Sen. Becca White, D-Windsor, left, and Sen. Tanya Vyhofsky, P/D-Chittenden Central, right, comfort Sen Martine Gulick, D-Chittenden Central, after the Senate failed to override Gov. Phil Scott’s veto of an overdose prevention center bill during a veto override session at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Monday, June 17, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
MONTPELIER—Lawmakers narrowly failed to override Gov. Phil Scott’s veto of a bill that would have allowed for the creation of an overdose prevention center in Burlington, a defeat for lawmakers and advocates who pushed for the facility.
After the House voted Monday morning to override the veto on H.72, the measure failed in the Senate by a single vote.
Lawmakers needed a two-thirds margin — 20 votes — in order to override the veto. On Monday, only 19 senators voted in favor of an override.
Proponents of the bill said an overdose prevention center— also known as a safe injection site — would create a safe and sanitary facility where people could use substances without fear of overdose.
Critics — including the governor — argued that such facilities were untested, and that the state’s limited funds would better be used to support recovery and treatment. Scott vetoed the bill May 30.
Lawmakers and advocates outside the senate chamber just after the vote were clearly surprised at the result, and some were visibly distraught.
This story will be updated.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Lawmakers fail to override Phil Scott’s veto of overdose prevention center bill.