12 | THE BI-WORD
Overview of Governor Youngkin’s Executive Orders By Thad Worth
On January 15th, Glenn Allen Youngkin became Virginia’s 74th governor. In his inaugural speech, Governor Youngkin promised to “renew the promise of Virginia, so it will be the best place to live, work and raise a family.” He also said that he would reduce the cost of living and make it “crystal clear – Virginia is Open for Business.” Immediately after he was inaugurated, Governor Youngkin quickly signed 9 executive orders: According to the official Governor of Virginia website, the first order ends the use of divisive concepts such as Critical Race Theory in public education. The second-order empowers parents to decide whether or not their child wheres a mask at school. The third order terminates and replaces the five members of the Virginia Parole Board and orders a programmatic review. The fourth-order calls for the Attorney General to investigate Loudoun County Public Schools over their mishandling of the sexual assault of two students. The fifth order establishes the Commonwealth Chief Transformation Officer who will provide more transparency and increase the standards for the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC). The sixth order declares Virginia open for business. The seventh order creates the Human Trafficking Prevention and Survivor Support Commission which will be composed of trafficking victims, law enforcement, prosecutors, experts, and scholars. The eighth order establishes the Commission to Combat Antisemitism to help better understand antisemitism
Photo Credit: Bob Brown from the Richmond Times Dispatch
and ensure that Virginia is free of antisemitism, and antisemitic violence. In the ninth order Governor Youngkin pulls Virginia out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and tasks the Director of Environmental Quality and the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources to create a full report of the costs and benefits of the RGGI. These orders have caused significant controversy as many would like schools to keep mask mandates, and do
not believe that schools should change their curriculum. While the full effect of these changes remains to be seen; they will be celebrated by some, and disliked by others.
