MONTPELIER - Vermont is on the brink of permanently recognizing the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples' Day, not Columbus Day.

The bill cleared its final vote in the Legislature on Wednesday, and Gov. Phil Scott said he will likely sign it into law.

"I see no reason that I would not sign it," Scott said Thursday, "but we're reviewing the bill as we speak."

Former Gov. Peter Shumlin began recognizing Indigenous Peoples' Day by gubernatorial proclamation in 2016, and Scott has continued the tradition each year.

The bill would make Vermont one of the first states to legally rename Columbus Day, following the example of New Mexico and South Dakota (where the second Monday in October is called Native American Day). Similar legislation in Maine is currently awaiting the governor's signature.

A fourth state, Alaska, never recognized Columbus Day as a state holiday, but passed Indigenous Peoples' Day legislation in 2017.

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Recognizing indigenous people

Advocates say replacing Columbus Day is a way to recognize indigenous people in the United States and around the world, and to reflect on their colonization.

"Things that are symbolic can carry very far," said Rich Holschuh, of Brattleboro, a member of the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs. "The degree of disinformation and lack of understanding around the situation of native people in Vermont, as a microcosm of the national situation, is totally exemplified in the way that Columbus has been celebrated and the native people ignored.

"It's not trivial," Holschuh said of Indigenous Peoples' Day, "and this kind of opens up an opportunity for that story to begin to change."

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The bill sailed through the Vermont Senate but faced opposition in the House of Representatives, where opponents sought to preserve Columbus Day and create a separate holiday in February to recognize indigenous peoples. The Republican-led amendment was defeated, 42-95, on Wednesday.

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The governor acknowledged the controversy in explaining his support for the bill.

"I know it's controversial from many standpoints, from many people, but you know, it's just a day, and we'll get through it," Scott said. "And we've been treating it as something different over the last couple of years through resolutions. Without any technical difficulties within the bill, I'll probably sign it."

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If enacted, Columbus Day would be replaced starting this fall.

Contact April McCullum at 802-660-1863 or amccullum@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @April_McCullum.