Listen to him say so here, courtesy of VPR. And here’s video from WPTZ.

UPDATE: Here’s a statement from House Speaker Shap Smith and Senate Pro Tem Peter Shumlin.

Today, Governor Douglas announced his intention to veto S.115, which has not completed the legislative process.

“The governor’s announcement today undermines the legislative process is disrespectful to Vermonters who come to the people’s house to weigh in on the important matters of our time,” said Speaker Shap Smith. “History will judge Jim Douglas on the wrong side of this issue.”

“Today is a sad day for Vermont,” said Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin. “The governor may choose to veto a bill, but he cannot veto love and commitment.”

This article appears in Mar 25-31, 2009.

Seven Days’ deputy publisher and co-owner Cathy Resmer is a writer, editor and advocate for local journalism. She works in the paper’s Burlington office and lives vicariously through the reporters while raising money to pay them. Cathy started at Seven Days as a freelance writer in 2001 and still has the Rolodex to prove it. As the paper’s first online editor, she launched Seven Days email newsletters and started the paper’s first social media accounts. Cathy has overseen Kids VT, Vermont’s...

23 replies on “Gov. Douglas Says He’ll Veto Same-Sex Marriage Bill”

  1. This is ridiculous, you’d think that in our day and age letting other people be happy wouldn’t be so damned hard. Good thing I’m not ready to marry… *sigh* What’s so “distracting” about passing a bill?! All you do is approve it… Letting it drag on like this is what’s making it a bigger issue than it has to be.

  2. I sorry to hear this Gov. I think it’s pretty clear the people of Vermont want this and while you’ve said it will be a distraction it seems to me it would have been less so if you had signed the bill. Now that you’ve vetoed the bill I suspect you’ll get more of a distraction!

  3. Very sad that he continues to feel so obliged to serve the very few extreme right ($$$) at the expense the very many and what is fair and right. In the future he will be seen as being an obstacle to progress and on the wrong side of history.

  4. The “inefficient use of time” some seem to be saying is going to bring the wheels of government to a grinding halt as Jimbo alleges, will have already been spent by the time the bill makes it to his desk. So the best way for him to make an efficient use of Legislative time is to sign the bill into law…it’s all perspective.

  5. The campaign to unseat this very shortsighted man begins now! After senators like Mullin from Rutland and others laid their careers on the line to “err on the side of equality” and with the polls all showing support, I truly am shocked, even with my low standards I have for Douglas. Come on legislators- come up with the 100 votes!!

  7. 1) This is not wasting “legislative time.” The work is done in committee. I can’t imagine what the Judiciary Committee could be working on to help the economy… OK, maybe legalizing marijuana for taxable purposes.2) Will Middlebury College want someone as their president who vetoed an equal rights law? Don’t think so.

  8. I think this is an inefficient use of legislative time when they should be working to preserve, protect, and produce jobs for Vermonters. If this session runs over because they decided to spend precious time on what is nothing more than a Democratic legislature posturing before a Republican executive branch I am going to be very upset.This is real money we’re talking about. Play the farce out another time.

  9. Don’t forget, if the bill receives enough votes in the House to override the veto, it will pass. Governor Douglas doesn’t have the final word. Our legislators do.

  10. This is very infuriating. I am more than ever displeased with Douglas…Just when I thought I couldn’t be more so.

Comments are closed.