Concern about Trump administration opposition raised
By Guy Page
The City of Burlington has secured sufficient insurance coverage to move forward with plans for Vermont’s first sanctioned overdose prevention center, also known as a “safe injection site,” according to an August 13 Vermont Department of Health report.
The state’s OK follows months of city-state discussions on the adequacy of insurance, as determined by the state, which is required for all state grantees. The City and its non-profit operator of the proposed safe injection site have not yet announced a site for the controversial center.
Under Section 2 of Act 178 (2024), the Department of Health is required to distribute $2.2 million in grant funding to Burlington to establish the center, once the city submitted an approved proposal and met all grant conditions. The Burlington City Council approved the plan in April, and the Department signed off later that month.
Progress slowed in May after questions arose about whether the city’s insurance met state requirements. In July, the Department, working with the Vermont Risk Manager, determined that Burlington’s existing coverage was adequate for serving as the fiscal agent for the project.
The delay in finalizing the grant agreement means the Department will retroactively reimburse the city for eligible costs incurred since July 1. The grant will run for 24 months and be distributed in eight payments.
It is unclear whether the insurance discussion focused on the possibility of the Trump administration opposing the project. Addressing such opposition would definitely add legal expense, and possibly loss of federal funding in other areas and even financial penalties. During Trump’s first term, US Attorney for Vermont Christina Nolan reportedly promised to prosecute officials if they opened a government-supported safe injection site. This year, Republicans in NYC have asked the current Trump administration to shut down two safe injection sites there, possibly invoking his late-July Executive Order to reduce drug abuse and homelessness.
The $2.2 million will fund the center’s launch and operations in compliance with Act 178 and state operating guidelines. Act 178 was passed in 2024 and promptly vetoed by Gov. Phil Scott, who said funding would be better spent on proven, effective drug abuse recovery and treatment programs. However, the Legislature overrode his veto – one of the last times it was able to do so prior to the November, 2024 election that ended the Democrat/Progressive supermajority.
Earlier this year the City Council authorized Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform, an advocate of decarceration, to operate the center under a program called Downtown Health Project. VDC was unable to reach VCJR spokespeople to ask about any progress in locating a site for the center.
Supporters of two NYC safe injection sites say they have contributed to a decrease in overdose deaths. Critics say it has had the opposite effect on drug consumption and the crime and other social ills that accompany it.
Cover photo: Govfacts.org.