Montpelier, Vt. - Governor Phil Scott announced action on the following bills, passed by the General Assembly.

On June 28, Governor Scott signed:

-H.890, An act relating to delaying implementation of certain health insurance claims editing requirements

On June 28, Governor Scott allowed H.55, An act relating to miscellaneous unemployment insurance, workers' compensation, and employment practices amendments and to establishing the Vermont Baby Bond Trust, to become law without his signature and sent a letter to the General Assembly.

June 28, 2024

Dear Ms. Wrask:

I’m writing to express my intent for H.55, An act relating to miscellaneous unemployment insurance, workers' compensation, and employment practices amendments and to establishing the Vermont Baby Bond Trust.

As the title of this bill suggests, it is an expansive collection of initiatives, some of which will be beneficial to Vermonters and some of which may add to the growing and unsustainable cost burdens imposed by this Legislature. 

On the one hand, the bill moves toward better early detection of cancer in firefighters, who are known to have a much higher risk of developing cancer compared to other occupations.  It also expands the availability of unemployment benefits from four weeks to ten weeks during a declared state of emergency.   

On the other hand, it establishes well-intentioned workers compensation presumptions for certain state employees and a so-called “Baby Bond Trust.” The Baby Bond Trust program alone has the potential to add $6.5 million to the State budget, and likely increase annually. However, having said that, the Treasurer has made assurances that at least one public donor and private foundations will provide financial and other support, at least in the short term.

This bill fails to acknowledge the obvious questions about funding pressures in the future. But as in many other instances this legislative session, I’ve been put in the position of weighing the good versus the bad, which leads me to let this bill go into law without my signature.

Sincerely,

/s/

Philip B. Scott

Governor

To view a complete list of action on bills passed during the 2024 legislative session, click here.

Governor Scott recently discussed his decision-making approach to the bills passed by the Legislature, highlighting the challenge of balancing benefits, costs and risks, and concerns about the realities of new costs and short timelines for numerous new initiatives coming out of the Legislature. In part, Governor Scott said, “As I’ve always done, I will carefully weigh the good against the bad to make a decision based on whether the benefits outweigh the negative impacts for our entire state. These decisions aren’t easy and they’re not always popular here in Montpelier. But I’ll take that heat when I believe I’m making the right choice for the everyday Vermonter.” Read his full statement here.