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House overrides governor, sends land‑use community resilience bill to Senate
Summary
The Vermont House voted to override the governor's veto of H.687, a land‑use bill aimed at balancing biodiversity protection and housing through new planning tiers; the override passed by 107‑38 in a 145‑member vote.
The House of Representatives overrode Governor Scott's veto of House Bill 687 on a roll call vote, sending the bill to the Senate for consideration.
Madam Speaker announced the vote question under Chapter 2, Section 11 of the Vermont Constitution and the clerk recorded 145 members present. The tally was 107 in favor and 38 opposed, exceeding the two‑thirds threshold of 97 required to override the veto.
Supporters, including the member from Manchester, said H.687 is the culmination of years of stakeholder work and compromise designed to protect forests, waterways and biodiversity while enabling targeted housing development. The member from Manchester argued the measure creates a planning framework to identify areas where housing is desired and to streamline approvals there, calling the bill a necessary evolution of Act 250’s processes.
Opponents warned the bill expands Act 250 jurisdiction in ways that could make building housing harder in rural areas and described the bill’s timelines and new rules (for example, the proposed road‑rule change) as unworkable. One member urged adoption of the governor's suggested edits—such as moving implementation dates, expanding interim exemptions and adjusting board appointment authorities—to avoid undue burdens on smaller communities.
Madam Speaker confirmed the clerk's tally after roll call and announced that two‑thirds of the members present voted in favor of passage; the governor's veto was overridden.
Next steps: the House will message its action to the Senate and the bill will proceed there for further consideration.
