General Assembly upholds all of Youngkin’s vetoes

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The divided Virginia General Assembly slogged through scores of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s proposed amendments to legislation and effectively upheld all of his vetoes Wednesday.

Lawmakers met for this year’s one-day “reconvened” session, which also featured a dose of political drama as House Democrats voted for a leadership shakeup months after an unsuccessful election cycle that saw their party lose full control of the state government.

Democrats still narrowly control the state Senate, where lawmakers challenged many of the Republican governor’s 26 vetoes but failed to secure the two-thirds vote needed to override any of them. The GOP-controlled House upheld each veto, despite the fact that many of the measures had initially passed with broad, or in some cases unanimous, support.

Only one special session matter was taken up Wednesday. On a bipartisan vote, a Senate committee defeated legislation the governor requested that would roll back the gas tax, then gradually restore it after a three-month holiday. A House version of the measure is still alive but would almost certainly meet the same fate once sent to the Senate.

In brief remarks to reporters, Youngkin said he was disappointed.

“It’s Virginians’ money, not government’s money. … I’m really disappointed that the Democrats don’t see that,” he said.

Governor Youngkin released a statement on Wednesday’s General Assembly veto session.

“I’m pleased with the progress made in the general assembly today. An overwhelming majority of our recommendations were adopted in the assembly and all of the vetoes were sustained. Following engaging conversations with legislators, community leaders, and stakeholders throughout the legislative process our amendments were aimed to better serve Virginians. Key amendments on facial recognition, VEC omnibus reform, and charitable gaming reforms were among the many accepted. Now, the general assembly must reach a compromise on the budget to deliver much needed tax relief and investments in education, law enforcement, and behavioral health for Virginians. Thank you to the entire general assembly for their hard work.”