On the Floor

Legislators spent a little more time with floor debate and votes last week, though floor sessions are still short. Bills are beginning to come over from the Senate. Those bills are shunted off to House committees for consideration. The House sent the following off to the Senate:

• H.46 dissolved Colchester Fire District #3 (CFD#3). The dissolution of the fire district is part of years-long process to consolidate and professionalize the provision of water, fire fighting services. For all intents and purposes CFD#3 was already dissolved. Voters in the district approved the disolution. All the assets and liabilities have been transferred to either the Town of Colchester for fire service or the Champlain Water district for the provision of drinking water. 

• H.89  is a "shield" law protecting those who perform legally protected health care activities from certain litigation. That means Vermont's abortion providers who have clients from another state (Texas for instance) cannot be prosecuted or extradited for committing what might be a crime in another state, but not in Vermont. The bill also enables Vermont providers to use telehealth services to work with clients in another state to provide such legally protected health care services. Legally protected  health care activities include: "reproductive health care services or gender-affirming health care services." H.89 passed the House by a vote of 130 to 13. All four Colchester Representatives approved the bill. Here's the votes. This bill is now in the Senate.

In the background and in committees

Politics and tax exempt organizations

Legislators received a overwhelming number of emails from Vermonters opposed to H.113 relating to the public, pious, or charitable uses property tax exemption. That bill has been introduced and sent to my committee (House Ways & Means). The purpose of the bill is to "clarify that churches and other public, pious, or charitable organizations are not eligible for the State property tax exemption if those organizations engage in any lobbying or other political activity on their property. Churches and nonprofits will also be required under this bill to certify annually to the Vermont Department of Taxes that the organization does not conduct any lobbying or political activity on the property that would disqualify the organization from the exemption." The bill clarifies an existing federal limitation. It is very likely that this bill will not make it to the floor for a vote.

Early Child Care and Education

H.208 was introduced and routed to the House Committee on Human Services. This 108-page bill is a companion to Senate bill S.56 which touches on some of the same issues. Over the course of the session, the two bills will be modified and perhaps combined. The House bill proposes the following:

• Establish a public prekindergarten education program

• Establish a property tax exemption for child care providers

• Reorganize the Department for Children and Families and establish the Department of Economic Empowerment

• Increase family eligibility and provider payments in the Child Care Financial Assistance Program

• Establish the Noncitizen Child Care Assistance Program

• Provide child care workforce retention grants

Mobile Home Parks

H.213 is a bill to set up a study group on "mobile homes and mobile home parks and their needs around infrastructure, flood protections, and resident rights." The details of this bill are being put together in the House Committee on General and Housing.

Changing the General Assembly

The Capitol is getting cramped. As more lobbyists and the public begin to come back to the Capitol, we are realizing again how little space there is. A significant addition to the building is being discusssed. Another thought is H.221 now in the House Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs. That bill creates another study committee to consider "modifying and restructuring the Vermont General Assembly." This would include:

• ensuring diversity, and providing fair compensation and health insurance to members

• ensuring that the Legislative Branch is an equal branch of State government with the Executive and Judicial Branches

• consider having the General Assembly meet year-round

• consider restructuring the General Assembly in the Vermont Constitution

• evaluate changing to a unicameral legislature or having fewer than the current 180 legislators, or both

And  a bunch of others

• H.225  eliminating the tipped minimum wage

• H.230 implementing mechanisms to reduce suicide 

• H.209 relating to public elementary school choice within a supervisory union 

• H.212 allowing minors to possess tobacco in connection with Indigenous cultural tobacco practices 

• H.216 relating to open air cremation 

• And more

My Committee

House Ways and Means continues its work with various taxes and fees. We also heard more testimony about town-wide reappraisals. To find out more about it we heard from several Vermont assessors, a representative of the Vermont Assessors and Listers Association, and several organizations that work with listers and assessors. 

Coming Up

The agenda for the Committee on Ways and Means for next week brings in more testimony on appraisals, fees, and property taxes.