The Senate sustained Gov. McAuliffe’s vetoes of seven different bills — meaning the chamber has upheld every legislative veto to come before it during the current governor’s term.
All seven votes took place along party or near-party lines, with Democrats supporting the vetoes.
Said Democratic Leader Sen. Dick Saslaw (D-Fairfax), “I’m proud that we have sustained every veto to come before the Senate since the start of Gov. McAuliffe’s term — but these bills should never have been introduced in the first place. Instead of wasting time on divisive, partisan legislation, we ought to be focused on making Virginia a better place to live, work, and raise a family.”
Said Caucus Chair Sen. Donald McEachin (D-Henrico), “Today, Democrats in both chambers stood together to defeat bills that would have sanctioned discrimination, undermined public schools, and injected partisan politics into local elections. I remain deeply disappointed that my Republican colleagues chose to carry such regressive bills — but I am pleased that we’ve rejected their damaging ideas and stood up for our brothers and sisters across the Commonwealth.”
Details
The list of bills for which the Senate sustained the governor’s vetoes included five Senate bills and two House bills:
- SB 41 (Carrico) — Religious freedom; solemnization of marriage.
- SB 44 (Carrico) — Coal tax credits.
- SB 270 (Garrett) — Compliance with detainers; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
- SB 612 (Garrett) — Students who receive home instruction; participation in interscholastic programs.
- SB 767 (Suetterlein) — Form of ballot; party identification of candidates.
- HB 298 (Kilgore) — Coal tax credits.
- HB 587 (Poindexter) — Protection of monuments and memorials.