Over the past two days, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott signed more than two dozen bills into law — some big and some relatively small — including changes to criminal justice policies and the state’s Open Meeting Law, as well as new restrictions on the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS or “forever chemicals.”
Scott, a Republican, also vetoed legislation Thursday that would create the state’s first overdose prevention center. And he allowed two closely watched environmental bills to become law without his signature — indicating his tepid support — including one that would require big oil companies to pay for damages from climate change in Vermont.
Criminal justice, sheriffs
Among the bills Scott signed Wednesday and Thursday were a slate of criminal justice policy changes. Legislative leaders have said they passed them in response to a widespread perception that Vermont is less safe than it’s been in the past. Rates of property crimes and violent crime in the state have ticked up in recent years, though Vermont remains among the safest states in the country, according to FBI data.
The new laws include S.58, a sweeping measure that will impact how teenagers interact with the criminal justice system and create new drug penalties, as well as S.195, which creates a new supervision program for people released from state custody while awaiting trial.
“Over the last year, Vermonters have made it clear public safety is a top concern,” the governor said in a statement Wednesday. “While we would have liked S.58 to go further in some areas, this marks a step in the right direction.”
Scott also approved new escalating penalties for repeat retail thefts in H.534, and another bill that makes it a crime to “trespass” in someone else’s vehicle, H.563.
In addition, the governor signed two bills that impact law enforcement officers: H.872, which tasks the Vermont Criminal Justice Council with developing a statewide police code of conduct, and H.585, which adjusts which state pension plans certain county sheriffs and deputy sheriffs are eligible for and, notably, enacts a 30% salary cut for any sheriff who is not a certified law enforcement officer.
As it stands, the latter applies only to John Grismore, the embattled Franklin County sheriff whose police certification was permanently revoked in December after the criminal justice council found he violated the state’s use-of-force policy by kicking a handcuffed and shackled man in August 2022.
Local, state government
Scott also signed several bills that change how local and state officials are allowed to operate. The most notable is S.55, which updates the state’s Open Meeting Law after years of pandemic-era measures allowing public bodies to convene only online.
S.55 requires local bodies such as selectboards and school boards to provide online or in-person meeting participation options at the request of a local resident, a member of the body itself or a member of the press. Those bodies must also record their meetings and post the recording online for at least 30 days, with some exemptions.
The new law does, however, allow these public bodies to hold online-only meetings when there is a “local incident,” defined in the law as dangerous weather, a power outage, a public health emergency or a credible threat to meeting participants’ physical safety, among other situations.
The legislation also requires certain state-level bodies, such as the Green Mountain Care Board and the Cannabis Control Board, to hold hybrid meetings. But while the state bodies won’t see that change until January 2025, local bodies will have to follow the new rules starting this July.
Another portion of the law, meanwhile, allows state and local bodies that have less authority — such as a parks commission — to continue holding online-only meetings if they choose.
Scott also signed a bill that makes changes to the state’s disaster response policies and practices. The law, S.310, starts a new grant program for municipalities to support disaster mitigation and repairs and creates a statewide urban search and rescue team. It also requires Vermont Emergency Management to ensure that state communications during an emergency are accessible to people who are deaf, hard of hearing and deaf-blind, as well as those with limited English proficiency.
By signing six other bills, Scott also approved changes to state charters governing Barre Town, Berlin, Burlington, Hartford and St. Johnsbury, as well as a plan to merge two fire districts in Brandon.
Public health
Other legislation that the governor approved this week relates to public health.
Scott signed a bill that bans the production, sale or distribution of cosmetic and menstrual products that are made with a long list of certain chemicals including PFAS, which the Environmental Protection Agency says can cause developmental delays in children, reproductive harm, increased cancer risk and other negative health effects.
S.25 also bans a suite of other products made with PFAS, including clothing, juvenile products, cookware and athletic turf fields.
Scott also signed S.98, which requires the Green Mountain Care Board to draft a plan for regulating prescription drug costs. And he signed H.233, which requires pharmacy benefit managers — companies that administer prescription drug benefits for a health insurance company — to obtain a state license, and bolsters state oversight of them.
He also signed a bill that establishes a working group to examine the use of psychedelics such as psilocybin in health treatments and to consider whether the state should establish a program allowing for their therapeutic use. A previous version of the legislation, S.114, contemplated decriminalizing psilocybin in the state.
And he approved S.192, which lays out procedures for civil commitment at a secure residential recovery facility for individuals with an intellectual disability, as well as for commitment in a psychiatric residential treatment facility for youth.
Other measures
Among other measures, Scott signed into law S.206, which makes Juneteenth a legal holiday in the state. The day, June 19, celebrates the end of slavery and became a federal holiday in 2021.
On the education front, Scott signed S.204, a bill that requires public and independent schools to screen students in kindergarten through third grade for reading deficiencies and creates additional literacy instruction training requirements for educators.
The governor also signed a bill that pilots the use of automated cameras to enforce speed restrictions in highway work zones, S.184, and that creates a working group to study the creation of a sister state program for Vermont, S.30.
He also signed legislation making miscellaneous changes to the state Public Utilities Commission, S.305, and to the state’s laws on agriculture. The latter, S.301, adds certain types of rodenticides to a list of restricted use pesticides, and prohibits pet shops from selling dogs, cats and wolf hybrids unless the shop meets several qualifications — a measure intended to eliminate the sale of puppies from puppy mills in Vermont.
Finally, Scott approved S.191, which prevents refugees, asylum seekers and other immigrant visa holders from being ineligible for education grants from the Vermont Student Assistance Corp. solely because of their immigration status. The grants can be used, among other ways, to help a person start the process of getting a professional license in their field.
In a statement Thursday, Scott said the law would have economic benefits statewide.
“At a time where we continue to see our population getting older, and our workforce declining, we need to do everything we can to reverse these trends and support good careers for all Vermonters,” he said.
Read the story on VTDigger here: In a post-session flurry, Gov. Phil Scott signs bills on crime, open meetings, PFAS and more.