<p>On Wednesday, the <b>Vermont Senate</b> voted 26-2 to pass a <b>GMO labeling bill</b>.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Will Vermont's passage of a labeling bill signal the <b>beginning of a movement of state legislatures against GMOs</b> in the United States?<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">In 2013, <b>Connecticut</b> passed a GMO labeling bill, and in 2014 <b>Maine</b> passed a similar bill. However, in both cases, the states would only begin to regulate GMOs once several other states have enacted similar legislation. If Vermont's bill is enacted, it will be the first to <b>actually force manufacturers to label products</b> that contain genetically modified ingredients, according to the Manchester Journal.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>The Attorney General's Office is fully anticipating the need to defend the legislation in court. The bill will set up a <b>$1.5 million special fund to pay for legal defense</b>.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"Our goal was to make this as defensible as we possibly could," Senate Judiciary Chairman Sen. Dick Sears, told lawmakers.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The bill is expected to be challenged on the grounds that it <b>violates Constitutional protections against compelled speech</b>, laws prohibiting <b>adverse impacts on interstate commerce</b>, and rules prohibiting <b>conflicts between state and federal law</b>.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">If it prevails in court, Vermont's bill would become law on <b>July 1, 2016</b>.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Eight genetically modified crops are currently allowed to be commercially grown in the US: <b>Maize, Soybean, Cotton, Canola, Sugarbeet, Alfalfa, Papaya, and Squash</b>. In 2012, the US planted more than 170 million acres of GM crops, according to the USDA.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The majority of processed foods sold in the US contain GM ingredients. In many cases, consumers of these foods have no way of knowing the origins of the ingredients nor how they were grown.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">A poll by VTDigger and Castleton Polling Institute showed that <b>79% of Vermonters supported GMO labeling</b>.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"It's simply about information for consumers to make a decision," said Sen. David Zuckerman, the Vermont bill's lead sponsor.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"I haven't received any scientific information that GMOs are bad," said Sen. Peg Flory, who voted against the bill. "I have received scientific information - from the <b>World Health Organization, AMA (American Medical Association)</b>, and various other organizations - <b>stating that there is no indication at all that GMOs are harmful.</b>"<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"It's a <b>scare tactic</b> as far as I'm concerned," said Sen. Norm McAllister, R-Franklin, who uses GMO products on his farm. "I believe it's a lot of misinformation."<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The Senate will cast a final vote on the bill today. If it is approved, it will go to a conference committee, where it will be reconciled with the House bill.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Several groups are seeking a <b>Federal bill</b> which would reconcile the various different state bills in order to create a more consistent national policy. It is interesting to see Vermont's approach, which will put this sort of state regulatory legislation to the test. If the bill becomes law, which seems likely, the real question will be: <b>will it hold up in court?</b></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
