Developing our Workforce
Shelly’s plan to improve Virginia’s economy starts with investing in our workforce. We need to be prepared for the 10,000 new manufacturing and shipbuilding jobs coming to Newport News over the next few years. As Delegate, Shelly has worked to increase opportunities for career and technical training while strongly advocating for apprenticeship programs that give students hands-on education in areas like plumbing and pipefitting, electrical contracting, industrial insulation and cosmetology.
Investing in Working Families
Only three countries in the world have no laws guaranteeing paid maternity leave: Lesotho, Papua New Guinea, and the United States. As a Delegate, Shelly works to bring paid maternity leave to Virginia so that our working mothers can afford to take time off to spend with their newborns. She is also a champion of families’ right to paid sick leave so that everyone can afford to take time off to care for their sick loved ones.
Strengthening Small Businesses
As an entrepreneur who owns rental properties in Newport News, Shelly understands the important role small businesses play in our economy. That’s why she’s committed to working with Republicans to introduce new reforms to help small business. Her goal is to make it easier for small businesses to flourish, creating more jobs and strengthening Virginia’s economy for everyone.
Women’s Economic Agenda
Virginia’s economy can only reach its full potential when women succeed. In Richmond, Shelly fights against gender inequality, which disproportionately affects women of color. A mother herself, Shelly knows how much caring for children can impact a woman’s ability to work. That’s why she works to make sure every mother in Newport News has access to affordable childcare and quality Pre-K. She is also committed to introducing school days that line up with the workday and increasing funding for summer learning programs.