By Valerie L’Herrou. Published in The Virginian-Pilot: February 7, 2025 (subscription required) Imagine you’re a low-income parent, faced with the impossible choice of paying for food or the gas to get to work. Or one day, your child care provider doesn’t show up, leaving you to decide between leaving your children with an older sibling […]
HB2621: Promises of Savings for APCo Customers Won’t Bring Needed Immediate ReliefBy Carmen Bingham, VPLC Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) Project Coordinator HB2621, as amended by the House of Delegates, will be before the Senate Commerce & Labor Committee Monday, February 10, 2025 in the afternoon. It is not the savior bill for APCo customers as it is being touted to be. There are no “immediate” savings […]
Bank Fees Sent Him into a Debt SpiralThursday, February 6th, 2025 For Carlos Wimberly, the whole mess started at a convenience store when he stopped for a bottle of water and snacks. He thought he had $35 in his banking account, but he had miscalculated and had “insufficient funds” to make his purchase. Carlos says he understood why his bank charged him […]
New Report: Medicaid Plays More Significant Role in Small Towns and Rural Communities than Metro Areas in VirginiaFebruary 5, 2025 Richmond, VA – Medicaid and CHIP play a critical role in providing health coverage to residents of small towns and rural communities in Virginia, particularly children, far exceeding its reach in metropolitan areas, according to an in-depth analysis by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families (CCF). In response to these […]
Paycheck to No Check: How Excessive Debt Collection Disrupts LivesTanya Webb is one of thousands of Virginians whose lives have been upended by tax or debt collectors who seized all of their wages or emptied their bank accounts. Tanya Webb was stunned when her entire paycheck vanished without warning. Two weeks later, another half was gone without any notice again. The wage garnishment was […]
Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy of Global Justice and PeaceDr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a transformative leader whose legacy continues to inspire individuals and organizations committed to justice, equality, and the fight against systemic oppression. With tireless dedication to nonviolence and a firm commitment to creating a more just society, his influence resonates with individuals and communities around the globe. As we reflect […]
VA’s Lawmakers Can Improve the Legal Process for Collecting DebtThis session of Virginia’s General Assembly brings opportunities for lawmakers to pave a path to resolution for the 139,703 Virginians being sued over consumer debt in 2023 alone. In fact, about 20% of Virginians have overdue credit lines or unpaid bills that creditors are trying to collect. VPLC urges lawmakers to consider effective and equitable […]
Virginia’s weak laws allow debt collectors to push more families into poverty, but some legislators are trying to help.As working families continue to struggle through a perfect storm of high inflation, high credit card interest rates, an ever-growing cascade of junk fees, and record-breaking consumer debt, a new report finds that Virginia is leaving these families high and dry. The National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) report, No Fresh Start 2024: Will States Protect […]
Fall Newsletter: SCC demands utility company assist struggling customersVPLC Advocacy Helps Secure $85 Million Savings for Utility Customers Collectively, Appalachian Power customers avoided an $85 million rate hike in their monthly utility bills after the State Corporation Commission (SCC) denied the company’s request for a substantial rate hike. As part of the decision, regulators directed Appalachian Power to collaborate with Virginia Poverty Law Center […]
Ward Scull: Honoring a Legendary Advocate for Fair Lendingby Jay Speer, VPLC Executive Director I have been thinking a lot about Ward Scull who died recently. Ward was a long-time ally of VPLC in our multi-year legislative fight with Virginia’s payday lenders. VPLC advocated for just and fair lending, but the payday lenders wanted to continue making huge sums of money exploiting Virginians […]
VPLC Elevates DEI Amid Political Division— By Louis Green, VPLC DEI Director It is no secret that the upcoming political election has unearthed age-old debates across the sociopolitical landscape. In addition to the usual list of hotly-debated issues within the political space, contemporary elections have been split along racial lines due to arguments on how federal and state institutions should […]
VPLC and the Federation of Virginia Food Banks Respond to Senior Hunger ReportSeptember 9, 2024 Richmond, VA – The Supplemental Nutrition Access Program (SNAP) is a crucial lifeline for food insecure Virginians. SNAP supplements grocery budgets for families in need of food help and injects money into local economies: every dollar spent with SNAP benefits generates $1.54 in economic activity. A new report by the National Council […]
VPLC joins Virginia’s Senators asking Governor Youngkin to allow direct file optionDirect File is the IRS’ first attempt to provide a free filing program comparable to existing commercial software. While the pilot was limited to people with simple tax returns in a handful of states, the Department of the Treasury estimated that one-third of taxpayers in those states — almost 19 million people — were eligible […]
A win for transparency: ‘earned wage’ paycheck advance products are consumer loansThe Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today proposed an interpretive rule explaining that many paycheck advance products, sometimes marketed as “earned wage” products, are consumer loans subject to the Truth in Lending Act. The guidance will ensure that lenders understand their legal obligations to disclose the costs and fees of these credit products to workers. […]
Welcome Naomi Y. CordovaNaomi Y. Cordova joins the VPLC team as the new Legal Assistant for the Legal Assistance to Victim-Immigrants of Domestic Abuse (LA VIDA) program. Naomi brings a wealth of experience in immigration law and a diverse skill set to VPLC. Naomi has a robust legal background, with many years of client communication, legal documentation, translation, […]
Beware the Loan Sharks Still Circling for ConsumersShark Week 2024: Be Careful Where You Borrow By Jay Speer, Virginia Poverty Law Center Executive Director Welcome to Shark Week 2024, at least according to the annual designation fronm Discovery Channel In years past, the Virginia Poverty Law Center has used this week to call out all the loan sharks attacking Virginia borrowers. There […]
New Rules for Utilities & Customer Shut-OffsUtility providers cannot shut off your service for unpaid bills during certain unsafe periods.
New Law Protects Virginians Against Utility Shut-Offs During Extreme HeatAs heat waves roll through Virginia, a new law to protect residents from unsafe utility shut-offs during periods of extreme weather goes into effect on July 1. Sen. Lashrecse Aird (D-Petersburg) and Del. Irene Shin (D-Herndon) introduced a pair of bills to the General Assembly in January. The bills gained bipartisan support and were signed […]
Partnership to Help Richmond Renters Facing EvictionRichmond, Va, June 27, 2024 – The Richmond Public Library (RPL) and Virginia Poverty Law Center (VPLC) today launched a new partnership to help renters facing potential eviction. The program will provide guided assistance using VPLC’s new online Eviction Defense Center to answer users’ questions and help prepare them for court. Patrons often ask librarians […]
Supreme Court Upholds Law That Bans Domestic Abusers From Owning GunsRichmond, VA June 21, 2024 – Today, the Supreme Court of the United States delivered a ruling in the case of USA vs Rahimi, upholding the constitutionality of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8), which prohibits individuals subject to domestic-violence restraining orders from possessing firearms. This case originated in Texas, highlighting the state’s pivotal role in shaping […]
Are You Ready for Virginia’s New Laws?We hope you’ll join us online Thursday morning for an update on new laws about to take effect in Virginia. Register here: https://bit.ly/VPLC-2024-Legislation