MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed a flurry of bills into law Thursday and vetoed one.
Eighteen bills got the governor’s signature. Some notable bills include one that would stiffen penalties like jail time for those convicted of retail theft when the value of stolen goods is more than $250.
Another law expands college opportunities for graduates regardless of their immigration status.
Scott also allowed two bills to go into law without his signature, those are S.259, a bill requiring fossil fuel companies to pay for damage caused by climate change, and S.213, a bill that would enhance flood safety efforts statewide.
Scott, as expected, vetoed H.72, which would have allowed for the creation of a safe injection site in Burlington. The sites, also known as harm reduction centers, allow people to consume illicit drugs under medical supervision to prevent fatal overdoses. Scott, in a letter to lawmakers, said that while he thinks the bill is well-intentioned, he thinks it will divert resources from prevention and treatment.
Senate President Pro Tem Phil Baruth, D- Chittenden County, said in a statement that “the dramatic rise in fatal overdoses over the past ten years is one of the most pressing crises facing our state.” He said overdose prevention centers save lives and connect people to treatment while reducing pressures on EMS services and decreasing drug consumption in public.
The governor now has 47 career vetoes, in part because he’s always served with a Democratic majority or supermajority in the Statehouse.