Governor Glenn Youngkin is giving his veto pen a workout, rejecting 60 bills this week. One vetoed measure that would’ve cracked down on invasive plant species.
The governor is concerned that a bill allowing local governments to ban English Ivy would sow confusion by creating a patchwork of local rules and regulations requiring small business owners and garden enthusiasts to navigate complex legal landscapes. That's what he wrote in his veto message.
"It's funny how he uses a lot of gardening lingo like sowing confusion and legal landscape. I wonder if that was on purpose," says Delegate Paul Krizek, a Democrat from Fairfax County who introduced the bill.
"If he was really concerned about it being something that was just [a] local option, he could have amended it to be a statewide ban."
"Do you think that's something the General Assembly should consider next year," asks reporter Michael Pope.
"You bet," responds Krizek. "I'm going to introduce that bill since that's what he wants, and I'll give it to him so he can sign it next year."
Another bill the governor has yet to take action on would require retailers to install signs warning consumers before they purchase invasive plants. Delegate Holly Seibold is a Democrat from Vienna who introduced the bill.
"I'm hoping that he will not veto this bill because this doesn’t ban anything," Seibold says. "All it does is educate consumers on what is an invasive species and what is native."
The governor has the next few weeks to make up his mind about hundreds of bills the General Assembly sent him this year.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
