GOVERNOR'S VETO

Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto House Bill 1197, which directs the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security and the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to convene a stakeholder workgroup to determine the feasibility of transferring the Department of Juvenile Justice from the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security to the Secretary of Health and Human Resources.

Fundamentally, the Department of Juvenile Justice is a corrections agency. There have been numerous reports indicating that, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, juvenile violence and crime, especially in schools, is increasing. This increase has made schools less safe, and many parents have made it clear they no longer believe school is a safe place for their children.

We must work to make our schools safer, and the rehabilitative services offered by the Department of Juvenile Justice under the purview of the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security ensures young people who commit violent crimes are held accountable and given the resources and education they need to fully and permanently reenter society.

In the view of this administration, a study of the feasibility of moving this agency is unnecessary. If the General Assembly would like to move this agency, it should pass legislation directing as such.

Accordingly, I veto this bill.