Governor Glenn Youngkin is breaking out his veto pen and taking aim at a bill introduced to crack down on loud cars.
It's pretty rare that a governor pulls out his veto pen to reject a work group. But that's exactly what Governor Glenn Youngkin is doing with a bill introduced by Senator Adam Ebbin, a Democrat from Alexandria. Ebbin wanted the work group to look at cars modified to have so-called "macho mufflers" that make a lot of noise.
The governor vetoed the bill and said it was "unnecessary,” but Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Dave Marsden disagrees.
"In the West End of Richmond, it's guys coming in their pickup trucks from some of the rural areas and having an engine-gunning contests at night," Marsden says. "In my district, it is folks in some of the apartment complexes who are making their Mini Coopers sound like Ferraris."
Ebbin’s bill received opposition from General Motors. Here's Reid Smith lobbyist Christine Noonan representing the Detroit-based automaker during a committee hearing earlier this year.
"General Motors cares about this issue because we manufacture vehicles that have the capacity to reach 85 decibels," Noonan said. "And the bill would’ve made those vehicles illegal on Virginia roads."
Northern Virginia lawmakers say they cannot remember a time in recent memory when a governor from either party vetoed a bill that would have created a work group.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
