Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and his staff will spend the next three weeks sifting through a deluge of legislation as they consider the 950 bills the General Assembly approved in its two-month session.
Kaine has until March 26 to sign, veto or propose amendments to any measures in the mountain of bills. The legislature will reconvene April 3 to consider the governor’s vetoes and amendments.
“I have plenty of Dr Pepper and coffee on my desk,” Kaine said. “It is going to be a very busy few weeks. We have a ton of bills to look at.”
A massive Republican-sponsored transportation-funding bill will eat up a lot of Kaine’s time. The Democratic governor has promised “major surgery” on the measure and has vowed to veto the bill if lawmakers reject his suggested changes.
So far, Kaine has not vetoed or proposed amendments to any bill this year, but he said shortly after lawmakers adjourned Feb. 24 that action was coming.
Lawmakers sent him several bills with the hopes he would suggest changes. Besides transportation, one of the most controversial bills is a measure that would allow all bars and restaurants in Virginia to eliminate their no-smoking sections. Establishments would have to post “smoking permitted” signs at their entrances. Supporters say customer pressure will cause most operations to go smoke-free. Other lawmakers are concerned that situation will not develop. They prefer a total ban on smoking inside bars and restaurants.
“I think this bill definitely needs to be amended,” said Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple, D-Arlington, shortly before she voted last month to send the measure to Kaine.
Kaine also said he might alter a massive measure that imposes new regulation on the electricity industry if he determines its customer-protection provisions are insufficient.
Last week, Kaine removed the uncertainty surrounding the fate of a measure requiring sixth-grade girls to receive a vaccine for the human papilloma virus. He pledged to sign the measure after deciding its language gave parents enough discretion to opt their daughters out of the requirement.
