Some Democrats in the General Assembly are frustrated with the governor’s volley of vetoes to some of their biggest bills.
Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced this week a slew of vetoes, including for Democratic priorities such as establishing a Prescription Drug Affordability Board and setting up a retail cannabis market in Virginia.
Other legislation that Spanberger vetoed included bills that would have blocked out–of-state inmate transfers to Red Onion state prison, where prisoners have complained about poor conditions, made menopause and perimenopause protected categories in the Virginia Human Rights Act, and allow class-action lawsuits in Virginia.
Spanberger said in a statement on Tuesday that she supports the intent of many of the bills she is vetoing, but she had a responsibility to make sure new laws can be implemented without unintended consequences.
“I look forward to continuing to work with bill patrons, state and local leaders, and advocates on legislation addressing these issues in the future,” Spanberger said.
Spanberger’s blocking of the cannabis retail market, the drug affordability board, and expansion of public-sector collective bargaining rights has frustrated advocates and other Democrats who supported her campaign last year.
“These vetoes send a troubling message: that at a moment demanding urgency and action, progress is being stalled by allowing perfect to be the enemy of the good,” state Del. Adele McClure (D-Arlington) said in a statement on Instagram.
Drug affordability board
Spanberger said she vetoed the Prescription Drug Affordability Board legislation because examples from other states show that these boards do not actually lower prescription drug prices.
“They are expensive undertakings that other states have either repealed or are considering repealing due to costs and ineffectiveness,” Spanberger said.
Similar to other bills she vetoed, Spanberger sent amendments to the drug prescription board legislation that the General Assembly rejected.
Rhena Hicks, a co-executive director at Freedom Virginia, an advocacy group focused on affordability policies, called Spanberger’s veto statement “lazy” and “offensive” in a post on X.
Hicks said that the legislation would have developed a first-in-the-nation program that builds on federal Medicare negotiations and moves away from traditional Prescription Drug Affordability Boards.
“This is a veto statement for a bill that doesn’t exist,” Hicks wrote in her post.
Cannabis market
Spanberger reiterated her support for a cannabis retail market but in vetoing the legislation to create one, she left doing so for another day.
“As Virginia pursues a legal retail market, it is critical that we incorporate lessons learned by other states and ensure that our regulatory framework is fully prepared to provide strong oversight from day one,” Spanberger said in her veto statement.
The sponsors of the cannabis market legislation, Democrats State Sen. Lashrecse Aird and State Del. Paul Krizek, said Spanberger’s veto ignores the reality that cannabis is already being bought and sold in Virginia.
“This veto prolongs uncertainty and provides comfort to those profiting from the illicit market,” they said in a joint statement. “This veto and its consequences belong to the Governor and Governor alone.”
