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Commissioner Recchia and Rep. Yantachka discussed the different roles of the Department of Public Service and the Public Service Board. Video is compliments of CCTV , channel 17, Burlington, VT.
Interview with Public Service Department Commissioner Chris Recchia
Commissioner Recchia and Rep. Yantachka discussed the different roles of the Department of Public Service and the Public Service Board. Video is compliments of CCTV , channel 17, Burlington, VT.
Legislative Report 3/28/2013 - Taxation Angst
This week and the next the House will be sending three big bills
over to the Senate: the transportation bill, the tax bill, and the budget bill.
Each of these bills touches on fundamental fiscal responsibilities that we in
the legislature take very seriously.
You elected me to be your voice in the legislature, reflecting
your concerns about the economy, our infrastructure, our education system, the
environment, and how we support our own citizens by ensuring that our fiscal
plan reflects your values. You want us to spend wisely and keep in mind that
your budget is being stressed as well. By the end of this session we will pass
a balanced budget that meets the financial obligations of state government in a
fiscally responsible way.
Concerns about tax increases have been at the top of the list of
emails and phone calls I’ve received in the past week. At the statehouse we all share your concern
about tax increases. We have all been
looking at cutting spending where appropriate within the areas of our
committees' jurisdiction, as well as looking for efficiencies in state programs
to avoid tax increases. Misleading TV
ads about "$70 million tax increases by Democrats" as well as misleading
claims by special interests serve only to distort the reality we have to work
with. An example is the claim that fuel
oil taxes were going to increase by 12 cents per gallon. The reality is that a nominal 1/2% increase
on the wholesale price (less than 2 cents/gallon) was ever considered, and that
was dropped because of competing budgetary concerns. If it had been adopted, it would have meant
an increase of $15 to $20 to a household's heating bill for the entire heating
season. This would have helped more
homes to get weatherization services to reduce the amount of heating fuel
needed. However, we on the Natural
Resources and Energy Committee elected to depend only on current funding
sources which will get us through the next heating season. This means that we'll have to come back to
this issue again next year since one of those funding sources resulting from
the CVPS-GMP merger will eventually disappear.
This past week the House passed a Transportation Bill that
restructures how gasoline taxes are assessed.
The bill is $4 million less than what was requested by the Agency of
Transportation and $800,000 less than last year's budget. The restructuring of the gas tax was
essential because of the huge decrease in gas tax revenues leading to underfunding
of needed road and bridge repair work and other transportation services. About 39 million fewer gallons of gas were
purchased in Vermont in 2012 compared to 2005 because of more efficient
vehicles and fewer miles being driven.
While this is good for the environment, it does not produce the revenues
needed to maintain our aging roads and bridges essential to keeping drivers
safe. This year’s Transportation bill
has split the taxation of gasoline between a cents-per-gallon basis and a
percentage of the price per gallon (minus state and federal per gallon
taxes). This will lead to a 6.9 cent
increase in 2014, rising to 7.7 cents in 2015, and 8.8 cents in 2016 at current
prices. (In comparison, New Hampshire
just voted to increase their gasoline tax by 12 cents/gallon.) It is also worth
noting that 1/3 of our gas tax revenues are collected from out of state
drivers.
A common criticism is that the Transportation Fund is being raided
for other purposes. While this may have
been true in the past, it is no longer so.
Other than transportation infrastructure expenses, the only other
programs receiving Transportation Fund money are a small percentage for Fish
and Wildlife-related transportation expenses and $25 million for DUI
enforcement by State Police.
I appreciate your concern about rising taxes and will seek to
critically balance the needs of Vermont taxpayers with the needs to keep
Vermont healthy, strong and everything that makes Vermont a great place to live
and work.
You can reach me by phone (425-3960) or by email (myantachka.dfa@gmail.com).
The Word in the House 3/21/2013 - Crossing Over
Last week
marked “crossover” at the Statehouse.
Any bill, in order to stand a chance of becoming law this year, had to
be voted out of its committee of jurisdiction last Friday. This was true whether the bill originated in
the House or the Senate. Those bills will now come to the floor of their
respective body for a vote where they will have to pass before being sent to
the other body.
The
Transportation Bill, which I wrote about last month will be voted on this
week. Several amendments are expected to
be offered from the floor, but I expect that it will pass with a tripartisan
majority. Here are some other bills of
general interest that we will be voting on. (Passed 3/21/13)
Health
Care: A technical corrections health care bill, H. 107, makes a number
of changes to Vermont law to bring Vermont's health insurance statutes in line
with the requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). It also clarifies a 2009 law that requires
insurance companies to cover the cost of mammograms and colonoscopies without
an additional copay. Some people have
been charged for certain procedures associated with their mammogram or
colonoscopy that could be considered a violation of the intent of the 2009 law.
This bill explicitly affirms that all
parts of the screening need to be covered without additional copay.
The House also passed H.315 that
requires companies headquartered out of state to provide to their Vermont
employees with same sex married or civil union partners the same benefits
provided to employees married to opposite sex partners. Some businesses were not doing so because it
wasn’t required by law and it wasn’t their policy. They made it known that they would not
challenge this legislation if it passed.
Opiate Addiction and
Methamphetamine Abuse: Vermont
has some serious problems with issues related to drug addiction and abuse. The
Human Services Committee combined elements of H.331, H.212, and H.65 in a
single bill, H.522, relating to “Strengthening Vermont’s Response to Opioid Addiction
and Methamphetamine Abuse.” It includes work done by the General, Housing and
Military Affairs Committee and the Judiciary Committee.
In order to further attempts to
prevent abuse of prescription drugs, one part makes changes in how the Vermont
Prescription Monitoring System (VPMS) is to be used. It would allow the
Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner of Health to provide a report of data in
the VPMS to the Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety, but only
when it is necessary to avert a serious and imminent threat to a person or the
public. Any request from Public Safety for data must document a bona fide
specific investigation and specify the name of the person being investigated. The
decision by the Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner of Health to provide that
report can be made only after consulting with at least one of the patient’s
health care providers.
Another part of the bill
requires that any health care provider who prescribes and any dispenser who
dispenses a Schedule II, III, or IV controlled substance must register to use
the VPMS. A health care provider will be required to check the VPMS at least
the first time the provider prescribes one of those controlled substances to a
patient and annually thereafter so the provider will know if any other
providers are also prescribing the same or similar medications.
In order to improve access to
treatment and recovery for Vermonters with drug addictions, the bill asks the
Department of Health, in collaboration with several relevant organizations, to
develop evidence-based guidelines and training for hospitals regarding
screening for addiction, performing addiction interventions and making
referrals to treatment and recovery services. It also includes a statewide
pilot project seeking to prevent deaths from opioid overdoses by using a
counteracting drug such as Narcan.
Another section relates to the
use of an electronic registry system to record the sales of products such as
Sudafed and others with similar ingredients that are used to make
methamphetamines. This is to prevent individuals from purchasing those products
in quantities that would indicate the products would likely be used to make
meth rather than for legitimate health purposes. Passage of this bill will
provide help for Vermonters with drug addictions as well as attacking other
aspects of the drug problems in Vermont.
This bill also contained the provisions regarding precious metal dealers that require licensing and accurate record keeping in order to deter the exchange of stolen articles for cash. (Passed 3/21/13)
I have heard from many of you on a variety of topics
and continue to welcome your input. You can email
me at myantachka.dfa@gmail.com or call me at 425-3960.
Legislative Report 3/14/2013 - Doyle Poll Results
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 139 Charlotters filled out the
survey, 55 more than last year. Here for
your consideration is a tally of the responses.
|
Q#
|
Question
|
Yes
|
No
|
Not Sure
|
%Yes
|
%No
|
%Not Sure
|
|
1
|
Should Vermont
continue efforts to close Vermont Yankee?
|
80
|
45
|
14
|
58%
|
32%
|
10%
|
|
2
|
Should
drivers be prohibited from using cell phones while driving?
|
92
|
31
|
16
|
66%
|
22%
|
12%
|
|
3
|
Should
Vermont decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana?
|
92
|
39
|
8
|
66%
|
28%
|
6%
|
|
4
|
Should a 3
year moratorium be placed on development of ridgeline wind?
|
35
|
91
|
13
|
25%
|
66%
|
9%
|
|
5
|
Do you
believe VT’s bottle deposit law should be expanded to include all bottled
beverages?
|
111
|
19
|
9
|
80%
|
14%
|
6%
|
|
6
|
Should the
gas tax be increased to pay for roads and bridges?
|
57
|
73
|
9
|
41%
|
53%
|
6%
|
|
7
|
Should
sugar sweetened beverages be taxed?
|
75
|
56
|
8
|
54%
|
40%
|
6%
|
|
8
|
Should we
reduce the VT prison population via alternatives for nonviolent offenders?
|
100
|
15
|
24
|
72%
|
11%
|
17%
|
|
9
|
Do you believe
that locally grown food is an important part of Vermont’s economic future?
|
124
|
7
|
8
|
89%
|
5%
|
6%
|
|
10
|
Should Vermont
trained law enforcement personnel be permitted to use Tasers?
|
71
|
37
|
31
|
51%
|
27%
|
22%
|
|
11
|
Do you
believe growing hemp would be an asset to Vermont’s economy?
|
69
|
33
|
37
|
50%
|
24%
|
26%
|
|
12
|
Are
statewide cell service and broadband important to the future of Vermont’s
economy?
|
127
|
4
|
8
|
91%
|
3%
|
6%
|
|
13
|
Should
natural gas be an important part of Vermont’s economy?
|
63
|
36
|
40
|
45%
|
26%
|
29%
|
|
14
|
Do you
think Governor Peter Shumlin is doing
a good job?
|
67
|
41
|
31
|
48%
|
30%
|
22%
|
Most of the
questions differed from last year’s poll, but questions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 14
were similar if not the same. Charlotters
continue to strongly support efforts to close Vermont Yankee, prohibit use of
cell phones while driving, expand the bottle deposit law, and decriminalize
small amounts of marijuana. Many
commented that hands-free cell phone use should be allowed, however. A large majority does not want a moratorium
on ridgeline wind development. Governor Shumlin, while receiving a good report
card from a plurality of respondents, dropped below 50% in the survey.
Respondents
were split on two questions relating to taxation. While most disapproved of raising taxes on
gasoline, most did approve of taxing sugar sweetened beverages. Gasoline tax revenues have fallen in recent
years because of a reduction in driving and an increase in the efficiency of
vehicles on the road, and the state risks losing federal highway dollars if
state revenues can’t be restored. Sugar
sweetened beverages are considered to be major contributors to obesity,
diabetes and other health problems, and the tax has been proposed to discourage
consumers from buying them. I’m grateful
to everyone who took the time to fill out the poll this year.
You can contact me by phone at 425-3960 or email me at myantachka.dfa@gmail.com.
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