(HB449)

GOVERNOR'S VETO

Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto House Bill 449, which would create a new class action process in Virginia.

I support the General Assembly's goal of providing a class action mechanism that can be used by plaintiffs in Virginia courts. I offered amendments to ensure that when Virginia adopts its first-ever class action procedure, we do so in a tailored and judicious way — building on longstanding federal precedent while providing regional circuit courts an opportunity to develop expertise.

The General Assembly did not accept these amendments.

Accordingly, I veto this bill.