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