Friday, May 1, 2015
“It’s insulting to the process,” complained one top Dem.
The Senate had been scheduled to debate its $1.47 billion general fund budget Thursday morning. But late Wednesday, the administration delivered word that it would produce millions more in budget savings ideas.
That left some wondering why the governor waited so long.
“In the time I’ve been in the legislature, it’s never happened: to come in and say, ‘Oh, we’ve got some suggestions for you,’ after the committee has passed its budget,” said Sen. Jane Kitchel (D-Caledonia), who chairs the Appropriations Committee.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
"No, I am an independent who is going to be working with the —" Sanders told Seven Days Thursday afternoon, cutting himself off mid-sentence. "I am what I am, and I will have to deal with the state-by-state regulations. But I am what I am."
The first state whose regulations he will have to deal with is New Hampshire, home of the all-important, first-in-the-nation primary. The Granite State's election laws restrict the Democratic contest to Democrats.
"If they're going to run in the primary, they have to be a registered member of the party," New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner told CNN. "Our declaration-of-candidacy form that they have to fill out says 'I am a registered member of the party.'"
That would be difficult for Sanders, given that Vermont has no party registration system. Voters simply select a ballot of their choosing — Democratic, Republican, Progressive or Liberty-Union — at their polling place during primary elections.
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Four were transported for medical attention, and another person was lightly injured, said David Roberts, a deputy chief with the Burlington Fire Department.
Hans van Wees, the hotel's general manager, had just headed into his office off the lobby when the ceiling fell. He arrived at the scene quickly. "Everybody was fully conscious, standing up," he said. Within five minutes, he said, emergency medical responders arrived.
By a 7-1 vote, the House Government Operations Committee voted against pursuing the charter changes, which would require legislative approval. The decision came after legislative lawyer Erik Fitzpatrick warned that the restrictions raise “significant constitutional questions.”
Legislators seized on that as a reason not to launch into what surely would have been a controversial discussion. Lawmakers had just finished a difficult debate in passing gun-control legislation to restrict possession of firearms by felons and the severely mentally ill.
“I think Burlington needs to re-craft these if that’s what they really want,” said Rep. Linda Martin (D-Wolcott).
"I am writing to inform you that I will be a candidate for President of the United States," Sanders emailed supporters Thursday at noon. "I ask for your support."
Moments later, Sanders addressed reporters outside the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., promising to address the “enormous issues facing this country.”
An independent and self-described democratic socialist, Sanders said he would seek the Democratic nomination for the presidency. Though he has been cast as a long-shot contender against former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, Sanders told reporters: “I run vigorous campaigns.”
Asked whether he was running simply to advance his progressive agenda, Sanders said, “No, no, not at all. We’re in this race to win.”
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Wednesday, April 29, 2015
By an 83-60 vote, the House voted against repeal.
“It’s our last chance to repeal the law this biennium. It’s certainly not our last chance to point out its flaws,” said Lynne Cleveland Vitzthum, who represents the Vermont Center for Independent Living.
Since the law took effect in May 2013, seven Vermonters have requested a lethal dose of medication. That's the only information that the state can publicly report on the law.
“It’s working in Vermont,” said Rep. Sandy Haas (P-Rochester). She cited stories told by friends and family of some of the patients as evidence.
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But after a story appeared in Seven Days Wednesday morning about the proposal — and an example of potentially unethical behavior — the committee's chair said she had changed her mind about creating such a panel.
"We can't do it now because of you," Sen. Jeanette White (D-Windham) told the story's author on her way into a noon caucus meeting. "If we did it now, it would look like it was in reaction to your article, and it isn't."
White said she still planned to turn her committee's proposal over to the Senate Rules Committee, which must approve it before it goes to the Senate floor.
"I don't know that they'll even have time to do it this year," she said of the Rules Committee.
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According to Campbell, it was Jerry Abramson, director of inter-governmental affairs for President Barack Obama, on the line.
Campbell said Abramson told him that paid sick leave is a priority for the president. “He told me the president is watching this bill and would love to see it pass,” the pro tem said.
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Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Gov. Peter Shumlin plans to appoint independent counsel to investigate whether Attorney General Bill Sorrell broke the law.
"It’s clear that there is broad consensus from members of the legislature, and the attorney general himself, that it makes sense to have these allegations reviewed independently, and the governor agrees," Shumlin spokesman Scott Coriell said Tuesday evening.
The governor’s announcement came just hours after the AG made a dramatic Statehouse appearance before the Senate Committee on Government Operations. A week after shrugging off accusations that he violated campaign finance laws, a chastened Sorrell reversed course and told the committee he would welcome a formal review.
“I can’t investigate myself. I realize the need for an independent inquiry,” he told the committee Tuesday afternoon. “And despite the cost considerations, I believe that an inquiry should be conducted by a respected, outside, impartial attorney who will analyze the law and the facts and either clear my name or take further action to see that justice is served.”
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Sanders plans to release a statement Thursday confirming that he'll seek the presidency in 2016, Kinzel reported. He'll hold a formal campaign announcement in Vermont "several weeks" later.
Spokesman Michael Briggs would neither confirm nor deny the report Tuesday afternoon. He noted that Sanders has previously said he would reveal his intentions by the end of the month.
"We'll have something to say later this week," Briggs said.
Sanders, the nation's longest serving independent in Congress, would face off against former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who announced her candidacy two weeks ago.
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