‘Tebow Bill’ fails to garner support to override governor’s veto

By Lynn R. Mitchell

For supporters of the homeschool sports access bill also known as the Tebow Bill, the news out of Richmond on Wednesday was not good. After Governor Terry McAuliffe vetoed the bill, it was not able to gain the support needed to overcome the veto (see House sustains McAuliffe veto of Tebow Bill).

Delegate Rob Bell, who has worked tirelessly on the bill for the past decade, sent an email to supporters of the bill:

Today was the veto session, when we took up Governor McAuliffe’s veto of the Tebow Bill and other measures.  I argued in support of an override, which would require a 2/3 vote (66 delegates).  We got 60, but that is not enough, so the veto kills the bill for this year.

I am very, very disappointed that Virginia homeschoolers will not be able to try out for high school teams this fall.  There are 29 states that allow homeschoolers to play in high school sports, and it is long past time for Virginia to follow suit.

Many thanks to everyone who supported the bill, and we will try again next year.

Thank you for supporting homeschooling.

This year may have been our best chance for this bill. Who knows what the makeup of the General Assembly will be next year after the November elections? Many thanks to Delegate Bell for his continued efforts on behalf of the homeschooling community.

You may also be interested in an article I wrote shortly after the veto (see Back in the homeschool classroom: Did Terry McAuliffe understand the ‘Tebow Bill’ he vetoed?).