May 20, 2022
SPEAKER KROWINSKI STATEMENT ON THE VETOES OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE LEGISLATION
Montpelier, Vt. – Today, House Speaker Jill Krowinski issued the following statement:
“It is deeply disappointing to see bills vetoed. H.505 and H.534 were both important pieces of our criminal justice reform work this year. H.534, a bill expanding eligibility for expungement and sealing of criminal history records for nonviolent offenses, builds on the already existing system of people being able to petition to have their records cleared and/or sealed. We know that many Vermonters go through difficult times, and not giving them the ability to clear their name after getting on a better path, only sets them up on a course to be denied employment, housing, and a better quality of life.
“H.505, a bill that would create the Drug Use Standards Advisory Board within the Vermont Sentencing Commission, was important legislation to review our drug sentencing practices and address the disproportionate impact they have on marginalized populations. The bill would have the newly created board of experts collect data, review best practices, and make recommendations to the legislature. It did not make any assumptions on what sentencing changes would be made, and the recommendations would still get the full and thorough review of the legislature before a bill would be passed and sent to the Governor. Just like the current work of the Sentencing Commission, which makes recommendations to the legislature, it was clearly drafted to make sure experts led the research and checks and balances were in place for additional analysis.
“The legislature did our due diligence, taking testimony from a wide variety of individuals and organizations, to craft these well-balanced bills that are critical to being a more criminally justice minded state. If the governor continues to veto bills that Vermonters are counting on for a more equitable and just future, I simply do not know how we can make the progress we all know is critically needed for the health and well-being of future generations of Vermonters.”
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