RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed bills to raise Virginia’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2026 and open a recreational cannabis retail market, killing two Democratic priorities the day after the Alexandria arena deal crumbled.
The Democratic-controlled General Assembly sent Gov. Youngkin the measures on votes mostly along party lines.
Legislation to increase Virginia’s $12 hourly minimum wage to $13.50 by 2025 and $15 by 2026 passed along party lines and the bill to allow legal recreational weed sales in 2025 had one Republican support it.
“The proposed legalization of retail marijuana in the Commonwealth endangers Virginians’ health and safety,” Youngkin wrote in his veto statement.
Youngkin’s vetoes of the Democrats’ top priorities were expected and come the day after the deal to move the NHL’s Washington Capitals and NBA’s Washington Wizards to an arena in Alexandria imploded.
Youngkin and the teams’ owners announced the handshake deal on the proposed $2 billion project in December, but legislative efforts to help it move forward faced roadblocks in the Virginia Senate.
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