Dear Constituents –

The week in the Statehouse was highlighted by more Act 181 reform efforts. The Rural Caucus widely circulated a sign-on letter to the Speaker of the House and the Chair of the House Environment Committee to repeal Tier 3 mapping requirements and the Road Rule, with the hope that the Committee Chair will allow repeal to be written into S325 (currently calling for delays only). The alternative to that process will be to offer floor amendments when the vote of the House is taken. The Senate failed in their attempts to do this, but with 57 legislators signed on, and more asking to sign after the deadline had passed, it is possible that amendments would pass in the House. The Governor and the Lt Governor both support these amendments and have expressed appreciation for the efforts of the Rural Caucus.

Most committees are diving into bills sent to them from the Senate, although Ways & Means is focused on the Education Transformation bill (H955) and an education funding formula. Many have said that we do not have a funding problem but a spending problem, and that holds true when one looks at any federal, state, or local government budget. For various reasons, everyone’s budget has increased faster than their income (or revenue) because expenses are rising and services provided have expanded, and that is an unsustainable trajectory.

The House Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee continues to take testimony on S.206 (Early Childhood Educator licensure) a few town charter changes, S.298 (a VT Voting Rights bill), and S.255 (a pilot policing project in Windham County). We also had a refresher session the adult-use recreational cannabis market and tax structure to prepare for S278, which is a miscellaneous cannabis bill sent to us from the Senate.

The House Floor was quiet compared to the past few weeks and welcome that we had more time in committee to dive into these issues.

As noted above, the Rural Caucus met, drafted a letter, and solicited signatures on Act 181 reform. We also heard from the Land Use Review Board and SkiVT about specific rules around ski areas and golf courses in proposed Tier 3 areas.

It is an honor to serve in the Legislature. I value the work I am doing on behalf of Vermonters and hope to continue as your Representative in 2027-28. To learn more about that work, please visit www.hangoforhouse.com. I can be reached at [email protected].

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango, Franklin-5