See below for Youngkin’s statements as to why he vetoed a bunch of bills that: a) were overwhelmingly non-controversial; b) that only made it to his desk because they passed the *Republican-controlled* House of Delegates; c) that mostly passed with large bipartisan support, even overwhelmingly or unanimously (overall, these bills passed the House and Senate by a massive 83%-17% margin). Youngkin’s pathetic excuses for why he vetoed these bills – all by Democrats, by the way, not that Youngkin’s being vindictive or anything, lol – are pretty much a bunch of bulls***.
TO: SENATE OF VIRGINIA
SENATE BILL NO. 722
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto Senate Bill 722, which allows localities in Planning District 8 to prohibit the parking of any motor vehicle on a curb or with its wheels straddling a curb
This bill would allow localities to issue a fine and instruct police officers to tow vehicles if they are parked on or partially on a curb. It is unclear that this bill would be effective in combating these nuisances, as the connection between fines and towing for parking on a curb is dubious.
Moreover, issuing a ticket and towing a vehicle because a driver parked on or partially on a curb is a steep penalty for an infraction that has no bearing on traffic safety or the ability of first responders to access public roadways or properties. The result would be needless fines and towing charges levied on drivers in Northern Virginia without any public safety or transportation benefit.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
TO: SENATE OF VIRGINIA
SENATE BILL NO. 706
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto Senate Bill 706, which prohibits semi-trailer trucks from using cruise control and compression release brakes during snow, sleet, or freezing rain.
Specifically, this bill is intended to prevent a traffic crisis such as the one that occurred on Interstate 95 on January 3, 2022 where semi-trailer trucks were immobilized by icy conditions, which prevented first responders from rescuing stranded motorists. However, the provisions of this bill would not prevent a similar incident from occurring. According to a report sponsored by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, the Virginia Department of Transportation, and the Virginia State Police, neither cruise control nor compression release brakes were found to have contributed to the traffic crisis.
Additionally, this bill excludes enforcement mechanisms to support its provisions, except for a secondary offense only provable by after-incident data. Consequently, this bill would impose burdens on Virginia’s trucking industry, as well as interstate transportation, without any demonstrable public safety or transportation benefit. More broadly, the Code of Virginia should not be littered with traffic provisions that law enforcement is not authorized to enforce.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
TO: SENATE OF VIRGINIA
SENATE BILL NO. 655
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto Senate Bill 655, related to electronic submission of information to the Virginia Employment Commission and requiring the Commission to develop a plan for a pilot program.
I have recommended amendments to House Bill 270 and Senate Bill 219 that accomplish the same purpose of this bill.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
TO: SENATE OF VIRGINIA
SENATE BILL NO. 464
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto Senate Bill 464. This bill requires prosecutors to file copies of all witness summonses with the clerk of the circuit court and to provide defendants or defense counsel with copies of the summonses.
First, the overwhelming majority of witness subpoenas issued in criminal cases in the circuit courts are already publicly filed with the clerk of the local circuit court by the local Sheriff’s Office or other law-enforcement personnel who serve civil process. Rule 3A:12(c) of the Rules of the Supreme Court of Virginia requires any law-enforcement officer who executes a subpoena to “make return thereof to the court named in the subpoena.” Because witness subpoenas necessarily contain the witness’s name and address, Rule 3A:12(c) functionally mandates the public filing of the witness’s address, as well as the time and date on which the witness was served.
Second, Virginia defense attorneys can already obtain witness names and addresses from the Commonwealth’s Attorney by requesting discovery under existing Rule 3A:11, which obligates the Commonwealth’s Attorney to “[p]rovide to the accused a list of the names and, if known, the addresses of all persons who are expected to testify on behalf of the Commonwealth at trial or sentencing.” Rule 3A:11(c)(1)(a) enables Commonwealth’s Attorneys to protect fearful victims, witnesses, and their family members by redacting their workplace, email, phone number, and residential address from discovery. Obtaining witness addresses is simple. The defense attorney can request discovery from prosecutors, obtain local electronic access to court files, or otherwise go to the courthouse to examine subpoena returns in the clerk’s office.
At its heart, this bill seeks to increase prosecutors’ mandatory duties and subject criminal penalties on prosecutors for failure to comply. The effect of this bill will be to create an additional, and arguably frivolous, mechanism for criminal defense attorneys to prevent critical prosecution witnesses from testifying and enable defense attorneys to cast false doubt on prosecutors’ adherence to legitimate due process protections already established in Virginia law.
The underlying bill is unnecessary and duplicative of other provisions of law and court rules.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
TO: SENATE OF VIRGINIA
SENATE BILL NO. 422
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto Senate Bill 422, which prohibits small group and individual health insurance carriers from including a surcharge on the insurance premiums of tobacco users.
Smoking and tobacco use are among the leading causes of chronic health problems that result in higher healthcare costs. This legislation would force insurance companies to recover costs associated with tobacco users by raising premiums on non-tobacco users. The ability to reduce premiums by quitting smoking is also a valuable incentive to encourage healthier habits.
Requiring non-tobacco users to cover the increased healthcare costs associated with tobacco use is not a policy I can support.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
TO: SENATE OF VIRGINIA
SENATE BILL NO. 389
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto Senate Bill 389, which repeals the provision of the Code of Virginia requiring an adult child to assist in providing support and maintenance of his or her parents.
Primarily, the Commonwealth’s filial responsibility law supports those who care for their elderly parents. In establishing a bankruptcy budget, the court allows for necessary and reasonable expenditures and the repeal of § 20-88 could prevent an individual from covering these expenses within the budget of their debtor.
For those undergoing bankruptcy proceedings, there is a grave risk of unforeseeable and unintended consequences, which may harm people going through some of the most difficult times in their lives.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
TO: SENATE OF VIRGINIA
SENATE BILL NO. 347
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto Senate Bill 347, which directs the State Corporation Commission (SCC) to establish certain Phase II Utilities energy efficiency savings programs as in the public interest.
Although this legislation has the commendable goal of promoting energy efficiency, the requirements included in this legislation could, through an arbitrary declaration of the public interest, increase energy costs on Virginians. As a result, the Commonwealth’s energy policy moves further away from a cost-effective, all-of-the-above strategy with strong regulatory oversight administered by the SCC.
Energy policy should be established by the General Assembly but not at the expense of consumer protection and strong regulatory oversight through the constitutionally-established SCC. Public interest declarations unnecessarily restrict the constitutional authority of the SCC and should be used rarely, if ever.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
TO: SENATE OF VIRGINIA
SENATE BILL NO. 311
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto Senate Bill 311, which relates to disclosure of ownership and lis pendens in real property,
During the 2022 Session, the General Assembly passed House Bill 281. Given my signature to the companion legislation, this bill is no longer necessary.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
TO: SENATE OF VIRGINIA
SENATE BILL NO. 297
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto Senate Bill 297 which provides that any health care provider that undertakes any debt collection activities prior to an award from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund is issued or determined to be noncompensable has committed a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.
This legislation creates unintended consequences that could harm small healthcare providers by creating additional legal liability. The bill could also result in higher health care costs for Virginians.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
TO: SENATE OF VIRGINIA
SENATE BILL NO. 288
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto Senate Bill 288, which relates to deductions on Virginia taxable income for corporations.
During the 2022 Session, the General Assembly passed House Bill 1006. Given my signature to the companion legislation, this bill is no longer necessary.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
SENATE BILL NO. 286
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto Senate Bill 286, which adds a survey of the property to the list of materials that a purchaser of the property can review as part of exercising whatever due diligence the particular purchaser deems necessary with respect to a historic district designated by a locality.
This legislation adds unnecessary language into the Code where clear protections are already in place to notify potential home buyers of further requirements when making changes to historic homes.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
SENATE BILL NO. 280
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto Senate Bill 280, which requires certain utilities to provide local reliability data to a locality upon request.
During the 2022 Session, the General Assembly passed House Bill 414. Given my signature to the companion legislation, this bill is no longer necessary.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
SENATE BILL NO. 278
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto Senate Bill 278, which establishes a $50 fine for a vehicle not capable of receiving an electric charge that has parked in a space reserved for charging electric vehicles.
I have recommended amendments to House Bill 450 that accomplish the same purpose of this
bill.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
TO: SENATE OF VIRGINIA
SENATE BILL NO. 271
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto Senate Bill 271, which prohibits discrimination based on status as a living organ donor.
During the 2022 Session, the General Assembly passed House Bill 421. Given my signature to the companion legislation, this bill is no longer necessary.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
TO: SENATE OF VIRGINIA
SENATE BILL NO. 250
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto Senate Bill 250, which increases the annual fees for nonhazardous solid waste management facilities and indexes the fees annually based on the change in the Consumer Price Index.
While this legislation has the important goal of providing funding for the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) nonhazardous solid waste management program, it increases the cost of doing business in Virginia with pass-through costs to consumers. The bill was necessitated after prior administrations borrowed money from other DEQ funds over an eight year period to pay for management of the nonhazardous solid waste management program.
Additionally, this legislation indexes fees annually based on the change to the Consumer Price Index, which increased 7.5 percent from January 2021 to January 2022, the largest 12-month increase since the period ending February 1982.
The burden of increased costs this would place on Virginians is too great, especially given the record budget surpluses of the Commonwealth and the accelerated inflation that everyday Virginians are experiencing. And I will not raise fees simply to erase eight years of mismanagement by prior administrations.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
HOUSE BILL NO. 1298
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto House Bill 1298 which prohibits high school student-athletes from entering into contracts to receive compensation in relation to such student’s athletic participation in exchange for the use of such student’s name, image, or likeness.
While I strongly believe in the value of amateur sports, we must recognize the rapidly changing landscape of amateur athletics and online economies.
The claim that this bill is necessary to protect minors from predatory contracts ignores that minors in Virginia are generally prohibited from entering into contracts without parental consent. Virginia High School League policy also restricts paid endorsement deals.
Further, this bill is a premature prohibition that fails to recognize the continually evolving marketplace for content creation and monetization and could have the unintended consequence of limiting young people from engaging in economic activity via social media unrelated to their athletic performance.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
HOUSE BILL NO. 1270
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto House Bill 1270 which directs the Department of Social Services to convene a work group to analyze and develop a proposal to request a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allow individuals in the custody of state or local correctional facilities in the Commonwealth to apply for Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits prior to release from custody.
This is an unnecessary work group without clear policy direction from the General Assembly.
The Department of Social Services previously prepared waiver requests to allow individuals in custody at state or local correctional facilities to apply for SNAP benefits prior to release in 2016 and 2021; in neither case was the waiver submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food
and Nutrition Service.
If the General Assembly would like the Department of Social Services to submit this waiver, it should pass legislation directing as such.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
HOUSE BILL NO. 1197
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto House Bill 1197, which directs the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security and the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to convene a stakeholder workgroup to determine the feasibility of transferring the Department of Juvenile Justice from the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security to the Secretary of Health and Human Resources.
Fundamentally, the Department of Juvenile Justice is a corrections agency. There have been numerous reports indicating that, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, juvenile violence and crime, especially in schools, is increasing. This increase has made schools less safe, and many parents have made it clear they no longer believe school is a safe place for their children.
We must work to make our schools safer, and the rehabilitative services offered by the Department of Juvenile Justice under the purview of the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security ensures young people who commit violent crimes are held accountable and given the resources and education they need to fully and permanently reenter society.
In the view of this administration, a study of the feasibility of moving this agency is unnecessary. If the General Assembly would like to move this agency, it should pass legislation directing as such.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
HOUSE BILL NO. 1004
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto House Bill 1004, which removes the Selective Service requirements for eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant and Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant Programs.
Selective Service eligibility remains an ongoing issue, with concerns about who should and should not be compelled to register. However, while these questions remain unanswered by Congress, it is premature for the Commonwealth to remove the requirement for Selective Service eligibility for tuition assistance.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
HOUSE BILL NO. 820
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto House Bill 820 which requires the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity to conduct regular disparity studies.
In 2020, the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity completed a disparity study which found that from 2014 to 2019 the Commonwealth had considerable disparities for women- and minority-owned businesses in contracts and procurement with institutions of higher education and state government.
Taxpayer dollars should not be used to highlight the failings of previous administrations. Instead, we must use our crucial resources to eliminate these disparities and to cultivate an environment that is conducive to higher wages, employment, and business ownership for minorities and women.
The Commonwealth is under new management and the time for action is now.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
HOUSE BILL NO. 802
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto House Bill 802, which gives enforcement powers to localities for the first time to enforce the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (VRLTA).
This legislation contains unnecessary and duplicative provisions, already established under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC), that provide effective powers to localities to enforce violations of the USBC.
It is also important to note that the existing USBC powers provide enforcement authority to localities to enforce the USBC against both the landlord and the tenant, whereas House Bill 802 proposes only to provide localities powers to enforce the VRLTA against the landlord. Under the USBC and the VRLTA, landlords and tenants both have responsibilities to maintain safe, decent, and sanitary housing.
It is neither clear why this language is necessary to enforce already existing provisions of state law, nor what the additional language contained in the legislation seeks to accomplish beyond what is already authorized in the USBC.
Landlords should be held accountable for unsafe and hazardous living conditions in which their tenants live. The existing regulations from the USBC, specifically Section 105.6 and the implementing regulations in 13VAC5-63-485, address the policy objective of the underlying legislation.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
HOUSE BILL NO. 675
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto House Bill 675, which prohibits small group and individual health insurance carriers from including a surcharge on the insurance premiums of tobacco users.
Smoking and tobacco use are among the leading causes of chronic health problems that result in higher healthcare costs. This legislation would force insurance companies to recover costs associated with tobacco users by raising premiums on non-tobacco users. The ability to reduce premiums by quitting smoking is also a valuable incentive to encourage healthier habits.
Requiring non-tobacco users to cover the increased healthcare costs associated with tobacco use is not a policy I can support.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
HOUSE BILL NO. 669
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto House Bill 669, which directs the Commissioner of Health to convene a work group to study whether swimming pools and other water recreational facilities for public use or in conjunction with a tourist facility or health spa should be regulated by the Department of Health.
Although this legislation has the commendable goal of promoting the health and safety surrounding pools in the Commonwealth, there is currently a working group focused on similar considerations. Coordinating existing work to maximize effectiveness would reduce duplicative work and make appropriate use of the taxpayers resources.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
HOUSE BILL NO. 573
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto House Bill 573, which provides that the statute of limitations for an action on any contract, written or unwritten, for health care services, including actions brought by the Commonwealth, is three years.
Additionally, the legislation establishes that the accrual date for actions on such a contract is 30 days after the later of (i) issuance of the initial invoice or the due date stated in such invoice to the patient or person legally responsible for payment or (ii) if the patient voluntarily enters into a payment plan with the provider, 30 days after the default date contained in such payment plan.
Medical debt significantly impacts many individuals in our Commonwealth, and I am committed to reducing this burden on Virginians. Unfortunately, this legislation would create unintended consequences and have significant implications on financial regulations in the Commonwealth by inadvertently capturing other forms of debt other than medical debt.
I commend the Patron on prioritizing this important issue and look forward to working on this to find solutions to ensure that defined statutes of limitations can clearly resolve medical debt owed directly to health care providers.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
HOUSE BILL NO. 573
Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto Senate Bill 393, which relates to data deletion requests under the Consumer Data Protection Act.
During the 2022 Session, the General Assembly passed House Bill 381. Given my signature to the companion legislation, this bill is no longer necessary.
Accordingly, I veto this bill.
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