Vetoed by Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin's two top Democratic legislative priorities on Thursday: bills that would allow the entertainment retail sales of marijuana starting next year and steps that rule increase in the minimum wage.
The development does not come as a surprise. While Youngkin has not publicly threatened to veto any set of bills, he has told reporters he does not think a minimum wage is necessary and has repeatedly said he is not interested in setting up retail sale of marijuana.
In 2021, Virginia became the first state in the South to legalize marijuana, adopted a policy change that allows adults 21 and older to possess and cultivate the drug. But the state didn't set up retail at the time and still hasn't, due to shifts in partisan power and policy differences since then.
Proponents say the disconnect allows the illegal market to flourish, while opponents have health and safety concerns along with further expanding access to the drug. In a statement, Youngkin said he shared those concerns.
“States following this path have seen adverse effects on the health and safety of children and adolescents, increased gang activity and violent crime, significant deterioration in mental health, decreased safety on the road, and many costs associated with retail marijuana exceed tax revenues. It also does not eliminate the illegal sale of cannabis on the black market, nor does it guarantee the safety of the product,” he said in a statement to veto attached to bills.
Currently in Virginia, it is legal to grow at home and share the drug with adults. And patients who receive a written certification from a health care provider can buy medical cannabis from a dispensary.
Under the bills, the state would have begun taking applications on September 1 for cultivating, testing, processing and selling the drug in preparation for the market to open on May 1, 2025, with products that taxed at a rate of up to 11.625%.
The legislation was supported by various industry interests and opposed by religious and social conservative groups.
Virginia first took up legalization at a time when Democrats had full control of state government. Elections later that year changed that, with Youngkin winning and Republicans controlling the House of Delegates for two years, though Democrats now regained full control of the statehouse.
While there has been some Republican legislative support since the 2021 session for legalizing recreational sales, fees to do so THERE failed in 2022 and 2023.
Regarding the wage legislation, which would raise the current $12-an-hour minimum wage to $13.50 on Jan. 1, 2025, and then to $15 on Jan. 1, 2026, Youngkin said the bills “would erode freedom the market and the economy. competition.”
The bills “would impose excessive wage mandates, raise costs for families and small businesses, harm jobs, and fail to recognize regional economic disparities across Virginia,” he said. he said in a news release.
Virginia Democrats have begun an effort to increase the minimum wage by 2020. They law was passed that year — which effected the a delay due to the coronavirus pandemic – establishing further increases up to $12, with additional bursts requiring another vote in the Assembly.
They and other advocates argued that the law would help working families afford basic needs and keep up with inflation.
Youngkin acted on a total of 107 bills Thursday, according to his office. He signed 100, including measures that his office said would “strengthen the ability of law enforcement to pursue child predators and expand access to Department of Corrections inmates to quality services in health.”
Apart from the marijuana and wage bills, he vetoed the other three. One would have taken out an exemption for farm workers from the state's minimum wage law.
Another would require that approximately 315 individuals incarcerated or on community supervision with a marijuana conviction receive a sentence review, according to Youngkin's office.
“Ninety-seven inmates convicted of a violent felony offense, such as first and second-degree murder, kidnapping, and robbery, would be eligible for a reduced sentence under this proposal,” he said. in his veto statement.
The final veto on Thursday came for a bill dealing with the type of evidence that can be considered in certain workers' compensation claims. The governor said the current law provides a “balanced approach” while the proposal “creates a disproportionate imbalance in favor of one party.”
The part-time General Assembly adjourned its regular session earlier this month and will meet again in Richmond for a one-day session April 17 to consider Youngkin's proposed changes to the law. They can also try to override one or more vetoes, a move that requires a 2/3 vote in both chambers, which are narrowly controlled by Democrats.
Marijuana legislation progresses mostly along party lines, and minimum wage bills are passed along strictly party lines, meaning any attempt to override them is almost certain to fail.
Youngkin announced the vetoes a day later public breakdown on one of his top legislative priorities: a deal to bring the NHL's Washington Capitals and the NBA's Washington Wizards to Alexandria. Most of the team's owners have announced that they will stay in DC