Dear Constituents -

This week in the Statehouse was all about S.325, the repeal of many of the provisions of Act 181 that rural Vermonters so clearly spoke in opposition of. S.325 was on the House Floor on Wednesday and Thursday, and we debated into the evening to amend and pass this bill. The amendments to S.325 reflected the desire to keep the spirit of compromise from the Senate alive and to strengthen the provisions of the bill so all small communities across Vermont can engage in housing development if they choose to do so. My colleagues who voted against these amendments yet decry the lack of affordable housing in our state must take a long, hard look at the economic realities that we face: declining enrollment in our schools, lack of employees for the few businesses that remain in rural areas, demise of farms and forest products producers, and migration of young people out of state to find employment and a more affordable way of life that doesn’t involve long commutes to school, work, the grocery store, or to seek medical care. Without adequate housing, there is no remedy for these realities. The amendments (and their outcomes) were as follows: (Failed) Burditt Amendment – to allow Tier 1B towns without appropriate staff to contract for staff;  (Passed) Burtt Amendment #1 – definition change to smart-growth principles that strengthen agriculture and forestry industry use while supporting on-farm housing; (Passed) Burtt Amendment #2 — exempting accessory on-farm businesses from Act 250 review; (Failed) Charlton Amendment — all communities, including small and mid-sized communities, have been given housing targets; it will take much time for those units to be built out, so the ask was to extend the allowable timeframe through the end of 2030;  (Failed) Dobrovich Amendment #1 — extending interim Act 250 exemptions for towns lacking zoning and allowing the approximately 60 communities across the state to go forward with individual projects by a vote of their Selectboard; (Failed) Dobrovich Amendment #2 — attempting to get the same result as the aforementioned amendment with slightly different language to assist towns lacking zoning; (Declared non-germane) Higley Amendment — allowing the use of land enrolled in Current Use (Use Value Appraisal Program) to be counted towards State conservation goals of 30x30 and 50x50 (30% of Vermont’s land to be conserved by 2030 and 50% by 2050) that is required by Act 59 of 2023, yet another bill passed over objections during the time of the supermajority.

S.325 eventually passed with two of the seven proposed amendments, and that would not have been possible without legislators hearing loudly and clearly from the many constituents and Selectboards who reached out with their concerns. Roll calls on most of those amendments and the bill for second reading can be found in the House Journal from May 6 on the Vermont General Assembly website https://legislature.vermont.gov/

It is an honor to serve as your Representative.

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango, Franklin-5