LEESBURG, Va. — Gov. Glenn Youngkin spoke with families in northern Virginia Thursday, just one day after signing a bill to make masking optional in Virginia schools.
The governor's signature on the bill proved a pivotal moment for his administration, which has been working to end school mask mandates since Youngkin's first day in office. He included an emergency clause to make the bill effective no later than March 1.
Legislators approved Senate Bill 739 on a party-line vote, 52-48, on the House floor on Wednesday.
The governor headed to a busy Leesburg diner to speak with the families, where he covered a host of topics, from his stance on masks to taxes and his goals moving forward.
“I encourage people who want to wear a mask, please wear a mask, please,” Youngkin said of residents who still wish to follow the CDC recommendations to wear masks indoors in all high or moderate transmission settings. “For people who believe their children should not wear one, they should have a right in Virginia today to make that decision.”
Youngkin also discussed tax relief with the families, sharing that he wants to eliminate the Virginia grocery tax, suspend the most recent increase in gas taxes and provide a tax break on retirement benefits for veterans. He highlighted that more people are moving away from the Commonwealth than people who are moving into the state, a reality that he said is surely due to the cost of living.
"We've got work to do because we in fact can reduce our tax burden on Virginians and invest in those most important initiatives, invest in our schools, invest in law-enforcement, invest in our mental health and behavioral health system," he said. "We can invest but we also can cut taxes."
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