Legislative Report 3/17/2012 - The Doyle Poll

One of the highlights of Town Meeting across Vermont is the opportunity Vermonters have of registering their opinions on a variety of issues in the Doyle Poll.  This survey has been conducted for many decades by Senator Bill Doyle, and this year 84 Charlotters filled out the survey.  Here for your consideration is a tally of the responses.

Q#	Question	Yes	No	Not Sure	%Yes	%No	%Not Sure
1	Should VT continue efforts to close VT Yankee?	51	29	4	61%	34%	5%
2	Should drivers be prohibited from using cell phones while driving?	62	18	4	74%	21%	5%
3	Should Vermont have a 4-year term for Governor?	61	16	7	73%	19%	8%
4	Do you think Gov.  Peter Shumlin is doing a good job?	53	18	13	63%	21%	16%
5	Do you think the VT legislature is doing a good job?	47	23	14	56%	27%	17%
6	Are you optimistic about the future of Vermont?	62	13	9	74%	15%	11%
7	Are you optimistic about the future of our nation?	24	37	23	29%	44%	27%
8	Do you believe VT’s bottle deposit law should be expanded to include all bottled beverages?	68	9	7	80%	11%	9%
9	Do you support the federal law that requires everyone to have health insurance?	55	21	8	65%	25%	10%
10	Should wind turbines be built on Vermont ridgelines?	54	15	15	64%	18%	18%
11	Should state and federal funds be used to allow VT’s school children to have nutritious meals?	65	9	10	77%	11%	12%
12	Should VT legalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana (2 ounces)?	50	23	11	60%	27%	13%
13	Should the high school dropout age be changed from 16 to 18?	48	19	17	57%	23%	20%
14	Should the state of VT continue to support our working farms and forests?	81	2	1	97%	2%	1%

Most of the questions differed from last year’s poll, but questions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8 were similar if not the same.  For all of those questions the sentiment of those taking the poll was the same as last year.  Optimism about the future of Vermont was very positive in stark contrast to optimism about our nation.  The few comments on the poll entries addressed wind turbines pro and con, marijuana for medical use, and the current use program.  I’m grateful for those who took the time to fill out the poll this year.

In other matters, the issue of removing the philosophical exemption for vaccines has generated a lot of comments.  I am still trying to understand all the implications of doing away with this exemption.  The concerns of parents are real with respect to the large number and variety of the required vaccines.  The concerns for public health are also valid, however, and it is difficult to weigh one against the other.   My thanks to everyone who contacted me about this subject.  Also, at the time of this writing, there is still no word on how reapportionment of the Senate districts is settling out.  Finally, last week was the deadline for passing any bills out of committee in time to be voted on by the full House and sent on to the Senate for consideration. 

Legislative Report 3/4/2012 - Town Meeting and Vaccines

[This article appeared in the Charlotte News on March 6, 2012.]

We are now at the half-way point in the legislative schedule.  A lot has been accomplished so far, but there is still quite a bit to do before we are finished.  Town Meeting gives us a chance to get back in touch with our communities, so I hope we were able to connect there.  My legislative summary report that was available at Town Meeting can also be found online at my website, www.MikeYantachka.com.   



Rep. Mike Yantachka interviews Health Commissioner
Dr. Harry Chen on the Chittenden County Democrats
Show March 5, 2012



A major topic of interest that has generated a lot of emails is Senate bill S.199 which does away with the philosophical exemption for childhood vaccinations while retaining the religious and medical exemptions.  I have been listening to arguments on both sides of the issue.  To me it is a question of balancing the rights of parents to refuse a medical treatment for their child versus the threat to public health that such exemptions may pose.  Whichever position has more weight, it is important to know what the bill does and does not do.

1. It retains exemptions on religious and medical grounds.  Courts have treated religious objections differently than philosophical ones, and some medical conditions preclude the administration of certain vaccines.
2. It requires children entering public school to be vaccinated for certain diseases.  The particular immunizations are designated by the Vermont Department of Health appropriate to the age of the child. 
3. It establishes a pilot program that would have the goal of making vaccines available at no cost to all Vermonters and to reduce the cost at which the state may purchase vaccines.

The arguments against the bill include individual rights of parents to control what medical treatments their children receive, the possible dangers that vaccines may pose, and anecdotes of reactions to vaccinations.  It has to be acknowledged that a small minority of individuals, children included, do suffer an adverse reaction to some types of vaccines, although the type of vaccine causing the reaction varies with the child.  It is also true that vaccinations are not 100% effective; so some kids may get pertussis, for example, despite being immunized.

On the other hand, the responsibility of the public health system is to protect the public from health threats, which include infectious diseases.  There is no doubt that infectious diseases are still around and that many more people would suffer if vaccines were not available.  It is also true that if a child brings an infectious disease to school, it puts others at risk, for example, someone who is pregnant or immune compromised. 

When I was a child, polio was the scourge of the day.  I remember being taken by my mother to the local American Legion hall where vaccines were being administered to the public.  Today, polio is virtually nonexistent in the United States.  However, it still exists in other parts of the world, and a few cases in the 90’s occurred in the U.S. as a result of being carried from abroad.  The fact that some infectious diseases are so rare today is due in large part to the availability of vaccines.  That said, I’ll be listening to all points of view and learning as much as I can to inform my vote on S.199.

Town Meeting 2012

Rep. Mike Yantachka speaks about the legislature

Charlotte held its town meeting today, and passed overwhelmingly Article 10, the resolution to urge Congress to overturn the Citizens United vs. the Federal Election Commission decision of the Supreme court.  An article authorizing the construction of sidewalks in the west village area was also approved in a close paper-ballot vote, 102 - 94.  A resolution of the Vermont House, H.C.R. 288, congratulating Charlotte on the 250th anniversary of its charter by New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth on June 24th, 1762, was read by Town Moderator Jerry Schwarz.  The resolution was offered by Representative Mike Yantachka, who presented a copy to the Selectboard and to the Town Clerk.  Rep. Yantachka spoke about the legislature's response to tropical storm Irene and the Vermont Strong commemorative license plate that is available through the DMV for $25.  Funds raised from sales of the plate go toward Irene flood relief.  Yantachka also provided copies of his 2012 Legislative Town Meeting Report, a summary of the work done by the Vermont House since the session started in January, as well as the annual Doyle Poll survey.  For those interested, a similar online survey by Rep. Sam Young is available at http://www.repsamyoung.com.

Update 3/7/2012: The CCS and CVU school budgets both passed easily.