Town Meeting Report 2024
Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your voice in Montpelier. Our communities have been through a lot over the last couple of years: recovering from the pandemic, the historic floods, and rising inflation and it’s put incredible stress on our state and local budgets. We believe that by working together we can find solutions and compromise that will improve lives and set our community on a path to emerge stronger and more resilient. Please reach out if I can be of assistance.
In service, Rep. Katherine Sims
MY LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
The legislature will be tackling some really tough issues this year. The era of federal stimulus has ended, so we’re working hard to creatively address challenges and fund programs in a fiscally responsible and sustainable way.
My priorities include:
Passing a fiscally responsible, balanced state budget that make it easier for working families to thrive
Promoting common-sense solutions to address the housing shortage without compromising the character of our rural communities
Expanding our access to broadband internet, public transportation and infrastructure needed to make our communities more resilient
Supporting business growth in all corners of Vermont, reducing barriers to doing business, and creating good jobs
Advocating for policies that make our communities safer, and increasing access to mental health care, recovery programs, and emergency response services
I continue to collaborate across party lines to ensure our communities have good jobs, thriving local businesses and access to the things we need to raise our families and live the good life.
ADJUSTING THE FY23 BUDGET
The House and Senate passed the budget adjustment, the mid-year true-up of the current fiscal year budget. In addition to updating program and operating costs to reflect recent budget data, the bill helps communities devastated by flooding and invests in affordable housing across the state.
FLOOD ABATEMENT
The House and Senate have passed S.160 which will reimburse municipalities for certain state education property tax payments if they granted property tax abatements to property owners for damage caused by flooding.
SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION NEEDS
Vermont’s school buildings need more than $6 billion in investments statewide to bring them up to date, replace worn-out systems, achieve code compliance, and replace buildings that would be cheaper to rebuild than repair. The House Education Committee is creating a bill—based on recommendations of a fall 2023 task force—to restart a state aid program that would share the cost of construction projects, with incentive contributions toward annual bond payments. While the program will take time to develop, the bill would provide immediate help to districts through grants and technical expertise for long-range planning.
SCHOOL BUDGETS & PROPERTY TAXES
Schools are facing pressure due to inflation, the end of federal pandemic aid, a 16% increase in health care costs, and payments on school construction needs — all contributing to spiraling costs and estimated tax rate increases unprecedented in recent history. The Legislature is making changes to our education system in order to provide a high-quality education while controlling costs. The House & Senate passed H.850 which enacts a fix to the new pupil weighting law by removing the 5% tax cap that wasn’t working as intended this school budget season. This restores the link between budget decisions and local tax rates. House Ways & Means continues to work on strategies to reduce property tax rates, like adding new revenue to the statewide education fund and making adjustments to the education funding formula.
ACT 250 & HOUSING
Vermont’s landmark Act 250 law has been instrumental in balancing the preservation of our unique landscape with the economic development needs of our communities. As we face a growing housing crisis, new pressures on our working landscape, and the adverse impacts of climate change, the House and Senate are working on bills to modernize Act 250 to better support compact development in downtowns and village centers while protecting forests and open lands.
WORKING LANDS BUSINESSES
Working lands entrepreneurs are the backbone of the Vermont economy. They produce food and products we use everyday, create jobs and help make Vermont a quality place to live. Yet open farm and forest land is lost each year to development. I introduced H.128, a bill to modernize Act 250 with clear and consistent regulations that allow farm and forest operations to grow in place at the appropriate scale for the current and next generation.
IMPROVING PUBLIC SAFETY
All Vermonters have a right to feel safe. The two most effective crime deterrents are 1) a high probability of being caught and 2) certain and quick consequences for criminal activity. The certainty and immediacy of consequences depends on a well-functioning, well-resourced criminal justice system. The legislature’s primary lever to promote this is the state budget. The Judiciary Committee continues to work with the Appropriations Committee to ensure that the courts, prosecutors, and defenders have the resources they need to resolve cases faster. The committee is also updating laws about retail and auto theft to make these crimes easier to investigate and prosecute. The Senate is developing a bill to delay the next phase of Vermont’s “Raise the Age” initiative and would revise laws on violent offenses and some drug crimes.
MY BILLS
My focus is bringing our rural perspective to the priority issues this session. Here’s a bit more about some of the bills I’ve introduced as lead sponsor:
Revises Act 250 with changes to municipal zoning laws and strategic investments to quickly create more housing opportunities where they’re needed most.
H.624 Forest Economy
Creates a Forest Management and Climate Resilience Grant Program to provide financial assistance to logging contractors to ensure implementation of effective water quality protection and climate adaptation practices on harvest sites.
H.622 Emergency Medical Services
Makes changes in EMS funding, system coordination and workforce development to ensure that we have an equitable, sustainable structure to support EMS services.
H.627 Climate Resilience
Improves state emergency response and emergency preparedness and establishes the Resilient Communities Fund to provide financial assistance to municipalities to plan for and respond to disasters.
H.626 Animal Welfare
Establishes the Division of Animal Welfare at the Department of Public Safety to develop, implement, and administer a centralized program for investigating and enforcing animal welfare requirements in the State.
>> See a full list of bills that I sponsored at legislature.vermont.gov
STAY IN TOUCH
Your input and feedback provide invaluable perspective as I represent you in Montpelier. You can sign up for my newsletter here and monthly “office hours” here.
Rep. Katherine Sims
House Ways & Means Committee
Co-chair, Rural Caucus
ksims@leg.state.vt.us
802-673-7376