Montpelier, Vt. – Monday, Governor Phil Scott vetoed S.103. Governor Scott offered the following statement detailing his decision:
“Growing Vermont’s economy, making Vermont more affordable and protecting the most vulnerable are my Administration’s top priorities, which is why I have decided to veto S.103. To achieve these three goals, I feel it is important to promote clear and understandable regulations that protect the public and support a strong economy through more predictability and stability for our businesses.
“Vermont has among the most comprehensive regulations in the U.S. for chemicals of high concern in children’s products through the requirements of Act 188 of 2014, which ensure the safety and well-being of Vermont families, while satisfying the concerns of businesses and consumers.
“Under Act 188, the Department of Health has stood up a public database and collected millions of lines of data in only two and a half years, with the full implementation of the law going into effect in January of 2017. To ensure the safety of Vermont kids, the Department asks for more information from manufacturers than any other state in America.
“To be clear, today, I vetoed S.103, in part, because of the changes the bill makes to Vermont’s already high standards around chemicals of high concern in children’s products. These changes, in my opinion, have no practical impact to how my Administration regulates these chemicals.
“In addition, S.103 creates duplicative committees that do not enhance our ability to hold bad actors accountable or directly address our ongoing response to the PFOA contamination.
“Over these concerns in Bennington County, I created an Interagency Committee on Chemical Management (ICCM) and the Citizens Advisory Panel (CAP) by executive order last summer. My primary intent in establishing these committees was to better coordinate chemical management, prevent future contamination, minimize the risk of harmful chemicals, and identify gaps in management.
“Therefore, if the Legislature agrees to make the changes I am seeking we can enact legislation that will codify what we’re doing effectively in practice today by executive order and contribute to public health and safety.”
The Governor’s full veto message can be viewed by clicking here.