Where the hopefuls stand

TRANSPORTATION

R. Criegh Deeds proposes to:

- convene a bipartisan panel of political and business leaders and transportation experts to provide recommendations and build support for financing. If the transportation commission recommends increasing a non-general fund tax, and the General Assembly agrees to the plan, Deeds says he would sign the measure into law. Deeds’ idea was inspired by a similar bipartisan commission convened by then-Gov. Gerald Baliles in 1986. Baliles’ commission was the last time Virginia successfully tackled transportation financing in a comprehensive manner.

- reduce congestion in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads;

- expand high-speed passenger rail;

- increase telecommuting and flex-time tax credits;

- fix deteriorating bridges and infrastructure across Virginia; and

- promote smarter land use planning.

Bob McDonnell has laid out a long list of proposals to generate new money for transportation, but does not support raising taxes to do so. McDonnell would:

- dedicate a percentage of any new state revenue growth to transportation;

- dedicate 75 percent of any budget surplus to transportation needs, after constitutionally mandated obligations;

- sell off Virginia’s 300 ABC retail stores;

- earmark a percentage of revenue from offshore drilling for oil and gas;

- add toll booths along the North Carolina border; and

- support high-occupancy toll lane projects.

McDonnell’s plan lays out several priority projects in Northern Virginia, such as widening Interstate 66, and Hampton Roads. He also supports expanding high-speed passenger rail from Washington to Richmond and Hampton Roads; improve Interstate 81; and complete the Coalfields Expressway in Southwest Virginia.

ECONOMY

Deeds’ plan proposes to:

- provide a tax credit to employers for every job created;

- double the Governor’s Opportunity Fund, a discretionary economic development incentive fund;

- create a rural business fund for small companies in rural parts of Virginia;

- finish a push to expand broadband Internet access to all corners of the state;

- expand investments in Virginia’s tourism industry;

- establish an energy-based research consortium to coordinate clean energy research and create green jobs; and

- fund weatherization projects to help low-income families save money on utility bills.

McDonnell’s plan proposes to:

- expand the Governor’s Opportunity Fund by doubling its size and broadening the rules to allow more companies to qualify;

- appoint Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling as “Virginia’s chief job creation officer;”

- designate one deputy secretary of commerce to focus on rural economic development;

- provide a $1,000 tax credit per job to companies that create 50 jobs or 25 jobs in economically distressed areas;

- seek to support Virginia’s tourism, hospitality and film industries;

- create new jobs through new energy projects, including off-shore drilling for oil and gas, as well as nuclear power at Lake Anna in Louisa County;

- keep taxes and litigation low; and

- defend Virginia’s “right-to-work” law.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Deeds proposes to:

- grow the number of degrees awarded in Virginia by 70,000 over the next 10 years;

- guarantee loans for community college students;

- increase student financial aid by $40 million;

- offer college loan forgiveness for graduates who teach in high-need localities or in the high-demand subjects of math, science, engineering or technology;

- establish a “Virginia Promise Fund” that would curb tuition increases; and

- create a “Virginia Forward” college scholarship program that would pay for half of students’ tuition, so long as they maintain a B average and commit to two years of public service.

McDonnell proposes to:

- increase Virginia’s number of degrees awarded by 100,000 over the next 15 years;

- “restructure” the state’s higher education system for “affordability and employability;”

- support public-private partnerships for economic development, workforce training and research; and

- attempt to cut down on the cost of college textbooks.