End of Session Wrap-Up 2023
Hello Friends & Neighbors -
We all share a vision of thriving communities made up of thriving individuals. I believe all people are inherently worthy of the same opportunities to thrive, no matter their race, gender, abilities, zip code or bank accounts. It’s that commitment to equity that motivates the work I do as your state representative.
As state legislators, it is our job to represent the interests of Vermonters and shape policies that meet your needs. In times of growing uncertainty and economic disparity, it is our job to ensure equity and stability, now and for our future. It is our job to fund infrastructure and services that support all Vermont’s families, businesses, and communities.
This session we passed a balanced budget for FY24 that makes one-time and ongoing investments in critical infrastructure and services that too many Vermonters have gone without: housing, childcare, healthcare, internet access and climate resilience. With a focus on long-term stability, these investments will have immediate and lasting impacts on day-to-day life in Vermont.
This end of session report highlights the real, lasting changes we’re making to our public systems as we make good on our commitment to equity and opportunity for all Vermonters.
I want to thank all of you who called, emailed and wrote notes sharing your ideas and concerns–it’s been an honor representing you at the statehouse. Today I’m grateful to be back in the Kingdom reconnecting with our communities. Together, we’re building stronger families, stronger communities and a stronger Vermont.
Sincerely,
Rep. Katherine Sims
Orleans-4 | Albany, Craftsbury, Glover, Greensboro
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Vermont is experiencing a housing crisis with a lack of affordable houses in every corner of the state. S.100 makes big, new investments in affordable housing and relaxes Act 250 and local development restrictions to encourage housing development where we want it — in vibrant, livable and walkable downtowns and village centers— while discouraging sprawl. The bill also includes $300k to help underserved communities identify opportunities for development.
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The lack of affordable, high-quality early childhood education profoundly impacts Vermont and its economy. H.217 transforms the childcare system to make childcare more affordable for families, raise rates to provide financial stability for childcare providers, and boost pay for our valued early childhood workforce. This legislation makes Vermont a national leader in the care and education of young children!
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During the pandemic, the federal government provided free school meals to all K-12 students. Last session, the legislature provided funding to continue offering universal school meals in Vermont for the 2022–2023 school year. H.165 makes this popular program permanent so all kids can be fed at school regardless of circumstance. The program will also increase purchases of local foods and draw down more federal funding to support school meals.
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Vermonters who can afford to are already moving away from the unpredictable and increasing cost of heating with fossil fuels. We must ensure that ALL Vermonters can access cleaner, more affordable heat. S.5, the Affordable Heat Act, directs the Public Utilities Commission to spend the next two years researching and designing a Clean Heat Standard to present to the legislature for review in 2025. This public process will include reports that analyze the cost of the program (including any impact on fuel prices), the estimated savings for Vermonters and much more. In 2025, this information will be presented to the legislature in the form of a new bill — for testimony, any necessary revision, and votes in both the House and Senate. If passed by legislature and Governor in 2025, the Clean Heat Standard would begin its gradual rollout in 2026.
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Small towns often struggle to access funding and advance important projects due to a lack of administrative capacity. H.194, the Budget Adjustment includes $3 million for a new Rural Infrastructure Assistance Program to help small towns identify priority projects, apply for funding, and then have capacity to manage those projects. The capacity funding is specifically designed to help underserved communities access and allocate federal ARPA funding for projects.
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Faced with rising call volumes, staff and volunteer shortages, and reimbursement rates that do not cover the cost of service delivery, EMS services are struggling to keep pace with the needs of our communities. The budget funding to stabilize our EMS system including increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates for services, investing $1M in training for EMS personnel, and commissioning a report to provide recommendations for improving our emergency medical system.
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Reimbursement rates to medical and human services providers have been underfunded for years, causing a substantial shortfall for providers and making it difficult for Vermonters to get the care they need. The budget includes $99.7 million to increase rates for primary and specialty care, dental care, home health, nursing homes and residential care, adult day care, substance use and mental health, and ambulance services. Increasing these rates will help us attract and retain workforce, free up hospital emergency rooms, and help Vermonters get the health care services they need.
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Vermont’s suicide rate is 50% higher than the national average. H.230 addresses Vermont’s high rate of suicide as a public health crisis by implementing several critical, evidence-based measures to prevent suicide by reducing access to lethal means, including a 72-hour waiting period to purchase a gun and requirement of safe storage of firearms in homes with children.
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As the opioid epidemic deepens, nearly every Vermonter is connected to someone who died of an overdose. H.222 focuses on harm reduction and increasing access to life-saving treatment and services like Narcan, outreach workers, drug testing sites and supplies.
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Vermont now leads the nation in progressive health care policy. H.89 establishes the highest possible level of legal protection for Vermont-based providers of reproductive and gender-affirming health care and the patients receiving that care. S.37 guarantees that our health care providers will not lose their licenses and certifications due to injurious laws in other states. It also requires pregnancy service centers to comply with Vermont’s laws and standards of practice, ensures the supply of medications used in reproductive care, and increases access to contraceptives on Vermont’s college campuses.
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Vermont’s existing beverage container redemption program hasn’t been updated since it passed over 50 years ago. H.158 expands the redeemable list to include plastic water bottles, sports drinks, and wine and hard cider bottles and cans. It also creates a producer responsibility organization to create additional, conveniently located redemption centers across the state.
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More and more companies are putting up barriers—legal, physical, digital—that prevent consumers from fixing the products they own. For Vermont’s loggers and farmers, this means waiting days or even weeks for an authorized tech. H.81, the right to repair bill, requires original equipment manufacturers of agricultural and forestry equipment to make available—on fair and reasonable terms—the parts, tools, manuals, and diagnostic materials needed to fix their products. This bill passed the house and will be taken up by the Senate next year.
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Most Americans, including Vermonters, have inadequate personal retirement savings. This is particularly true for those who are self-employed or who work for small employers that lack access to convenient, automatic retirement savings. S.135 creates a Public Retirement Initiative, VTSaves, to provide employees not currently covered by a workplace retirement plan access to one at no cost to their employers. VTSaves will be transformational for Vermonters’ long-term financial well-being, allowing them the dignity and security they envisioned for retirement.
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In the coming days and weeks, we’ll see which bills the Governor signs or vetoes. The legislature is planning a special session later in June to override his vetoes.
Our work is far from done. I will keep fighting for a Vermont where everyone has a safe, warm house, good food, a good job, affordable healthcare, and high-speed internet.