Vermont Democratic House Campaign

If the current schedule is maintained we are now half way through the session.  Current rumors are that we will be out April 27^th.  “Crossover” is today. That means that all non-money bills will need to be out of the first committee that was working on them in order to stay alive the rest of the session.  While some may be attached to other bills, those that do not make it out of committee are likely dead and will need to be reintroduced next year to be considered further.  So it has been a hectic week full of committee work.  In Transportation we have our hardest bill done, but some good bills still await our consideration.  Ahead is a lot of floor action as we move bills out of the House and send them over to the Senate.

     Complicated bills on water resources, pollution standards and river corridor management are being considered in the Senate Natural Resources and Energy and House Fish, Wildlife and Water Resources Committees.  The House Ways and Means Committee is hard at work on H. 763, an act relating to state education tax collection.     

     This week we also received an update on Vermont’s recovery from Tropical Storm Irene. [...]

From the Buxton Banner

I really enjoyed catching up with neighbors in Royalton and Tunbridge at the school and town meetings earlier this week. I brought copies of the most recent Buxton Banner to share. If you didn’t make it to one of the meetings, you can pick up a copy at both town offices, or click here to read online!  Buxton Banner – Town Meeting 2012 

As always, let me know if you have questions or concerns.

Sarah

From the Manchester Journal

Tax Billing Confidentiality -This past December, the Town of Manchester fought the good fight before the Supreme Court and won a determination, stating that a property taxpayer's income sensitivity adjustment data, under current law, is not public information and should be treated by public officials as confidential. The Town successfully made the case that this type of information could be used by any Tom, Dick or Harry to piece together an individual's personal income picture. With the Supreme Court decision the law of the land, the House Ways and Means Committee (my committee) has been trying to develop workable legislation that would thread the needle in a way that would allow certain professionals to obtain this information to efficiently conduct business, while at the same time shielding it from any data miner or curiosity seeker who may come off the street. Not an easy task - trust me. [...]

From Rep. Mook's website

Dear Friends and Constituents: As a result of Tropical Storm Irene last August, much of the Legislature’s work was impacted by that event.  We automatically think of Transportation for the roads and bridges of Vermont, but also impacted were the committees on Human Services [Vermont State Hospital], Institutions [our state buildings], Fish & Wildlife & Water, Housing, Agriculture, Commerce, Ways & Means (taxes), Education, Appropriations, and Commerce.  As a state, we have helped each other, rebounded well, faced enormous decisions, and entered into long-term planning and recovery.  As I make my weekly trip to Montpelier, I am well aware of Irene’s destruction to the roads and bridges of routes 100 and 107, to the debris left along the rivers, to the destroyed homes in Pittsfield and empty building lots I pass along the way.   

The House has been super busy.  I share the following about some of the work we have done so far. Thank you all for your continued support so that I may continue the work I enjoy so much.

[...]

From Rep. Frank's website

After a busy first 8 weeks of the 2012 session I asked some of my legislative friends  for a brief report on a major topic in their committee.  Some gave me a paragraph describing a something their committee has worked on, others a list of items and I wrote a paragraph.  Below is a list of these reports.  Just click on a topic to go to a report.  It is simply not possible to include all the work of this session here, if you do not see a report on a topic you are interested in, please e-mail me and I'll will  get you information on it.

[...]

On Friday, March 9, the Freeman French Freeman/Goody Clancy report on the state complex will be released publicly, and we will find ourselves another step closer to determining the future of the complex and, by extension, Waterbury. The report will present several options, or scenarios, from which the administration and the legislature will choose. It is impossible to conjecture which one is the most feasible until we study them all, and we are nervously waiting until the report is released.

While I remain bullish on our future, regardless of the result of the FFF report, I acknowledge that any complete resolution will be years away. The notion of returning a multitude of employees to the complex and returning our downtown economy to its pre-August 28 status is a perfect dream. But as we have been saying since the beginning of the aftermath of this natural disaster, our focus must also remain on the present, and on finding positive outcomes for our friends, neighbors and local businesses.

From Rep. Yantachka's website

[This article appeared in the Charlotte News on March 6, 2012.]

A major topic of interest that has generated a lot of emails is Senate bill S.199 which does away with the philosophical exemption for childhood vaccinations while retaining the religious and medical exemptions.  I have been listening to arguments on both sides of the issue.  To me it is a question of balancing the rights of parents to refuse a medical treatment for their child versus the threat to public health that such exemptions may pose.  Whichever position has more weight, it is important to know what the bill does and does not do.

From Rep. Jerman's website