Dear Constituents –

Vermonters are curious: What are we hearing and talking about in the Vermont Statehouse? On everyone’s mind is ACT 73 (Education transformation) and what the committees of jurisdiction (Education, Finance, Ways & Means) will do about it this year.The Governor, in his budget address, issued the challenge to the Legislature: implement a plan that conforms with the bill that passed last June, or he will veto all budget, tax, and education bills that cross his desk this session until a path forward is agreed on. HEALTHCARE: what will those committees do to ease the burden on Vermonters who, by prior Legislatures’ design, have virtually no market choice and are facing rate hikes so steep that they’ve decided to forego buying insurance altogether and instead will overwhelm our hospitals with conditions that otherwise may have been caught early on if they had primary care access. PUBLIC SAFETY: when will the Legislature put teeth into our laws to implement programs that really work to keep justice-involved individuals off the streets and to prepare them for re-entry into their communities? HOUSING: how can we possibly build the number of units we need to sustain our schools, our businesses, and our healthcare facilities into the future when we have the most stringent development laws in the country? We can’t, courtesy of past Legislatures under supermajority control; we desperately need regulatory reform! And lastly, AFFORDABILITY: all of the aforementioned point to the UNAFFORDABILITY that has become our reality. No one has been hit harder than Vermonters.  The rurality of our state lends itself to geographic isolation, complex supply chain issues, and a myriad of social struggles that beg for solutions bigger than what our little state can afford.

Also on our minds, in every committee room and hallway, are federal budget cuts that affect state programs. With constrained revenue predictions, the State budget can only backfill necessary programs to protect the most vulnerable residents. Those budget discussions are happening now across State government, with a stated 3% cap on spending increases, regardless of federal funding. Considerations are being debated in committees of jurisdiction to prevent the most vulnerable populations from being left behind.

These are the issues your local representatives and senators are working on in Montpelier.

As it is still early in the session, House floor activity remains quiet, as committees work to produce bills to send to a floor vote. In the House Government Operations & Military Affairs committee, we continued taking testimony on Public Records Act requests, H.567 dealing with the unclaimed property fund, several town charter changes, H.588 containing various amendments to the Office of Professional Regulation’s jurisdiction, and we began work on H.697’s comprehensive response to all-hazards events. Each committee’s activity can be found on their respective webpage on www.vermont.gov, complete with a daily agenda, witness testimony and documents, and a list of the committee’s bills and members with their contact information. Your local legislators can be reached any time at: first initial, full last name @leg.state.vt.us and look forward to hearing from you about concerns that affect Franklin County. Please reach out to me at [email protected]

Stay well, 

Rep Lisa Hango