Dear Constituents –

The Vermont General Assembly gaveled in on Tuesday morning Jan 6, and our Committees took off at a brisk pace.  The Legislature has gained several new members, as four Representatives and two Senators resigned in the off session, and Governor Scott appointed their replacements.  I’ll take this moment to thank St Albans Rep Casey Toof for his service to Franklin Co and the State in his various roles, as he will also be resigning from the House on Jan 16.  The House floor action mainly consisted of ceremonial procedures, such as hearing resignation letters and seating new members. We also passed HR10 that adjusts the timing to approve new bills for release.

In the Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee, we took testimony from agencies and organizations regarding their priorities for this session: the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, the Secretary of State’s Office, the Office of Professional Regulation, the Treasurer’s Office, the Vermont State Employees Association, the Department of Liquor and Lottery, and the new Director of Animal Welfare in the Department of Public Safety. We received an update from our legislative counsel on the status of a bill that we began preparing at the end of last year that examines all reports due to committees by statute to evaluate their relevancy to the committees’ work. This involves every member of the legislature, working within their committee’s jurisdiction to determine if a report that was ordered in the context of enacting a piece of legislation is still necessary, if it should be repealed, or if we need another biennium to determine its efficacy.

The entire body, both Senate and House, held a Joint Assembly to receive the Governor’s State of the State address on Jan 7.  His message was very clear and held the same priorities as one year ago: education transformation must happen according to Act 73 that was passed at the end of the 2025 session, or he will be holding back his signature on any budget- or tax-related bills this session; better public safety, decreased regulations on housing and development, and inclusive of all of the above: affordability.  For the second year in a row, healthcare insurance premiums are skyrocketing, property taxes are poised to increase by double-digits, working families are priced out of housing, and the era of federal funding windfalls has ended.  The Governor will present his budget in less than two weeks, and there will be hard decisions across the board on which necessities to fund and which programs can be put on hold as we work to get our spending back in line with our existing revenues.

All committee agendas, hearings, bills, and House or Senate action, as well as legislator’s contact information can be found on the Vermont General Assembly website at www.legislature.vermont.gov  It is an honor to serve – Stay well, Rep Lisa Hango, Franklin-5