RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — In what seems like a never-ending predicament, the future of skill games in Virginia remains uncertain.
Earlier this week, the Virginia Senate decided against hearing a bill legalizing skill games. Senator Louise Lucas said it was because Governor Glenn Youngkin said that he would not consider a skill games bill before senators repealed a recently passed provision making it harder for families of qualified disabled military veterans to access a state program that helps pay for their kids to go to college.
“We need solutions on both issues and we will have to continue working on both,” Sen. Lucas (D-Portsmouth) said.
Youngkin is not alone in his calls for lawmakers to deal with the program, known as the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program (VMSDEP), before addressing skill games.
In a letter distributed by anti-skill games proponents, a group of military veterans sent a letter to members of the General Assembly saying, “Virginia’s veterans are the backbone of our Commonwealth, and they deserve your undivided attention.”
However, small business owners like one who spoke Tuesday said not having skill games forced him to give up two of his three 7/11 locations.
“I had to turn them back over to corporate, essentially slashing my income by two-thirds,” the business owner said.
Any potential legalization is complicated. The House of Delegates is set to return to Richmond on June 28, however, they don’t have any skill games bills on the calendar. That means if the Senate passes a skill games bill at some point, the House will have to return to Richmond to consider it.
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — In what seems like a never-ending predicament, the future of skill games in Virginia remains uncertain.
Earlier this week, the Virginia Senate decided against hearing a bill legalizing skill games. Senator Louise Lucas said it was because Governor Glenn Youngkin said that he would not consider a skill games bill before senators repealed a recently passed provision making it harder for families of qualified disabled military veterans to access a state program that helps pay for their kids to go to college.
“We need solutions on both issues and we will have to continue working on both,” Sen. Lucas (D-Portsmouth) said.
Youngkin is not alone in his calls for lawmakers to deal with the program, known as the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program (VMSDEP), before addressing skill games.
In a letter distributed by anti-skill games proponents, a group of military veterans sent a letter to members of the General Assembly saying, “Virginia’s veterans are the backbone of our Commonwealth, and they deserve your undivided attention.”
However, small business owners like one who spoke Tuesday said not having skill games forced him to give up two of his three 7/11 locations.
“I had to turn them back over to corporate, essentially slashing my income by two-thirds,” the business owner said.
Any potential legalization is complicated. The House of Delegates is set to return to Richmond on June 28, however, they don’t have any skill games bills on the calendar. That means if the Senate passes a skill games bill at some point, the House will have to return to Richmond to consider it.