(HB1922)

GOVERNOR'S VETO

Pursuant to Article V, Section 6 of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto House Bill 1922, which seeks to establish the Small Women and Minority (SWaM) Business Procurement Enhancement Program.

In 2024, the General Assembly sent similar legislation to my desk, which codifies programs already in effect by executive order.

I offered a recommendation to add a reenactment clause and directed study of the proposal which was ultimately conducted by the Public Body Procurement Workgroup.

This legislation disregards every recommendation from the Public Body Procurement Workgroup. The Workgroup did not recommend codifying the program as stated in the House Bill 1922 due to the lack of resolution on complex issues such as the definition of a small business, completion and review of the disparity study directed by the 2024 legislation, and confusion over terminology and conflicts with existing code in the Virginia Public Procurement Act.

This bill would increase the cost of doing business across all state agencies and reduce the efficiency of government procurement.

Accordingly, I veto this bill.