Gov. Glenn Youngkin has hundreds of pieces of legislation to consider in just a few weeks: He has to act on bills by March 24.
Most get signed, but Youngkin has the distinction of vetoing the most bills of any governor in Virginia history. He took an active approach to amending bills and the state budget last year, and in a statement, Youngkin alluded to this year potentially being be a repeat.
“We will have much to address at the reconvene session,” he wrote in an emailed statement last week.
“While there are a lot of bills that are familiar to ones he has acted on in previous sessions, Governor Youngkin is reviewing the over 900 bills sent to his desk,” Christian Martinez, Youngkin’s press secretary, wrote in an email.
Last year, most of the 112 bills that Youngkin amended (including two budget bills) became law after legislators accepted his changes, according to data from the Virginia Public Access Project.
When legislators rejected Youngkin's amendments in 2024, he vetoed the bill in all but seven cases.
State budget amendments: State Democrats opted for tax rebates instead of the long-term tax cuts Youngkin has said he prefers, coupling them with funding for bills they passed this session — like a higher minimum wage.
Last year, Youngkin made over 200 amendments to the state budget. This year, there was $4.7 billion for the General Assembly to appropriate — and the Democrat-controlled chambers put most of that behind education and healthcare spending.
One question looming over the state budget are potential cuts from the federal government, including Medicaid expansion — which insures hundreds of thousands of people in the commonwealth. Legislators have said on multiple occasions they would probably have to come back and rewrite budget amendments if that cut was made at the federal level.
Right to contraception: Legislators sent a bill back to Youngkin this year that would legally protect obtaining or using “any drug, device, or biological product intended for use in the prevention of pregnancy.”
Last year, he vetoed a similar proposal, saying contraception is protected by legal precedent. Democrats have pointed to Roe v. Wade being overturned as a reason to pass such a law in 2025. They also pushed forward a constitutional amendment to protect abortion and contraception in the two-year amendment process. (Governors are not a part of amending the state constitution.)
Paid family and medical leave: Last year, Youngkin vetoed a bill establishing a paid family and medical leave program, criticizing its multibillion cost funded through a payroll tax. Legislators passed a similar bill, introduced by Del. Briana Sewell (D-Prince William) this year, sending it to the governor for his consideration.
Unpaid leave is required by federal law for some companies, although many workers are not eligible, since they are new to their position or work for a small business.
Decreasing probation period: Del. Wren Williams (R-Patrick) and Del. Katrina Callsen’s (D-Charlottesville) bill would allow for probation periods to be decreased if defendants hold employment, find housing, acquire education, get health insurance or other activities.
Williams and about a dozen other Republicans joined with Democrats in the House to pass the bill. In the Senate, all but four Republicans voted for the proposal. Last year, Youngkin vetoed a bill from Callsen that was similar. But Williams said he and Callsen worked to expand the categories that could decrease the probationary period this year.
“They're more in line with what Governor Youngkin’s executive order has outlined,” said Williams in an interview. “I would encourage the governor to sign the bill and to bring it forward, and to champion this type of important criminal justice reform that is smart, that is creative, that is fiscally responsible and conservative.”
Expanding collective bargaining to public employees: Virginia’s prohibition on public employee collective bargaining as part of a union dates to a 1946 law that followed Black UVA health care workers staging a 1943 walkout. In 2020, localities gained the authority to allow their employees to collectively bargain.
“I think it's so important at a time when there's a lot of economic stress that we allow all of our public sector employees an opportunity to have a seat at the table and to be able to negotiate for their working conditions,” said Del. Kathy Tran (D-Fairfax), who carried the legislation to expand collective bargaining this session.
She also expressed concern that the recent firing of federal employees would inspire state-level Republicans to make deep cuts to state employment.
Tran adjusted legislation she carried last year to form the basis of the bill for this session. That earlier bill had failed.
Requiring disclosure for junk fees: Sen. Stella Pekarsky’s (D-Fairfax) bill would require companies to disclose hidden fees, so the price you see is the price you pay. These are fees like a service, convenience or resort fee — and not taxes or shipping.
“This is really about allowing the normal market competition to operate in the way that it was intended and not to distort pricing,” said Pekarsky.
The bill passed the Senate without any opposition, but some Republicans in the House voted against it.
“I'm really hopeful that the governor will see, as a businessman himself, why this is critically important, and what it will actually do for your average everyday Virginian — and put some money back in their pockets,” she said.
