Kaine Meets With Harrisonburg Women Business Leaders, Visits Waynesboro And Charlottesville

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine made stops in the Shenandoah Valley today including a roundtable with women business leaders at James Madison University in Harrisonburg and a downtown tour of Waynesboro to learn more about growing the economy in the region.

In Harrisonburg and Waynesboro, Kaine discussed the importance of a business-friendly atmosphere to revitalizing local economies. Kaine also discussed the upcoming vote on the Marketplace Fairness Act to level the playing field for Virginia's brick and mortar businesses. This legislation would require large online retailers to play by the same rules as local stores that are a major source of job creation and have been placed at an unfair disadvantage. The Virginia bipartisan transportation bill passed by Governor McDonnell and the General Assembly this year encouraged Congress to pass the Marketplace Fairness Act so sales tax dollars collected in Virginia could be used to improve the Commonwealth's roads, rail and public transit.  This week, Kaine has traveled throughout Virginia, speaking with business leaders on ways to strengthen and help small businesses thrive, including his meeting with Roanoke officials yesterday.

"Waynesboro has great economic and downtown revitalization projects that will increase business development and attract more tourists to this prime location for outdoor recreation like fishing," said Kaine. "I'm excited to work with local and state officials to support the work being done to bring more people to Waynesboro."

Following the tour in Waynesboro, Kaine attended Virginia Bio’s 20th anniversary celebration in Charlottesville to discuss the future of bioscience in Virginia. A longtime advocate of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, Kaine will continue to support developing the competitiveness of Virginia's workforce by improving the Commonwealth’s education system.

"Biotechnology and bioscience are important fields for Virginia's economic future," said Kaine. "Virginia Bio has done good work to promote these fields and I will continue to work with them on issues affecting their growth like the patent process, research funding and intellectual property."

Kaine will finish his state work period on Friday with stops in Falls Church, Leesburg and Winchester.

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