April 17, 2023
On Wednesday, April 12th, the General Assembly returned to Richmond for the one-day “Reconvened” Session. This is where the House and Senate review the Governor’s amendments and vetoes to legislation communicated to him following the regular legislative session. Procedurally, when the Governor amends a bill, the chamber in which the bill originated considers the Governor’s amendments first. If that chamber agrees to the amendments, the bill crosses over to the other chamber. The amendments are then either agreed to or voted down. If the amendment is voted down, the original bill is communicated back to the Governor for his signature or veto. If the amendment is agreed to, that is the version that will become law on July 1st. In total, 819 pieces of legislation were communicated to Governor Youngkin following the 2023 General Assembly Session. Of those, Governor Youngkin signed 738, sent amendments back for 78, and vetoed 3 bills. All 3 vetoes were upheld. While many amendments were agreed to, there were serval that were not agreed to by the Legislature. This means the bill is back to the Governor for either signature as is, or a veto. While there was a great deal of legislative action, the…