RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) has until Friday to decide what he wants to do with Democrat-led bills to reinstate Virginia’s membership in a multistate voter data-sharing partnership, ensure same-sex marriage protections and set staffing requirements for trains.

Under the state constitution, Virginia’s governor has seven days to sign, veto or recommend changes to legislation if it is officially presented to them more than a week before the end of a session. The bill becomes a law without the governor’s signature if they don’t act on it by the deadline.

Many of the bills Youngkin must take action on just before midnight Friday are noncontroversial, easily passing both chambers of the General Assembly with bipartisan support. Some, however, eked out the Democratic-controlled legislature on narrow or party-line votes.

The move to fast-track the bills to Youngkin will allow Virginians “to finally get to find out where he stands on” Democratic priorities, Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax) said Monday.

Two of the bills on Youngkin’s desk that passed on party-line votes came from Democratic state Sens. Schuyler T. VanValkenburg (Henrico) and Jennifer D. Carroll Foy (Prince William).

Sen. VanValkenburg’s bill would put Virginia back in the Electronic Registration Information Center, a multistate program known as ERIC that allows members to share voter registration data. Virginia exited the bipartisan partnership after it became the target of right-wing media reports and conspiracy theories.

Sen. Carroll Foy’s measure would require railroad companies to have at least two qualified crewmembers on board all trains, locomotives or light engines carrying freight in Virginia.

The bill’s passage comes a little more than a year after a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, spilling toxic chemicals in the area and leading to public safety and environmental concerns.

Another bill that Youngkin has until the end of the week to take action on would guarantee that people seeking a license for marriage couldn’t be denied based on their “sex, gender, or race.” The marriage equality bill received a few Republican votes on the way to Youngkin’s desk.

Bills to ban public universities from favoring families of alumni or donors in their admissions process sailed out of the House of Delegates and Virginia Senate on unanimous votes, with both now on Youngkin’s desk. Youngkin’s office signaled that the governor supported the proposal.

Here are some of the other bills Youngkin must take action on by 11:59 p.m. on March 8:

  • SB 235: A bill from state Sen. Ghazala F. Hashmi (D-Chesterfield) clarifying that the state’s current law on sexually explicit books in schools can’t be used by local school boards to censor “books in any public elementary or secondary school.”   
  • SB 238: Another bill from Sen. Hashmi that would require health insurance carriers to provide coverage for contraception drugs and devices.
  • HB 46/SB 47: Legislation from Del. Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker (D-Alexandria) and state Sen. Barbara A. Favola (D-Arlington) that bans people who are prohibited from possessing a gun because of a protective order or conviction from transferring one to someone who isn’t allowed to carry one.

Most of the bills approved during the 2024 Virginia General Assembly session will be officially communicated to Youngkin — passed and signed by the House speaker and Senate president — within seven days of when it’s slated to end on March 9.

That route, typical for most bills, gives the governor 30 days to take action on them before the legislature reconvenes on April 17 to consider Youngkin’s vetoes and amendments.

Youngkin’s office didn’t make anyone available Monday to discuss the governor’s views on the legislation but shared a response that the governor is paying attention to the decisions on other measures. Among other priorities, Youngkin wants a sports arena deal to bring the Washington Capitals and Wizards to northern Virginia.

“The Governor is reviewing the legislation that has been delivered to his desk, as he continues to watch how the General Assembly chooses to act on other important priorities,” Youngkin spokesman Christian Martinez said in a statement.