Legislative Update 3/20/2023

Every year the Vermont Legislature takes a break so members can attend Town Meeting . Despite all five communities that I represent holding their informational meetings at the same time I managed to attend four of them either remotely or in person. My apologies to Rupert and perhaps I will start there next year!

The past week in Montpelier was a busy one, hampered by snow storms, power outages, and internet failures. A of which happened in the same week that bills that we are hoping to pass need to be voted out of their respective committees. So every committee saw a flurry of activity as they raced against the clock to finish testimony and debate to vote by Friday.  Next week will see a lot of time on the House Floor to send these bills to the Senate. The “money committees” of Appropriations and Ways & Means have an additional week to do their work.

In the General & Housing Committee we took testimony on six different bills before approving a study committee to look at issues with Mobile home parks, and combined a bill creating a rental registry and task forces to address both the motel voucher program and critical homelessness.

Last week the House did approve a number of bills including trying to ease the shortage of health care workers by entering multi state licensing compacts for counselors, physical therapists, and audiology and speech pathologists. These allow practitioners licensed in other participating states to practice in Vermont without requiring a separate Vermont license.

Outside of the committee room I have been meeting with state employees on labor issues, high school climate activists advocating for their futures, concerned citizens on public tuition at independent schools, the impending closure of the physical libraries on the Vermont State University campuses, and more aspects of the housing crisis.