Vermont House approves pilot for overdose prevention centers, 96–35

Montpelier — The Vermont House on Jan. 10 approved an amended version of House Bill 72, a pilot program to authorize overdose prevention centers, by a roll-call vote of 96 to 35.

The measure, as amended, directs the Vermont Department of Health to develop operating guidelines and to receive and approve applications for up to two pilot overdose prevention centers. It establishes immunity limited to possession and the use (and derivative use of evidence) connected to approved centers for participants, staff, and property owners, requires public annual reporting on participants and overdoses reversed, and authorizes grant funding to support fixed or mobile sites. The amendment increased initial pilot funding to $2,000,000 and shifted a $300,000 study appropriation to the opioid abatement special fund; the bill also raises the prescription drug manufacturer fee from 1.75% to 2.25% (estimated to raise about $1.3 million annually) to help fund grants.

Representative Small (member from Winooski), who reported the House Human Services Committee recommendation, framed the bill as a narrowly tailored pilot to “save lives” and described the committee’s strike-all amendment: a definition of an overdose prevention center, immunity provisions that do not cover distribution or sale, a 45-day Department of Health application decision timeline, two-year approvals, annual reporting requirements, and a directed independent study with interim reports and a final report due by Jan. 15, 2029. “This bill is about saving lives so that Vermonters have a chance to access treatment because there is no pathway to treatment if you are dead,” the presenter said.

Supporters cited peer-reviewed research and international examples where supervised consumption sites reduced fatal overdoses, public injection and syringe litter, and connected participants to treatment. Several speakers pointed to experience at On Point in New York City, which the floor record credits with thousands of visits and hundreds of onsite overdose interventions; members described those results as evidence that properly run centers can reduce pressure on emergency responders and improve public health.

Opponents raised legal and operational concerns. Members questioned whether the federal “crack house” statute could be applied to centers and whether Vermont currently has the continuum of care, staffing, and oversight capacity the amendment envisions. A member reading a letter from Attorney General Charity Clark’s office said the AG’s office described the concept as potentially lifesaving but urged assurances that the federal government would not prosecute and that wraparound services were in place.

The amendment that the House adopted set an April 1, 2025 deadline for the Department of Health to issue operating guidelines, expanded funding to support two pilot sites, and moved the effective date to upon passage to accelerate implementation. The clerk recorded the final vote as 96 in favor and 35 opposed. After the roll call the House ordered third reading.

The bill directs the Department of Health to consult stakeholders when developing operating guidelines and to report annually on program metrics including participant counts, demographic information, on-site overdoses and reversals, EMS contacts, law enforcement contacts, and referrals to services. Further details about where pilot sites might locate, zoning, and the specifics of on-site clinical procedures will be set in those guidelines and by applicant proposals.

The House debate underscored the division among members about harm-reduction strategies versus concerns about federal law and local capacity. Proponents said the pilot is research-driven and limited in scope; opponents urged more investment in treatment infrastructure and clearer operational oversight before authorizing consumption sites. The bill’s next formal step is the scheduled third reading in the House.