NORFOLK, Va. — Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-Virginia) faces a deadline of 11:59 p.m. on Monday to take action on bills passed in the General Assembly.
Under her powers, Spanberger can approve legislation, veto bills, or amend them. If she doesn't act, the bills become law without her signature.
"We're going line by line through some of these bills to make sure we get it right so that's an extensive process but it will be over at 11:59 on Monday," Spanberger said.
Many are watching to see how she will handle bills dealing with guns and legislation that would legalize retail marijuana sales beginning next January.
Spanberger announced she vetoed two bills, including one to potentially allow for a casino in Fairfax County. The other veto rejects legalizing skilled gaming machines.
The governor has already signed more than 500 bills into law. They cover a variety of topics, including raising the minimum wage, allowing schools to give educators panic alarms they can hit in the event of an emergency, and cutting red tape to make housing more affordable.
"We have significant announcements ahead... I want to make sure we get each decision right," Spanberger said in an op-ed in Sunday's Richmond Times-Dispatch.
As her work continues, Spanberger found herself in the national spotlight over the weekend when President Trump posted about her on Truth Social, claiming policies she is approving are raising taxes. The bills he referenced were introduced by Virginia Democrats but did not advance.
Spanberger does support Virginia rejoining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which Republicans say will increase power bills.
Spanberger responded to Trump, saying the president lied about her. Last week, she referenced that she knew she has increased scrutiny on her.
"I knew when I was elected that I would have a big target on me. I flipped this seat, swung it by 17 points," Spanberger said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
