Dear Constituents –

At the Statehouse on Monday, a packed house welcomed the new VT Kid Governor, Roslyn Fortin of Highgate, who was chosen from among 1000 peers in a statewide election to represent Vermont 5th graders. It’s not every day that we get to listen to a motivating policy speech by an articulate, thoughtful 10-year old in the Statehouse. Congratulations!

My work this week was focused on the process for the election of the Adjutant General of the VT National Guard. My committee, House Government Operations & Military Affairs, conducted a Joint Hearing on Tuesday afternoon with Senate Government Operations on the history and statutory obligations of the Legislature in elections for the TAG (as the position is abbreviated) and to hear testimony from the two declared candidates. We are currently the only state in the nation that still elects our TAG, rather than being appointed by the Governor or another body. The VT National Guard & Veterans Affairs Caucus (of which I am a Co-Chair) also conducted a forum for members to listen to the candidates present their biographies and participate in a Q&A with legislators. On Wednesday, the Chair of Government Operations & Military Affairs and I (Vice Chair) conducted a Caucus of the Whole for House members to understand our legislative obligations and to be informed about the election process. The election of the Adjutant General will take place on February 19.

In committee, Legislative Counsel educated us on the Public Records Act, as a result of concerns that were brought to our attention during the off-session, heard testimony on several towns’ charter changes, and listened to presentations on the reports of the Emergency Medical System (EMS) Assessment Report and the VT Public Safety Communications Task Force Report and received an update from the Department of Forest, Parks, and Recreation on wildland fires. We hope to build legislation based on the recommendations of those reports. Our committee heard several bill introductions:  H.645 (identity verification in real property transactions); three bills relating to the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages (H.647, H.665, H.672); two on cannabis sale and use (H.634 and H.633); H.654 on establishing a task force on VT airspace safety and unidentified anamolous phenomena; and H.588, the annual Office of Professional Regulation housekeeping bill.

The House floor was quiet, as committees continue to hear from agencies and organizations for their legislative priorities. A few committees have passed out bills that we took House votes on, with only one containing a notable change to statute: H.84, which would allow teleheath appointments to be recorded with the consent of both patient and practitioner. Please reach out to [email protected]

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango, Franklin-5