Wednesday, May 15, 2019
The House backed the bill by a vote of 82 to 58 — enough to secure passage, but not enough to override a possible veto by Gov. Phil Scott, who has expressed general opposition to new gun laws. Such an override would require 100 votes in the 150-member House.
Rob and Alyssa Black of Essex, whose 23-year-old son Andrew killed himself with a handgun last December just hours after purchasing it, watched the lengthy debate stoically from the rear of the House chamber. Afterward, they hugged supporters and expressed relief and appreciation to legislators.
"It was a hard decision, but it was the right decision," Rob Black said of those who backed the bill.
“We believe that Gov. Scott has shown time and time again that he’s willing to make courageous decisions,” Alyssa Black said, expressing optimism that he might sign it. “I would hope he would show that again.”
Tags: gun control , handguns , waiting period , Anne Donahue , Martin LaLonde , Patrick Brennan , Robert Bancroft , Topper McFaun , Rob Black , Alyssa Black , Web Only , Image
The 90-53 vote, if upheld by a final vote later this week, sets up a high-stakes late-session negotiation with the Senate and a possible veto by Gov. Phil Scott, who blocked similar legislation last year.
“We’re not taking anyone out of poverty with these wages, but we are going to make their lives easier on a week-by-week basis,” said Rep. Tom Stevens (D-Waterbury).
Vermont's minimum wage is currently $10.78, and the federal minimum wage is $7.25.
Tags: minimum wage , Vermont House , Tom Stevens , George Till , David Yacovone , Maida Townsend , Matthew Trieber , James Gregoire , Cynthia Browning , Robin Chesnut-Tangerman , Web Only , Image
The bill, H.107, would allow Vermont workers to be paid for up to 12 weeks of “bonding leave” after the birth or adoption of a child, or for six weeks to care for a sick or injured family member. The program would be run by a private insurance company and would pay workers at 90 percent of their earnings up to $27,000 per year, and 55 percent of additional earnings.
Before the Senate voted 19-10 to advance the bill, Sen. Michael Sirotkin (D-Chittenden) said the program would cost about $30.5 million a year. Of the 0.2 percent payroll tax, businesses and employees would each pay half.
Tags: paid family leave , paid leave , bonding leave , Bobby Starr , Phil Scott , Chris Sununu , Michael Sirotkin , Jane Kitchel , Randy Brock , Web Only , Image
Instead, the committee on Wednesday heard testimony from three men in the tech industry who oppose the House plan, which could raise $6 million next year through a "cloud tax" on software accessed over the internet.
Ted Adler, the president of Union Street Media, said the tax would disadvantage Vermont companies like his as they compete in a global online marketplace.
“In the world where we have a cloud tax and other states do not, [customers] would have a basically 6- to 7-percent penalty for buying … from a Vermont company,” Adler said.
Tags: clean water , Lake Champlain , Lake Carmi , TMDL , Ann Cummings , Chris Pearson , Brian Campion , Ted Adler , Union Street Media , Web Only , Image
Monday, May 13, 2019
"This was never on our must-pass list for this year," said House Speaker Mitzi Johnson (D-South Hero), who confirmed the bill's demise. "I've always said that careful exploration of policy takes precedence."
Though the personal use and cultivation of marijuana has been legal in Vermont since last July, retail sales remain prohibited. In March, the Senate passed S.54, which would implement a tax-and-regulate system by April 2021. The bill was marooned in the House Government Operations Committee for weeks and only recently moved to the House Ways and Means Committee.
"My own take: We got the bill about a week ago," said Rep. Scott Beck (R-St. Johnsbury), a member of Ways and Means and a supporter of S.54. "There are so many layers in the bill. I felt that it required a lot of time."
Tags: Cannabeat , Sam Young , Scott Beck , Sarah Copeland Hanzas , Mitzi Johnson , Phil Scott , Dave Silberman , Web Only , Image
The new version of the legislation would raise the wage by 2.25 times the rate of the consumer price index until it reaches $15; at that point, the annual increases would go up at the same rate as the index.
House Appropriations chair Kitty Toll (D-Danville) told the committee that the alteration means the lowest-earning Vermonters wouldn't begin earning $15 per hour as soon as previous versions of the legislation.
“So what this does, it pushes [the $15 minimum wage] out to 2026, whereas the bill that was before us had 2024,” she said.
The panel voted 6-5 to approve the change.
Tags: minimum wage , $15 minimum wage , Tim Ashe , Kitty Toll , Vermont , House , Senate , legislature , Damien Leonard , Web Only , Image
Updated at 6:20 p.m.
A key Vermont House committee voted 7-4 on Monday in favor of legislation that would require a 24-hour waiting period for handgun purchases in the state. The bill, S.169, had been stuck in the House Judiciary Committee for weeks, its fate uncertain — but now it's headed for the House floor in the waning days of the legislative session.
Rep. Barbara Rachelson (D-Burlington) backed the bill Monday, explaining, "There are places where it takes longer to adopt a pet from the humane society."
Her colleague on the committee, Rep. Tom Burditt (R-West Rutland), opposed the legislation, but he stressed that it could have included more onerous restrictions on gun owners. "I’m not thrilled about it, but it’s probably the best deal that firearms owners can get,” Burditt said.
If the full House approves the legislation as written, it would go straight to Gov. Phil Scott for signature, because the Senate has already passed an identical version. Scott has not specifically stated whether he would sign or veto the bill, but he has expressed general opposition to new gun laws.
“The governor has said he needs to review the bill once it’s finalized,” Scott spokesperson Rebecca Kelley said.
A vote later this week on the House floor should make clear whether supporters have enough votes — two-thirds of the 150-member chamber — to override a potential veto. The Senate's 20-10 vote in March suggested that it had the votes for an override.
Saturday, May 11, 2019
A bill that would allow Vermonters affected by the release of toxic chemicals to more easily recoup medical monitoring expenses passed unanimously out of a key House committee Friday.
It did so over the objections of industry groups who worry the law would make it too easy for people to sue Vermont businesses and harder for businesses to buy chemicals from suppliers.
S.37 passed out of the House Judiciary Committee, and now is likely to head back to the Senate.
William Driscoll, a lobbyist for Associated Industries of Vermont, said he worried about the impacts of a last-minute addition to the bill allowing the state to go after not just those involved in the release of chemicals, but chemical manufacturers as well.
“If they become more choosy in terms of what companies to sell to, some manufacturers in Vermont may not be able to get the chemicals they need to do business,” Driscoll said.
Tags: Chemfab , Saint-Gobain , Bennington , chemicals , clean water , PFOA , toxics , Web Only , Image
Friday, May 10, 2019
The bill, S.113, passed on a voice vote, but an earlier procedural vote of 120 to 24 showed that it had broad support in the chamber.
Thursday’s debate was dominated by House Republicans, who alternated between criticizing the legislation and asking highly specific hypothetical questions about its implications for Vermonters and local businesses.
Rep. Bob Helm (R-Fair Haven) accused the bill's supporters of “fear-mongering” about the evils of plastic waste and the impact of Vermont’s trash on the global plastic problem.
“It’s certainly not good, but it’s not that bad,” Helm said of the material, adding that he will “not take the blame for any [plastic bags] that are in the ocean.”
Tags: plastic bag , single-use plastic , styrofoam cup , styrofoam , expanded polystrene , grocery bag , Patrick Brennan , Patrick Seymour , Bill Canfield , Mitzi Johnson , James McCullough , Bob Helm , Bill Lippert , Web Only , Image
Thursday, May 9, 2019
House debate on the bill, S. 96, focused almost exclusively on the funding mechanism for the legislation. The distribution system was largely designed by the Senate, which passed an earlier version of the bill last month without including any new money for clean water.
The House Ways and Means committee drafted a plan that would use 4 percent of the revenue from Vermont’s rooms and meals tax. Those funds are currently dedicated to the state’s Education Fund.
In order to offset the drop in education money, the proposal would levy a sales tax on “pre-written software” accessed over the internet.
Tags: water quality , TMDL , Lake Champlain , Lake Carmi , clean water , clean water fund , phosphorus , Cynthia Browning , Robin Chesnut-Tangerman , Kitty Toll , Laura Sibilia , Rodney Graham , Janet Ancel , cloud tax , education fund , rooms and meals tax , Web Only , Image