Governor Glenn Youngkin on Friday acted on more than 80 bills approved by the Virginia General Assembly. In total, the governor signed 64 new bills into law, amended 12 and vetoed eight.
Youngkin called the 64 bills he signed into law “bipartisan” and “a clear demonstration of what can be achieved when we set politics aside and work together for Virginians” in a statement.
In a separate press release, Youngkin noted, “The General Assembly sent me more than a thousand bills plus backward budgets that need a lot of work. We’re going to have a busy 30 days going into the reconvene session.”
A press release from the governor’s office noted that Youngkin deemed the majority of bills vetoed were unnecessarily duplicitous, but Youngkin also axed SB 606 and HB 46.
The Senate bill would have compelled Virginia to rejoin the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) voting nonprofit, which is tied to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, while the House bill sought to regulate the individuals who could receive guns as the result of a Virginian losing his right to bear arms.
Virginia’s legislative session draws to a close without approval for the governor’s proposed Potomac Yards arena in Alexandria for the Washington Wizards and Commanders, which prompted Youngkin to deliver a frenetic press conference on Thursday.
“I believe that the Senate is about to make a colossal mistake,” said Youngkin on Thursday, later calling the arena proposal one of the best he has encountered, including during his 30-year career in business.
As Youngkin delivered his remarks, Senator L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) watched from above him, prompting the senator to participate in jeers on social media.
She used her power on the Senate Finance Committee to block that chamber’s version of a bill to fund the arena, then doubled down to block the version of the bill passed by the Virginia House of Delegates.
Lucas originally suggested she would support the arena proposal if Youngkin provided a strategy toll relief in Hampton Roads, and the governor reportedly offered more than three times the amount the senator requested in exchange for the arena.
🎵Even when I was close to defeat, I rose to my feet. 🎤 pic.twitter.com/D6wWjHruuZ
— L. Louise Lucas (@SenLouiseLucas) March 7, 2024
However, Lucas also predicted in a post to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that Virginia Democrats would end their cooperation with Youngkin and Virginia Republicans if the governor blocked her bill to increase the commonwealth’s minimum wage.
The bill, SB 1, would increase the minimum wage to $13.50 per hour in 2025, then again to $15 per hour in 2026. It narrowly passed along partisan lines.
When asked if the governor would sign the legislation, Youngkin’s office has repeatedly directed reporters to remarks the governor made suggesting the free market is adequately raising wages and the legislation is unnecessary.
SB 1 was not among the bills Youngkin approved, vetoed or amended on Friday.
While Youngkin could call a special legislative session for the purpose of passing a bill for the Potomac Yards arena, The Washington Post recently reported, “Youngkin is widely expected to resurrect the arena when the legislature returns April 17 to consider bills the governor has vetoed or amended.”
Among the legislation signed into law by Youngkin was a ban on legacy admissions at public colleges in the commonwealth. Legacy admissions have been targeted by a number of states in the wake of a Supreme Court decision that banned schools from providing preferential treatment to students during admissions based on their race.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Image “Gov. Glenn Youngkin” by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
