Dear Constituents –
The week began with the Governor’s Budget Address, and we were pleased to note that it included a specific allocation to the Franklin County State Airport in Highgate for the proposed expansion, which includes an extension of the water and sewer lines from MVUHS to the airport property. This is good news for the economic health of our County, and it is something that we have worked hard to promote.
Aside from voting on the Budget Adjustment Act, H.138, which amends the current fiscal year budget at approximately the half-way mark to reflect new information on revenues and expenses, the House Floor has been fairly quiet, and most of our work has been in our legislative Committees.
House General began the week in a joint hearing with House Human Services for an update on the Coronavirus Relief Funds expended and future needs projected by the Agency. We heard a similar presentation the next day from the Department of Housing and Community Development, including the Governor’s proposal for funding more affordable housing by using one-time monies earned through the expanded coffers of the Property Transfer Tax and existing programs that would be funded through the FY’22 budget process. The emphasis is being placed on home ownership for first-time, low-income, and BIPOC buyers, as well as a rehabilitation program that focuses on blighted and/or vacant rental properties that are currently not on the market because of code violations and health and safety issues. The bulk of the past couple of weeks, and it appears next week as well, will be devoted to sorting out the differences between two bills (H.81 and H.63) affecting collective bargaining for public school employees’ healthcare benefits that were negotiated on a Statewide basis for the first time in the last round of contracts. We in House General seem to be on a trend, as we also have been asked to take up H.55, a bill relating to requiring that the Vermont prevailing wage be paid to all construction workers who are employed on a school construction project.
My week ended with a workshop on Education Finance given by the Joint Fiscal Office, and a training by the Legislative IT Department, two hard-working entities within the Legislative system that we could not do our work without.
It is an honor to represent you in the Legislature. Please do not hesitate to contact me via my website www.hangoforhouse.com or [email protected]
Stay well,
Representative Lisa A Hango, Franklin-5