The 2015 legislative session began with
a lot of drama. Since none of the gubernatorial candidates got at
least 50% of the total votes cast, the Vermont Constitution required
the legislature to elect the governor by Australian ballot from the
top three vote recipients, namely Peter Shumlin, Scott Milne and Dan
Feliciano. TV ads ran for weeks before the session urging
legislators to vote for Scott Milne, and I received about 20 emails
and phone calls urging me to do so.
However, since Peter Shumlin received
the most votes of the three, as well as a solid majority of the votes
in my district, I cast my vote for him. I explained my decision at
length here.
Governor Shumlin's announcement in
December that the financial analysis of the planned “single-payer”
health care system determined that it would not be economically
feasible at this time caught its supporters both in and outside the
legislature by surprise. This disappointment led to a very disruptive
demonstration by an advocacy group during the inauguration ceremony
on the second day of the session. As a supporter who voted for the
universal health care plan, I have always felt that the analysis had
to be well-founded and feasible before we could proceed with it.
While I am disappointed that the analysis did not support the state's
ability to implement the plan as envisioned within the time frame we
hoped, I was also disappointed at the lack of respect shown by the
demonstrators for the very people they want to support their cause.
Health care is like a maze, and if
you're familiar with mazes, there can be dead ends sometimes. The
trick is not to give up, but to backtrack and see what other paths
might be available. I think that although the analysis took longer
than expected, the Green Mountain Care Board took the necessary time
to make sure they had the best data available. Governor Shumlin has
shown courage, in my opinion, to swallow his pride and admit that his
premier program is not realistic in today's economic climate with the
data available. This does not mean that we are giving up on providing
coverage to all Vermonters. We just have to figure out
how to do it better. And that means doing better than our experience
with Vermont Health Connect.
The new biennium is also a time when
committee assignments are made. This year Speaker Shap Smith really
shuffled the deck. A large percentage of returning members found
themselves on new committees. While I was retained on the Natural
Resources & Energy Committee where I've served for the last four
years, our 11 member committee has 7 new members including 4 freshman
legislators. Since a large part of Governor Shumlin's inaugural
speech focused on renewable energy policy, we will be looking forward
to some interesting and productive work again, which will be the
focus of future articles. Our first couple of weeks will involve
bringing new members up to speed on terminology, scope, process, and
relevant government agencies and non-government organizations.
Besides his focus on energy, green jobs and climate change in his inaugural speech, Governor Shumlin also announced major goals to improve the water quality of Lake Champlain including assistance for farmers and municipalities to prevent runoff from fields and roadways. What he did not talk about was property taxes and health care. However, I expect him to include these issues when he delivers his budget address on January 15th.
I
look forward to providing you with my perspective from the
statehouse. I welcome your thoughts and questions and can be reached
by phone (802-233-5238) or by email (myantachka.dfa@gmail.com).
