House overrides governor's veto on bottle bill, H.158

The House of Representatives voted to override the governor's veto of House Bill 158, an act related to the beverage container redemption system. After floor debate, the clerk conducted a roll-call vote, and the House recorded 112 votes in favor and 32 opposed, with 144 members present; two-thirds of those present (96) were required to override the veto.

Supporters told colleagues the bill would close gaps in the current system, expand redemption opportunities and producer responsibility, and increase legitimate closed-loop recycling. "Changes to the bottle bill are long overdue and strongly supported by the majority of Vermonters," the member from Middlebury said, urging members to vote to override the veto.

Opponents argued the expansion would divert materials from material recovery facilities and raise recycling costs. The member from Pulte warned that expanded coverage would "redirect valuable materials, such as glass, plastic, and aluminum away from material recovery facilities," and cited an estimate that the change could increase solid waste recycling costs by about 7 percent and raise the bottle bill system's operating cost by roughly $4,000,000 per year (from approximately $8,000,000 to $12,000,000, citing a 2018 ANR study). "I will sustain the governor's veto," the member from Pulte said.

Under Chapter 2, Section 11 of the Vermont Constitution, the House reconsidered the bill by roll call after receiving the governor's veto. The clerk announced 144 members present and that two-thirds of those present (96) constituted the threshold to override. With 112 yes votes, the House met that requirement and overrode the veto.

The vote followed brief procedural business, including suspension of rules to introduce 25 bills by number only and readings of several resolutions. After the override, the House completed its orders of the day and adjourned until Friday, Jan. 5, 2024 at 9:30 a.m.