Youngkin's latest vetoes include birth control access and Confederacy group tax breaks bills
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Photo Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Gov. Youngkin made his final round of vetoes Friday night.
Why it matters: It killed more Democratic priorities, fizzling out the bipartisan spirit briefly created over the new budget last week.
The big picture: The 48 vetoes largely happened because the General Assembly didn't take up Youngkin's proposed amendments to the bills.
- This included legislation on the right to contraception, which prompted the Biden-Harris campaign to respond in a statement on Saturday saying, "Youngkin is once again following Trump's lead."
- His veto count this session is up to 201, higher than any modern Virginia governor.
Between the lines: Youngkin also passed seven bills, including one requiring the Board of Education to develop guidelines for notifying parents of school-connected overdoses and another allowing localities to lower speed limits to below 25 mph.
A look at the vetoes, with Youngkin's reasoning found here:
Birth control
Youngkin said no to joint bills guaranteeing the right to contraception in Virginia in the event federal law protecting it is overturned.
Confederate heritage tax exemptions
These bills would have removed tax breaks for the Richmond-based United Daughters of the Confederacy, which were added to the state code in the 1950s.
Confederate license plates
This narrowly passed bill would have revoked the selling of license plates commemorating Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
ELL learners
These joint bills would have established an at-risk program to financially support and staff programs for English Language Learner students and decrease the teacher-student ratios.
Firearms
These bills would have required school boards to annually notify parents about safely storing firearms in their homes. They were aimed at reducing school shootings like the one in Newport News.
Removing "aliens" from state code
This bill would have replaced the word "alien" in state code when referencing lawful permanent residents or people not lawfully present in the U.S.
Skill games
This bill, which Youngkin proposed a rewrite of with stricter regulations, would have legalized the slots-like gaming machines in convenience stores statewide.
Yes, but: Both Youngkin and lawmakers have signaled a willingness to reconvene for a skill games do-over.
Teacher salaries
Legislation to guarantee Virginia teacher salaries are brought up to the national average by requiring the governor's 2025-2027 budgets to include funding for it.
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