Del. Jennifer McClellan’s veto session update

The Virginia General Assembly is now debating the state’s biennial budget.

May 1, 2014; 8:24 AM • by Eric Steigleder

Delegate Jennifer McClellan has released an update regarding the recently-concluded veto session of the House of Delegates.

A veto session takes place after the the regular legislative session. In fact, the General Assembly is constitutionally-mandated to hold a veto session every year.

According to Project Vote Smart:

The only bills that the General Assembly can consider in a veto session are bills that it had passed during the legislative session and that the Governor has sent back to it with his vetoes or suggested amendments.

Here is the full text of McClellan’s veto session update:

Last Wednesday, April 23rd, the General Assembly reconvened for the ‘Veto Session,’ to vote on Governor McAuliffe’s actions on bills passed during the 2014 Session. You can read about the Governor’s actions, including detailed explanations of his vetoes here.

All of the Governor’s vetoes were upheld in the Senate. A majority of the Governor’s amendments were accepted. However, House Republicans rejected the Governor’s amendments to bills with a fiscal impact tying their taking effect to an appropriation on the budget. Explaining, these amendments, the Governor has stated, ‘Without a budget, I felt it was the fiscally responsible course of action to take. Due to the General Assembly’s failure to pass a budget, each of these bills represents an unfunded commitment of taxpayer dollars. Over the next thirty days, I will carefully evaluate each of these bills, particularly if the legislative budget stalemate persists.'”

With “Veto Session” behind us, we now await the Speaker of the House calling us back into Special Session to address the biennial budget.

McClellan’s update also includes the news that she has been named one of the YWCA’s Outstanding Women.

Jennifer McClellan represents the 71st District in the House of Delegates, which includes all or parts of Church Hill, Fulton Hill, Montrose Heights, Fairfield, Eastview, Peter Paul, Woodville and Creighton.