Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, is pushing to eliminate taxes on tips ahead of the commonwealth’s next legislative session.

This proposal would return an estimated $70 million annually to the pockets of Virginia workers, Youngkin’s office said Monday in a press release.

An end to taxes on tips could help more than 250,000 people in Virginia who work within the food service industry, the personal service industry such as hairstylists, the hospitality industry and others who receive tips through their employment in other industries.

“We have delivered over $5 billion in tax relief to date, and we remain committed to lowering the cost of living for hardworking Virginians. It’s their money, not the government’s,” Youngkin said in the release.

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“By removing tips from taxable income, it will directly increase the take-home pay of hundreds of thousands of Virginians and give them more buying power, which in turn will improve financial stability, stimulate local economies, and honor the value of their hard work,” he continued.

Virginia workers who earn tips would be able to claim a deduction on their state tax return if the income is included in their federal adjusted gross income, the release said.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin speaks at the Road to Majority Faith and Freedom Conference in Washington, D.C., on June 22. (Andrew Leyden/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“This is way to keep more money in their pocket as opposed to giving it to a government. We’re already running surpluses and therefore, no taxes on tips is going to become the manta in Virginia,” Youngkin said Monday during an appearance on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom.”

The governor’s proposal echoes President-elect Trump’s call during his campaign to end taxes on tips. Vice President Harris also expressed support for eliminating taxes on tips during her presidential campaign.

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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin speaks during the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Policy Conference at the Washington Hilton on June 22, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

The proposal comes ahead of the start of Virginia’s legislative session next month. It would require approval from the commonwealth’s General Assembly, and it is unclear if Democrats, who control both chambers, would support Youngkin’s proposal.

Next year, Virginia’s gubernatorial race will be held, where Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, a Republican, is expected to face off against U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat.

A Tennessee state lawmaker introduced a bill to require law enforcement to send illegal migrants accused of minor crimes to sanctuary cities rather than deporting them to another country.

State Rep. Todd Warner, a Republican, filed the bill, the Tennessee Illegal Immigration Act, ahead of the legislative session. The proposal would also ensure that all law enforcement agencies report illegal migrants to federal immigration authorities.

Warner told Fox 17 that sending migrants to a sanctuary city could cost the state less than deporting them to their home countries, even if the federal government would eventually take on the deportation costs.

“It seeks to make Tennessee safer. It seeks to make the federal government, you know hold their feet to the fire and enforce immigration law and it seeks the state to recoup some costs back out of it,” he said.

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Under the bill, if ICE fails to show up in 48 hours to pick up an illegal migrant who is detained, law enforcement would help send them to a sanctuary city. Warner said the arresting agency would be responsible for relocating the detained migrants.

Warner said this would be paid for by withholding money Tennessee generates for the federal government through the gas tax.

The lawmaker said he plans to add an amendment clarifying that the bill would only apply to illegal migrants charged with a minor offense. Violent criminals would still be subject to deportation.

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Under the Tennessee Illegal Immigration Act, if ICE fails to show up in 48 hours to pick up an illegal migrant who is detained, law enforcement would help send them to a sanctuary city. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

“This is for victimless crimes. This is not for someone that has committed a terrible crime,” Warner told Fox 17.

Hannah Smalley, the Advocacy and Education Manager at Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors, argues that the proposal would unnecessarily separate migrant families.

“The mere act of being transported away from your family is damaging,” she told Fox 17. “This means that people, including people who have not been charged with crimes, are going to be facing these really punitive consequences just on the basis of their immigration status.”

Drone view of the Tennessee State Capitol.  ((Photo by: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images))

“When U.S. citizens commit crimes and we pay a fine or we go to jail,” she added. “Immigrants are also doing that. So to then make this about someone’s immigration status, which is totally separate from any kind of crime that they would have committed, is not productive to our community as a whole.”

Warner said he still has to tweak the bill, but he is hoping it will receive bipartisan support in the legislature.

A Florida man who went missing after rough waters knocked him off his jet ski over the weekend is back on solid ground after a dramatic rescue.

Joseph Baricklow, 53, was reported missing after witnesses found his jet ski abandoned in the waters off the St. Lucie Inlet on Sunday, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.

The agency said it deployed deputies working the 100-Shift, along with its Aviation Unit, Community Policing Unit and Marine Units to search for Baricklow.

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“Fortunately, MSCO located him clinging to the rocks off the north jetty of the St. Lucie Inlet,” the sheriff’s office said on Facebook.

The waters were rough, so the U.S. Coast Guard was called in to assist with the rescue.

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office teamed up with the Coast Guard to rescue missing jet skier Joseph Baricklow. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office / Screenshot)

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USCG Aviation Survival Technicians were able to maneuver over the rocks Baricklow was clinging to and hoisted him to safety in their helicopter.

The USCG was able to hover over the rocks and hoist Joseph Baricklow to safety. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office / Screenshot)

Baricklow was brought to the shore and taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

“This is truly an example of incredible lifesaving teamwork by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office and our federal partners at the United States Coast Guard,” the sheriff’s office said.