The legislative process is sometimes likened to sausage making, not pretty to watch. That was certainly true last week at the State House with education reform and a major housing bill being considered. Both had a week of ups and downs with more work still to be done.
The Senate version of the education reform bill was initially scheduled to be voted on by the full Senate on Wednesday, May 21. But after a backlash of opposition from education interests and major disagreements among the majority Democrats and with some Republicans, Senate leader Phil Baruth used a procedural move Thursday to strip the Senate amendment to the legislation. Two months of work by Senate committees was deleted in less than a minute.
Getting a new version of the bill proved elusive until Friday evening, May 23, when they finally got enough votes to pass one. The Senate plan is now closer to the House bill with a longer period of implementation and higher spending than what Scott proposed.
Following the Senate vote, the governor said the following, “…I have been clear: we cannot adjourn this legislative session without a bill that sets us on the course to accomplish these goals, and I’ve appreciated the constructive conversations we’ve had with both chambers to date. While the Senate moving this bill forward today is an important procedural step, I still cannot accept either the House or Senate versions. I do however remain optimistic about finding a path forward with the committee of conference.”
Meanwhile the House struggled with a major housing bill that included a new financing option for development infrastructure. Many representatives from rural areas believed there were too many restrictions in the bill to be of any help to smaller communities. The legislation was delayed for a few days before receiving an initial passage on a divided vote Friday afternoon. A bi-partisan amendment offered by members of the legislative rural caucus to make it easier to take advantage of the new financing failed after pushback from House leadership.
The Senate proposal had fewer hoops to go through to utilize the new infrastructure financing, so it remains to be seen if a compromise can be reached through a potential conference committee.
Other issues of interest:
The House approved an amendment to H.266 that caps prescription drug prices at several hospitals, including the Rutland Regional Medical Center (RRMC), which estimates it could cost them as much as $16 million annually in lost revenue. It is unclear what the potential impact on services might be. The new caps are intended to help lower claims to insurers.
Scott signed into law the annual state budget bill, H.493. In signing the $9.1 billion plan, he said, “While not perfect, H.493 makes critical investments in affordability, housing, education and public safety. But we must focus on the policy bills that fix what’s broken so the funding can have its intended impact.”
The Senate approved H.91, the transitional housing program for the homeless on a 17-13 vote. The measure will now likely go to a conference committee to work out differences with the House.
Supported by the Vermont State Employees Association, S.125 has passed the Legislature and has been sent to the governor. The legislation only requires 30% of employees in a unit to form a union but raises the threshold to decertify the union to 50%, prompting some to question the imbalance.
The governor signed into law H.491, which utilizes surplus funds to reduce the level of this year’s education property tax increase to an average of 1%. As this is an average, some communities will see higher increases while others will see lower rates.
The House approved a major health care reform bill, S.126, with a 99-38 vote. The measure gives new regulatory authority to the Green Mountain Care Board with the aim of better managing Vermont health care costs.
Now entering the second week of overtime, House leaders remain steadfast in adjourning by May 30. Senate leadership is less optimistic. And if the Legislature adjourns without agreement on education reform, Scott has indicated he will call us back to Montpelier.
Jim Harrison is the state representative for Chittenden, Killington, Mendon, and Pittsfield. He can be reached at [email protected].
