It's On! Vermont Vs. Monsanto

[G_j]

http://vtdigger.org/2013/05/10/house-decides-gmo-labeling-lawsuit-worth-the-risk/

House decides GMO labeling lawsuit worth the risk
by Andrew Stein | May 10, 2013

The Vermont House this week became the first legislative body in the country to pass a law that would require the labeling of foods derived from genetically modified organisms.

The House voted 99-42 in favor of House bill H.112. The vote came after lawmakers defeated an amendment on Friday that would have cored the bill of its central labeling language and after a lengthy floor debate on Thursday.

Opponents of the bill took issue with the potential lawsuit such legislation would likely bring, and the more than $5 million the Attorney General’s Office estimates such a lawsuit would cost taxpayers. Other opponents took issue with how the bill could stigmatize technologies that are helpful to farmers.

But the will to move the bill forward was strong in the House. The prevailing argument voiced in the House was that a lawsuit is worth the risk, and a consumer’s right to know what is in his or her food outweighs the negative connotations such labeling might create for GMO crops.

..more..

[Squinch]

1. YAY! Finally, someone is saying no!!! YAY!!!

[LondonReign2]

2. This is totally a tangent but

I was astonished to see the Vermont has 150 state representatives, or 1 for every 4,100 people.

California, OTOH, has 80 -- one for every 465,000 people.

[texshelters]

6. OTOH?

Can you translate for non-texters?

PTxS

[LondonReign2]

7. On The Other Hand

[texshelters]

22. Doh!

Thanks.

PTxS

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[NutmegYankee]

11. Common in the Northeast.

Connecticut has 150 reps, or 1 for every 23,700 residents, and Mass has 160 reps or 1 for every 41,500 residents.

[karynnj]

13. I was surprised recently to read that at some point in the past, every town

had 1 representative - no matter how big or small they were.

Until the mid-1960s Vermont’s constitution specified that each town, regardless of its population, had one representative in the House. Burlington’s sole House member represented more people than the 107 representatives from the 107 smallest towns. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1962 that “one town, one vote” apportionment violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and in 1964 the Vermont Supreme Court came to the same decision in the case of Buckley vs. Hoff. A year later Vermont’s legislators passed a plan for reapportionment, which cut the number of House members from 246 to 150.

http://www.freedomandunity.org/vt_transition/power_shifts.html

[City Lights]

3. Go Vermont!

[Addison]

4. Genetically modified food is so incredibly wonderful

that its producers don't want you to know you're eating it.

[bvar22]

5. !!!

[eissa]

8. As a proud Californian

I have to say that Vermont is the coolest state. It's not enough you guys have Ben & Jerry's, now this!

[Greybnk48]

19. Ben & Jerry's, Bernie Sanders and this.

There's more to love, but I just woke up and can't think.

[FarCenter]

9. Most food is derived from genetically modified organisms

Essentially everything that contains soybean oil, corn oil or HFCS comes from soybeans or corn that is GMO.

[zipplewrath]

17. Yeah, I was thinking the same thing

This requirement could easily fall onto the local stores, to mark the items, and I'd betcha it wouldn't take long for them to figure out that just about everything their selling has the POTENTIAL for being labeled. Since Monsanto has been fairly successful in avoiding having to disclose this information, it may be hard to actually know how vast the exposure is.

[cali]

10. well, it's alive, but barely.

The legislative session is over so it's not going anywhere until next year and this has been going on for close to 3 years. The Senate will vote- or not- next session which isn't until next year.

Many are terrified of being sued by Monsanto- which has far deeper pockets than the state of Vermont.

[G_j]

12. oh

that is discouraging. Still further than others have gone and Vt. deserves our thanks.

[cali]

14. Oh, I think the Senate will pass it next year

The makeup of our state senate is very liberal and David Zuckerman, organic farmer, former Ag chair in the house will surely be working hard on it over the summer and into the fall. I don't know if Shumlin will sign it due to the law suit costs, but I certainly wouldn't rule it out.

Monsanto has been threatening the hell out of the state.

[sabrina 1]

15. Has anyone ever called Monsanto's bluff before? I hope they do. That last thing Monsanto wants

is to have everything they are hiding from the public, exposed in a lawsuit.

I realize that going up against a large, Mafia-like Corp such as Monsanto would take immense courage and they are likely to smear and try to destroy anyone who dares, but the more who do so, the harder it will be for them to accomplish their nasty goals.

What would help would be if other states were to do the same thing.

[cali]

16. hey, sabrina. nice to see you.

No, I don't think any state has. I don't think the fear is being smeared, it's simply that Monsanto has very deep pockets and states don't want to get into protracted expensive law suits.

Yes, it would help if other states teamed up with Vermont, but that doesn't seem too likely. Maybe if VT does enact legislation requiring labeling, a defense fund could be set up.

[G_j]

20. we're so proud of Vermont!

I hope all the states will follow eventually.
It takes guts.

[Berlum]

18. Excellent

[TheKentuckian]

21. Way to be sane Vermont! You might be the only one in the Union but keep it up.