Legislative Update 2/3/2024

This week in Montpelier: the difficult work continues in committees. More complex bills will be wending their way, some through several committees, before the whole House votes on them.

The big issues haven’t changed: housing and homelessness, education funding, and the budget in general. Revenues continue to be strong, but the drop in federal funding will mean some difficult choices ahead. A quick search on the House web page (legislature.vermont.gov) with the keyword “housing” brought up no fewer than 50 bills introduced this session — and that is a partial list at this date. These 50 bills address a wide variety of housing aspects including permit reform, eviction laws, short term rentals, mobile home parks, emergency shelters, and funding for various state programs.

Yet focus on the big issues cannot sidetrack all the other necessary work of state government, and all 13 House committees are hard at it. Topics include permit reform, consumer protection, health insurance costs, eviction laws, flood recovery, short term rentals, renewable energy, school construction funding, broadband coverage, timber theft —and that is just a sampling.

I will be defending my bill to improve equal pay protections on the House floor next week. Another important bill that I sponsored, H.706, continues to be the subject of intensive media coverage and testimony in the House Agriculture Committee. The bill follows New York State in largely eliminating use of neonicotinoid pesticides over time, which are devastating to pollinators including bees and monarch butterflies. The science supporting this bill is cutting-edge and presents fascinating research and Quebec’s similar ban 5 years ago provides a wealth of real world data. As has been stated in the media coverage, the issue should not pit dairy farmer against beekeeper. Pollinators are essential to all agriculture. The goal is a healthier environment for all farmers and their crops, and hence all of us. 

We are already feeling the crunch as “crossover” approaches, the date by which non-money bills must cross over from the House to Senate, or Senate to House, if they have a hope of passing this session. With 834 bills introduced in the House (so far) and 308 in the Senate, relatively few will make it into law. 

Next week I hope to be able to provide an update on education property taxes as that issue continues to evolve. I will also be resuming constituent meetings beginning this Saturday Feb 10 at the Public Libraries in Pawlet, Wells, and Middletown Springs.

Pawlet - 10:30-11:30

Wells - 12:00-1:00

Middletown Springs - 1:30-2:30

As always it is an honor to serve you. Please feel free to contact me with questions or comments.