This Wednesday, Jan. 22, members of the administration will share with all lawmakers their proposal to reform Vermont’s education system and the way to fund it. One leading legislator, who was briefed on the proposal, indicated the reform plan may be the biggest overhaul the Legislature has seen in 50 years.
It’s no secret that last year’s increase in property taxes played a large role in changing the political makeup of the Legislature in November. While Democrats continue with a majority in the House and Senate, they also lost more Democratic seats than in any other statehouse in the country.
Understanding the new dynamic and the message from voters, legislative leaders appear more open to hearing the governor’s reform suggestions this session.
Changing the status quo is never easy. Whether it is a change to a “Foundation Formula” like most states, where each district receives a flat amount per student from the state, or a change to Vermont’s lowest in the nation staff-to-student ratio, there will be critics. The NEA and some other groups, for example, have argued that Vermont does not have a spending problem, but rather needs more income from higher earners.
During his inaugural speech to lawmakers, Scott indicated Vermonters wanted change and that we needed to do it together, despite some adjustments being potentially unpopular.
The governor is also taking a lead on improving public safety. In his weekly press conference last Wednesday, Jan. 15, he outlined a plan to help us move towards safer communities. A few of the administration’s proposals included:
Repeal “Raise the Age” law for 19-year-old offenders and reform our youthful offender procedures to ensure accountability. If no action is taken by the Legislature this session, 19-year-old criminal offenders will be treated like children in the Family Court, making Vermont the only state to increase the age of juvenile jurisdiction to 19. Further increases to age 22 are anticipated in the current law.
Revise bail laws to make it a tool courts and prosecutors can use to hold violators accountable. He indicated many view our status as a “catch and release” system which does not deter repeat offenders.
Simplify extradition laws when they are waived.
Build a system that can deliver a swift and sustained connection to addiction treatment and recovery by re-tooling and reinvigorating existing programs.
Elevate the Dept. of Public Safety to the Agency of Public Safety, making its director a cabinet level position in line with its importance.
Other items of note:
The highly anticipated Clean Heat Standard report from the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) was released this past week to the Legislature. While the report estimated lower heating fuel increases than previously anticipated, the PUC concluded that the “Clean Heat Standard is not well suited to Vermont.” The report went on to say “…achieving thermal sector greenhouse gas reductions consistent with the Global Warming Solutions Act would be best achieved by building upon existing programs rather than overlaying a new and complex regulatory structure such as the proposed Clean Heat Standard.”
It is unclear at this point whether the appropriate committees will take up a repeal of the Clean Heat Standard law as I and others have proposed.
Rep. Noyes, D-Wolcott, and I will be leading a bipartisan effort to phase out the Vermont income tax on Social Security benefits. Vermont is currently one of only nine states that tax this important benefit to seniors. The proposal, which is expected to be released early this week, increases the income threshold each year to exempt more residents from the tax, eventually eliminating it altogether. Proposals to reduce the state’s revenue almost always face an uphill climb; however, our bill has attracted 60 additional co-sponsors in the House, which may add some momentum to the measure.
The president of Blue Cross VT, in a letter to lawmakers, indicated that claims paid for Blue Cross VT members have been increasing by 17% per year since 2020. As a direct result of escalating prices for medical services and pharmaceuticals, Vermont’s commercial healthcare premiums — already high and growing at an unsustainable rate — are not covering the cost of care.
While some of the rising costs may be the result of aging demographics, their data indicates prices charged by hospitals and the healthcare system are among the highest in the country.
A new pro-housing advocacy group (Let’s Build Homes) made up of a wide range of people and organizations, says Vermont needs to build, build and build again to address the state’s housing crisis. The former mayor of Burlington, Miro Weinberger, is the executive chair of the new group’s steering committee.
There will be a public hearing on the governor’s recommended FY 25 mid-year state budget adjustment on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 1 p.m. More information is available on the Legislature’s website: Legislature.vermont.gov. The work on next year’s budget (FY 26) will begin following the governor’s budget address on Jan. 28.
In closing, I look forward to hearing what the administration’s highly anticipated package of education reforms might look like.
To add another idea to the discussion, I introduced a short form bill this past week to consolidate the number of school districts in Vermont (128) to align with the career and technical education service regions (15).
Jim Harrison is the state representative for Chittenden, Killington, Mendon, and Pittsfielld. Email: JHarrison@leg.state.vt.us.
