Virginia Gov. Youngkin vetoes HB 2094, the AI accountability bill

What it is

Virginia House Bill 2094, formally the High-Risk Artificial Intelligence Developer and Deployer Act, was state legislation that would have created a new regulatory framework for businesses that develop or use high-risk artificial intelligence systems in the Commonwealth.

Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed the bill on March 24, 2025, just ahead of its deadline for approval, after it passed the Virginia Senate by a narrow 21-19 vote on February 19.

Had it become law, HB 2094 would have made Virginia the second state, after Colorado, to enact a comprehensive AI governance law.

What it requires

The bill would have prohibited algorithmic discrimination in employment, housing, finance and healthcare decisions made with AI assistance.

It would have required annual impact assessments describing how high-risk AI systems work, the data they use, and the measures taken to prevent discriminatory outcomes.

It would also have mandated public disclosures about AI use, granted individuals rights to request explanations or challenge AI-driven decisions, and empowered the Virginia Attorney General to seek civil penalties and injunctions.

In his veto message, Youngkin said the bill would establish a burdensome artificial intelligence regulatory framework and that its rigid approach failed to account for the rapidly evolving and fast-moving nature of the AI industry, placing an onerous burden on smaller firms and startups.

Because the bill never took effect, Virginia's existing Executive Order No. 30 continues to require that AI technologies used by state agencies, including those supplied by outside vendors, comply with state AI procurement and use standards.

What security leaders should do

Security and compliance leaders with Virginia operations should not treat the veto as closing the AI governance question, since general antidiscrimination, consumer protection and data privacy statutes continue to apply to AI-driven decisions regardless of the veto. Vendors and contractors serving Virginia state agencies should keep reviewing their AI tools against the standards tied to Executive Order No. 30, which governs procurement and use by outside vendors.

Teams operating in multiple states should also track other pending legislation, since private-sector AI bills were reported pending in twenty states around the time of the veto, and Colorado's comprehensive AI law remains on the books.