Governor’s vetoes likely to stand, when lawmakers return to Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. (WDBJ) - State lawmakers will return to Richmond a week from Wednesday to act on Governor Youngkin’s vetoes.

So, what are the chances they will vote to override?

Of the bills Governor Youngkin vetoed, all had bipartisan support, but that doesn’t mean the General Assembly is likely to reverse the Governor’s decisions.

Youngkin signed more than 700 bills, offered amendments to more than 100 and vetoed 26.

“My goal as Governor is to make Virginia the best place to live, work, and raise a family,” Youngkin said in a written statement April 11. “And the bills I vetoed today reaffirm that commitment.”

Democrats, who complained that many of the Governor’s vetoes were politically motivated, are encouraging lawmakers to affirm legislation that had broad bipartisan support.

“Six of the ten House bills that were vetoed actually had the support of over two-thirds of the House of Delegates,” said Del. Eileen Filler-Corn (D-Fairfax). “And in fact, two of them, two of those bills passed unanimously.”

But one of the lawmakers who introduced legislation the governor vetoed, Del. Cia Price (D-Newport News), said she’s not optimistic Republicans will go against the Governor.

“I’m not hopeful,” Price said during a news conference Thursday, “because this entire session we’ve seen the Republican House and the Republican Senators line up behind the governor, even when they were disagreeing with him behind closed doors.”

Republicans defended the governor’s actions and dismissed the Democrats’ complaints.

“It’s absurd,” said Del. Chris Head (R-Botetourt Co.), “because this governor is not doing anything that literally every previous governor has done... We certainly saw the same methodology from the previous two Democratic governors.”

And with a super-majority required in both chambers, Virginia Tech Professor and WDBJ7 Political Analyst Bob Denton said he would also be surprised if lawmakers override any of the governor’s vetoes.

“I certainly don’t think especially in the Senate there will be a two-thirds majority that will override his veto,” Denton said this week. “I just don’t think the votes are there.”

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