Legislative Report 1/28/2021 - Reflections on a momentous week

 The first few weeks of a legislative biennium get off to a relatively slow start, not momentous at all.  Bills are just beginning to be introduced and assigned to committees for consideration.  Not only do new members have to get up to speed on subject matter of the committees to which they are assigned, but returning members assigned to different committees than before may have to as well. In other words, there is not a lot to report.

There were two exceptions, however. During the first full week we were back in session, the House quickly passed a bill that authorizes municipalities and school districts to hold town meetings remotely, use Australian ballots to vote on all matters including budgets, or postpone town meetings to later in the Spring. The Senate quickly followed suit and sent the bill to the Governor for his signature.  The Senate was also at work passing S.9, which extends certain workers’ compensation amendments related to COVID-19 that were enacted last year. These amendments give the benefit of doubt in certain circumstances that a worker who is diagnosed with COVID-19 is entitled to benefits under Vermont’s workers’ compensation laws. The House concurred with the Senate after fixing a date reference in the bill that had been overlooked.  The next significant action will be to approve the budget adjustment bill that the Appropriations Committee has been hard at work on since Day 2 of the session.

What really made the week special, though, was the change of administration in Washington, DC, as I joined most of my fellow Americans in welcoming the Biden administration with the hope of a less divisive political atmosphere for the next four years.  I was especially impressed with poet Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem. In it she says,

“It's because being American is more than a pride we inherit,
it’s the past we step into and how we repair it.”

It is with sincere hope that Congress, the Senate included, will be able to join with the administration in an effective national response to the pandemic and hit the economic defibrillator once again to jump-start the economy.  The executive orders President Biden signed as soon as he took office will go a long way to reverse those of the previous administration that diminished the greatness of America.

For the past four years, a small package sat on my bookshelf waiting for its moment. In December of 2016, I attended a conference in DC and had an opportunity with other legislators from across the country to attend a briefing in the White House Office Building.  We were given favors of Hershey kisses in little packages with the presidential seal. I decided to save mine until the incoming President was no longer in office. I had almost forgotten about it until the night of the inauguration after watching the televised spectacular fireworks display on the National Mall.

It was time. After 4 years, the kisses were as sweet as I expected, capping off this truly momentous week.

I welcome your emails (myantachka.dfa@gmail.com) or phone calls (802-233-5238). 

The Word in the House 1/19/2017 - New Beginnings

As I drove to Montpelier last week, I felt excited by the prospect of the changes that would be taking place in Vermont's government, changes that would offer new challenges as well as new opportunities. The 2016 election produced a sweeping change of leadership in Montpelier from the Governor and Lieutenant Governor to the House and Senate leadership.  Both House Speaker Shap Smith and Senate President Pro Tempore John Campbell decided not to run for re-election to their respective seats. With the election of Lt. Governor Phil Scott as Governor, and Senator David Zuckerman as Lt. Governor, the state of Vermont is in new hands. The change extended to the Legislature with the election of Representative Mitzi Johnson (D-North Hero) as Speaker of the House and Chittenden County Senator Tim Ashe (D/P) as President Pro Tempore. Johnson previously served as Chair of the House Appropriations Committee.

The first week of the 2017 legislative session was filled with the pomp and circumstance of the departure of the old administration of Governor Peter Shumlin and the inauguration of the new administration of Governor Phil Scott.  But before those events took place, the House and Senate had to convene and elect their own leadership.

In her acceptance speech Speaker Johnson reminded us that “The campaign process tends to herd us toward simple sound bites-like those that you see on campaign literature - but the answers are not as simple.” She admonished us to “take time to understand the problem we’re trying to solve.” Johnson raised the challenge for the Legislature to address the problems of the uneven distribution of jobs throughout the state despite having one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country; building ladders out of poverty that do not come with built-in disincentives; climate change that poses challenges to our agriculture, public health, tourism base and ecology as well our state infrastructure and budget; and the many challenges of building a strong, healthy future, in a way we can afford. She asked the House to evaluate state government and prioritize what Vermonters most need, "so that we may preserve the long-term health and wellness of our state", and she committed to working with the administration to achieve this goal.

The following day newly elected Governor Phil Scott was sworn in and, in his inaugural speech, laid out his vision of the future he hopes we would build together.  He said he would ask every state agency to work toward three goals: improve economic opportunity, make Vermont more affordable, and protect the most vulnerable Vermonters. These are goals we can all agree on as we start our work this year.

Speaker Johnson also announced some significant changes to the work of House committees.  First, there were many changes to committee assignments as 33 new legislators joined our ranks.  Some committees had a larger turnover than others and a balance of veteran legislators and freshmen had to take place on all committees.  Several committees saw significant changes to their responsibilities.  In particular, the Natural Resources and Energy committee, on which I served for the last six years, was totally reorganized. Responsibility for natural resources, land management and Act 250 was reassigned to the Fish, Wildlife and Water Resources committee. Forestry oversight was moved to the Agriculture and Forests committee, and a brand new committee – Energy and Technology – was formed to take over responsibilities for energy, telecommunications, and IT infrastructure, including the IT systems of state government. 

I will be serving along with seven other veteran Representatives on this new committee. I am looking forward to continue working on energy policy while learning more about how we can expand high-speed broadband throughout the state. Both energy and telecom are key components to economic development in Chittenden County and beyond.  Since no single committee had oversight of Vermont's many complex computer systems, our committee will be taking a deep look into the various systems, how they interact, the software platforms they are built on, what they cost, and the security measures used to protect vital data and the systems themselves. 

As the session develops, I will continue to keep you informed about the work my colleagues and I are doing. I also invite you to let me know your concerns and opinions. I can be reached by phone (802-233-5238) or by email (myantachka.dfa@gmail.com).

Legislative Report 1/15/2015 - Peculiar Beginnings

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 15^th.
 

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).