With the veto deadline fast approaching on Monday, Virginia Democrats are calling on Governor Glenn Youngkin to sign vital legislation that would support working families, protect women’s rights, and improve public safety. 

Last year, Youngkin vetoed a record 201 bills, including crucial measures to raise the minimum wage, establish Paid Family and Medical Leave, safeguard women’s access to contraception, and strengthen gun safety laws. Many of these bills are once again on his desk.

Here’s a reminder of some of the key bills Democrats are urging him to sign into law without delay.

WUSA9: Advocates urge Youngkin to sign Virginia paid leave bill by next Monday

• “Senator Jennifer Boysko (D-Fairfax) and Delegate Briana Sewell (D-Prince William) joined advocates and impacted Virginians Monday to call on Gov. Glenn Youngkin to sign legislation establishing a statewide Paid Family and Medical Leave program.”
• “The proposed program would provide Virginia workers with up to 12 weeks of paid time off to care for a loved one with a serious illness, recover from an injury, or welcome a new child [...]”
• “Supporters of the legislation highlighted that 78% of Virginia workers currently lack access to paid family and medical leave.”

WHRO: Democratic lawmakers send Youngkin same minimum wage bill he vetoed last year

• “Del. Jeion A. Ward, D-Hampton, introduced House Bill 1928, which amends the state’s current minimum wage law and increases it incrementally each year until 2027.”
• “The increases will provide Virginia full-time workers who earn minimum wage more than $4,000 in additional annual income, according to Sophie McGinley, of The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis, who spoke in support of the bill.”
• “‘Since 2020 prices in Virginia have shot up 22%,’ McGinley said. ‘More than double what we expected, but wages haven’t kept pace. The math is simple: When a gallon of milk costs 22% more, but wages only went up 3.4%, working families fall behind.’”

Virginia Mercury: Maternal health bills move forward, now Youngkin holds the final say

• “The legislative push follows last fall’s Black Maternal Health Summit at the Virginia Capitol, where medical professionals, advocates, and lawmakers from across the state and beyond convened for roundtable discussions and panels.”
• “One piece of the package, Senate Bill 1352, sponsored by Sen. Kannan Srinivasan, D-Loudoun, builds on a 2021 law that allowed midwives to establish private practices after completing 1,000 hours under agreements with other physicians. His proposal, along with House Bill 1635 by Del. Joshua Cole, D-Spotsylvania, would extend that opportunity to other types of midwives, expanding access to maternal care statewide.”
• “Studies show Black parents-to-be experience disproportionately negative maternal health outcomes, often due to provider bias. Black women are also more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications, a disparity confirmed by Virginia’s Maternal Mortality Review Team.”
• “[...] House Bill 1923, sponsored by Del. Jeion Ward, D-Hampton, seeks to establish pay parity for midwives, while HB 1904, from Del. Rodney Willett, D-Henrico, would ensure midwives and nurse practitioners have 24-hour on-call services.”

WRIC: General Assembly sends gun control measures to Youngkin’s desk

• “‘Nobody needs to go hunting with an AK-47,’ said Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D-Fairfax). ‘Nobody needs to leave guns out when they are toddlers in the home. These gun bills will save lives.’”
• “One of the bills that is now headed to Youngkin’s desk would require anyone with children at home to store their guns in locked boxes or containers.”
• “Just in November, another child died because his father left his handgun out on the counter and the 3-year-old accidentally killed themselves,” Boysko said.
• “Youngkin will also consider a bill that would institute a five-day waiting period before someone can purchase a gun, something Democrats say could reduce suicide rates, as it would prevent people from impulsively buying a gun.”

Virginia Mercury: Contraception access bills head to Youngkin–will he sign or veto this time?

• Now that the bills from Price and Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, (House Bill 1716 and Senate Bill 1105) have cleared both chambers, Youngkin again has three choices: sign them into law, amend them or veto them once again. 
• “Both lawmakers have emphasized that these protections are critical, citing growing restrictions on contraception in other states and stalled federal efforts to establish stronger safeguards.”
• “Before rejecting the bill in 2024, Youngkin had proposed a substitute which Price and Hashmi said “gutted” their original proposal. Theirs had explicitly affirmed both a healthcare provider’s right to prescribe contraception and an individual’s right to obtain it [...]”
• “Youngkin’s alternative was far narrower, merely affirming existing U.S. Supreme Court rulings that permit contraception access.”###