The Vermont Attorney General's office has started the long process of drafting the rules that will govern the new labelling law for food with genetically engineered ingredients when it goes into effect in two years.
According to Assistant Attorney General Kate Whelley McCabe, the AG's office started preparing for the process of research and public comment before Governor Peter Shumlin signed the bill May 8.
Some new state statutes stand on their own, while other new laws dictate that a certain agency create rules and regulations, she said. When rule making is required, the responsibility will fall to the agency as determined by the Legislature.
The rule-making process can take many months to longer than a year, and it can pass through multiple phases.
The AG's office will first gather input from fellow agencies with expertise in the field of GE ingredients and food production like the Department of Health and the Agency of Agriculture, she said.
After this information-gathering stage, McCabe said that the AG's office will release a draft outline of the proposed regulations. The draft regulations will spur further input gathered through formal public meetings and experts.
Once the AG's office fine-tunes the draft, it will file the rules for review by an independent body and the Secretary of State.
The proposed rules then enter a period of formal public hearings and refining.
The final step will be filing the revised rules with the Secretary of State and a final independent review.
McCabe said that as of Monday, no lawsuits had been filed against the state regarding the GE labeling law.
“It's expected that it's coming, but it's not our focus right now,” she said.