Tuesday, May 8, 2018
Rodgers, who vigorously opposed several gun measures that Vermont Gov. Phil Scott signed into law last month, made a last-ditch attempt to loosen firearm restrictions when the Senate took up a miscellaneous fish and wildlife bill.
The Glover Democrat, who is considering a run for governor, first tried to convince his colleagues to pass an amendment that would allow hunters to use gun suppressors. He made the case that such devices would reduce hearing loss among hunters — and hunting dogs. “I personally have some hearing loss due to firearms,” Rodgers said.
When Sen. Phil Baruth (D/P-Chittenden), a staunch gun control proponent, asked Rodgers to cite research that links hunting to hearing loss in humans and dogs, Rodgers quipped, “Can you repeat that?”
Rodgers later conceded that his comments about canine hearing loss were based solely on anecdotal evidence.
The discussion became more tense after Rodgers suggested that Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee chair Chris Bray (D-Addison) had changed his position on gun suppressors after “intensive lobbying” last weekend — an accusation Bray flatly denied.
Tags: Vermont Senate , gun control , John Rodgers , Phil Baruth , Image , Web Only
The House passed a similar bill last year, but Gov. Phil Scott has opposed the legislation because it would impose a new tax on employees.
Sen. Michael Sirotkin (D-Chittenden) emphasized that the proposal was “modest” — a word he repeated at least half a dozen times — and would come at no cost to employers.
“It is all paid for by the worker,” he said, explaining that employees would fund the program through an additional 0.136 percent tax on their income. The state-administered fund would allow workers to receive 70 percent of their wages for up to 12 weeks of parental leave or up to six weeks of family leave.
The tax would be on just the first $150,000 of an employee’s income.
Sirotkin cast the legislation as an important benefit for new parents and for people caring for sick relatives, and he argued that it would strengthen the state's labor force. But some senators questioned the wisdom of creating a new program.
Tags: Vermont Senate , paid family leave , Phil Scott , Jane Kitchel , Michael Sirotkin , Image , Web Only
The 77-69 vote came after a daylong debate that hinged on whether the minimum wage increase would help or hurt Vermont's lowest-paid workers.
“We must have the courage to tilt the playing field, the smallest amount, as slowly as possible” in favor of low-income workers, said Rep. Tom Stevens (D-Waterbury).
Tags: minimum wage , labor , poverty , Robin Chesnut-Tangerman , Cynthia Browning , Heidi Scheuermann , Tom Stevens , Valerie Stuart , Image , Web Only
Monday, May 7, 2018
Vermont's Emergency Board, which is made up of Gov. Phil Scott and budget-writing state legislators from both chambers, voted unanimously on Monday to accept the report, which increases the annual revenue forecast.
Now, the legislature must decide whether to follow Scott’s demand that they use the money to prevent a property tax increase, or budget it elsewhere.
Tags: Phil Scott , Janet Ancel , Tom Kavet , Jeffrey Carr , economy , revenue , education , tax , Image , Web Only
Friday, May 4, 2018
The legislature typically sets property tax rates at the level required to cover the school budgets approved by local voters. But Scott is insisting this year that the lawmakers use $58 million in one-time money to keep property taxes level.
Three Republican senators — Carolyn Branagan (R-Franklin), David Soucy (R-Rutland) and Randy Brock (R-Franklin) — joined their Democratic colleagues in supporting the bill, which passed 26-3. Three other Republicans — Joe Benning (R-Caledonia), Brian Collamore (R-Rutland) and Peg Flory (R-Rutland) — fell in step with Scott, voting against it. Sen. Richard Westman (R-Lamoille) was absent.
Soucy explained afterward that he felt another part of the bill — which would remove a tax on Social Security benefits for lower-income Vermonters — was so important that he couldn’t vote against it, despite opposing a property tax increase. The governor has also proposed a tax exemption for Social Security recipients in his budget.
“Some people did not want to be on record voting against the Social Security portion," Benning said. "Some people did not want to vote against the governor’s position.”
Tags: Vermont Senate , Phil Scott , property taxes , budget , Image , Web Only
The funding plan, crafted in the House Ways and Means Committee, would collect an estimated $4.55 million annually from the rooms and meals tax increase and an additional $1.94 million from unclaimed bottle deposits.
The House approved the bill, S. 260, in a 92 to 48 vote.
Ways and Means Committee chair Janet Ancel (D-Calais) said her panel added the funding mechanisms to spur action by the state on clean water funding — an issue that’s been the topic of multiple studies since the Vermont Clean Water Act passed in 2015.
“The studies have been helpful … but at some point rubber hits the road,” Ancel said. “It typically hits the road in the House Ways and Means committee.”
Tags: clean water , environment , water quality , Lake Champlain , Lake Carmi , tax , Phil Scott , Cynthia Browning , Heidi Scheuermann , Image , Web Only
Thursday, May 3, 2018
Sen. Claire Ayer (D-Addison), chair of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, announced Thursday that she will not seek reelection in November after 16 years in the Vermont legislature.
Ayer is the sixth legislative committee chair to announce his or her retirement this year. The others are Sen. Peg Flory (R-Rutland), chair of Senate Institutions; as well as Reps. David Sharpe (D-Bristol) of House Education; David Deen (D-Westminster) of House Fish, Wildlife and Natural Resources; Helen Head (D-South Burlington) of House General, Housing and Military Affairs; and Stephen Carr (D-Brandon) of House Energy and Technology.
Tags: Claire Ayer , Peg Flory , Tim Ashe , David Deen , Helen Head , David Sharpe , Stephen Carr , Election 2018 , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Earlier in the day, the House Judiciary Committee approved a rewritten version of the bill, H.25, by a unanimous vote. The measure was reported out to the House floor, and then the chamber adjourned for party caucuses. The Democratic majority may have set a new record for shortest caucus; there was only one question, and the meeting took no more than five minutes.
After a brief debate in the House chamber, the bill passed on a voice vote that appeared to be somewhat close — but no one requested a roll call vote. The chamber then voted for immediate approval and sent H.25 back to the Senate. It will be taken up Thursday morning in the Judiciary Committee.
Tags: Janssen Willhoit , Anne Donahue , Jack Sawyer , domestic terrorism , Image , Web Only
Scott wants lawmakers to use $58 million in one-time funds to prevent a property tax increase — and says a five-year plan that hinges on increasing staff-student ratios would help to easily pay back that money and save nearly $300 million.
Mark Perrault, a senior fiscal analyst for the legislature, struck a cautionary note when he testified Wednesday before the House Ways and Means Committee. “It's highly speculative to book savings five years out,” he told lawmakers. “You can hope that we save money, but there is no guarantee.”
He later added, “It’s pushing obligations into the future in hopes that good things will happen.”
Tags: Phil Scott , Vermont legislature , property taxes , education funding , Kitty Toll , Kaj Samsom , Adam Greshin , Ann Cummings , Ginny Lyons , Image , Web Only
The proposal was designed to help law enforcement check for stoned drivers once recreational marijuana becomes legal for adults in July.
Tags: Cannabeat , saliva , spit , oral fluid , test , marijuana , legalization , road safety , highway , vehicle , Dick Sears , Alice Nitka , Vermont , cannabis , Image , Web Only