The 2024 Legislative Session came to a close in early May after a difficult few months trying to tackle several substantial statewide challenges, including school funding, housing, public safety, and flood recovery, and doing so with less money as the federal COVID relief funding dries up. While there is always more work to do, we did manage to accomplish quite a bit, despite the often gloomy mood at the State House.
Because I want you to know what your state senator and the full legislature have accomplished, I have tried summarize some of the most important bills and highlights of the session. I have certainly not covered all of the 116 bills we passed this session, nor have I detailed all of the provisions of many complex bills, such as the Big Bill – the FY25 State Budget, now Act 113. You can find links to all of the bills passed by both the House and the Senate on the legislative website, along with testimony, analysis, amendments, and voting information for each bill. Here are some highlights:
- Consumer Protection & Corporate Accountability
- Education Funding & Taxation
- Flood Recovery & Climate Resilience
- Government Accountability
- Health Care Access & Affordability
- Housing, Land Use, and Energy
- Libraries and Literacy
- Public Safety
I hope these summaries are helpful. Please let me know if you have questions or would like additional information.
The session ended on a sad note, with the death of two long-serving senators – Dick Mazza of Colchester and Dick Sears of Bennington. In addition, four other veteran senators announced their retirements, including Jane Kitchel of Danville, Bobby Starr of Troy, and Dick McCormack of Bethel. Senator Starr was my first chair, on the Agriculture Committee in 2019-2020. I learned an enormous amount from him about how to run a welcoming committee that works as a team, and how to strategically move a bill through the legislative process. He’s been a champion for Vermont farmers for decades and I was grateful as a new senator from an agricultural district to learn from him.
While Senator Sears and I got off to a bumpy start after he interrupted my first nerve-wracking appearance in his Judiciary Committee with a loud phone call, I grew to respect him immensely and was proud to collaborate with him on several major public safety bills, including reforms to sheriff departments. He mellowed with age and was willing to listen to people with different opinions, particularly if it meant making a bill more fair and effective. He worked so hard for Vermonters; may his memory be a blessing.
Senator McCormack and I served together for six years on the Judicial Retention Committee and he is a genuinely sweet and wonderful guy. He’s a true feminist, environmentalist, and educator, and I was always grateful for his generous words of support and encouragement, particularly when things got rough. He’s also a talented musician who can play a mean folk song in any setting!
Senator Kitchel has been one of my Senate role models, even though I’ve never been on her committee. As Chair of the Appropriations Committee, she is a true budget maven, and I love a well-constructed budget. The buck literally stops with Jane so I have been eager to learn from her work. She’s been an incredible public servant her entire life; nobody works harder than she does. She’s also a great storyteller with a sharp wit and kind soul, who so deserves to enjoy her retirement.
I am grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to serve with these four senators. The Senate will be very different without them, and Vermont is so much better because of their service and work.
Header photo: This is a copy of the official 2023-24 Vermont Senate photo, taken by photographer Andy Duback in May 2023.
Ruth for Vermont 