Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe gave a warning to Republican lawmakers that he would veto any legislation he thought would curb abortion rights or expand gun rights in a way he thinks is unsafe.
McAuliffe issued the warning during his State of the Commonwealth address to the legislature last night.
The governor has been an outspoken advocate for abortion rights and signed an executive order last year banning the open carry of guns in some state-owned buildings.
Republicans in the GOP-controlled General Assembly have introduced legislation that would curb McAuliffe's gun control efforts and expand restrictions on abortion. There are not enough Republicans to be able to override a governor's veto on a party-line vote.
Rally
Advocates on both sides of the abortion debate held events at the Capitol before the start of the 2016 General Assembly session.
Several Democratic lawmakers, including Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, joined NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia to announce at a news conference Wednesday they had signed a "statement of intent" in support of abortion rights.
Shortly afterward, several dozen anti-abortion advocates held an outdoor rally expressing support for legislation that would lessen public funding of Planned Parenthood.
Debates over social issues like abortion could be heated this session, but are unlikely to produce much movement.
Four years ago, anti-abortion lawmakers caused a national uproar after proposing to mandate medically invasive exams prior to abortions.
Medicaid
McAuliffe also asked state lawmakers to avoid partisan squabbles and expand Medicaid during the 2016
legislative session.
The Democratic governor touted his accomplishments and outlined his goals in his State of the Commonwealth speech before the GOP-controlled General Assembly, kicking off its 2016 legislative session.
McAuliffe is entering his third year in office, which is typically when Virginia's single term-limited governors push for an ambitious legislative agenda. But McAuliffe and top Republicans have repeatedly clashed on the governor's top priority: expanding Medicaid to Virginia's able-bodied poor adults. McAuliffe has included expanding Medicaid in his $109 billion biennial budget, something Republicans say is a non-starter.
The 2016 legislative session will last 60 days, and so far about 2,000 bills have been filed
