By Rep. Jim Harrison
No, we are not talking about college basketball and the referees reviewing the monitors to see who last touched the ball when it went out of bounds. However, with live streaming now of House and Senate sessions, that is exactly what happened for the first time in the State House. A question was raised about whether the speaker had called for a vote on a routine motion. After the House speaker and clerk could not recall if the procedural vote was taken, they deferred to an instant replay of the livestream.
And speaking of basketball, congratulations go to Charity Clark of the attorney general’s office, for winning this year’s State House March Madness contest. Proceeds from the pool went to Ukrainian humanitarian efforts.
All eyes the next few weeks will be on the Senate version of the state budget, which is almost guaranteed to be different from the House passed bill. Additionally, Gov. Phil Scott has voiced concerns, not on the overall level of spending, but where the money is being spent. Key among his concerns is the lack of funding by the House of several of his economic initiatives, including relocation incentives and business grants.
Some highlights from last week:
- The House Education Committee advanced legislation putting Vermont on a path for universal school meals (free breakfast and lunch for all students, regardless of income). S.100 utilizes one-time surplus funds for one year and sets up a study on what tax increases to consider next year for the program going forward.
- Both the House and Senate have approved legislation, S.113, which would allow for medical monitoring to persons exposed to a proven toxic substance (such as PFAS), and other legal remedies. Although prior versions of similar legislation have been vetoed in past sessions, it appears that changes to satisfy some of the governor’s objections, such as an exemption for small businesses, have been incorporated.
- The governor has asked the Legislature to add a provision to the pension reform bill, S.287, to give new state and education employees the option to join a 401(k)-type plan rather than the defined benefit plan currently offered. Legislative leaders are reluctant to make a change as it was not part of the pension task force recommendation this past winter that union representatives agreed to. He also indicated that some type of risk sharing mechanism should be part of the package, similar to that in the municipal employee plan.
- The House Natural Resources Committee is reviewing changes to Vermont’s Act 250 law recently passed by the Senate, S.234. As with prior attempts to rewrite Act 250 requirements, finding the right balance between preservation of land and economic growth can be difficult. Among other things, the new legislation would include Act 250 review on roads or driveways longer than 800 ft. There has also been consideration, although not currently in the bill, of new review of any development above 1,500 ft in elevation.
- The Senate Natural Resources Committee continues its review of a House passed measure from last year to expand Vermont’s bottle deposit law to include wine, bottled water and most drinks or juice-drink combinations. Some redemption centers have asked for changes in how the deposit system works before more items are added, such as the handling fee they receive for each container and ways to simplify the sorting of returns given the workplace labor shortages and space constraints.
- The House approved a Burlington charter amendment to allow that city council to re-establish rules on ranked choice voting. The measure now heads to the Senate for consideration. Burlington repealed ranked choice voting in 2010 following a 2009 mayoral election in which the third-place finisher ultimately was declared the winner, even though he received only 29% of the first-place votes. Burlington voters in 2021 agreed to reinstate the measure for city council races only.
In closing, I want to extend my best wishes to those observing the upcoming Easter and Passover holidays.
You may reach me at JHarrison@leg.state.vt.us or harrisonforvermont.com.
