Youngkin vetoes climate change education bill, signs dozens of others

The executive phase of the 2024 General Assembly continues with Governor Glenn Youngkin taking action Tuesday on another 104 pieces of legislation, including the veto of another four bills. 

One of those four would have required the Virginia Board of Education to develop policies on the instruction of climate change and environmental literacy. HB1088 passed the House of Delegates on a 56 to 43 vote and the Senate on a 20 to 19 vote. 

“The Standards of Learning already provides instructional material related to environmental issues,” reads Youngkin’s veto statement. “[The bill] mandates a separate and independent review for a specific topic, in addition to the review of science Standards of Learning and instructional material.”

Youngkin also vetoed SB236 which would have allowed faculty members at public institutions of higher education working on certain types of research to see “a report for aggregated, nonconfidential case data for garnishment, unlawful detainer, and warrant in debt actions in a general district court.” 

Youngkin said legislation he signed last year would give the same information to anyone researching evictions in Virginia. He said the bill filed by Senator Ghazala F. Hashmi would infringe on people’s privacy.

“Additionally, the proposal does not effectively address the issue of incomplete eviction data, as garnishments and warrants in debt actions can involve various transactions, such as credit card or business-to-business disputes,” Youngkin wrote. 

The final two vetoed bills are identical. Both HB47 and SB306 would have required any plants selling species considered invasive to post information about each species and to point out alternatives. Non-compliance would result in a civil penalty. 

Youngkin said the Department of Conservation and Recreation publishes a list of invasive species. The website makes a distinction between invasive and introduced species and provides an education into an altered landscape. 

“The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Division of Natural Heritage currently identifies 90 invasive plant species that threaten or potentially threaten our natural areas, parks and other protected lands in Virginia,” reads that website.

Those 90 species make up 15 percent of the 606 species identified as naturalized since the beginning of European colonization. That 15 percent is about three percent of the total number of plant species in Virginia and there are many efforts to maintain or even reduce that figure. 

The DCR website also lists these characteristics of invasive species:

• Rapid growth and maturity
• Prolific seed production
• Highly successful seed dispersal, germination and colonization
• Rampant vegetative spread
• Ability to out-compete native species
• High cost to remove or control

Youngkin supported efforts by the Commonwealth to educate the public on the topic, but the bill went too far.

“The proposal, however, places additional requirements and imposes civil penalties on Virginia’s small businesses for the sale of plants with low levels of invasiveness, such as periwinkle and winter honeysuckle,” Youngkin wrote.

Youngkin signed 100 bills. One of them amends the Virginia Human Rights Act to expand the definition of protected classes from unlawful discrimination by adding the word “ethnic.” This was one of several recommendations that came out of Youngkin’s Commission to Combat Anti Semitism.

“As the first state to weave religious freedom into the fabric of our nation, Virginia is leading once again and sending a clear message that Virginians should not be the victim of a crime simply because of their religion, race, or ethnicity,” Youngkin is quoted in a press release.   

Some other highlights:

• The Town of Leesburg is hereby authorized to create a Parking Authority now that HB5 will become law
• The Town of Smithfield’s charter has been amended to reflect a change to a November date for municipal elections (HB91) and HB1127 does the same for the Town of Pulaski.  
• The adoption of HB143 means The Virginia Department of Transportation will be required “to establish and maintain a publicly accessible database and map of all utility work that has been approved by the Department and will occur within a highway right-of-way in a residential neighborhood.” 
• Localities are required by law to advertise certain pending ordinances and resolutions, such as increased tax rates. Now that HB264 has been signed into law, they can do so on online-only publications. Personally I find this one fascinating. 
• HB309 and SB461 will require the Department of Forestry to develop a Forestland and Urban Tree Canopy Conservation Plan. 
• Virginia will enter into the Cosmetology Compact as soon as a seventh state joins. HB322 will allow the creation of muli-state licenses for barbers and hair stylists. 
• HB607 would establish the Virginia Commission to End Hunger
• The Henrietta Lacks Commission’s sunset date will now extended to July 1, 2026 with the adoption of HB613
• HB764 would make it easier for someone who needs to move quickly due to an abusive situation can terminate their lease if a permanent protective order is in place.  
• The City of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County can now establish public defender offices now that HB1014 has been signed into law. 
• HB1085 would establish the PFAS Expert Advisory Committee to assist the Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to assist with monitoring of the presence of forever chemicals in drinking water supplies. 
• HB1186 would allow the Department of Conservation and Recreation to establish a two-year pilot to allow all-terrain power wheelchairs in state parks for individuals with limited mobility. 
• HB1203 would increase the amount of tax credits that a qualified landlord could receive from a maximum of $250,000 to $500,000. What implication might this have for the cost to provide affordable housing? I’d like to follow-up. 

Not all bills that were passed by a divided General Assembly have been vetoed by Youngkin. For instance, HB925 would require a towing company to provide a 48-hour notice on a vehicle parked at a multifamily unit if the inspection sticker or registration sticker have expired. This originally passed the House of Delegates 51 to 49, though the Senate approved it on a 38 to 1 margin. 

A full list of bills signed by Governor Youngkin can be found here. The deadline is April 8 for action on legislation. 

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