Six more weeks of winter!

By Rep. Jim Harrison

While six more weeks of winter may be the prediction of Punxsutawney Phil when he came out last week to see if he had a shadow, it’s almost a guarantee that the Vermont Legislature probably has double that to finish its 2022 session. Entering week 6 of a normal 18-week session, House and Senate committees continue to vet various proposals before them before sending them forward.

On Friday, the House cleared the way for a clarifying amendment to Vermont’s constitution on the slavery prohibition on a near unanimous vote (139-3). The amendment streamlines Vermont’s constitution slightly by removing the original references to the prohibition only applying to those over 21. According to constitutional lawyers, the amendment does not change anything, as it is already superseded by the U.S. Constitution.

Vermont’s constitution can only be amended every four years and must be approved by two successive legislative bienniums before going to the voters for ratification. Additionally, it is only the Senate that can originate amendments. Vermont has one of the shortest state constitutions with 8,565 words. On the other end, Alabama has 402,852 words.

On Tuesday, the House will vote on Proposal 5, the amendment giving Vermonters reproductive rights, including abortion without identified weeks of pregnancy duration. While the measure is again expected to be advanced to the voters, there will be more debate and controversary with the amendment.

Other issues of interest:

• The House Ways & Means Committee advanced a $1,200 per child under 6 tax credit and a slight bump in the income exemption for the social security exemption. The social security income exemption would have risen $30k to $75k in income for single filers and $90k for joint filers under the Governor’s proposal. The committee cut that back to just a $5k increase from the current thresholds of $45k total income for single and $60k for joint. Scott’s other tax reduction measures, like nursing and childcare staff credits, college loan interest deduction and elimination of taxes on veteran pensions were also eliminated by the committee in favor of the child credit.
• The Senate approved S.30, a gun control measure on a 21-9 vote, a veto-proof margin after the governor expressed reservations about the need for new measures. Scott signaled potential opposition to legislation, which creates a statewide registry for contractors, at his weekly press conference. The bill, H.157, is on its way to the governor. The Senate has again passed a medical monitoring bill, S.113, for possible victims of chemical exposure. A similar bill was vetoed by Scott a few years ago over concerns on the potential for escalating lawsuits.
• The House Energy and Technology Committee continues to sort through various climate change proposals put forth by Vermont’s Climate Council. One proposal receiving a lot of attention is a clean heat standard that should reduce greenhouse gas emissions but will come at a cost for lower carbon fuels and new emission reduction equipment for homeowners.
• Included in the budget proposal from the Department of Public Safety is a major change in how dispatching is done for various public safety agencies, including EMS, police, and fire, throughout the state. It would take the state police out of the dispatch business and set up regional emergency dispatch centers run and paid for by local taxpayers. Changes in dispatch have never been easy to implement in the past, given that some communities may see increase in costs while others may see savings.
• A bipartisan press conference was held last week to advocate for exempting military pensions from Vermont income taxes. The event included members of the governor’s administration, congressional candidates Lt. Gov. Molly Gray and Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale and House members of the National Guard and Veterans Caucus. Vermont is only one of three states plus Washington, D.C. that fully tax veteran pensions.

Getting back to Punxsutawney Phil, the major snowstorm this past weekend might call into question his prognostication of only six weeks of winter left.

Jim Harrison is a state house representative for Bridgewater, Chittenden, Killington and Mendon. Reached him at JHarrison@leg.state.vt.us.