Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed two prime Democratic legislative priorities on Thursday: payments that may have allowed the leisure retail gross sales of marijuana to start subsequent 12 months and measures mandating a minimal wage improve.
The event didn’t come as a shock. Whereas Youngkin had not explicitly threatened to veto both set of payments, he instructed reporters he didn’t assume the minimal wage invoice was wanted and had repeatedly mentioned he was bored with organising 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 considerations with additional increasing entry to the drug. In an announcement, Youngkin mentioned he shared these worries.
“States following this path have seen adversarial results on kids’s and adolescent’s well being and security, elevated gang exercise and violent crime, vital deterioration in psychological well being, decreased highway 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 mentioned in a veto assertion hooked up to the payments.
At the moment in Virginia, residence cultivation and grownup sharing of the drug are authorized. And sufferers who obtain a written certification from a well being care supplier should buy medical hashish from a dispensary.
Below 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 Might 1, 2025, with merchandise taxed at a fee of as much as 11.625%.
The laws was supported by a variety of trade pursuits and opposed by spiritual and socially conservative teams.
Virginia first took on legalization at a time when Democrats had been in full management of state authorities. Elections later that 12 months modified that, with Youngkin profitable 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 organising 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 mentioned the payments would “imperil market freedom and financial competitiveness.”
The payments would “implement drastic wage mandates, increase prices on households and small companies, jeopardize jobs, and fail to acknowledge regional financial variations throughout Virginia,” he mentioned 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 because of the 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, in response to his workplace. He signed 100, together with measures that his workplace mentioned would “strengthen regulation enforcement’s capability to prosecute baby predators and broaden Division of Corrections inmate entry to high quality well being providers.”
Moreover 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 neighborhood supervision with a felony marijuana conviction obtain a sentencing evaluation, in response to Youngkin’s workplace.
“Ninety-seven inmates convicted of a violent felony offense, resembling first and second-degree homicide, kidnapping, and theft, can be eligible for a lowered sentence beneath this proposal,” he mentioned in his veto assertion.
Thursday’s last veto got here for a invoice that handled the kind of proof that may be thought-about in sure staff’ compensation claims. The governor mentioned present regulation gives a “balanced method” whereas the proposal would “create a disproportionate imbalance in favor of 1 social gathering.”
The part-time Common 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 to 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 largely alongside social gathering traces, and the minimal wage payments handed strictly on social gathering traces, that means any override try can be virtually sure to fail.
Youngkin introduced the vetoes a day after the general public collapse of considered one of his prime legislative priorities: a deal to convey the NHL’s Washington Capitals and NBA’s Washington Wizards to Alexandria. The groups’ majority proprietor introduced they might as a substitute be staying in D.C.