RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Before Virginia lawmakers even left Richmond on Monday after approving the state budget, some were already talking about coming back — this time to deal with the issue of skill games.
With Governor Glenn Youngkin likely to veto the skill games bill currently on his desk, both him and members of the General Assembly agreed to continue talking about ways to legalize the popular games that are often found in gas stations and convenience stores.
“What we decided was that we would pick that up at another day and that is the commitment that we have made in the same spirit that we made to work on this budget,” Governor Youngkin said.
Delegate Terry Kilgore (R-Scott) and State Senator Aaron Rouse (D-Virginia Beach) said that, if an agreement is reached, lawmakers will return to Richmond in the summer to debate a bill that would legalize skill games.
“We have committed with the governor that we would be working with [him] and his office to come up with some language that we would send back to vote on,” said Kilgore.
Kilgore said lawmakers will be able to take up the bill because, on Monday, both the House and Senate didn’t adjourn the special session after approving the budget. Instead, they went into recess, meaning the special session is technically still ongoing. Kilgore said the rules allow lawmakers to debate the budget during the special session and other bills that meet certain qualifications.
“It also allows us to bring back any finance bills and things of that nature, and this would be considered a finance bill because it does apply to taxing,” Kilgore explained.
One of the biggest things lawmakers need to figure out is what to do about previously proposed geographic restrictions. Governor Glenn Youngkin previously amended a bill legalizing skill games which would prohibit them within 35 miles of a casino or other approved gaming locations and within 2500 feet of a school or place of worship. In April, the General Assembly rejected those changes, fueling speculation that Youngkin will veto the bill altogether.
“We think the market is going to take care of that, once we limit the numbers of games,” said Kilgore. “We think the market is going to take care of a lot of those issues, so we think that is actually going to be off the table by the time we get a bill.”
Meanwhile, opponents of skill games are reacting to the prospects of lawmakers returning to Richmond with a group called Virginians Against Neighborhood Slot Machines saying, “The amount of oxygen being wasted on convenience store slot legislation is truly embarrassing for our Commonwealth.”
