In an unusual move, Gov. Bob McDonnell did not veto any of the legislation sent to him by the General Assembly.
Of the 871 bills sent to him, McDonnell signed 749 and amended 122, the governor's office said today.
The legislature will reconvene next Wednesday to consider the amendments. It takes a majority vote in the House of Delegates and Senate to accept the governor's amendments.
J. Tucker Martin, McDonnell's director of communications, said the governor's previous 14 years of service in the General Assembly helped.
"Throughout the session he and his staff worked with his former colleagues, from both parties, in a cooperative fashion," he said. "Conversations and meetings on legislation occurred daily. That diligent approach allowed decisions and changes to be made gradually over a period of months, rather than all at once prior to the reconvened session. The result is a veto session with no vetoes to consider.”
Earlier today, the governor's office said it will allow a pro-choice license plate, "Trust Women, Respect Choice," which could potentially raise money for Planned Parenthood.
The plate is the opposite to last year's "Choose Life" license plate, put forward by pro-life senator, now Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, and signed by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine. The signing stems a potential legal action considered by the American Civil Liberties Union which argued that the law prohibited discriminating against allowing opposing political viewpoints on the plates.
As with the Choose Life plate, after 1,000 of the Trust Women plates are sold, $15 of the $25 fee goes to Planned Parenthood. The group said it would not use the money to fund abortions, but could spend it on prevention services, such as gynecological exams and testing to the roughly 30,000 women, men and families they serve.
J. Tucker Martin, McDonnell's communications director, said while the governor did not veto the plate, he amended the bill to put into law Planned Parenthood’s position that license plate proceeds will not be used for abortion services.
The governor had until midnight to make any amendments or veto any legislation.
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