Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger issued a veto Thursday of legislation to allow a Las Vegas-style casino in Fairfax County. The bill passed last month despite having little support from lawmakers who represent Northern Virginia.
She called for local decision-making on gambling and a statewide independent commission.
“Local governing boards should lead on proposed casino development, as has happened in every locality that now has a casino,” Spanberger said in a statement. “But in Fairfax County, the Board of Supervisors has explicitly opposed this legislation, and an overwhelming majority of the General Assembly members who represent Fairfax voted against it.”
The casino proposal changed in about a dozen ways in recent months but returned to where it started: with a proposed location in Tysons.
Here’s Spanberger’s official veto statement
“Pursuant to Article V, Section 6 of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto Senate Bill 756 as it would strip the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors of control over the local approval process, require the county to set a referendum, and set a broader precedent.
“Per existing law, once the General Assembly decides a locality is ‘eligible’ for a casino regardless of the locality’s preferences, the local governing board has a non-discretionary, ministerial duty to adopt a resolution and petition the court to hold the referendum. Therefore, local governing boards should lead on proposed casino development, as has been the prior standard and process. Senate Bill 756 would effectively change this standard and eliminate local control.
“While this legislation only affects Fairfax County, it would set a precedent that could be used to bring casino referendums to other localities where the local governing boards may similarly oppose such efforts.
“Accordingly, I veto this bill.”
What Northern Virginia leaders said about the proposal
Supervisor Walter Alcorn, of the Hunter Mill district, opposed the plan and asked Spanberger to veto it.
“This is not a casino we asked for. We don’t want it, and it’s unfortunate the General Assembly has moved forward with this,” he told News4 last month.
The proposal called for funds to be split 70% to the state and 30% to Fairfax County. Fairfax County Board Chairman Jeff McKay told News4 that wasn’t enough.
“Anything short of at least a 50-50 mix isn’t even worth looking at,” he said.
Why a GOP state senator accused NoVa Democrats of hypocrisy
The bill faced criticism by many Northern Virginia lawmakers.
“We’ve had enormous local opposition for this,” state Sen. Barbara Favola, a Democrat from Arlington, said in the legislature last month.
Republican state Sen. Mark Peake, of Lynchburg, snapped back. He said Northern Virginia Democrats pushed redistricting on the rest of the commonwealth and called out the hypocrisy of objecting to the state making big changes that don’t have local support.
“Do you think somebody in Augusta wants to be represented in Congress by somebody from Fairfax? And you have the gall to talk about us passing a bill to put a casino in Fairfax when we’ve got four or five in the rest of the commonwealth,” he said.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
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