Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed two prime Democratic legislative priorities on Thursday: payments that will have allowed the leisure retail gross sales of marijuana to start subsequent 12 months and measures mandating a minimal wage enhance.
The event didn’t come as a shock. Whereas Youngkin had not explicitly threatened to veto both set of payments, he informed reporters he didn’t assume the minimal wage invoice was wanted and had repeatedly stated he was bored with establishing retail marijuana gross sales.
In 2021, Virginia turned the primary Southern state to legalize marijuana, adopting a coverage change that allowed adults age 21 and as much as possess and domesticate the drug. However the state didn’t arrange retail gross sales on the time and nonetheless hasn’t, resulting from shifts in partisan energy and coverage variations since then.
Advocates say the disconnect is permitting the illicit market to flourish, whereas opponents have security well being and security issues with additional increasing entry to the drug. In a press release, Youngkin stated he shared these worries.
“States following this path have seen antagonistic results on kids’s and adolescent’s well being and security, elevated gang exercise and violent crime, vital deterioration in psychological well being, decreased street security, and vital prices related to retail marijuana that far exceed tax income. It additionally doesn’t remove the unlawful black-market sale of hashish, nor assure product security,” he stated in a veto assertion hooked up to the payments.
At the moment in Virginia, house cultivation and grownup sharing of the drug are authorized. And sufferers who obtain a written certification from a well being care supplier should purchase medical hashish from a dispensary.
Underneath the payments, the state would have began taking functions on Sept. 1 for cultivating, testing, processing and promoting the drug in preparation for the market to open Could 1, 2025, with merchandise taxed at a price of as much as 11.625%.
The laws was supported by a variety of business pursuits and opposed by spiritual and socially conservative teams.
Virginia first took on legalization at a time when Democrats have been in full management of state authorities. Elections later that 12 months modified that, with Youngkin successful and Republicans taking management of the Home of Delegates for 2 years, although Democrats are actually again in full management of the statehouse.
Whereas there was some Republican legislative assist for the reason that 2021 session for establishing authorized leisure gross sales, payments to take action have failed in 2022 and 2023.
As for the wage laws, which might have elevated the present $12-per-hour minimal wage to $13.50 on Jan. 1, 2025, after which to $15 on Jan. 1, 2026, Youngkin stated the payments would “imperil market freedom and financial competitiveness.”
The payments would “implement drastic wage mandates, elevate prices on households and small companies, jeopardize jobs, and fail to acknowledge regional financial variations throughout Virginia,” he stated in a information launch.
Virginia Democrats started an effort to extend the minimal wage in 2020. They handed laws that 12 months — which took impact with a delay as a result of coronavirus pandemic — establishing incremental will increase as much as $12, with additional bumps requiring one other Meeting vote.
They and different advocates have argued the laws would assist working households afford fundamental requirements and sustain with inflation.
Youngkin took motion on a complete of 107 payments Thursday, based on his workplace. He signed 100, together with measures that his workplace stated would “strengthen regulation enforcement’s means to prosecute little one predators and broaden Division of Corrections inmate entry to high quality well being providers.”
Apart from the marijuana and wage payments, he vetoed three others. One would have eliminated an exemption for farmworkers from the state’s minimal wage regulation.
One other would have required that roughly 315 people incarcerated or on group supervision with a felony marijuana conviction obtain a sentencing evaluate, based on Youngkin’s workplace.
“Ninety-seven inmates convicted of a violent felony offense, similar to first and second-degree homicide, kidnapping, and theft, could be eligible for a lowered sentence below this proposal,” he stated in his veto assertion.
Thursday’s ultimate veto got here for a invoice that handled the kind of proof that may be thought of in sure employees’ compensation claims. The governor stated present regulation offers a “balanced strategy” whereas the proposal would “create a disproportionate imbalance in favor of 1 social gathering.”
The part-time Basic Meeting adjourned its common session earlier this month and can meet once more in Richmond for a one-day session April 17 to contemplate Youngkin’s proposed amendments to laws. They may additionally try and override a number of vetoes, a transfer that requires a 2/3 vote of each chambers, that are solely narrowly managed by Democrats.
The marijuana laws superior principally alongside social gathering traces, and the minimal wage payments handed strictly on social gathering traces, which means any override try could be nearly sure to fail.
Youngkin introduced the vetoes a day after the general public collapse of one in all his prime legislative priorities: a deal to carry the NHL’s Washington Capitals and NBA’s Washington Wizards to Alexandria. The groups’ majority proprietor introduced they might as an alternative be staying in D.C.
