The
pressure is on in the legislature to tie up loose ends and move bills to the
floor for final passage before we adjourn.
Bills that originated in the Senate are now reaching the House floor for
a vote. Some House bills have been sent
back from the Senate with changes that have to be approved by the House before
proceeding to the Governor’s desk. Several
significant bills were passed last week, and these are a few of them.
The bill that got the most media coverage was H.112, which
requires foods that contain genetically engineered ingredients (also known as
GMOs), to be labeled as such by producers.
As reported in the 4/27/14 issue of the Burlington Free Press, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture reports that 93% of soybeans and 88% of corn grown in
the U.S. are genetically modified and are ingredients in more than 70% of food
products on store shelves today. The biotechnology
industry as well as the Grocery Manufacturers Association opposed the bill, but
the Vermont public, including 76% of Charlotte respondents to the Doyle Poll,
overwhelmingly supports the right to know what is in their food. The bill passed overwhelmingly in both the
Senate and House.
The House also passed the Raw Milk bill, S.70, which will allow
farmers producing up to 280 gallons per week to deliver their product to
existing customers at farmers' markets. The raw milk regulations that have been
in place for five years are rigorous and prescribe the good practices that
producers must follow to ensure public health and safety. Vermont raw milk dairies have consistently
produced a high quality and safe product. The provisions in this bill will
ensure that consumers can pick up fresh, safe milk from farmers with whom they
have an established relationship at more convenient times and locations.
Changes were also made to the regulations for medical marijuana
dispensaries with the passage of S.247 by the House. The bill eliminates the 6 month waiting
period for patients with a terminal illness, with cancer which has
metastasized, or with AIDS. It also adds
naturopathic physicians with a special license to prescribe, dispense, and
administer prescriptions to the list of medical professionals who can provide a
medical verification form to a patient for marijuana therapy. Recent news reports have profiled children
that suffer from intractable seizures and their successful treatment in
Colorado with a special marijuana extract called "Charlotte's Web".
Unfortunately, federal law prohibits the extract from being transported
outside of Colorado, so another provision in S.247 allows the development of such
a product in Vermont to treat these young patients.
Other bills deserving mention that passed include S.234, which authorizes
Medicaid coverage for remote monitoring of data via the internet related to a
patient’s health in conjunction with a home health plan of care, and H.356
which prohibits littering on the waters of the state. The latter bill also establishes September as
River Green Up Month, similar to Green Up Day which we are celebrating this
weekend.
