Youngkin (R), hours before a midnight deadline and without a provision for his top priority, the construction of a publicly funded arena for the Washington Wizards and Capitals in Alexandria, led by leading Democratic lawmakers to cut the state budget. Two days after agreeing to the compromise, they announced vetoes and amendments to 12 other bills.
The vetoes included bills related to firearms, book bans, marijuana, voter rolls, surrogacy, railroad safety, and cybersecurity. According to a statement from his office, Yonkin will “block the passage of legislation that would duplicate existing law, reverse our nation's progress in protecting election data, and impose excessive federal regulations.” vetoed the bill.
The General Assembly has the right of veto and the opportunity to override proposed amendments if: It will reconvene for a veto session on April 17th.
Democratic Party They say Yongkin is preparing to take revenge on many charges After budget negotiators agree This week, to the state spending plan with the arena language removed. In fact, Yonkin expressed disappointment at Friday's news conference that arenas were not included and hinted that he was unwilling to compromise on the bill, saying, “I think this is a really meaningful setback.”
But Democrats stopped short of blaming his actions on this first batch of bills for the hurdles they threw up in the arena.Youngkin's project could be revived when lawmakers reconvene Next month or in a special session.
Instead, both parties blamed his actions on Richmond's new power dynamics. Democrats took control of both chambers in January, halfway through Yonkin's four-year term, after flipping the House and holding the Senate in November elections. With House Republicans no longer able to block them, Democrats have the wherewithal to push most of their priorities onto his desk.
This has prompted Yonkin to pull out his veto pen and take a stand on some thorny issues that he has so far managed to avoid while trying to court both MAGA Republicans and suburban moderates. I have no choice but to do so.
“The governor has a very conservative political ideology, but he hasn't had many opportunities to express it. We're about to find out just how conservative he really is,” Scott A.・Senate Majority Leader Surovell (Democrat, Fairfax) said. He said.
House Democrats issued a blistering statement Wednesday linking Yonkin's actions to support for Donald Trump, a day after the former president easily won Virginia's Republican presidential primary.
“For the second time this week, the commonwealth's Republican governor has shown allegiance to power-hungry MAGA extremists,” it read. “The governor’s choice to veto these important bills and introduce overzealous amendments will put guns in the hands of domestic abusers and limit access to reproductive health care. It threatens our democracy and our right to vote.”
Youngkin struck an upbeat tone in stark contrast in a statement included in the list of bills that have been signed, vetoed and amended.
“Today, I am pleased to sign more than 60 bills with bipartisan support that demonstrate clearly what can be accomplished when we put politics aside and work together for the good of Virginians.” said. “While these bills cover a wide range of areas, they demonstrate my continued commitment to lowering the cost of living for Virginians, streamlining regulations, supporting our veterans, ensuring safe communities, and improving government efficiency.” I am.”
He expressed hope that lawmakers would “seriously consider” his amendments, without mentioning his vetoes, which were explained separately in statements attached to each bill.
64 bills signed by Yonkin The laws were largely uncontroversial, with the exception of a House bill that would prohibit public officials who issue marriage licenses from denying licenses to same-sex or interracial couples. It passed over the objections of nearly every Republican in the House and Senate. But given that same-sex marriage has been legalized in Virginia and other parts of the country since the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 decision legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, Democrats are unlikely to want Youngkin's signature. I don't rate it very much.
“This bill basically requires circuit court clerks to follow the Constitution, so I'm glad that he believes in the rule of law despite his recent support for Trump.” he said.
Still, Yonkin's support, which has deflected questions about same-sex marriage, is noteworthy. He argued, albeit inaccurately, that Virginia law would protect the right to same-sex marriage if the Supreme Court reversed on the issue. In fact, if reversed, these marriages would be prohibited under the state constitution.
Regarding firearms, another thorny subject, Youngkin would amend a House bill aimed at reducing the risk of school shootings and require school boards to be responsible for safely storing firearms in the home. Parents are required to be notified annually. Jonkin's amendment includes a “repeat clause,” which would require the bill to be passed again next year. He also directs state education authorities to develop a comprehensive list of parental rights and responsibilities and devise the best way to distribute it to parents.
Yonkin had just seven days to take action on the 84 bills, based on a timeline based on when the bills passed both chambers.He has about 1,000 more invoices that he needs to respond to within 30 days. It moved toward the session's home line, including the budget and other remaining bills expected to be passed in the final hours Saturday.
Among the bills Youngkin vetoed: Friday:
- Identical bills in the House and Senate would state that a person under 21 years of age or someone living in his or her household cannot transfer a firearm if the person is forced to surrender the firearm under an order of protection. In addition, the person must report the name of the person in possession of the firearm to the local court clerk. Both bills passed their respective chambers on largely partisan votes.
- A Senate bill that would require Virginia to rejoin the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a multi-state program for sharing voter registration data. Virginia was a founding member of the organization, which aims to help states maintain accurate voter registration rolls. Founded in 2012, ERIC at one time included 33 states and was widely praised as an effective way to ensure voter integrity. But last year, several Republican-led states withdrew from the group, citing cybersecurity concerns. Yonkin's administration followed suit, over the objections of Democrats who argued that ERIC set standards to protect voter rolls. Virginia soon entered into agreements with several other states to share voter data outside of ERIC.Yonkin No action has yet been taken on an identical House bill.
- A House bill that would eliminate the prohibition on payments for the services of surrogacy brokers (people or companies who arrange for someone to act as a surrogate parent). The ban is intended to prevent women from being forced to bear babies for others, but supporters of lifting the ban say it discourages people seeking surrogacy for fear of prosecution. He claimed to be able to do so. The bill passed both houses of Congress on a party-line vote with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed.
- The Senate bill, a law passed two years ago that requires schools to notify parents of sexually explicit books, could be used to justify banning any books. It clearly states that it should not be done. The original bill that Youngkin signed into law included a statutory clause warning that it should not be used to justify banning books, but the language is not consistent with the actual law. was not part of. Since then, several school systems have cited the law as a basis for considering banning the books. The anti-prohibition bill passed both chambers on largely party-line votes, with a small number of House Republicans joining all Democrats in supporting the bill. Yonkin has not yet acted on a similar House bill.
- House rules that an adult cannot be deemed to have abused a child and be stripped of custody from a parent or guardian simply because he or she has been convicted of possessing or consuming marijuana, a legal substance under Virginia law. bill. The bill passed the House on a largely party-line vote and passed in the Senate with just one non-vote. Mr. Yonkin is not acting on the same Senate bill.
- House bill considers whether to create a private cybersecurity force to help state and local governments respond to cybersecurity incidents. The bill passed the House by a large bipartisan margin and passed unanimously in the Senate. In his veto statement, Youngkin said the plan could conflict with “the Virginia National Guard's established cybersecurity team.”
- The Senate bill would require freight trains to carry at least two qualified crew members when traveling within the state. Youngkin wrote that the bill, which passed both chambers by narrow margins, could hinder “technology and innovation,” such as the development of “self-driving rail service.”
This story is in development and will be updated.
