Analysis: Those who voted ‘yes’ believe that S103 would require manufacturers to be more careful about what they put into children’s products. It would help Vermont children avoid exposure to toxic chemicals in children’s products, thus improving children’s health outcomes.
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Those who voted ‘no’ believe that S103 would subvert the credibility of chemical regulation in Vermont. Current Vermont
law requires that, before denoting a chemical as unsuited for contact with children, the Commissioner of Health shall consider recommendations from a Working Group of environmental and manufacturing stakeholders to determine if the degree to which children are exposed to this chemical on a daily basis exceeds the chemical levels that raise health concerns. S103 would remove the “health risks” criterion, and rely solely on the exposure criterion, effectively removing the need for established scientific evidence to ban the use of chemicals that have been diluted safely.
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S103 is the classic example of passing legislation before current legislation has even had a chance to be enforced appropriately. Vermont’s current standards governing children’s exposure to chemicals are only 4 years old, passed in
2014 after extensive debate. The first chemical reporting deadline under these new regulations was last year. Vermont has only begun to work through administrative concerns ahead of further rulemaking in 2018. At the very least, Vermont should wait several years to see how the 2014 will effect industry standards before embarking on a crusade to defeat a nonexistent chemical threat.
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As Recorded in the House Journal, Friday, April 25, 2018: “Shall the bill pass the failure of the Governor to approve notwithstanding? was decided in the negative. Yeas, 94. Nays, 53 a two thirds vote of 98 needed to override.” (
Read the Journal, p.1151-1153.)
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