CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin vetoed 32 bills passed by the Republican-led Legislature this year, dashing hopes for allowing West Virginians to carry concealed handguns without permits, swig glasses of raw milk or write checks to fill potholes outside their businesses.
On Friday, Tomblin finished his decision-making on bills that passed during this year’s 60-day legislative session. He wielded the most active veto pen in West Virginia in decades.
Tomblin crossed out 17 bills because he disagreed with their policies. The other 15 vetoes were due to technical errors or glitches. For instance, a bill gave authority to a state board that hasn’t existed in 15 years.
He vetoed one bill twice because of technical issues. After lawmakers first re-passed it with fixes, the governor vetoed it again for errors. Lawmakers gave it one more try and the governor finally signed it. It dealt with dealt with licensing for engineers.
Lawmakers were able to re-pass 12 of those bills before leaving town. The rest of them are dead until next year.
For the second year in a row, Tomblin vetoed a bill to prohibit abortions 20 or more weeks after conception because he considered it unconstitutional. This time, however, lawmakers resurrected the bill and overrode the veto, cementing the ban into law.
The Democrat still found plenty of middle ground working with the first GOP-led legislature in eight-plus decades. From legal reforms to help for craft brewers, Tomblin signed 243 bills, including five budget bills he changed partially.
Of the bills Tomblin vetoed, some aimed to:
-Eliminate the permit requirement to carry a concealed handgun. Tomblin cited public safety concerns and outcry from the law enforcement community.
-Prohibit abortions 20 or more weeks after conception. Tomblin vetoed the bill a second-straight year, saying his legal team was concerned that it’s unconstitutional. Lawmakers overrode his veto and made the ban law without Tomblin’s approval.
-Let people drink raw milk by entering into animal herd-sharing agreements. Tomblin said the bill would pose a serious risk to public health, since raw milk can contain particularly dangerous bacteria for children, pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems.
- Let businesses donate to a state fund and earmark their contributions for specific minor road repair projects, like filling potholes. Tomblin wrote that the measure wouldn’t be a cost effective use of state resources.
- Transfer the Cedar Lakes Camp and Conference Center from the state to a nonprofit group. Tomblin said separation costs in the bill would mean a substantial taxpayer expense.
-Give raises to some State Police Forensic Laboratory employees. Tomblin said the employees received a 20-percent raise last year, and he wasn’t comfortable giving back-to-back raises in a tight budget year.
A few bills to make home-schooled students eligible for PROMISE scholarships without taking the GED test; eliminate a two-week notice requirement to take students out of public schools and home-school them; waive some costs of annual testing for home-schooled students; and let parents administer their home-schooled children’s standardized tests. Tomblin called the existing requirements necessary and appropriate.
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