by Sen. Scott Beck

A lot of commentary space has appeared recently concerning three bills that passed Vermont’s Legislature, but were vetoed by Gov. Phil Scott and will not become law because override votes did not occur or were unsuccessful: S.190 An act relating to reference-based pricing and the Green Mountain Care Board, H.727 An act relating to sustainable data center deployment, and H.710 An act relating to defining electricity generating facilities.

All three bills received considerable attention during the 2026 session, and there was a lot of lobbying, both in support and in opposition. Votes on the floor were mixed, and most of the votes were, in my opinion, tepid. Some wondered what problems these bills were intending to solve, others looked at these votes as 50/50 votes with as many reasons to vote no as to vote yes, and others wondered if Vermont would be better off without a bill at all.

S.190 was a well-intentioned bill, meant to address the cost of healthcare in Vermont. Vermont’s healthcare is the most expensive in the United States, and most think the world. When S.190 was first voted on in the Senate, I supported it, as did 22 other senators, and it passed 23-6. When S.190 returned from the House, the savings had been directed to a narrow group of Vermonters at the exclusion of many, and provided no savings beyond what the Green Mountain Care Board can already capture. It passed the Senate on a partisan vote, 17-13. Governor Scott vetoed S.190, with his primary objection being a lack of equity in how the savings would be shared. An override was not attempted by the legislature.

H.727 gained a lot of attention this session due to the nationwide focus on data centers and their impacts on communities, electric rates, and water usage. H.727 was for the purpose of imposing additional regulations on data centers over 20MW. It is important to level set this conversation. Vermont currently has 3 data centers; each is less than 1MW. The big data centers that are receiving a lot of attention can exceed 2,000MW. H.727 is a proactive regulatory bill; I don’t know if it would ever be controlling. There is one Vermont Senator who has worked in a data center. He voted for H.727, but likened it to a bill to regulate a Vermont NFL team. I voted for H.727 as well, but I also don’t think large data centers will come to Vermont. Our current regulatory framework and electric rates are a significant deterrent. This was truly a 50/50 vote. Governor Scott also vetoed H.727 as being unnecessary. The House attempted an override and failed with only 83 representatives voting to override.  

H.710 was a terribly difficult bill and took up a significant amount of time. Sometimes, when a special interest group is so adamant about a bill, the best decision is to walk away. There are so many industrial solar questions that Vermont has yet to answer. How much does Vermont really need? Should Vermont allow its landscape to be covered with solar so that other states with higher land values can use the generation to meet their alternative energy goals, and how does that intersect with the private property rights of Vermonters? How much should solar be subsidized? Should we continue to subsidize solar? I heard this comment at least a dozen times in the statehouse this year – solar is the cheapest form of electricity generation, so we have to continue subsidizing it. What, really? How does that make sense? I get subsidizing a promising new technology for the greater good, but when do these subsidies end? If solar is truly so inexpensive, now would seem like a good time. The Senate, in my opinion, was so uncomfortable with H.710 that it didn’t even take a roll call vote. Gov. Scott vetoed H.710, and the legislature did not attempt an override.

Bills that will impact Vermonters are difficult by nature, and part of the serious business of a legislature. But votes shouldn’t be difficult because we don’t know how they will impact Vermonters or whether they will at all. None of these three bills should have made it to the Governor’s desk.

Sen. Scott Beck represents the Caledonia Senate District and is the Senate Minority Leader