If you’re old enough to remember the
80’s TV show “The A-Team”, you might remember what their
leader, Hannibal Smith (George Peppard), used to say after a
successful mission: “I love it when a plan comes together!”
That’s how I felt last week when a bill that I’ve been working on
for the last five years passed overwhelmingly.
Between my first and second years as
State Rep, I was talking with Lambert Lussier, proprietor of Spear
Street Mowers. He was telling me about a bill that Rep. Martha Heath
had introduced a couple of years before that would have helped small
equipment dealers like himself to obtain fair reimbursement for
warranty work they had to perform under contract with their product
distributors. Often he had to work on equipment that was purchased
somewhere else, including big box stores. It was common for the
manufacturer to set the reimbursement, usually below his normal labor
rate, as well as dictate the amount of time expected to do the
diagnosis and repair. I told him I’d try to help and introduced the
bill the following session. Nothing happened to the bill, and I had
to reintroduce it the following year in the new biennium. Working
with the Northeast Equipment Dealers Association (NEDA), we pushed
hard to get it through the House Commerce Committee. However, in the
process the scope of the bill grew to include snowmobile and ATV
dealers, and the manufacturers pushed back hard. Again, it failed to
get out of committee.
I introduced the bill again in 2015
with a Republican co-sponsor, Rep. Harvey Smith of New Haven. Again
there didn’t seem to be a lot of interest in taking it up until
three things happened. Last autumn, I invited the Chair of the
Commerce Committee, Rep. Bill Botzow, to visit Charlotte, and I in
turn visited his town of Pownal. One of the stops we made was to
Spear Street Mowers. Lambert told his story and Bill promised that
the warranty bill would be considered. Then, as the session
approached, NEDA hired a good lobbyist to shepherd the bill through.
A companion bill was introduced in the Senate by Sen. John Rogers of
Orleans County, and was taken up by the Senate Commerce and Economic
Development Committee. Although the manufacturers pushed back and
even tried to delay work on the bill, the Senate passed it as S.224.
Since the House Commerce Committee was already familiar with it, they
made some tweaks and passed it out unanimously, 11-0. It subsequently
passed the House on a voice vote with no opposition. I expect the
Senate to concur with the changes made by the House and send it to
the Governor. This bill recognizes the value of Vermont's small
equipment dealers to our local economies and agricultural communities
and provides much needed protections for them as they negotiate
contracts with large manufacturers who have the resources to dictate
terms that can be detrimental to small dealers. I love it when a
plan comes together - even if it does take five years!
On another note, the Charter language
creating a two-step approval process for the town budget, which
passed by an 1148 to 403 vote at Town Meeting in March, became House
bill H.881. After testimony from myself, Selectboard Chair Lane
Morrison, Town Meeting Solutions Committee member Lynne Jaunich, and
Town Clerk Mary Mead via email, the House Government Operations
Committee voted 9 to 1 for it, and it was subsequently passed by the
House on a voice vote. It should get through the Senate before
adjournment and then signed into law shortly afterward.
I would like to take this opportunity
to announce that I will be running for re-election in the Democratic
Primary on August 27th and hope that you will support me.
I always welcome your thoughts and can be reached by phone
(802-233-5238) or by email (myantachka.dfa@gmail.com).
