Vermont’s Democratic-controlled state legislature on Monday overturned a number of the Republican governor’s vetoes and passed measures to prevent drug overdoses, limit the apply of a pesticide that is toxic to bees and require the state’s utilities to generate all their energy from renewable sources by 2035.
But lawmakers failed in an attempt to override Gov. Phil Scott’s veto of a privacy bill considered one of the strictest in the country. It would have allowed consumers to file civil lawsuits against companies that violate certain privacy rules. Scott vetoed the bill last week, saying it would make Vermont “a national outcast and more hostile to many businesses and nonprofits than any other state.”
The Vermont House of Representatives voted to override his veto, but the Senate upheld his decision.
The vote came after the House reconvened on Monday to override Scott’s vetoes of seven bills. To successfully pass the bills, two-thirds of those present in each chamber were required for an override vote.
Democratic Senate President Philip Baruth thanked his colleagues at the end of the day, calling it “an incredibly productive day, a long and in many ways exhausting day, but with brilliant results.”
Governor Scott, on the other hand, called it a sorrowful day for the citizens of Vermont, “who simply cannot afford further tax burdens and cost increases. Many will call these votes a great loss for me, but in reality it is a great loss for the taxpayers, workers and families of Vermont.”
Scott said last month that the Legislature is out of balance and sometimes “focuses so much on its goals that it fails to consider the unintended consequences.” While he said his vetoes are not popular in Montpelier, “I take that criticism when I believe I’m making the right choice for the ordinary Vermonter,” Scott said.
The Drug Overdose Prevention Act, passed by the Legislature, allows for the establishment of a sheltered injection site in Burlington, Vermont’s largest city, where people can consume narcotics under the supervision of trained staff and be resuscitated in the event of an overdose.
The center connects people with addiction treatment, medical and social services, provides education on overdose prevention, and distributes medications to treat overdoses.
“The data is clear. Overdose prevention centers save lives, connect people to treatment, reduce pressure on emergency departments and emergency services, and reduce drug use and discarded supplies in our communities,” Baruth said in a statement.
The novel law allocates $1.1 million in fiscal year 2025 for the Vermont Department of Health to provide grants to the city of Burlington to establish such a center. The money will come from the Opioid Abatement Special Fund, which is made up of Vermont’s share of a national settlement with drug manufacturers and distributors. Before that happens, the Department of Health must hire a researcher or consultant to study the impact of the overdose prevention center pilot program.
According to the Drug Policy Alliance, the first licensed overdose prevention centers opened in New York City two years ago, and Rhode Island is expected to open one in Providence this summer.
By Monday afternoon, the state House and Senate had overridden the governor’s veto of a bill requiring the state’s utilities to apply only renewable energy by 2035, making Vermont the second state with such an ambitious timeline. Scott had said the renewable energy law was too high-priced for electricity customers. Under the law, the largest utilities must meet the goal by 2030.
“The renewable energy standard will put Vermont on a path to generating 100% renewable electricity by 2035, which will dramatically reduce climate-warming carbon pollution and save Vermonters money over time,” Baruth said in a separate statement. He called the governor’s veto an attempt to continue to reject “crucial progress on climate action” while Vermonters are still “facing the impacts of recent climate disasters.”
The legislature also passed a property tax bill to fund education that will enhance property taxes by an average of nearly 14%. It also created a committee to recommend changes to make Vermont’s education system more affordable. Scott said Vermonters cannot afford double-digit tax increases.
In addition, the House overrode Scott’s veto of a bill restricting the apply of a pesticide that is toxic to bees. The House passed the bill after New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the bill last year, which she called the first law in the country to severely restrict the apply of neonics in her state. Scott said the bill was “targeted against farmers rather than pollinators.”
