By Rep. Jim Harrison
Quite a few years ago, I remember visiting the House Appropriations Committee at the State House, where there was a prominent sign on the wall, “NO, is it the N or the O that you do not understand?” The committee chair then was Michael Obuchowski, who later served as House Speaker during the mid-90s. The sign was perhaps a subtle message to anyone that was considering requests for new spending.
During the week prior to Christmas, the House Appropriations Committee (which I now serve on), met for two days to get a jump start on the upcoming session. During that time, the commissioner and deputy commissioner of finance, as well as the legislature’s own fiscal office, gave somewhat of a cautious overview of the budget framework for next year’s budget, which our committee will begin working on soon.
The message was clear: the bump in federal money is gone; Vermont will need to set aside significant money for flood-related rebuilding; state revenue growth is slowing; and — in addition to 15% health care hikes — employee contractional obligations are more than the administration’s 3% budget guidelines.
Should we begin looking for a new “NO” sign in committee? Legislative leaders recently indicated that collectively lawmakers have requested 33% more bills than last year. As many initiatives include some funding, it will be interesting to see how many of those efforts are advanced.
We also learned that one of the first orders of business in the House when we return for the 2024 session on Jan. 3, will be to vote on H.72, which establishes safe injection sites. The legislation, in response to the increasing number of overdose fatalities, provides funding to establish one or more supervised overdose prevention sites, where drug users could go without fear of state prosecution.
Some view the bill as the first step toward decriminalization of drug usage. Scott vetoed a similar bill two years ago and is opposed to this one as well. However, the legislature may now have the votes to override such a veto if it reaches his desk. Count me in the skeptical column on this legislation.
There will be a full agenda of issues to discuss and debate in the coming months. The Rutland Herald recently reached out to area legislators and asked what their priorities were for the coming session. Like several others, mine included:
Public safety
Crime rates have been increasing and we need to ask ourselves if we are doing enough to hold people accountable when they violate our laws. Some areas to consider:
Increasing penalties for multiple offenses
Re-examine our bail laws
Work to fill law enforcement vacancies
Work to reduce court backlogs
Improve access to treatment options for those addicted to drugs
Sustainable budget
This past year state spending increased at an unsustainable level of 13%, which follows a 9% increase from the previous year. We need to prioritize where we allocate our funding and not resort to new or increased taxes and fees to cover ever increasing budgets.
Housing
Over the past few years Vermont has invested unprecedented millions in affordable housing initiatives. As we can’t solve our housing shortages solely with public dollars, we need to examine barriers that prevent us from attracting more private investment to rehab or build more houses and apartments.
Phase out of hotel program
The pandemic era hotel voucher program has been extended several times for a variety of reasons, including the shortage of alternative housing options. We need to expand our efforts to phase out of the hotel program and get the hotels back to being hotels for visitors.
Education costs and property taxes
The projected 18.5% increase in our statewide property tax rates is unacceptable. The legislature needs to evaluate ways that local school districts can reduce operating costs. Increasing other taxes, in my view, does not get at why spending is going up at double digits.
Reduce taxes on social security benefits
I have introduced a proposal to expand the number of individuals and households that would be exempt from paying Vermont income taxes on social security benefits. Around 40 states do not impose state income taxes on social security benefits.
Tax credit for volunteer firefighters and first responders
Rural communities throughout Vermont are facing a critical shortage of volunteer responders. I and others will be offering a bill to institute a $500 income tax reduction to help attract and retain these valuable volunteers.
In closing, I want to thank you for reading my updates. I plan to provide a weekly column to the Mountain Times during the session. Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year.
Jim Harrison is the state representative for Chittenden, Killington, Mendon and Pittsfield. He can be reached at: JHarrison@leg.state.vt.us or harrisonforvermont.com.
