What were some of these bad bills? To start, there were a slew of bad gun control bills that only passed due to the Democrats' slim majority. These included bills like SB 1329, which would have banned people from having a gun in their car. Not only that, but it would have also made it illegal to leave a gun unattended in a vehicle. This would have created a scenario where if you were legally allowed to conceal carry but drove to an area that did not allow guns and wanted to be responsible by locking your gun away in your car, you would have been punished. They also passed HB 1181, which banned “assault weapons.” This was a blatant violation of Virginians’ Second Amendment rights and would do nothing to stop crime in our state. All this ban does is create criminals out of law-abiding citizens while ignoring the actual bad actors who use guns for malicious intent. These types of bills are just the start—if they regain control of the Governor's mansion and the House, these bills will pass and become law.

Another group of bills I was glad to see vetoed were HB 2485 and HB 1928. The first bill advances the marijuana retail market. I was disappointed to see this bill pass because I have seen marijuana use wreck the lives of too many Virginians, and I don’t want to see any expansion of its use - period. The second bill I was glad to see vetoed would have increased the minimum wage from $12.25 to $15 an hour. This would be detrimental to small business owners and drive them out of business. Companies like Walmart, Amazon, or McDonald’s would be able to absorb the initial cost but would ultimately pass it on to the consumer. This means we would drive local businesses out of business in favor of large corporations, which would, in turn, pass these costs on to you. At a time when our economy has not fully recovered from Biden’s disastrous economic policies, this bill would have put Virginians in an even worse economic situation.

The bad bills did not stop there. Finally, they passed numerous so-called “affordable housing” bills. While I agree that building affordable homes to address the cost of living is a critical issue, the bills they proposed did not achieve that result, and I am glad to see them vetoed. To address our housing shortage, we must ensure that middle-class Virginians have access to affordable homes. This is achieved by addressing the supply side of the issue—by cutting regulations and allowing contractors to build more homes, housing costs will be lowered. The solution is not creating more bureaucracy and adding more government intervention. If we incentivize and expand free-market housing, prices will naturally become more affordable.

These bills, as I have said previously, are just the tip of the iceberg of what Democrats have planned if they gain total control next year. Elections are important, and we are making great progress at the federal level under President Trump. He is slashing regulations, unleashing American energy independence, and fixing our broken economy. We cannot let Virginia fall behind and miss the opportunity to be at the forefront of the Great American Comeback!

I head to Richmond on April 2^nd for this year’s Reconvened Session, also referred to as Veto Session, and I look forward to voting along with the Governor to see these bad bills die or be amended!

My staff and I are always here to assist you with any issues or concerns. Please don't hesitate to reach out if we can be of service. You can reach us at 434.374.5129 or by email at [email protected]