GOVERNOR'S VETO EXPLANATION

Pursuant to Article V, Section 6 of the Constitution of Virginia, I am vetoing this bill.

I recommended a reenactment clause to this bill because it is clear that the people in Carroll County-- as well as their elected leaders-- are deeply divided as to whether a liquor license should be granted to the establishment to which this bill applies without a referendum. Since this bill passed the 1997 Regular Session of the General Assembly, I have received hundreds of letters and calls from Carroll County citizens objecting to this bill. While the legislative process has been used before to grant liquor licenses to individual establishments, I am not aware that it has ever been used to override such intense and broad-based local opposition.

I had hoped that the adoption of a reenactment clause would give all parties in Carroll County the opportunity to seek consensus on this issue and come back to the 1998 session with legislation that would have broad-based support among the citizens and elected leaders in Carroll County. However, the House of Delegates rejected the reenactment clause at the Reconvened Session. Accordingly, I am disapproving this bill.