Vermont Democratic House Campaign

Montpelier Report #6, Feb. 10, 2012
     This week got off to a good start when we welcomed the football team on Tuesday.  We received a lot of positive comments about the impression our student-athletes made. We have much to be proud of in Hartford and our high school is just one of them.
     One sign that the session is moving along is that the first set of pages have come to the end of their six week term of service.  As usual, this group has done a fine job.
     Health care continues to be a contentious subject. The Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems stated that,“for many private practice physicians the costs of doing business … and the downward trend in reimbursement rates has simply become too challenging.”  Finding the right combination of cost containment measures and reimbursement rates to maintain quality health care is going to be a difficult process.
     The House passed out H-630 to reform the mental health system. Under H-630 there will be a fourteen high-intensity acute bed facility at the Brattleboro Retreat and six high-intensity acute beds at the Rutland Regional Medical Center.  In addition,there will be a five bed secure residential facility, 31 new intensive residential recovery beds spread across three new facilities and four new crisis beds statewide.  Finally, a 25 bed state owned and operated acute care facility will be built in Central Vermont.  It will two to three years before this facility will be in operation. Interim facilities will be used. H-630 still needs to pass the Senate and be signed by the Governor.
     Education funding is a “hardy perennial” issue up here and it has reared its controversial head yet again.  In order to limit the increase in the statewide property tax to a penny (88 cents), local school budges must come in with a collective increase of under 1.7%.  Currently, it appears that increases will average over 2%, necessitating a larger increase in the statewide property tax.  The education funding process will continue so stay tuned.
     In a joint Senate and House Transportation Committee hearing we received important information on the lessons learned and roles played by Regional Planning Groups during the Irene emergency.  They reinforced the impression that Federal, State, and Local agencies cooperated well in responding to the emergency.  It appears that good progress has been made in absorbing the lessons learned from the Irene disaster.
     In the Transportation Committee we have begun work on the Transportation Capital Budget.  We continue to see evidence of the damage Irene did, but also of the team effort that is bringing us back.  Not surprisingly, much of our capital budget involves mitigation measures to help protect us from future extreme weather events. 
     I found especially problematic testimony that while we need to buy about 32 plow trucksa year to allow optimal operation of the fleet, in FY13 we propose to buy 28.  In addition, we are making up for ayear of much lowered equipment purchases in 2009.  At our current rate of purchase we will continue to fall behind.  These are the kinds of choices that bedevil all aspects of state government.  Rising equipment costs only exacerbate this problem.
          As always,feel free to contact me about these and other legislative issues.  I can be reached at home at 295-5596 or clbohi@sover.net.  At the State House the Sergeant at Arms office can be reached at (800)-322-5616, (802)-828-2228.  They will relay any messages to me.
Representative Chuck Bohi
Windsor 6-2 District