Dear Constituents –

The Legislative session is winding down with the passage of the Big Bill (the State budget) and other money bills (Capital Bill, Transportation Bill, Yield Bill) in motion. This year, the Committee of Conference on the Budget (H.493) had a heavy lift to bring down much higher spending proposals than both the House and the Senate had voted out over the Governor’s recommended budget. This is the time of year when bills are being passed between chambers fast and furiously, so in the spirit of being timely and concise, if you are interested in which bills have passed the House and/or the Senate, you may find them on the General Assembly website (www.legislature.vermont.gov), click on “More House Information” or “More Senate Information”, and then on “All House Journals” or “All Senate Journals”, which will report on all bills in motion on that day. Additionally, if the reader knows the bill number, all action on that bill is found by typing the bill number into the bill tracker field.

In House Government Operations & Military Affairs, we finalized our work on S.59 (changes to Vermont’s Open Meeting Law) by making several adjustments to language requested by municipalities and other organizations, including more clarity around disturbances at public meetings. We also began our work on a biennial reports repeal bill, which has us looking at all of the reports required by legislation and determining if those reports are being received by Committees of jurisdiction and if they are useful. We are also commencing what is anticipated to be extensive testimony on S.131 (approval of an amendment to the charter of the City of Burlington relating to the possession of firearms); and H.508 (approval of amendments to the charter of the City of Burlington), which changes how and when the City redistricts wards and notices of termination of residential tenancies.

Rural Caucus met to hear updates from the Senate about the Education bill (H.454) and from the Ways & Means committee on their amendment to the Housing bill (S.127), both of which contain problematic language for rural communities. More work is being done on both of these bills, and I hope to be able to report on progress next week.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve. Please reach out to me at [email protected]

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango, Franklin-5

Dear Constituents –

The highlight of this week’s House action is the passage of language that provides a graduated exemption for military retirement pensions and survivors benefits from State income tax and several additional civilian tax credits, as well as an additional tax credit for Veterans who have served less than 20 years. Readers will recall that a “military retiree” who earns a pension has served 20+ years, and a “survivor” receiving benefits is the recipient of a pension plan for which they are the designated beneficiary. “Veterans” are service members who have served any length of time. The bill has now passed to the Senate and still has a long way to go before it is finalized, but this is the best progress that the language has made in the two decades since it was first introduced.

In the House Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee, we continued to take testimony on S.59 (amendments to Vermont’s Open Meeting Law) and S.23 (use of synthetic media in elections), and we took another look at H.472 (professions and occupations regulated by the Office of Professional Regulation) as it is coming back from the Senate in the context of learning about language from S.119 (licensure of early childhood educators), which we do not have possession of but may see within the H.472 language.  We also did a “drive by” and straw poll of of a House Human Services bill, S.53 (certification of community-based perinatal doulas and Medicaid coverage for doula services) because the Office of Professional Regulation is within our committee jurisdiction. This is the season for the annual jockeying of language from one vehicle to another in hopes of ensuring its passage! Lastly this week, we took up a new bill referred to us by the Senate, S.131 (approval of an amendment to the Charter of the City of Burlington relating to the possession of firearms). There is much to unpack about this bill, and it will certainly take considerable committee time to hear from all of the witnesses who would be needed to testify on it; the same can be said for the aforementioned S.119.

On the House floor, we passed several bills back to the Senate: S.87 (extradition procedures); S.44 (authority to enter into certain immigration agreements), which gives the Governor the sole authority to sign those agreements; H.248 (supplemental programs and Child Care Financial Assistance Program), to which an amendment was defeated that would have put all private pre-K within the budget of the Department of Children and Families; H.230 (management of fish and wildlife); H.137 (regulation of insurance products and services); S.117 (rulemaking on safety and health standards and technical corrections on employment practices and unemployment compensation);

The Rural Caucus met and learned more about S.127 (housing and housing development), specifically regarding the CHIPs (project-based TIFs) program, and we heard from the newly created Land Use Review Board (formerly the Natural Resources Board), which administers Act 250, the Vermont Association of Planners and Developers, and members of Let’s Build Homes, a new coalition of interested individuals advocating for smart growth and creation of new housing of all types. The discussion provided more details on when to expect new mapping for land use Tiers to take place, and how those new maps will be used to determine eligibility for development. The concern of the Rural Caucus is that rural communities don’t get left out of the eligibility criteria.

It is an honor to serve you in the Vermont Legislature. Please reach out to me at [email protected]

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango, Franklin-5

Dear Constituents –

The Legislature continues to move towards the end of session. By now, the pace should be at a frenzy, but we seem to be in the lull before the storm.

In Government Operations, we picked up our work on S.59 (amendments to Open Meeting Law), S.56 (Office of New Americans); S.233 (State-funded grants); S.23 (use of synthetic media in elections); a couple of new charter changes: H.506 (Town of Charlotte) and H.508 (City of Burlington); and H.153 (expanding family access to certified copies of birth and death certificates).

On Wednesday, the House Committee on Government Operations & Military Affairs and the Senate Committee on Government Operations held a joint public hearing on Veterans Affairs. While only a small number of veterans signed up to speak, we have heard from others in writing about their concerns and plan to circulate a survey in the coming weeks to better understand the challenges faced by those who served.

On that topic, House Ways & Means passed out a favorable version of the military pension and survivors’ benefits tax exemption in a more comprehensive tax credit bill (S.51) that also includes a tax credit for low-income veterans. This bill will come to the House Floor next week, and I expect it to receive widespread support.

On the House Floor, we passed the following legislation to the Senate: H.364 (approval of the annexation of property by the Village of Swanton); S.36 (Medicaid payment model for residential substance use disorder treatment services); S.50 (increasing size of solar net metering projects that qualify for expedited registration); H.13 (Medicaid payment rates for home- and community-based service providers; H.206 (uniform commercial code); H.398 (Vermont Economic Development Authority); H.463 (Technical Corrections); H.218 (Opioid Abatement Special Fund); H.96 (increasing the monetary thresholds for Certificates of Need); and S.27 (medical debt relief and excluding medical debt from credit reports). To remind readers, at this time of year, if the House is passing an “H” bill, it means that the Senate has sent it back to us with an amendment, and if we are passing an “S” bill, we are sending it back to the Senate either with our approval or with further amendment. We also addressed JRS 15 (Joint Resolution supporting Vermont’s transgender and non-binary community and declaring Vermont’s commitment to fighting discrimination and treating all citizens with respect and dignity), which was brought to us by the Senate, and PR 3 (Declaration of Rights; Right to Collectively Bargain). It is of importance to note that PR 3 is a Constitutional Amendment and must pass through the Senate and the House in two successive bienniums and will be brought to the voters in a subsequent general election. The roll call vote in the House was 125-15. The language of this Amendment can be found on the General Assembly website, and it is worth noting that it includes a clause that would require an employee to join a union, if one exists, at their workplace as a condition of employment; it is for this reason that I voted no on this Amendment, despite supporting the premise on which unions were first established, their historical impact, and current union activity. We also moved to establish Committees of Conference on H.493 (Budget Big Bill) and H.488 (Transportation Bill). This is a good sign, as it typically signals that the end of session is coming. However, this year, because the Education Transformation Bill (H.454) is moving so slowly, we have been told that the session will go through the month of May.

The Rural Caucus this week learned more about the Housing Bill (S.127) that is making its way through the committee process and USDA federal funding cuts affecting local farm and food security programs and agencies.

It is an honor to serve your interests in the Statehouse. Please reach out to me at [email protected]

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango, Franklin-5

Dear Constituents –

The House Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee started the week with a Senate amendment to H.10 (charter of the City of Barre), hearing testimony on H.376 (creation of the Treatment and Recovery Fund and the labeling and taxation of alcoholic beverages), more proposed amendment language for S. 59 (changes to Vermont’s Open Meeting Law), S.233 (State-funded grants), H.505 (approval of amendments to the charter of the Town of Barre), H.504 (approval of amendments to the charter of the City of Rutland), S.56 (creating an Office of New Americans), learning about the potential effects of federal directives regarding elections, and hearing from the Vermont State Youth Council with their legislative priorities.

On April 30 at 4pm, our committee will be holding a joint public hearing on Veterans Affairs. If readers would like to testify, please use this Online form: https://legislature.vermont.gov/links/joint-public-hearing-on-veterans-affairs

Some of what we do in the Legislature is like a treasure hunt: at this time of year, especially, language from one bill may get rolled into another bill, or language will disappear entirely, so I spent time this week pursuing where military pension and survivors’ benefits language is moving by scouring various committee agendas, trying to track down which bill it might put into. I’ve also been following S.127 (housing and housing development) to learn the potential implications of Act 250 mapping changes and language to permanently extend National Guard tuition benefits, which are some of the best in the nation.

On the House Floor, we passed: S.27 (medical debt relief and excluding medical debt from credit reports), concurring to the Senate amendment to H.10 (Barre City charter), S.36 (Medicaid payment model for residential substance use disorder treatment services), and a bill that I presented on the floor H.346 (approval of annexation of property by the Village of Swanton).

The Rural Caucus met and heard an update from the Regional Planning Commissions on mapping and budgeting, with an emphasis on FEMA projects and a presentation on brownfields.

It is an honor to serve. Please reach out to me at [email protected]

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango, Franklin-5

Dear Constituents –

This week began with the final Legislative Breakfast of the session for Franklin Co legislators and our constituents. Along with members of the public, we welcomed students from Richford High School who engaged with us on topics of importance to them, such as forgivable student loans and nicotine use.

In the House Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee, we attended a bill signing in Governor Scott’s Ceremonial Office for H.154 (designating November as the Vermont Month of the Veteran). The office was packed with press, veterans groups, and legislators for this occasion. It was an especially significant event for the Committee, as we had passed this bill last biennium, only to see it languish on our Senate sister committee’s wall when the majority wasn’t interested in taking it up. We greatly appreciate the makeup of this session’s Senate Gov Ops Committee and their willingness to move this forward. Although this is a small gesture recognizing Vermont’s veterans, the signing was done with a sense of pride and honor.

In other Committee business, we continued to work on H.72 (municipal ordinances governing nuisance properties containing salvage and scrap); H. 109 (municipal ordinances governing maintenance of properties within designated downtown districts); S.23 (use of synthetic media in elections); H.23 (requirements for State-funded grants); a group of municipal charters: H.506 (Charlotte); H. 505 (Barre Town); H.504 (Rutland City); and we successfully passed out H.364 (approval of the annexation of property by the Village of Swanton), which will go on to House Ways & Means.

On the House floor, the following bills passed: S.18 (licensure of free-standing birth centers) and S.28 (access to certain legally protected health care services); another bill S.27 (medical debt relief and excluding medical debt from credit reports) was on the calendar for action as of this writing.

In the Rural Caucus, we heard from entities representing rural healthcare interests, including the New England Rural Health Association and an interesting presentation on the community paramedicine model, which is being used in the Brattleboro area.  Paramedics go through a special certification program in conjunction with Brattleboro Memorial Hospital that allows them to make house calls to individuals with COPD, congestive heart failure, and other conditions that might otherwise bring them into the Emergency Dept. This preventative model is being used across the country in rural areas to supplement primary care practices and to avoid costly trips to the ED.

It is an honor to be a part of this process and to represent my district and Franklin Co in the Statehouse. Please reach out to me at [email protected]

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango

Dear Constituents -

The majority of time this week in Statehouse committees was spent continuing to hear testimony on bills: S.56 (creating an Office of New Americans); S.59 (amendments to Vermont’s Open Meeting law); H.233 (requirements for State-funded grants); H.23 (use of synthetic media in elections); H.364 (approval of the annexation of property by the Village of Swanton); and H.501 (deadline for public bodies to respond to alleged open meeting law violation). The Committee also heard an update on the operations of the Vermont Veterans Home, the only such residence and skilled nursing facility for veterans, their spouses, and Gold-star families in Vermont.

Action on the House Floor included passing the following bills: S.30 (updating and reorganizing the health insurance statutes in 8 VSA chapter 107); H.91 (Emergency Temporary Shelter Program); S.9 (after-hours access to orders against sexual assault); HR6 (amending House Rules to the House Ethics Panel); S.3 (transfer of property to a trust); H.293 (health equity data reporting and registry disclosure requirements); and H.454 (transforming Vermont’s education governance, quality, and finance systems). This latter bill, the “Education Transformation Bill”, took up much of our time on the Floor.  The original language of the bill, recommended by the Governor, was stripped by the House Education Committee, which proceeded to insert their own language pertaining to an extended timeline and a study committee that would be a subset of the recently concluded Commission on the Future of Public Education to further kick this can down the road; it was voted out of committee on a 7-4 vote along party lines. The House Committee on Ways & Means subsequently added their own language to this bill, encompassing changes to the property valuation system and classification of properties for tax purposes; this was also voted out of Committee 7-4, on party lines.  The House Appropriations Committee was the final stop on the way to the Floor for this bill, again being voted out 7-4 on party lines. On Thursday, the House held a Caucus of the Whole on the subject of this bill and the language contained therein. Suffice it to say that even after this presentation, there were many questions remaining. There were five proposed amendments to the bill and extended debate on the final day on the Floor alone. The bill that passed to the Senate is one that needs much more work; its current form was only released one week ago, and there were many questions left unanswered. The vote was 87-55, with several members voting yes merely to advance the bill to the Senate. Additionally, an amendment was proposed to align the effective dates with the intent sections, and that was voted down on the House Floor, which seems counter-intuitive to me. Typically, when a large bill like this passes to the Senate, it marks the mid-point of the session; the Ed bill was granted a reprieve from that crossover deadline, but that doesn’t bode well for the adjournment date this session. If this truly is the mid-point for Education Transformation, we will remain in session longer than necessary or be called back for further work later in the year.

On Tuesday, the VT National Guard & Veterans Affairs Caucus met to discuss various bills that are moving or on the walls in Committees, including the perennial military pension and survivors’ benefits state income tax exemption.  Readers may recall that a few weeks ago, a favorable tax credit bill was passed from the House Ways & Means Committee to the House Floor, but as an amendment containing the military tax exemption language was offered, the bill was pulled back into Committee, and there it languishes.  This was an affront to all military retirees and their survivors, as Vermont remains the State in the nation that has the most unfriendly tax policy for military members and their families. The reason for that move by the majority party was that other public servants deserve the same tax credits; in a perfect world, all of these folks whose careers are dedicated to keeping us safe are deserving of everything their State can do to honor them.  What they fail to recognize is that when someone signs up for the military, “they lose their freedom to serve to protect our freedom” (unknown author); they cannot merely walk away from their jobs and must serve their country for the duration of their contracts. Their service is truly unique.

On Wednesday at the Rural Caucus meeting, the Vermont Council on Rural Development presented on the work that they have done to assist a number of communities around the State with their next steps when their local schools have closed. They plan to continue to engage with members of this Caucus with case studies and offering services.

It is an honor to serve. Please reach out to me at [email protected]

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango, Franklin-5

Dear Constituents –

The news from the Statehouse this week is that crossover is finally behind us! The Budget “Big Bill” (H.493) has passed to the Senate, along with most of the bills that committees worked on in the first half of the biennium.

Committees devoted this week to hearing a few bill introductions from the Senate and amendments to bills that they were presenting for votes on the House Floor. The House Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee heard amendments to H.474 (miscellaneous changes to elections law) and H.397 (miscellaneous amendments to the statutes governing emergency management and floor response). The bills that subsequently passed to the Senate were stronger for the process, and I appreciate the opportunity for another 139 members (my committee has 11 members) to lay eyes on a bill and offer changes that work for all Vermonters. Members often bemoan the fact that some bills leave committee without being properly vetted, but a legislative committee consists of 5 to11 individuals, and sometimes that offers only a narrow view of the subject matter; once a bill is on the Notice Calendar, many more members “take notice” and read the bill as it came out of committee (which often is drastically different than how it was introduced).  A one-day Notice Calendar gives everyone an equal opportunity to read a bill and formulate questions and suggestions, which could be asked during Floor debate or offered as amendments to the committee.

We also heard an introduction of H.404 (authority over the highways of the Village of Old Bennington), S.59 (amendments to Vermont’s Open Meeting Law), and S.23 (use of synthetic media in elections), otherwise known as “deep fakes”.

The order of business on the House Floor was passing crossover bills to the Senate, a Caucus of the Whole to hear the Budget explanation, and introductions of special constituents, including a representative from Taiwan, a valued trade partner with the US and Vermont. I had the pleasure of introducing representatives from the VT Association of Athletic Trainers and UVM Athletic Medicine, a special interest of mine.  Many of you have heard me speak about the importance of these primary medical providers and the role that they play in schools, clinics, hospital, workplace, and military settings.

At Rural Caucus, the Chair of House Education presented the work that they have done this session on the Education Transformation Plan.  Regretfully, it appears that they will be punting much of this work to a subcommittee to work on in the off-session.  This is a huge disappointment to me, as I was hopeful that by this time in the session, we would have had a plan that the House would have been in agreement on.  My committee was poised to do the work on drawing districts and setting school board elections policy, but that did not come to pass.

The Ways & Means Committee passed out the Yield Bill, which is crucial to setting tax rates. They elected to use $77M proposed by the Governor to buy down this year’s rates, and while a relief to taxpayers, I have serious concerns about the tax cliff we face next year since the work of the Transformation was not advanced this session.

As always, it is an honor to represent my constituents in the Statehouse, and I welcome questions and concerns at [email protected].

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango, Franklin-5

Dear Constituents -

The Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs spent the week hearing amendments to some of the bills that we passed out last week, as well as working to advance H.10 (changes to the charter of Barre City) and H.17 (changes to the charter of the Town of Morristown).

The House Floor was very busy, passing the following bills: H.125 (reporting on the energy transition); H.231 (technical corrections for Fish & Wildlife statutes); H.259 (preventing workplace violence in hospitals); H.396 (creating the Mollie Beattie Service Award); H.243 (regulation of business organizations); H.222 (participation in a domestic violence accountability program as a condition of a final relief from abuse prevention order); H.80 (Office of the Healthcare Advocate); H.209 (Intranasal epinephrine in schools); H.219 (creating a family support pilot program for incarcerated parents and guardians); H.480 (miscellaneous amendments to education law); H. 482 (Green Mountain Care Board authority to adjust a hospital’s reimbursement rates and to appoint a hospital observer); H.398 (VT Economic Development Authority); H.461 (expanding employee access to paid family leave); H.319 ( miscellaneous environmental subjects); H.484 (miscellaneous agricultural subjects); and JRH 3 (allowing the Statehouse to be used by Green Mountain Boys & Girls State). A roll was called on H.489 (a re-introduced version of H.141 (the Budget Adjustment Act), which was vetoed by the Governor). The majority party lacks a supermajority this session to override a veto, so the strategy used was to introduce a new bill; it included the recent proposal to extend the hotel-motel program for everyone until June 30, while the Governor has proposed for it to remain in effect for vulnerable populations only. The Republican Caucus voted against the bill in hopes that in the next few days until we reconvene, an agreement can be worked out between the two sides, who are continuing to hold conversations after adjournment. We also held a joint assembly for Judicial Retention, reappointing seven judges and one magistrate.

The Rural Caucus met and heard a presentation from the Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), outlining their budgetary constraints, particularly around upgrading facilities with the high costs of construction, and the difficulty with recruiting providers. We also heard from Secretary Zoie Saunders on looking at the Education Transformation Plan through a rural lens.

As I write this on Friday, our hard-working House Appropriations Committee is diligently going through the budget (the Big Bill) line by line, determining which programs to fund and how to cut the others. I’d like to thank our two local Representatives on that Committee, Lynn Dickinson and Wayne Laroche, for all the of the long hours they have worked this session, including on Mondays when we typically do not have House sessions.

Stay well, Rep Lisa Hango Franklin-5 The Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs spent the week hearing amendments to some of the bills that we passed out last week, as well as working to advance H.10 (changes to the charter of Barre City) and H.17 (changes to the charter of the Town of Morristown).

The House Floor was very busy, passing the following bills: H.125 (reporting on the energy transition); H.231 (technical corrections for Fish & Wildlife statutes); H.259 (preventing workplace violence in hospitals); H.396 (creating the Mollie Beattie Service Award); H.243 (regulation of business organizations); H.222 (participation in a domestic violence accountability program as a condition of a final relief from abuse prevention order); H.80 (Office of the Healthcare Advocate); H.209 (Intranasal epinephrine in schools); H.219 (creating a family support pilot program for incarcerated parents and guardians); H.480 (miscellaneous amendments to education law); H. 482 (Green Mountain Care Board authority to adjust a hospital’s reimbursement rates and to appoint a hospital observer); H.398 (VT Economic Development Authority); H.461 (expanding employee access to paid family leave); H.319 ( miscellaneous environmental subjects); H.484 (miscellaneous agricultural subjects); and JRH 3 (allowing the Statehouse to be used by Green Mountain Boys & Girls State). A roll was called on H.489 (a re-introduced version of H.141 (the Budget Adjustment Act), which was vetoed by the Governor). The majority party lacks a supermajority this session to override a veto, so the strategy used was to introduce a new bill; it included the recent proposal to extend the hotel-motel program for everyone until June 30, while the Governor has proposed for it to remain in effect for vulnerable populations only. The Republican Caucus voted against the bill in hopes that in the next few days until we reconvene, an agreement can be worked out between the two sides, who are continuing to hold conversations after adjournment. We also held a joint assembly for Judicial Retention, reappointing seven judges and one magistrate.

The Rural Caucus met and heard a presentation from the Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), outlining their budgetary constraints, particularly around upgrading facilities with the high costs of construction, and the difficulty with recruiting providers. We also heard from Secretary Zoie Saunders on looking at the Education Transformation Plan through a rural lens.

As I write this on Friday, our hard-working House Appropriations Committee is diligently going through the budget (the Big Bill) line by line, determining which programs to fund and how to cut the others. I’d like to thank our two local Representatives on that Committee, Lynn Dickinson and Wayne Laroche, for all the of the long hours they have worked this session, including on Mondays when we typically do not have House sessions.

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango

Franklin-5

Dear Constituents –

It has been a very busy week in the Statehouse. It is officially the end of crossover week for policy bills, and next Friday will mark the crossover deadline for any bills passed out this week that ask for an appropriation or raise revenue.

On the House Floor, we passed the following bills to the Senate: H.96 (increasing the monetary threshold for certificates of need; H.50 (identifying state real property suitable for conversion into affordable housing); H.21(relating to writs of possession); H.105 (expanding youth substance awareness safety program); H.458 (relating to Agency of Digital Services); H.1 (accepting and referring complaints by the State Ethics Commission); H.206 (relating to the Uniform Commercial Code); H.238 (phaseout of consumer products containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances;  H.2 (increasing the minimum age for delinquency proceedings), which pauses the progression of Raise the Age legislation from a prior biennium; H.463 (technical corrections to the 2025 Legislative session); H.137 (regulation of insurance products and services); H.266 (protections for 340B converted entities and 340B contract pharmacies); and H.141(the Budget Adjustment Act), which is a bill that the Governor vetoed on Friday.  Concerns around the continued extension of the hotel-motel program led to the veto with House and Senate Republicans voting against H.141 in their respective chambers.

In the House Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee, we voted out eight bills: H.67 (Government Operations and Legislative Accountability); H.463 (Technical Corrections to the 2025 Legislative Session); H.1 (accepting and referring complaints by the State Ethics Commission); H.321 (miscellaneous amendments to cannabis statutes); H.397 (miscellaneous amendments to the statutes governing emergency management and flood response); H.472 (professions and occupations regulated by the Office of Professional Regulation); H.244 (State contracting standards for advertising); and a miscellaneous elections bill that does not yet have a number. As a reminder, you can look up the content of any bill by number on the General Assembly website, as well as on each committee’s webpage to learn who the witnesses were and what action was taken by the Committee. Please make sure you are looking at the most recent draft, as indicated by number next to the bill number. As a result of many hours of testimony, we were able to include language from several individual bills that were referred to us in bigger omnibus or miscellaneous bills and also to provide policy language for the budget asks that our committee outlined in a letter to House Appropriations.

Special issues caucuses met this week amidst the hustle and bustle of committee action. The VT National Guard & Veterans Affairs Caucus heard about the distinction between State and Federal active duty and the obligation to the Federal government when a Guard unit is called up. We also discussed an action alert for veterans groups to reach out to House Ways & Means and Senate Finance with support for H.43/S.17, exempting military pensions and survivors benefits from State income tax. The VT Rural Caucus heard more about land use legislation and conservation efforts, as well as the constraints that Federal funding uncertainties are putting on agencies that assist our farmers and loggers.

Please reach out to me with questions or concerns. It is an honor to represent your interests in the Statehouse.

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango, Franklin-5

2025 Town Meeting Day Report

Dear Constituents –

The Legislature convened on January 8 with the directive to bring tax relief to Vermonters. However, the policy development has stalled. Since then, committees have taken testimony on every aspect of education reform, from aid for school construction, to PCB remediation, to class size, to district size, and everything in between.  The Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee, of which I am Vice-Chair,  has received a crash course in drawing district lines and the school board elections process. What we have yet to do is to produce anything of note that takes the Governor’s Education Transformation Plan and moves it forward.  The biggest roadblock from where I sit is the majority party not being able to make a counter-proposal on the number of supervisory districts to divide the State into. Currently, there are 52 Supervisory or School Districts, and the Governor has proposed five. The entire House is waiting for the Education Committee to decide on a number between five and 52. Ways & Means cannot move forward with creating a Foundation Formula until the correct number is determined. Gov Ops stands ready to draw district lines in the event that the Ed Committee is not up to the task, which is becoming more apparent as the weeks go by; we have already started work on determining the elections process for the proposed wards within those districts. What is the cause of this inertia?  My guess is that undue pressure is being put on the Ed Committee from outside sources in the education world that seek to preserve the status quo…an unreasonable expectation after so many from the majority party lost their seats on the unaffordability of their property taxes. Vermonters demanded change at the polls in November – whatever that change looks like is up to the Legislature to determine, and the time to do that is now.  As Vermonters flee the State to more tax-hospitable locales, we don’t have time to waste on more studies or money to waste on more commissions to do that studying.

There are many valuable bills and policy concepts being introduced each year, and there are an equal number that are pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking. It is our duty in leadership to determine which will do the most good for the most Vermonters; it is a task I take seriously, even if I don’t have the ultimate say in what we pass or don’t pass. Being in the minority means making concessions and building relationships to get through the contentious times and working across the aisle to bring forth what we believe is best for Vermont. I will continue to work with other legislators to advance legislation for the good of Vermonters.

Bills of note for public interest are: H.2 (increasing minimum age for delinquency proceedings); H.16/S.68 (Repeal of the Affordable Heat Act); H.62 (Repeal of the Global Warming Solutions Act); H.65 (Revoke VT’s use of California’s Clean Car Act); H.159 (Repeal of Residential Energy Standard); H.411 (Governor’s Public Safety package); H.412 (Governor’s Land Use and Housing Development package).

A sampling of bills that I’ve sponsored or co-sponsored this session are: H.16 (repealing the Affordable Heat Act); H.43 (exempting military retirement and survivor benefit income from VT income tax); H.57 (survivor benefits for law enforcement officers); H.70 (inclusion of use value appraisal land in the conserved land inventory); H.74 (exempting Social Security benefits from VT income tax); H.87 (raising awareness of military-related postsecondary opportunities); H,136 (health insurance coverage for biomarker testing); H.139 (requiring licensed athletic trainers at secondary school athletic events and practices); H.144 (enhancing food allergen awareness in food service establishments); H.247 (cardiac emergency response plans in schools); H.249 (income tax deduction for home study programs); H.296 (VT’s adoption of the Dietician Licensure Compact); H.300 (income tax credit for emergency first responders); others will be introduced at a later date, as there are many bills coming before the House, and our Legislative Counsel attorneys are working through that backlog.

Constituents should be aware of this website for information on tax relief programs and assistance that may be useful: TaxCreditVT.org

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected] I welcome your questions and concerns.  It is an honor to represent you.

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango, Franklin-5 (Highgate, Franklin, Berkshire, Richford)

Dear Constituents –

Time is ticking as the Legislative session moves into the last week before Town Meeting Break.  Committees continue to work on bill introductions and testimony, as well as preparing budget memos to the Appropriations Committee. In the House Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee, we continued our work on DR 25-0244 (professions and occupations regulated by the Office of Professional Regulation); DR 25-0242 (miscellaneous changes to election law); DR 25-0351 (miscellaneous cannabis amendments); and we resumed our discussion on H.1 draft 1.3 (accepting and referring complaints by the State Ethics Commission).  We heard bill introductions on H.240 (authorizing drawdown of dams during emergency flood events); H.232 (creating the VT Municipal Response and Recovery Special Fund); and H.145 (disruption of proceedings governed by Vermont’s Open Meeting Laws). We voted out affirmatively a committee bill DR 25-0914 (repealing the sunset on to-go cocktails), which will come to the House Floor next week.

Our committee held our weekly joint meeting with Senate Government Operations, and we  were joined this week by Senate Education, to learn more about the process for redistricting and elections with respect to education reform.  There has been conflicting guidance as to which committees will be working on drawing the district maps, and we are finding that the process is rolling out extremely slowly, but we do know that Government Operations will be tasked with the elections piece of the statewide transformation plan.

The House Floor was very quiet this past week. More bills were read a first time and referred to committee – we have been told that again this year, there may be a record number of bills submitted by legislators wanting to have their concerns taken up. The House voted affirmatively on H.13 (Medicaid payment rates for home- and community-based service providers); H.41 (miscellaneous amendments to laws governing impaired driving); H.98 (confirmatory adoptions); and H.154 (designating November as VT Month of the Veteran), which was passed out of my committee with great pride.

The Rural Caucus held a Public Forum in person and via Zoom on Wednesday evening, listening to rural folks from around the State pitch their concerns in two-minute intervals. This is a particularly enlightening exercise, giving us the ability to reach many people in a very short time, and we will add those concerns to our list of legislative priorities.

Please reach out to me at [email protected] and look forward to a Town Meeting Day update at the end of next week.

Stay well, Rep Lisa Hango, Franklin-5

Dear Constituents –

In the Vermont House of Representatives this week, we continued to have more bills introduced and referred to committees. If there is a bill that readers are interested in, check the committee webpages on the General Assembly website under “Bills”. You can determine from there if a bill has been presented to the committee for an introduction and follow its progress. Two bills were passed out of the House, H.118 (relating to expanding the scope of hate-motivating crimes) and H.41(relating to the  abuse of the dead body of a person), which was prompted by the recent death of an Enosburg resident.

In the Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee, we heard witness testimony on a miscellaneous bill for the Office of Professional Regulation and introductions of two bills, H.103 (prohibited practices for services involving veterans’ benefits) and H.154 (designating November as the Month of the Vermont Veteran). We also heard an introduction of a Resolution (JRH ) to join the Convention of States and took a straw poll on H.44 (relating to miscellaneous amendments to the laws governing impaired driving), which calls for a task force that touches on our committee’s jurisdiction. There were presentations from the Vermont Arts and Culture Disaster and Resilience Network, who work in salvage and recovery operations after extreme weather events, the Vermont Federation of Sportsman’s Clubs - our committee jurisdiction is widespread - and the State Ethics Commission on H.1 (relating to accepting and referring complaints by the State Ethics Commission). The week ended with the first joint meeting of the House and Senate Government Operations Committees to begin our work on School District elections and apportionment. I look forward to the challenge of working together with my colleagues on these pieces of the education transformation puzzle. The address to submit comments and concerns to the Agency of Education is: [email protected]

The Rural Caucus polled members on the top issues affecting their constituents, and building housing emerged as the number one priority. Lowering property taxes was not far behind, as were initiatives to help farmers and loggers with costs associated with lost work during adverse weather events. The Caucus will hold a public forum, in person and via zoom for constituents and organizations to give a 2-minute presentation on an issue affecting those who live in rural Vermont. The event will take place February 19 5:30-7pm in the Statehouse or via zoom.  Sign up to attend at this address: Sign up here to participate: https://forms.gle/cccHsG66y9HXXHWD7

Additionally, the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations will hold the second of two joint public hearings on the FY’26 budget on Thursday, February 20, 2025, at 5:00 p.m in person or via videoconference. Anyone interested in testifying should sign up in advance of the hearing through the following online form: https://legislature.vermont.gov/links/joint-public-hearings-on-the-fy26-budget Instructions on how to access and participate in the hearing will be sent once you have signed up for the hearing. The hearing will be available to watch live on YouTube at the following link: https://legislature.vermont.gov/committee/streaming/house-appropriations 

Lastly, the VT National Guard & Veterans Affairs Caucus will be holding a press conference in the Statehouse on February 26 at 10am in support of H.43 and S.17 (relating to the exemption of military retirement pensions and survivors benefits from Vermont income tax).  We hope to have a strong showing of veterans, retirees and families, and speakers at the event.

Please reach out to me at [email protected]

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango

Dear Constituents –

This week in the Statehouse, your Representatives and Senators were hard at work in their committees, hearing testimony on new bills that have been introduced and diving into their respective policy areas. In Government Operations & Military Affairs, we heard introductions to bills relating to Legislative Operations and Government Accountability, the Morristown and Barre City Charters, municipal ordinances governing nuisance properties containing salvage and scrap, and municipal ordinances governing the maintenance of properties within downtown districts. The Committee voted to affirm a Special Report of the contested Bennington-1 election, based on extensive research and testimony of other, similar cases throughout history. We also discussed the concepts for a miscellaneous Office of Professional Regulation bill and heard from advocates who were in the Statehouse for 3 Squares VT with requests for funding for food pantries, meal sites, and Meals on Wheels.

On the House Floor, we voted out: H.31 (claim edit standards and prior authorization); H.43 (workforce leadership in Vermont); and H.141 (the Budget Adjustment Act). The BAA proved to be more than just a simple mid-year adjustment to the FY’25 Budget – on the last day of testimony, the Human Services Committee brought a proposal to extend the General Assistance hotel/motel program until June 30. This would cost an additional $1.9M, and it proved to be too much to vote in favor of for 51 members. The legislation passed with 87 members voting for it, and it will go to the Senate for their consideration. The House also voted in favor of accepting the Special Report on the Bennington-1 contested election, 91-42, thereby retaining the seat of the current member whose election and subsequent re-count were certified by the Secretary of State in the days following the election.

The Rural Caucus has been polling members to learn the priorities they are bringing to the table on behalf of their constituents, so we can begin addressing those concerns through support for legislation. Preliminary results show all members ranking rural housing needs/loosening regulations around residential building as a top issue.

Please reach out to me at [email protected]

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango, Franklin-5

Dear Constituents –

This week in the VT Statehouse, legislative business settled into a predictable pattern.  Committees are taking up the hard work of digging into the issues before us. The Education and Finance Committees are working on school funding and related policy, and we are told that every other committee will have a piece of that puzzle to work on in the near future. In the meantime, we are all taking bill introductions from sponsors and hearing from agencies and organizations that we will work with throughout the biennium.  Some committees, notably Government Operations and Health Care, have passed out bills that have been voted on by the House and sent to the Senate. Appropriations finalized the Budget Adjustment Act (BAA) on Friday, which will be presented to the House next week.

In Government Operations & Military Affairs, we heard presentations relating to our committee jurisdiction: VT Association of Broadcasters (relating to emergency management);  Department of Liquor & Lottery (BAA request); VT Cannabis Equity Coalition; Department of Public Safety; VT Sheriffs’ Association; VT National Guard. We drafted our memo to Appropriations on the budget adjustment items that came before our Committee, and we continued to hear testimony on the Bennington-1 contested election.

On the House Floor, the following bills were passed: H.78 (use of Australian ballot in local elections); H.27 (Domestic Violence Fatality Review Commission); H.35 (permanently unmerge individual and small group health insurance markets); H.31 (claim edit standards and prior authorization requirements); HR5 (authorizing remote committee voting).

On Tuesday, the Governor made his annual Budget Address to the Joint Assembly.  He spoke about the need for more Housing, better Public Safety, Education funding reform, and Affordability for all Vermonters, themes that were woven throughout his speech. We will learn more about those initiatives in the coming weeks.

The Rural Caucus met on Wednesday to hear more priority bill pitches from members who have policy concepts related to rural Vermont. In the next week, members will be ranking those priorities to learn which top five priorities we will focus on learning about as a Caucus.

For those following the military pension income tax exemption issue, H.43 was introduced on Friday to the House Ways & Means committee with moving testimony from both active and retired military members. Gov Scott also included this in his annual tax relief package.

To learn more about bills introduced or passed, please see the VT General Assembly website and type the bill number into the bill tracker.  You will find the status of the bill, where it is located, and any action that has been taken on it. For questions or concerns, please reach out to me at [email protected] Stay well, Rep Lisa Hango

Dear Constituents –

The pace at the Statehouse is starting to fall into a more predictable rhythm – Committees continue to take bill introductions, learn about the agencies and organizations (advocates and others) that they will interact with, and attend trainings. House action has been minimal and mostly oriented toward bill introductions, ceremonial items and routine announcements.

In the Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee, we drafted and passed a committee bill to clarify certain provisions relating to the Australian Ballot System and heard presentations from the VT League of Cities and Towns, the Office of Professional Regulation, the Office of Racial Equity, the Vermont Community Action Partnership, and the Vermont Access Network, all within our committee purview.  We also had bill introductions for H.1, H.17, and H.27 – for those wishing to learn more about the bills that are on the wall in this committee, they can be found on our committee webpage, as well as those that we are taking up in the current week.

On the House Floor, we were really pleased to welcome members of the Richford Jr-Sr High School Championship Boys Track & Field, Softball, Girls Soccer, and MVU Softball Teams, their Athletic Directors and Coaches. It was an honor to introduce these young people and their mentors to the General Assembly.

We also received the report on Education Finance from the Secretary of the Agency of Education as a Caucus of the Whole.  This consisted of a presentation of bold concepts that will need time and energy to digest. The Committees of Jurisdiction have already been diving into the work of pulling these initiatives apart and vetting all of them.

The VT National Guard & Veterans Affairs Caucus met and recognized, and I will remain as a tri-partisan Co-Chair, along with Rep Laura Sibilia – I and Rep Mary-Katherine Stone – D. We were introduced to a new partner, the US Coast Guard station in Burlington, and had a refresher intro from the VT National Guard.

The Rural Caucus had its weekly meeting where a few of our partner organizations introduced themselves and our members began pitching bill concepts to the Caucus.

Please continue to reach out to me with questions and concerns at [email protected]

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango, Franklin-5

Dear Constituents –

The first full week of the legislative session began with Committee members receiving trainings and introductions to State agencies and others who are frequently in our rooms. House Appropriations is working on the annual Budget Adjustment Act, and we are all anticipating the Governor’s budget address on Jan 28.

In the House Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee, we heard presentations from the Department of Liquor & Lottery, the State Auditor’s Office, the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, the Wildland Fire Program at Forest, Parks, and Rec, the Vermont Retired State Employees Association, and the Regional Planning Commissions and Development Corporations. We also began our work of receiving the Attorney General’s report on the contested election in the Bennington-1 district.

On the House Floor, we held several memorials to past Representatives, including former Governor Thomas Salmon. A number of new bills were introduced and referred to Committees. A bill that I am proud to have co-sponsored that was referred to the House Ways & Means Committee is H.43, exempting military retirees’ pensions from state income tax. This is a bill that has been submitted for several bienniums but has never gained traction because of opposition in the tax committees. This session, we are proud to have 75 members in the House and 21 members in the Senate sponsor this bill. It is the very least that we can do to honor the men and women who have served our country. (Not to mention that we are ranked as one of the worst states for policies to retain military retirees).

On Wednesday, the VT Rural Caucus held its reorganization meeting, and I will continue as a tri-partisan Co-Chair. We were excited to see so many new members from around the state in attendance.

I am pleased to be working with two interns this session, one from a program I helped to establish with Norwich University and one from UVM. I look forward to having these young people assist me with my work, as well as providing mentorship and instruction to them; internships are a win-win for both the mentor and the mentee, and it is a privilege to introduce students to State government.

As always, I welcome questions and comments at [email protected]

Thank you for the honor of serving.

Stay well,

Rep Lisa A Hango, Franklin-5

Dear Constituents -

The Vermont Legislature opened on Wednesday, January 8. The first order of business was the determination of a quorum by roll call of members, including the resignation of one and the appointment of his successor. Next up was the election of a Speaker of the House, the first such contested election in my six years in the General Assembly. The House elected Rep Jill Krowinski of Burlington to her previous position by a vote of 111-35 and unanimously re-elected the Clerk of the House by voice vote. In the afternoon session, the House held its seating ceremony, and the Senate elected a President Pro Tem to lead their Chamber. A Canvassing Committee, of which I took part in, to certify the election of statewide candidates, was convened, and several procedural Resolutions were voted on.  Later in the session, Committee assignments were announced, and I am happy to report that Franklin County Representatives are now a part of Committee leadership on several committees! I will continue to serve on the House Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee, this biennium as Vice-Chair. On the second day, the House cast our votes for Lt Governor (no candidate having received a majority of the vote in November); John Rodgers won that vote 158-18. In the afternoon assembly, we listened to the Governor’s Inaugural Address, where he stressed the need to work together to fix the education finance system, relax regulations to allow more housing to be built, and make Vermont affordable again for all its residents. After this session, Senators also received their Committee assignments; northern Vermont is well-represented on Committee leadership in that Chamber, as well.

Committees began meeting so members could get to know one another, ask procedural questions, and learn the juridiction and process of their committees. Several committees saw new bill introductions, as well. Caucuses also began the work of re-organizing and reaching out to members on their respective issues. I am hopeful that we are setting the tone for collaboration and cooperation on the important needs that our constituents impressed upon us during the election season, and I look forward to working with my colleagues from across the State and across the aisle to find solutions to make Vermont affordable and livable.

Please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected] with your questions and concerns. Thank you for this opportunity to serve.

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango – Berkshire

Dear Constituents –

Thank you for exercising your right to vote this Election Day! Statewide, the political pendulum has swung toward the middle, and this can only be a hopeful sign for Vermonters. I expect to see more moderate legislation, more thoughtful consideration for constituents’ immediate needs, and more collaboration on important issues like the economy (jobs, workforce) and affordability (more housing, fewer taxes); I certainly hope that’s correct! I look forward to working with my colleagues in Montpelier, and I welcome your input. Please reach out to me at [email protected] with your concerns and questions, and I will endeavor to keep you abreast of Statehouse news throughout the session (Jan 8-May, 2025).

Stay well,

Rep Lisa A Hango, Franklin-5

Dear Constituents –

This year’s Primary Election is important! Voting is on or before August 13 at your regular polling place or by requested Absentee Ballot.  Your voice makes a difference in how policy is written during the Legislative process! Please exercise your freedom and right to vote by voting now or on August 13.  Vermont requires voters to choose only one ballot, but if you don’t see the name of your candidate of choice on that ballot, you can write it in and select that candidate, regardless of which ballot you choose to vote. Please don’t hesitate to write in my name on whichever ballot you choose, as that will assure that my seat remains filled by a thoughtfully conservative-minded legislator.

Thank you and Stay well,

Representative Lisa Hango, Franklin-5 (Berkshire, Richford, Franklin, Highgate)