March seems to be going out like a lion – I hope you’re staying safe & warm during this early spring storm. At least it provides a good opportunity to sit by the fire and write an update to my constituents.
Federal Situation
Save the Date for a Community Forum on Federal Actions – Saturday, April 19 at 10:00am at the Town Hall Theater in Middlebury. The actions of the Trump/Musk administration continue to be increasingly dangerous to national security and detrimental to the health and welfare of Americans. At the request of constituents across the Addison District, and especially inspired by conversations at the Shoreham Town Meeting, I am organizing a public forum about the federal situation and its impact on Vermont. I will be joined by Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark and Treasurer Mike Pieciak to provide information about the potential impact of federal actions and what Vermont officials are doing to prepare and fight back. More information will be forthcoming – I hope to see you there!
Meanwhile, you can view a recording of Attorney General Clark’s recent Town Hall discussing her lawsuits against the Trump Administration, check out the website for Treasurer Pieciak’s Task Force on the Federal Transition, and read a press release from Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas responding to a recent Trump order threatening the integrity of elections. Additionally, the VT Agency of Commerce and Community Development has a website with basic information about the Trump tariffs and the Legislative Joint Fiscal Office is tracking information about the federal funding cuts. Plus, Vermonters across the state are speaking out against Trump’s actions, including me at an International Women’s Day March earlier this month.
If the bad news at the federal level leaves you looking for positive ways to make a difference, try leaning local. Vermont is a volunteer-heavy state and many towns need more folks to join local boards and commissions. Read this recent Addison Independent article, “Wanted: More Civic Volunteers,” and then check out your town’s website to see where they need help. For example, the Town of Middlebury has an extensive list of volunteer positions that need filling. You could have an impact on local planning & development, tree or people health, energy & infrastructure, or sports & recreation. Volunteering is good for your mental health and our local democracy!
State House Update – Top Priorities
Housing. While housing remains a statewide challenge, we are seeing progress thanks to the incredible housing investments we’ve made over the past five years. Last week, the Vergennes Grand Senior Living complex welcomed its first residents, and last month developers broke ground on the 254-home Stonecrop Meadows neighborhood in Middlebury. To keep momentum going, this past week, the Senate approved S.127, a bill to expand housing development by extending the VT Rental Housing Improvement Program, making permanent the VT Manufactured Home Improvement and Repair Program, and creating the Community Housing Infrastructure Program (CHIP). The CHIP program would use small tax increment financing to pay for the public infrastructure (roads, water, sewer, etc.) for affordable and middle-income housing developments. Finally, after vetoing the mid-year budget adjustment act (BAA), which contained funding for housing programs and an extension of the cold weather motel program for more than 1,400 unhoused Vermonters, and then rejecting Democratic lawmakers’ offer of a slimmer BAA, Governor Scott used an executive order to extend the cold weather motel program rules for just 400 people. His use of an executive order to go around the Legislature is unfortunately reminiscent of Trump’s use of executive orders that avoid Congressional approval. Further, the Governor has no concrete plans to house the 1,000 people who will be out on the streets as of Tuesday.
Healthcare. Getting Vermont’s extremely high hospital costs under control, particularly at the UVM Medical Center, and stabilizing the finances of the state’s largest health insurance company, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, has been a focus of both the Legislature and the Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) this session. Both the House and Senate have passed bills – S.126 and H.482 – that are aimed at lowering hospital prices and stabilizing insurance rates. S.126 would direct the GMCB to implement reference-based pricing and hospital global budgets, two actions that have proven successful in other states at lowering the cost of health care. Meanwhile, H.482 would provide GMBC more authority to adjust hospital insurance rates and appoint an independent hospital observer to monitor the finances of a hospital. These actions are necessary to help reduce the cost of health care that is driving up budgets for families, schools, towns, and businesses.
Education. After many weeks analyzing the Governor’s proposal for educational transformation, the House Education and Ways & Means Committees have released drafts of their revised plans. The Ways & Means school finance and property tax proposal would level property tax rates this year and create a cost-based foundation formula, a new property tax exemption for low- and moderate-income Vermonters, and a new property classification system to differentiate tax rates between property types. Meanwhile, on Friday House Education moved forward a bill to create a redistricting committee for school districts, establish class-size and update education quality standards, update the State Board of Education rules, and create a state school construction program. While I am still diving into the details of these proposals, together they look like a promising alternative to the Governor’s proposal. I certainly agree that the Legislature should not impose a new school district map without taking time during the off-session for more expert & public input. I strongly oppose both the Governor’s five-district map and the 9-district map proposed by the Chair of the Senate Education Committee, whose primary goal seems to be to preserve private school vouchers for his alma mater.
Finally, it’s hard to believe, but five years ago, the world was in the throes of the early weeks of the COVID pandemic. That time was especially scary and uncertain, and I did my best to provide constituents with regular updates and information. On the five-year anniversary of the state shutdown, I provided remarks on the Senate floor remembering those difficult early days of the pandemic, but also the remarkable ways we all worked together across party lines and branches of government to protect the health and safety of Vermonters. “It’s easy to forget difficult times. Human nature is to push tragedy aside and forge ahead without taking stock of what happened and all we should have learned. But, it’s important to remember collective tragedy and remember the brave people who stepped up to help others through it.” Thanks for reading, and stay safe & warm!
Photo Note: Enjoying a lovely birthday dinner with colleagues, Senators Martine Gulick and Alison Clarkson.
Ruth for Vermont 