RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia lawmakers reconvened in Richmond on Wednesday for their annual veto session to debate whether to accept or reject hundreds of vetoes and proposed changes made by Gov. Glenn Youngkin to legislation they passed in February.
On the budget front, the Democrat-controlled House accepted 41 of over 200 proposed changes. These amendments included funding for school construction and enhanced security for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits cards, which have recently been subject to theft. CBS 6's Tyler Layne has reported extensively on the issue of stolen benefits.
Watch: What is Virginia doing to protect families from SNAP benefit theft?
However, the House also effectively rejected more than 160 proposed changes, including measures that would tie state funding for localities to compliance with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and a reduction in new funding aimed at eliminating the cap on school support staff positions.
No budget vetoes were overridden during the session, including Youngkin's veto that removed a requirement for a referendum to build a Rosie's gaming establishment in Henrico.
While the majority of legislative vetoes were accepted, several drew attention and debate. Issues such as changes to voting laws, minimum wage increases, and gun control measures, including an assault weapons ban, sparked speeches from lawmakers.
“We must stand up. We must support our law enforcement, make our communities safer, and ban weapons of war from our streets," said Delegate Dan Helmer (D-Fairfax).
“The reason why we have the Second Amendment is because our founders recognized that free citizens must have the means to provide for their own security, and this infringes upon this,” said Delegate Nick Freitas (R-Culpeper).
Ultimately, no vetoes were overturned, as bipartisan support would have been necessary for such actions.
Regarding amendments, the House required only a simple majority to reject various changes to bills. These included regulations on automated license plate readers, the establishment of a right to contraception, and the removal of tax-exempt status for Confederate groups.
Youngkin now has 30 days to decide whether to veto amended bills that were rejected or accept them as they are, either with or without his signature.
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