(The Center Square) — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin finished acting on the legislation sent him by Virginia’s General Assembly late Monday evening, having signed 777 bills, amending 116 and vetoing 153.
The governor’s vetoes have garnered attention this session. Prior to Youngkin, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe – who also ran against Youngkin in 2021 – was the commonwealth’s vetoingest governor, according to a Washington Post article published after McAuliffe’s last legislative session in 2017. But Youngkin has shattered McAuliffe’s records.
The Virginia Public Access Project, a nonprofit that tracks and documents data on Virginia politics, wrote the following accompanying an infographic of governors’ veto tallies since 1994.
“Governor Youngkin has set a new record for vetoes in a single year, axing 153 bills so far in 2024. This year alone, Youngkin has killed more legislation than any recent Governor of Virginia has in their full four-year term. More vetoes could be on the way if the General Assembly rejects amendments the Governor has submitted for 116 bills.”
In his last round of action, the governor vetoed 51 bills, according to Virginia’s Legislative Information System, including more high-priority Democratic items.
Senate Bill 274 and House Bill 570 were identical companion bills that would have established a board to monitor prescription drug affordability in the state and institute upper payment limits for certain drugs. In so doing, the bills would have enrolled Virginia in a legislative trend that has caught on in a number of states.
Del. Karrie Delaney, D-Fairfax, patroned the House bill and censured the governor for opposing it in a public statement.
“I am incredibly disappointed that Governor Youngkin vetoed HB 570 which would have established a Prescription Drug Affordability Board to reign in out-of-control prescription drug prices for Virginians. This Board would have been composed of unbiased medical and healthcare professionals with the authority to review price hikes to the most expensive drugs on the market, and to set upper price limits when appropriate,” Delaney said.
Others, like the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, celebrated the veto, contending the legislation doesn’t effectively address the role of health insurance companies and pharmacy benefit managers in the cost-setting process and wouldn’t have solved the problem of high patient drug costs.
“Governor Youngkin is putting patients first by stopping bad policies that fail to address the root of the problems for rising health care costs,” said Stami Williams, a spokeswoman for the organization, in an email to The Center Square. “We applaud Governor Youngkin for not only protecting access to medicines and the patient-doctor relationship but for safeguarding biopharmaceutical companies’ ability to invest in important life-saving treatments for those who need it most.”
Social media platform X was awash with critical statements Tuesday from other state Democrats whose bills Youngkin had vetoed, like Sen. Jeremy McPike, D-Prince William, and Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg, D-Henrico.
Youngkin released a statement upon his completion of bill action.
“As I said on the first day of this year’s legislative session, in the State of the Commonwealth address, every piece of legislation I have had the honor to sign into law as Governor has necessarily been bipartisan,” Youngkin said. “And where there are differences in our approaches, I hope my amendments reflect the common ground we can find together.”
