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