RICHMOND, Va. (CN) — Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin added to his record number of vetoes on Friday with just hours to spare.
Youngkin had until 11:59 p.m. Friday to act on the remaining bills, or they would automatically become law. The vetoes come after the Republican governor and Democratic-controlled legislature passed the state budget Monday after a tumultuous several months of negotiations.
Of the hundreds of pieces of legislation to act on after the General Assembly adjourned in March, Youngkin sent back 115 bills in April for the General Assembly to address in its reconvene session. Many patrons accepted the governor’s request, but lawmakers rejected dozens of vetoes. Today, Youngkin vetoed 49 of the bills while signing six.
“While I look forward to working with the General Assembly to see if we can reach agreements on language in the future, today I must act on the language before me, and there are several bills which are not ready to become law,” Youngkin said in a statement.
One of the six signed bills will help combat the teacher shortage by allowing schools to hire non-licensed teachers with one-year nonrenewable local eligibility licenses.
Notable vetoes include Democrat-led legislation aimed at eliminating tax exemptions for the Daughters of the Confederacy, banning ghost guns and creating a right to contraception.
A measure introduced by State Senator Ghazala Hashmi and Delegate Marcia “Cia” Price would have codified the right to use contraception in Virginia. The bill also includes language giving healthcare providers the right to provide contraceptives and contraception-related information.
“To every Virginian paying attention, to the media preparing to cover this story, and most importantly, to everyone who relies on contraception for family planning and other critical health care needs: do not believe any more of this right-wing governor’s doublespeak as he continues to play both sides,” Hashmi and Price said in a joint statement.
“Let me be crystal clear: I support access to contraception,” Youngkin said. “However, we cannot trample on the religious freedoms of Virginians.”
Another bill would have eliminated the Virginia Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy’s exemption from state recordation taxes and the tax-exempt designation for property owned by the women’s group, the Confederate Memorial Literary Society and the Stonewall Jackson Memorial.
“This bill does not attempt to challenge the UDC’s right to exist,” bill patron Delegate Alex Askew said in a committee hearing. “It’s about fairness and the financial priorities of the Commonwealth.”
Jahd Khalil of Virginia Public Media reported that the organization’s Richmond headquarters is valued at $4,436,000. If women’s group — which played a large part in the construction of over 800 Confederate monuments — paid local property tax, their potential tax bill would be $53,232 annually.
“The financial subsidies provided to this organization, particularly those with historical ties to the KKK like the Daughters of the Confederacy, raise the question about the values and priorities embedded in our tax policies,” Askew said. “It prompts reflection on why certain groups receive tax breaks despite their association with a divisive past.”
Askew drew attention to the fact that while organizations like the Daughters of the Confederacy enjoy tax breaks, similar organizations like the Daughters of the American Revolution do not, raising questions about the fairness of the current tax system.
Youngkin argues that the women’s group shouldn’t be singled out for tax policies, which he said needs reforming.
“A more effective approach to reform would involve broad-based measures, allowing local governments autonomy in determining tax exemptions and considering the locality’s tax base and deed transfers,” Youngkin said. “Narrowly targeting specific organizations to gain or lose such tax exemptions sets an inappropriate precedent.”
Delegate Marcus Simon, a Democrat, introduced legislation that would have banned ghost guns — untraceable, privately assembled weapons usually constructed with 3D printers or kits.
“It’s not to say you can’t make guns if that’s your jam,” Simon said at a committee hearing. “But if you do, you got to get them serialized, and you got to put them in the system.”
In a sweeping action, Youngkin vetoed 30 gun control bills in March, including one that would have banned assault weapons. The Speaker of the House, Democrat Don Scott, ruled Youngkin’s recommendation not germane or relevant to Simon’s bill.
Youngkin proposed establishing a knowledge standard for manufacturing, importing, selling, transferring or possessing any plastic firearm and introduced mandatory minimum sentences for the subsequent use of a gun in the commission of a felony.
“What it actually does is it creates a new code section, inserts plastic firearms and creates some new mandatory minimums,” Simon said on the House floor. “So, Mr. Speaker, this really has nothing to do with the underlying bill.”
The state Senate passed their version of the ghost gun bill with Youngkin’s recommendation.
“This proposal would create confusing changes that could affect not only gun owners but also others who have industrial parts such as aluminum, which, if sold to the public to become a frame or receiver once completed, must be serialized under this bill,” Youngkin said.
Other vetoes include a bill that would have made it a class 1 misdemeanor for any person to knowingly possess a firearm in hospitals that provide mental health services or developmental services.
“DISGRACEFUL!” State Senator Angelia Williams Graves said of the veto on X, formerly Twitter. “It may take two more years but he will be gone and we will still be here to bring it back!”