Montpelier, Vt. - Governor Phil Scott announced action on the following bills, passed by the General Assembly.
On June 1, Governor Scott signed bills of the following titles:
- H.62, An act relating to the interstate Counseling Compact
- H.77, An act relating to Vermont’s adoption of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact
- H.86, An act relating to Vermont’s adoption of the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact
- H.282, An act relating to the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact
- H.473, An act relating to radiologist assistants
- H.517, An act relating to approval of the dissolution of Duxbury-Moretown Fire District No. 1 and to deputy State’s Attorneys
- S.14, An act relating to a report on criminal justice-related investments and trends
- S.99, An act relating to miscellaneous changes to laws related to vehicles
- S.115, An act relating to miscellaneous agricultural subjects
- S.135, An act relating to the establishment of VT Saves
- S.137, An act relating to energy efficiency modernization
On June 1, Governor Scott returned without signature and vetoed S.6, An act relating to law enforcement interrogation policies, and sent the following letter to the General Assembly:
June 1, 2023
The Honorable John Bloomer, Jr.
Secretary of the Senate
115 State House
Montpelier, VT 05633-5401
Dear Mr. Bloomer:
Pursuant to Chapter II, Section 11 of the Vermont Constitution, I’m returning S.6, An Act Relating to Law Enforcement Interrogation Policies, without my signature because of my objections described below.
This bill started out as a reasonable approach to expand existing constitutional protections prohibiting deceptive and coercive interrogations for juvenile offenders under the age of 18. As passed, this bill would make Vermont an outlier by offering these expanded protections to young adult offenders up to the age of 22, despite Vermont’s already robust constitutional protections. There was uniform testimony in opposition to this bill from the entities charged with promoting public safety, including crime victim services and child advocacy centers, that this bill will remove tools from law enforcement used to investigate very serious, violent crimes at a time when our communities are not feeling safe and are asking us to do more.
This bill would make it more difficult to investigate and prosecute young adult perpetrators involved in serious crimes, such as narcotics trafficking, sex offenses, including sexual assaults that happen on college campuses and child sex abuse cases, and internet crimes against children.
For this reason, I’m returning this legislation without my signature pursuant to Chapter II, Section 11 of the Vermont Constitution.
Sincerely,
/s/
Philip B. Scott
Governor
On June 1, Governor Scott returned without signature and vetoed H.305, An act relating to professions and occupations regulated by the Office of Professional Regulation, and sent the following letter to the General Assembly:
June 1, 2023
The Honorable Betsy Ann Wrask
Clerk of the Vermont House of Representatives
115 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05633
Dear Ms. Wrask:
Pursuant to Chapter II, Section 11 of the Vermont Constitution, I’m returning H.305, An act relating to professions and occupations regulated by the Office of Professional Regulation, without my signature because of my objections described herein:
I’ve successfully partnered with the Secretary of State’s Office of Professional Regulation on several occasions since taking office to remove employment barriers for licensed professionals, and to create civilian licensure pathways for military professionals. However, I’m concerned about the impact of raising licensing fees on workers we’re trying to attract to these critical sectors and adding to the affordability challenges Vermont employees and employers already face.
While these fee increases may look modest, they contribute to the high cumulative impact of new costs being levied on Vermonters this session. I will continue to fight against creating new and higher taxes and fees during a time when Vermonters are grappling with persistent inflation, and when we have record surpluses available to assist us.
For all these reasons, I’m returning this legislation without my signature pursuant to Chapter II, Section 11 of the Vermont Constitution.
Sincerely,
/s/
Philip B. Scott
Governor
On June 1, Governor Scott allowed H.230, An act relating to implementing mechanisms to reduce suicide and community violence, to become law without his signature, and sent the following letter to the General Assembly:
June 1, 2023
Vermont General Assembly
115 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05633
Dear Legislators:
Today I’m allowing H.230, An act relating to implementing mechanisms to reduce suicide and community violence, to become law without my signature.
This bill has come a long way. It started as something I could not support, but after a lot of time and effort from various parties, it ended in a better place, where I support two out of the three major provisions.
First, I believe the expansion of who can petition the court for an extreme risk protection order will prove to be helpful in keeping guns out of the hands of those who are at risk of doing harm to themselves or others.
Second, the provision relating to ‘safe storage’ creates a more palatable and effective approach to ensure guns are not readily accessible to those who shouldn’t have them.
Unfortunately, the third component, including the 72-hour waiting period is, in my opinion, problematic.
Given the relatively new legal landscape we find ourselves in following recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions, I have significant concerns about the provision’s constitutionality. My struggle with the overall bill lies in the fact that I, and all legislators, took an oath to “not do any act or thing injurious to the constitution.”
However, this matter is currently being taken up through constitutional legal tests across the country and will be decided in Federal Court. I would also not be surprised to see a Vermont entity challenge the constitutionality of this provision of the bill, as well.
With this in mind, knowing that my constitutional concerns will be addressed through the legal process, I will allow H.230 to become law without my signature, and await the judicial branch to decide the fate of waiting periods.
Sincerely,
/s/
Philip B. Scott
Governor
To view a complete list of action on bills passed during the 2023 legislative session, click here.