Town Meeting Report - 2022
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Town Meeting Day is fast approaching--March 1st! Since we won’t be meeting in person this year, I’ve published a mid-session update on key bills and how they impact you.
The report covers this session’s top priorities: Covid-19, workforce, housing, education, redistricting and the budget. Read the report below or track the bills I sponsor and my votes on my legislative page.
Finally, please join me to share your ideas and get answers to your questions during my virtual “Office Hours” every second Sunday of the month, 4pm - 5pm. Learn more and sign up here.
It has been an honor representing the people of Albany, Barton, Craftsbury, Greensboro, Glover, Sheffield, and Wheelock in the Vermont House of Representatives. Thank you for all your support.
Please reach out anytime with ideas, questions and concerns.
Sincerely,
Thanks to federal stimulus funds and an increase in state revenues, Vermont has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make significant investments that will transform the future of our state. It’s vital that our rural perspective is represented in key conversations in the legislature. My top priorities include:
Investing Vermont's federal stimulus funds to boost recovery and set the stage for a strong future, while building a balanced budget that reflects our values
Tackling the complex and interconnected challenges of housing, workforce and childcare
Enacting forward-looking, inclusive strategies to combat climate change and a just transition as we prepare for shifting and severe weather patterns
Addressing our unfunded pension liability in a way that's fair to teachers, state employees and taxpayers
Advancing rural economy development. Specifically, I’ve played a key role in several bills related to our forest economy.
And in all of this work, we’ll center equity — thinking deeply and looking toward the future to enact legislation that protects the most vulnerable, boosts recovery in all 14 counties, and leaves no Vermonter behind.
High-Impact Investments for the Future
Building the FY23 Budget
House Appropriations is working on the FY 2023 budget, which covers the programs of state government and its community partner organizations from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023. The committee is on target to present its proposed budget to the full House in mid-March. As is our Vermont tradition, it will be a balanced budget.
In 2021, Vermont was allocated $1.049 billion through the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Of that amount, over $600 million was allocated for FY 2022 investments, leaving more than $400 million available. These funds must be obligated by December 31, 2024 and expended by December 31, 2026.
This infusion of federal dollars will not be sustained over time. Nor will state revenue levels which, for now, continue to outpace economic forecasting. In developing the FY23 budget, our challenge is to make strategic use of one-time money to address extraordinary ongoing needs. In two virtual public hearings, held in February, more than 80 Vermonters gave eloquent testimony highlighting, among other struggles, issues relating to childcare, housing, recruiting and retaining employees, and food insecurity.
Our goal? To craft a fiscally responsible budget that supports and strengthens Vermont communities and families now and into the future. To protect and lift up vulnerable Vermonters. And to move us beyond surviving COVID to transformational recovery across all 14 counties, leaving no Vermonter behind.
Balancing the FY22 Budget
The annual Budget Adjustment Act (BAA) is the “true-up” of the current year’s budget. It’s the mid-year adjustment of existing programs; new ideas wait until the next year’s budget. It’s also the opportunity to attend to urgent needs that cannot wait, including COVID response and recovery.
The FY 2022 BAA is H.679, as worked out by the House and Senate. Highlights of this year’s BAA include significant one-time investments in workforce retention, housing, childcare, and providing services to Vermonters who have been, and continue to be, deeply impacted by COVID-19.
$60 million for workforce retention-related payments to partners that provide critical support in our communities, including assisted living residences, nursing homes, residential care homes, home health agencies, designated and specialized service agencies, substance use treatment providers, and recovery centers.
PLUS: Recruitment and retention funds for staff at the Department of Corrections, the Vermont Veterans’ Home, and Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital
AND: $6 million for retention payments for childcare staff
$55 million to the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board for housing and increased shelter capacity
$50 million in additional funds for our pension reserve, bringing the total to $200 million — a proposed one-time investment that will reduce our liability by $2 billion over time
$20 million to the Vermont Housing Incentive Program to support the creation of affordable apartments and accessory dwelling units in existing properties. The goal is to create 400-plus units to serve households experiencing homelessness and families in need of affordable housing
$9.7 million to Vermont State Colleges for the second round of the new Critical Occupations scholarship program, and to fully fund the first round
$6 million to the Vermont Foodbank to help Vermonters experiencing food insecurity
$2 million to the Working Lands Enterprise Initiative to help farm, forestry and related businesses innovate and grow
$1 million to UVM for a second round of its workforce training initiative for Vermonters
$1 million for adult day providers
$440,000 to maintain the 988 Suicide Prevention Line
$350,000 to stabilize our Adult Education and Literacy network and $515,000 for our three public independent Career and Technical Education Centers
$300,000 to support our community public, educational and governmental (PEG-TV) stations
$250,000 additional for Municipal Planning Grants that support planning and zoning efforts to increase housing in our downtowns
H.679 helps Vermonters facing crises like food insecurity, homelessness, or a lack of childcare, while setting us up for a more sustainable financial future. From here, the bill moves to the Senate for further consideration.
Ensuring the Stability of State Employee Pensions
In the past year, the legislature has focused on putting Vermont’s public pension system on a path towards long-term sustainability, so that teachers, troopers, and state employees can rely on a well-funded, solvent system when they retire. Over the summer and fall, a group that included legislators, government officials and union representatives worked together to address the issue. They reached compromises that balance our commitments to state employees and teachers with the interests of Vermont taxpayers. The Senate is taking the first pass at turning those compromises into legislation, which the House will take up after town meeting week. We also included in the Budget Adjustment Act $50 million in additional funds for our pension reserve, bringing the total to $200 million — a proposed one-time investment that will reduce our liability by $2 billion over time.
Infrastructure
Federal Funding for Transportation
The bipartisan Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA), signed into law by President Biden in November 2021, offers major federal funding opportunities for Vermont’s transportation sector. The IIJA offers both “formula funds” (which are guaranteed) and competitive grant programs to which Vermont can apply. Here’s a partial breakdown of the IIJA dollars:
$1.4 billion through federal-aid highway formula funds (over five years)
$225 million for bridge replacement and repairs (over five years)
$21 million for electric vehicle charging infrastructure (over five years), which equates to 110–130 fast chargers
$83 million for public transit (over five years)
$28 million for airport infrastructure development (over five years years)
These federal funds will translate to improved roadways, bridge safety, bike and pedestrian upgrades, and building infrastructure resiliency in the face of escalating extreme weather events due to climate change.
The House is working hard to properly allocate our available state dollars, so we can meet the required match amounts and draw down the full federal funds. This level of federal support is unprecedented, offering a unique opportunity to advance programs and projects that will impact all of our communities.
Energy Resilience for Municipalities
Vermont’s municipalities own and maintain approximately 2,000 old buildings that are expensive to heat and have a large carbon footprint. In order to meet our greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals — and reduce the cost of fossil fuel heating on municipal budgets and taxpayers — H.518 supports communities with technical assistance, design support, and funding to make municipal building more energy efficient and to decarbonize the fuels they employ.
Healthy Families & Resilient Communities
Creating a Vermont Child Tax Credit
The federal child tax credit puts money directly into the wallets and checkbooks of families with children. It’s credited with helping people pay rent and buy food, reducing food insecurity by 25 percent. For parents with more income, the credit has helped with mortgage payments and credit card, student loan and car debt.
H.510, which passed the House in February, would create a Vermont version of the child tax credit. This payment — $100 a month for every child age six and under — will lift families with young children out of poverty. It will also encourage young families to move to Vermont, or to stay in Vermont and thrive. Our laser focus on young families addresses two important goals: reducing poverty for young children and meeting our demographic challenges.
H.510 also included an increase in the Social Security tax exemption to improve on changes we made three years ago. Anyone living exclusively on Social Security already receives these benefits tax free, but this bill will allow moderate-income seniors to use their payments for food and other living expenses. As of early March, this bill being considered by the Senate.
Making Progress on Vermont’s Housing Shortage
There’s no argument that Vermont is facing a statewide housing crisis. Part of the problem lies in a significant drop in the rate at which housing has been built over the past four decades. In 1980, housing stock grew at an annual rate of 1.8%. By 2019, the rate at which we were producing housing had dropped by 87%, to 0.2% per year. This translates into a reduction in housing units from 3,200 units per year to about 400.
The pandemic exacerbated the shortage. With federal relief funding, the General Assembly has responded with initiatives to address the needs of houseless Vermonters, renters, landlords, and to speed the production of new or rehabilitated housing. A few statistics:
Federal relief funds totaling more than $57 million have helped Vermont renters stay in their homes and helped make landlords whole. For information on your county, go to this link.
Federal relief and General Fund dollars have enabled the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board to develop 475 new units of rental housing and to bring a number of projects online that will result in over 1,100 new rental units by 2023.
Federal dollars allowed 1,300 households to exit homelessness in 2021, with continued work to be appropriated in the months ahead.
This year in its annual budget adjustment, the House included $50 million to support more mixed-income units, multi-family rentals and to increase shelter capacity, with priority given to populations who may be displaced from the hotel/motel voucher problem or are currently without housing. (As Town Meeting Day approached, this bill was still being negotiated with the Senate.)
Between now and the end of the session, we expect to allocate up to $25 million to rehabilitate 400 existing units that are offline because of code violations, as well as a pilot for middle-income buyers.
Potential Health Insurance Savings for Vermonters
Vermonters have an opportunity to see significant savings on their health insurance costs because of extended subsidies under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Those directly enrolled in the individual market can roll over to Vermont Health Connect with no change in benefits and gain the advantage of federal subsidies. Between $58–$76 million is available to Vermonters in subsidies for plan year 2023. Check out the Vermont Health Connect page to learn more about potential savings.
Climate Change & Natural Resources
The Future of Our Forests
In recent years, we’ve witnessed the challenges faced by the forest products industry. The question was, how to address them? This year, I’ve played a lead role in developing two bills tackle that question. One addresses the industry’s immediate needs (H.581); the other creates the Forest Future Strategic Roadmap (H.566). Vermont’s forests occupy 73% of our land base, so it’s important to use that resource wisely and in a sustainable way.
The process will be similar to the work done more than a decade ago with the Farm-to-Plate Initiative. The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund — in collaboration with the Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation — will convene meetings with diverse stakeholders to chart a course for the future. They’ll identify bottlenecks and challenges, so we can make smart investments that strengthen, promote and protect this important part of our economy. It’s also an opportunity to develop the forest products industry workforce.
Helping Vermonters Switch to Clean Heat
More than one-third of Vermont’s climate pollution comes from fossil fuels used to heat our buildings and water. Dependence on fossil fuels — especially propane and fuel oil — is expensive, with unpredictable price swings for Vermont consumers.
The Clean Heat Standard (CHS) is a performance standard that obligates companies selling heating fuel in Vermont to lower greenhouse gas emissions over time. It’s similar to our Renewable Energy Standard, which directs Vermont’s electric utilities to annually increase the amount of renewable energy in their electricity mix.
The CHS requirements could be met flexibly by delivering a range of clean heat alternatives — heat pumps, weatherization, advanced wood heating — that reduce fossil fuel consumption, or by replacing some fossil fuel delivery with biofuels. The CHS prioritizes the lowest-cost, highest emissions-reducing options. Consumers would continue to have a choice on their heating options, with more incentives to choose cleaner options.
Vermont’s Global Warming Solutions Act requires a 40 percent reduction in emissions by the end of the decade. The Clean Heat Standard puts Vermont on a predictable, sustainable pathway to achieve those reduction goals. It’s the most significant emissions reduction policy recommended by Vermont’s Climate Council in the Climate Action Plan.
Land Access for the Abenaki
Vermont lands are the historic and current territories of the Western Abenaki people. The General Assembly acknowledges the Abenaki people as the traditional land caretakers of Ndakinna (En-DAH-kee-nah), which includes parts of Vermont, New England and Quebec.
H. 556, a bill I was lead sponsor on, recognizes the historic wrong committed when the land was taken. It provides a statewide and municipal property tax exemption for property that’s owned and controlled by Vermont-recognized Native American tribes, or by a nonprofit organized for the tribe’s benefit and controlled by the tribe.
Economic Recovery & Workforce
Developing a Vibrant Workforce
Workforce development is one of our legislative priorities this year. With 25,000 job openings in Vermont and an unemployment rate of just 2.5 percent, we’re trying to identify and remove the barriers that are preventing people from working or returning to work. We’re also listening to education and training providers to see if we can provide better opportunities for Vermonters to gain postsecondary credentials and degrees of value, which increase earning potential in rewarding careers.
Equally important, the legislature continues to support scholarships and grants that make these opportunities affordable for all Vermonters. We’re also working with employers and business associations to identify their long-term workforce needs.
Building a Better Nursing Pipeline
Before the pandemic, Vermont already had a shortage of registered nurses (RNs) and an aging population in need of more healthcare services. Our nursing shortage has become critical following the so-called “Great Resignation” and the unique pressures put on the healthcare system by COVID-19.
To meet this need, Vermont must find ways for more students to gain access to nursing education and careers. The legislature is looking for ways to support Vermont’s colleges in expanding their nursing programs. Due to a shortage of nursing professors, we want to ensure resources are available to attract nursing professors and help current RNs who wish to become professors. Scholarships and grants, some of which the legislature created in 2021, can continue to make a college program in nursing affordable to Vermonters. And by investing in nurse education, Vermont can build a better pipeline for the workforce needed now and in the future.
Education & Our Future
Promoting Career & Technical Education
Workforce development is a priority for the legislature this year. Vermont’s 17 regional career and Technical Education (CTE) centers provide critical pathways to improve career readiness for students and adult learners. Stakeholders across Vermont in the business, nonprofit, education and government sector have committed to a common goal: By 2025, 70 percent of Vermonters possess a postsecondary degree or credential of value, such as an apprenticeship, certificate or license. Currently, only 51% of Vermonters possess these degrees or credentials. Our CTE centers play a significant role in helping our state meet this goal and in the development of a thriving workforce across all 14 counties.
Since 2015, we’ve been working to identify and resolve concerns relating to Vermont's CTE system. The way we fund our CTE centers, for example, is widely seen as a barrier to enrollment. The legislature is considering several proposals to revamp and support CTE, with bills under consideration in several committees.
Setting Strategic Goals for the Vermont State Colleges System
In recent years, the legislature has made historic investments in the Vermont State College system (VSC). As we reimagine postsecondary education in Vermont in partnership with VSC, the system has embarked on a comprehensive transformation plan to achieve financial stability and launch the new Vermont State University — comprised of Castleton, Northern Vermont University and Vermont Tech — in fall 2023.
In 2020, a statewide select committee published a report that charts a course to a sustainable higher-ed future. One recommendation is that the legislature set down in statute the state’s high-level strategic goals for VSC. H.377 accomplishes this, requiring VSC to provide an educational environment that is affordable, accessible, equitable, and relevant to Vermont's needs. The bill requires VSC to work with the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) to report annually on its affordability progress. It also requests a report on whether Vermont should require completion of the federal FAFSA financial-aid form as a high school graduation requirement. Across the country, the high-school class of 2021 left $3.75 billion in federal aid unclaimed; states that require FAFSA completion (with opt-out provisions) are seeing promising results.
And Still More…
Prop 5: Reproductive Liberty Amendment
The decision of whether or when to become a parent is deeply personal and central to our lives. For many decades, Vermont has recognized these reproductive choices as a fundamental right that should be free from government restrictions. Proposal 5 would enshrine reproductive autonomy and liberty into our state’s constitution, ensuring that this right is preserved for future generations.
The passage of Proposal 5 has been deliberate and inclusive, including a four-year legislative process, and two public hearings in which we received testimony from groups both supporting and opposing the amendment. After hearing from these diverse voices, the House has passed Prop 5 with an overwhelming majority, sending the constitutional amendment before the voters during the 2022 November election.
Reproductive choices affect both men and women in their freedom to become a parent, to choose or refuse sterilization, or to receive contraceptive birth control. However, we have witnessed the Supreme Court threaten to overturn protections provided by Roe vs. Wade, as well as states across the country impose harsher laws restricting abortion. The passage of Proposal 5 is a historic opportunity at a critical time for our nation.
Redrawing Vermont’s Legislative Districts
Every ten years, after the U.S. Census is taken, Vermont must adjust legislative districts to accurately reflect any changes in population. Our state Constitution spells out the criteria for reapportionment: Districts must maintain equality of representation, have one or two Representatives, and make sense geographically.
This year, the complex and lengthy process was delayed by months because the Census was unable to deliver population numbers on time. This put our work behind schedule. The Census reported that Vermont’s population grew a little, with population declining in some areas (especially in Southern and Northeast Vermont) and increasing in others (primarily in Northwest Vermont).
The Census information guided the independent Legislative Apportionment Board’s work in providing recommendations for redistricting. Based on these recommendations and those of Boards of Civil Authority, the House Government Operations Committee has been preparing a final redistricting plan to present to the full House. District boundaries should be finalized sometime in April.
>> WANT MORE? CHECK OUT ALL THE BILLS PASSED DURING THE 2021-2022 SESSION.
Stay in Touch
Your input and feedback provides invaluable perspective as we work through bills.
If you need assistance or want to discuss your priorities or needs, please reach out anytime. I look forward to connecting with you.