planning coordinator for Virginia Beach.
