[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6535307,"mediaKeyId","3409188-8bbe92c4cbbace206c86dfdc3aed7337","parentId",3409188,"title","Virginia transformation office speeds HUD disaster grant processing, spotlights Petersburg work and other agency support","audioSeconds",1011,"startMs",4650000,"endMs",5661000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3409188-8bbe92c4cbbace206c86dfdc3aed7337&start=4650&end=5661","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3409188-8bbe92c4cbbace206c86dfdc3aed7337/thumbnail_4650000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6535307/Virginia/Virginia-transformation-office-speeds-HUD-disaster-grant-processing-spotlights-Petersburg-work-and-other-agency-support","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6535307-caf4f3d98a0391db5d4d0ed828a00f12/orig.mp4?Expires=1770497400&Signature=GZICZ1kLTme6~LwQI-TTfeP9ehQfyZJOa296RwFa82TKGxQIVvzjyf~CsPRZgrcFgL2NfmhcGA9wPA-h75ar5G00JzVHEtnOmQcHUXx7p1oXZoI2vj5n-vYAdfbbgScgwosaT8tjxhU7R1LwasztT9T88lbMYYulSk49HhguYSUjLiz47UP9ejbTP5pJeiO~EsuMGDdqq1OM2HcaYpOkA~FyDcaAEpzBEF7srzYpacs7fwScix-T0kW4zq9eaB41IfvlqP3M~-6ndPz1mqGyG4Vc~edfvPGgD58WlVt7x~QqCpPh7qd3t7OMAN-mVAJfWQzGNss~b4ulyLwGapbymQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Virginia Legislature","date","2025-05-20T00:00:00Z","article","Robert Ward, chief transformation officer for the Commonwealth of Virginia, updated the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee on the transformation office’s work to coordinate state and federal recovery funding, accelerate grant delivery to storm‑impacted communities and support local revitalization efforts such as the Partnership for Petersburg.

Ward said the administration created an Office of Recovery and Rebuilding after recent storms in Southwest Virginia and that the transformation team worked with the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), HUD and localities to compress the standard HUD Community Development Block Grant process. He said HUD offered a roughly $46 million block grant for disaster recovery, and by running steps concurrently — public notice, community engagement, and HUD coordination — the commonwealth reduced an obligation timeline that would normally take 12–14 months to about 92 days so funds can reach communities much faster.

Ward said the office’s approach is to identify all possible federal funding streams that may assist recovery (he listed HUD, EPA, SBA, Department of Transportation, USDA and EDA among others), coordinate state agency readiness to accept and obligate awards, and provide targeted technical assistance to small towns that lack grantwriters or staff capacity. He emphasized that some federal sources are directed to individuals and some to localities, and that careful coordination is required to avoid de‑obligations or duplicative uses of funds.

On downtown revitalization, Ward described the Partnership for Petersburg and related efforts: a Goodr mobile grocery pilot to address local food access, support for a developer to reopen the Hotel Petersburg, job fairs, and other programs aimed at economic stabilization. He said transformation staff and the partnerships team (now integrated into the office) continue more than 50 active initiatives and work with state agencies such as the Virginia Employment Commission and the Department of Conservation and Recreation on projects from job placement to state‑park revenue optimization.

Ward said the office also supports interagency IT project management best practices, and is assisting agencies that face one‑off modernization needs with centralized expertise to reduce costs and timelines. He closed by offering to provide committee members more detailed budget and outcome metrics on Petersburg and other initiatives.

Ending: Committee members asked several follow‑up questions about FEMA’s role, the possibility of delegating more disaster response capacity to states, and specifics of investments in Petersburg. Ward said the transformation office will continue to brief the committee and provide requested follow‑ups on project funding and measurable outcomes.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","May 20, 2025 - Offsite: Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee - 11:30 am","oneSentenceSummary","Chief Transformation Officer Robert Ward described steps the office took to accelerate a HUD Community Development Block Grant for disaster recovery and summarized the office’s role in coordinating federal and state funds, supporting Petersburg redevelopment and other statewide initiatives.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature VA, Virginia","taxId",77687,"location","Virginia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6535312,"Virginia tax department outlines $131 million IRMS replacement, explains conformity and commuter tax rules",935,3696000,4631000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3409188-8bbe92c4cbbace206c86dfdc3aed7337&start=3696&end=4631","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3409188-8bbe92c4cbbace206c86dfdc3aed7337/thumbnail_3696000.jpg","/articles/6535312/Virginia/Virginia-tax-department-outlines-131-million-IRMS-replacement-explains-conformity-and-commuter-tax-rules","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6535312-62eb77d9467ca2e8f3d688865800a4ac/orig.mp4?Expires=1770497400&Signature=NSjOAFuAeo2Tlh7xb~CjkPyv0YKcRVk3DWR92CE4MZVT6C00iCJ30jdXFr-UxTYvAzfwjYPk7I8JEkeWOhjF8WJfy9Pb42~wHzkzgmecegJLRL7aO3kZ~INRNzuodr0BIDMWVjFyoGqsOgQ5yTfcaTi9jugFvh0hcvnHurp5Pj8rKk7lFIsWpWU70y2C79m6pievxBOUngBuF1uUVHcbpG447tWh0EhkRdf8sFJYt2eCCpMHowqkg6qHQneM7zDQFnrh1pBEiN~ukfbQWrIlsdNaBQwWM2w3W41xmtT8ZsK3G8hyrnj2h3XVTzZHepmHz~mzaabI9nHxp-V3krTzEg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kristen Collins, deputy commissioner at the Virginia Department of Taxation, updated the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee on three items: the department’s Integrated Revenue Management System (IRMS) replacement, state conformity to federal income tax changes, and how income tax withholding and filing operate for commuters between Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.

On IRMS, Collins said Virginia processes roughly $30 billion in general‑fund tax payments each year through the core system and that the 2025 budget included $131 million to replace the aging platform with a commercial off‑the‑shelf product. She said the procurement was in final stages, an intent‑to‑award would be issued in June, and the contract is planned to begin July 1. Implementation is expected to proceed over about 4–4.5 years with a phased rollout by tax type: sales and withholding first (targeting September 2026), then corporate taxes and other business taxes, individual income tax as a major later phase, and remaining miscellaneous taxes last. Collins said the department will report annually to the General Assembly as required by the appropriation act and that a stakeholder work group established by the 2024 appropriation act will continue to meet.

On federal tax conformity, Collins explained the difference between rolling conformity (automatic adoption of federal changes) and fixed‑date conformity (state law ties to federal law as of a set date). She reviewed Virginia’s recent history: rolling conformity at state adoption in 1971, a move to fixed‑date conformity in the early 2000s, and return to a hybrid rolling approach in 2023 that contains revenue triggers. Under the hybrid approach, automatic rolling conformity can be suspended if estimated revenue effects exceed legislated triggers ($15 million for an individual provision or $75 million in the aggregate). Collins said the 2025 session temporarily adjusted conformity treatment for two years and retained the existing reporting requirement: the department must estimate and report the fiscal impact of federal changes each Nov. 15 and update the General Assembly on any developments before the regular session.

Finally, Collins summarized withholding and reciprocity rules for commuters. As a general rule, employees pay income tax to the state where they work and claim a credit in their state of residence to avoid double taxation. But Virginia has reciprocal agreements with neighboring states including Maryland and, by operation of the Home Rule Act, the District of Columbia; under those agreements employers typically withhold to the employee’s state of residence and the employee files only in that home state. Collins noted Virginia has a form (Virginia 4) employees can use to notify employers about residency and withholding exemptions when reciprocity applies.

Ending: Collins invited questions and said the department will issue formal notifications as procurement milestones are reached. No formal votes occurred during her presentation.","Deputy Commissioner Kristen Collins briefed the committee on the Department of Taxation’s plan to replace its core tax processing system with a commercial product, the schedule and funding, and summarized how Virginia’s federal tax conformity rules and interstate reciprocity with Maryland and DC affect taxpayers and employers.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6535316,"Virginia finance secretary says April revenues outperformed forecast; administration monitoring federal job exposure",2245,107000,2352000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3409188-8bbe92c4cbbace206c86dfdc3aed7337&start=107&end=2352","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3409188-8bbe92c4cbbace206c86dfdc3aed7337/thumbnail_107000.jpg","/articles/6535316/Virginia/Virginia-finance-secretary-says-April-revenues-outperformed-forecast-administration-monitoring-federal-job-exposure","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6535316-94842625848ad80aabb250bbbcf3a17b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770497400&Signature=Vo3sHnrqdoVm4p5FUjod6I~mrRuYy~CsX2vEgzWviIGQGs8P3mDWGOpl2r7R~lplkHIP4Kx4cFvhaprmEUWxrgtcjICdksuvWMCqrU~u7BzFvI61nlO2B9gvHanm85NyaeWluGjsZOudDlxBilywyqHMZEbDZTgKk2ajAY701PEcbvgBbSgfsEVONF30oCOS8Sf7I3AbYd97SF8bSRxLoWJ6V6-cPdHOBz~nPLrLO2eBPSS8J3cwuv8qfy4fNwY3KQG55pWm1TajlihzFyH8CcyABus-zR6eyMxx6Uer~Rt~6CSJa2JqwwsBts0wpvr2jyaxAR~57CT6GVssDU8PAg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Steve Cummings, Virginia’s secretary of finance, told the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee at a meeting hosted at Northern Virginia Community College that April revenues were stronger than expected and that the administration is closely monitoring potential revenue impacts from federal job reductions and changes to federal grants.

Cummings said year‑to‑date general fund revenues through April were about $1.49 billion, or 6.3%, ahead of last year and $211 million (0.8%) ahead of the official forecast. He reported April alone came in $322 million above April 2024 and exceeded the monthly forecast by $126 million. The presentation listed a projected FY2025 revenue surplus of $2.1 billion relative to the budget adopted after the 2024 special session.

The secretary attributed part of April’s strength to unusually large nonwithholding payments tied to final and estimated payments: nonwithholding rose 22% in April and was about $389 million for the month. Payroll withholding, the largest single revenue source, was up about 6.3% year over year but missed the monthly forecast by roughly $170–180 million; Cummings said the miss appears driven by timing of the end‑of‑month deposits and that some of the shortfall likely posted in early May. Sales and corporate income taxes also outperformed their April forecasts, he said.

Cummings warned that uncertainty remains for FY2026. He briefed the committee on the size and scope of Virginia’s federal employment exposure: the administration estimates roughly 320,000 civilian federal employees living in Virginia (about 9% of the state’s withholding base when excluding military), roughly 120,000 active‑duty military, and about 200,000 federal contractor employees. Cummings said withholding tied to civilian federal employees was about $1.8 billion on an annual basis and withholding tied to federal contractors about $1.0 billion, producing roughly $2.8 billion in total withholding for those groups. He explained that, in his modeling, a 5% reduction in those groups would equal about 26,000 full‑time positions and roughly $140 million in lost withholding over a year.

To guard against downside risk, Cummings said the governor’s budget included a $900 million unappropriated balance intended as a first line of defense against a possible 3% revenue decline. He also described the administration’s cross‑secretariat monitoring work: weekly withholding reports for federal agencies and the top 100 federal contractors, weekly unemployment tracking, and ongoing federal grant tracking across agencies to determine which grants might be paused or resumed.

Committee members pressed the secretary about regional impacts. Senators raised concerns about Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads — two areas with concentrated federal employment and contractor activity — and how local housing markets and businesses might feel a sharper impact than statewide aggregates suggest. Cummings and committee members discussed mitigants, including Virginia Works, job fairs and retraining, state economic development project pipeline commitments that the secretary said could create tens of thousands of private sector jobs, and the Commonwealth’s low unemployment rate and sizable job openings.

Cummings also told the committee rating agencies have been briefed; he said conversations with Moody’s, S&P and Fitch affirmed that the Commonwealth has capacity to absorb a moderate revenue decline through expenditure adjustments and reserves, but that careful monitoring is required.

The secretary concluded that, based on current receipts through April, the administration remains confident it will meet the FY2025 forecast, but that the state is in an “all hands on deck” mode to track federal job developments, trade and grant actions that can affect the revenue outlook.

Ending: Committee members thanked the secretary and moved to other agenda items. No formal votes or policy changes occurred during this presentation; members asked for continued weekly updates from the administration on withholding and grant status.","Secretary of Finance Steve Cummings told the Senate Appropriations Committee that April general fund receipts exceeded expectations and the administration remains cautiously confident about FY2025, while actively tracking potential revenue effects from federal job reductions and paused federal grants.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Virginia transformation office speeds HUD disaster grant processing, spotlights Petersburg work and other agency support

Virginia tax department outlines $131 million IRMS replacement, explains conformity and commuter tax rules

Virginia finance secretary says April revenues outperformed forecast; administration monitoring federal job exposure