Two state governors, Gov. Phil Scott in Vermont, and Gov. Janet Mills in Maine are poised to sign two sets of approved state legislation into law, recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day as a replacement for Columbus Day on the second Monday each October.
The legislative move follows a series of acknowledgments over the years as former Vermont Gov. Shumlin had signed an executive proclamation to change the federal holiday in 2016, and the present Governor Phill Scott had issued further proclamations in 2017 and 2018. Gov. Mills in Maine has previously said she would sign the legislation after the Democratic governor took office replacing former Republican Paul LaPage. Republican lawmakers in the state of Maine have continued to oppose changing the holiday.
