RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia Democrats are sounding off after Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) vetoed more than 150 bills passed by the General Assembly.
“These are just common sense policies that allow our workforce to remain competitive,” Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax) told 8News.
Youngkin vetoed several work-related bills, including one to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour by Jan. 1, 2027, and another that would give every employee in Virginia access to paid sick time off, citing concerns over how the proposals would increase the cost of doing business in Virginia.
Youngkin said in his veto statement that if the minimum wage is increased to $15 per hour, “Businesses will raise prices, creating more inflation, and implement hiring freezes and layoffs, ultimately hurting the workers the proposal seeks to assist.”
On paid sick time off, Youngkin said, “The bill would increase the cost of doing business in the Commonwealth and adversely impact our business climate.”
“There’s been a lot of talk amongst conservatives lately about focusing on affordability, and that’s exactly what we did this session, and the governor basically stuck a finger in the eye of every working Virginian with the vetoes he took yesterday,” Surovell said.
Plus, Youngkin vetoed a bill that would have created a prescription drug affordability board in Virginia that would have the power to cap the price of certain prescription drugs, over concerns it could limit Virginians’ access to life-saving medications.
“Prescription drugs is one of the most fundamental affordability problems we have in America today. People are getting killed with prescription drug prices, and these drug boards are one way we can try and deal with that,” Surovell told 8News.
Youngkin also vetoed dozens of gun-related bills, including ones that would have banned the sale of new assault weapons in Virginia.
