(HB2161)

GOVERNOR'S VETO

Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto House Bill 2161, which makes changes to the governing structure of the VCU Health System Authority Board of Directors.

In a letter to General Assembly leaders in September 2023, I referred to VCU Health's Clay Street project's over $73 million failure as a wake-up call.

That is to say, I support the General Assembly's underlying effort to expand the relevant expertise required of Board members to manage the third-largest public health system in Virginia. However, this proposal includes a material and unnecessary shift in the governmental balance of powers, changing the Board from a majority of executive appointments to a majority of legislative appointments, with a further imbalance between House of Delegates and Senate appointments.

Unfortunately, the General Assembly did not accept my amendments, which would have achieved the goal of expanding the qualifying expertise necessary for Board representation while preserving the balance of powers. Even without this legislation, I have made appointments of highly qualified individuals with extensive experience managing large organizations with complex financial and real estate transactions and will continue to do so throughout my term for the betterment of the Health System and the Commonwealth.

Although I am vetoing this proposal, my hope remains that a solution to restructure the governance of the VCU Health System will be accomplished next session.

Accordingly, I veto this bill.