Democrat Abigail Spanberger is the first woman to be elected as Virginia’s governor. Her inauguration ceremony was held on Jan. 17, and since then, numerous efforts have been made for the state.

Governor Spanberger has issued 12 executive orders so far, the first issue being passed on her induction day. This executive order outlines plans to reduce the cost of essentials for Virginians, such as housing, groceries, and prescriptions. In the following two executive orders, steps were taken to implement this cost-reducing agenda by her secretaries and executive branch agencies.

“…As we write this next chapter, we will work relentlessly to make life more affordable for our fellow Virginians,” Governor Spanberger said in her inauguration speech.

Along with these executive orders, Spanberger has also passed numerous tax proposals that could impact how Virginians budget; adjusted tax brackets, delivery taxes on services like Amazon, UPS, and FedEx, and taxes on repairs to houses and cars were included in this list. Virginians speculate about these tax proposals because affordability was an essential to Spanberger’s campaign.

“I feel like the tax proposals are going to make the cost of living in Virginia raise too high,” sophomore Louisa Young Democrat member Jameson Ryder said. “With things like car and home expenses increasing, it would make things too expensive.”

Aside from economics, in January, Spanberger appointed 10 new members to the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors vacant roles, who are in charge of confirming plans for the budget, policies, and upholding traditions, like the Honor System for the university. Overall, Spanberger’s first three months in office have involved various transitions for Virginians as she carried out her policies, and more are to come.

“The new board is focused on affordability and accessibility,” junior Hurley Lucckese said via email. “Spanberger did what she could to help protect the integrity and prestige of the UVA Board of Visitors.”