RICHMOND — Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger has vetoed a new round of bills sent back to her after the 2026 General Assembly reconvene session, rejecting measures dealing with cannabis sales, prescription drug pricing, election administration, higher education governance, courthouse security and other issues.

The vetoes came after lawmakers rejected several amendments proposed by the governor. In her veto statements, Spanberger repeatedly said she supported the intent of some of the bills but objected to their structure, timing or potential unintended consequences. 

The list includes legislation that would have created a legal retail market for cannabis in Virginia. House Bill 642 and Senate Bill 542 would have established a framework for retail marijuana sales, penalties and related regulation. The governor said she supports a “safe, legal, and well-regulated cannabis retail marketplace,” but said the bills lacked the timeline, structure and resources needed for effective implementation. The legislation had been awaiting final action after the General Assembly rejected Spanberger’s amendments. 

Spanberger also vetoed House Bill 483 and Senate Bill 271, which would have created a Prescription Drug Affordability Board. Supporters have argued such boards can help address high prescription drug costs, but Spanberger said similar systems in other states have not delivered the intended savings and can be costly to implement. The Senate bill was listed by the Legislative Information System as a passed measure establishing a Prescription Drug Affordability Board. 

Another vetoed measure, House Bill 61, dealt with Virginia’s Small, Women-owned and Minority-owned Business program, commonly known as SWaM. According to the governor’s veto statement, the bill would have changed the program in a way that could remove nearly 800 women-owned and minority-owned businesses from eligibility and reduce current SWaM spending by at least $340 million. The bill was listed as passed in the 2026 regular session. 

On election administration, Spanberger vetoed House Bill 111, which dealt with voter-roll maintenance, and House Bill 639, which addressed private donations or services accepted by election officials. The governor said HB 111 raised concerns about administrative burdens on grieving families. On HB 639, she said the bill attempted to address unintended consequences of a 2022 law limiting private funding for election administration, but failed to clearly define whether a $1,000 cap applied weekly, monthly, annually or over all time. 

Spanberger also rejected House Bill 449 and Senate Bill 229, which would have created a class-action process in Virginia courts. She said she supported the goal of providing a class-action mechanism but wanted a narrower approach based on federal precedent and regional circuit-court implementation.

Several vetoes involved criminal justice, courts and public safety. House Bill 246 and Senate Bill 335 would have created a new legal standard tied to one criminal charge for certain individuals with mental illness, neurocognitive disorders or intellectual or developmental disabilities. Spanberger said the proposal could create confusion and inconsistency in the legal system. Senate Bill 218 would have prohibited placement at Red Onion State Prison for inmates transferred to Virginia through the Interstate Corrections Compact. The governor said the Department of Corrections needs discretion in placing out-of-state inmates based on security risks and other factors.

House Bill 1392 and Senate Bill 83, which dealt with courthouse safety, were also vetoed. Spanberger said she did not support statewide security-screening exemptions for attorneys without additional study or a clear public-safety benefit.

The governor also vetoed House Bill 1173 and Senate Bill 258, which would have added menopause and perimenopause as protected categories under the Virginia Human Rights Act. Spanberger said women facing menopause or perimenopause are already protected under existing age and gender protections, and said her amendments would have required further study before adding new named protected categories.

House Bill 1222, dealing with child-welfare interviews, was also vetoed. The bill would have required full recording of child-welfare interviews. Spanberger said she supported the general purpose but wanted social services agencies to retain discretion when recording was unnecessary or not in a child’s best interest.

Another vetoed pair of bills, House Bill 1385 and Senate Bill 494, would have changed governance rules for Virginia’s public colleges and universities. Spanberger said parts of the legislation could further politicize higher education governance and interfere with efforts to stabilize university boards.

The vetoes follow a broader clash between the new governor and the Democratic-controlled General Assembly over amendments to major legislation. During the reconvene session, lawmakers rejected more than a dozen Spanberger amendments, leaving the governor to decide whether to sign or veto bills in their original form. 

Spanberger said she expects to keep working with legislators on several of the issues addressed in the vetoed bills, including cannabis regulation, prescription drug costs, election administration, criminal justice and higher education governance.

Information from a release. Edited by Dan McDermott.