by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Lawmakers today at first sustained and then overrode Governor Phil Scott's veto of the safe-injection site bill (H.72).
The House easily overrode the bill, but the Senate initially failed by a single vote. But in a kind of legal repechage, the Senate suspended rules and managed to squeeze out one more vote to get to the 20 required for the two-thirds override. Senator Richard Westman (R-Lamoille) changed his vote, thus assuring the override.
After surpassing the override in the House 104-41, the Senate initially sustained the H.72 veto, 19-10. Both chambers separately must vote to meet the two-thirds minimum to override.
Westman himself requested that the Senate suspend Rule 73 to allow reconsideration of the previous vote taken, but that action was blocked. The House then resent the bill to the Senate, where Westman's request to suspend succeeded, leading to the override vote.
Scott said this "well-intentioned" law would be costly and, "While it may consolidate the widespread drug use in Burlington into a smaller area within the city, it will come at the expense of the treatment and recovery needs of other communities, for whom such a model will not work."
After a second vote in the Senate successfully overrode the governor's veto, Senate President Pro Tem Phil Baruth issued the following statement:
“Today a tripartisan majority of the Senate voted to override Governor Scott’s misguided veto of the overdose prevention center bill, demonstrating our unwavering commitment to addressing Vermont's opioid crisis. The data is clear. Overdose prevention centers save lives, connect people to treatment, reduce pressures on emergency rooms and Emergency Medical Services, and reduce public drug consumption and discarded supplies in our communities. Governor Scott’s veto of this bill was an incredible disappointment, but I’m proud that the Vermont Senate delivered on our commitment to do everything in our power to accelerate the end of the opioid crisis in Vermont.”
Speaker of the House Jill Krowinski said: “H.72, the overdose prevention center bill, gives us an additional resource to help us support Vermonters battling addiction. It is impossible to take away the pain and loss so many Vermont families and communities have experienced from the loss of a Vermonter to an overdose. We have invested in substance use programs and resources for years, but we continue to see many Vermonters struggle. Any overdose death is unacceptable. I am proud of the vote to override the veto today and I hope that it will provide another path for any Vermonter to get the care they deserve.
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