The County Courier newspaper in Enosburg Falls VT is running a series called “Choose Your Candidate”. This is the first week’s Q & A

Q.Please introduce yourself and tell us about why you chose to run under the party label you e chosen, and what you hope to accomplish if elected.

A.I am Lisa Hango, and I have represented Franklin-5 since six weeks into this biennium when I was appointed to a vacant seat in my District. The towns I serve are Highgate, Franklin, Berkshire, and Richford in a two-person District, and I live in Berkshire. 

I identify as a Republican particularly because the values and economic freedoms traditionally espoused by the party most closely align with my own views. Being in the minority party has necessitated that I am able to work collaboratively with people on all sides of the issues while maintaining those core beliefs. 

I aspire to serve my constituents by continuing to be reliable, responsive, and responsible - I strive to acknowledge and respond to each inquiry in a timely manner and to do the research to make well-informed decisions that are representative of all Vermonters’ needs. 

Dear Constituents-

Since the Legislature adjourned, a number of Coronavirus Relief Bills have been enacted; Assistance for Agriculture (dairy and non-dairy), Healthcare and Human Services (long-term care facilities, adult days, hospitals, independent providers, home health agencies), Housing (landlords, tenants, and homeowners) and Business have been launched. If you have any questions or concerns about this legislation or your qualifications for relief, please contact your Legislator – we are happy to assist you.

Dear Constituents -

Since the Legislature adjourned on June 26, Legislators have been busy with their jobs and farms, catching up on long-neglected household chores, attending online community meetings, and fielding phone calls and emails for information about bills passed and how to access Coronavirus Relief Funding for businesses, farms, and individuals. Although we are on a temporary adjournment, we are accessible by phone, email, or website. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with your concerns and comments at lhango@leg.state.vt.us

Dear Constituents-

The Legislature has temporarily adjourned. Our work allocating $1.25 Billion in Coronavirus Relief/ Economic Recovery Funds is complete, a Quarter 1 budget was approved, and the Transportation, DMV, Pay Act, and Capital Bills were all passed. Within those bills, assistance is provided to all sectors of our economy, including but not limited to: healthcare and human services entities, frontline workers, renters, homeowners, landlords, agriculture and forest products producers and processors, nonprofits, small businesses, restaurant operators, municipalities, schools districts, state parks. Funding was allocated for: mental health and legal needs, marketing and technology assistance, broadband and connectivity expansion, housing and food stability, cleaning and disinfecting public properties – all with respect to increased expenses due to COVID-19.  I remain disappointed that more funding was not allocated to the Agriculture sector, and another Franklin Co member hoped to put forth an amendment raising the amount to reflect the Governor’s ask, but it was not to be.  

Dear Constituents-

This week in the virtual Statehouse has seen a whirlwind of proposals to spend Coronavirus Relief Funds, and like the weather in Vermont, if you didn’t like one, wait a minute and a new one was proposed…Nearly four weeks ago, the Administration put forth a $400 million Relief package, with major allocations to housing, businesses, healthcare providers, and agriculture. As of this week, much of this funding has been designated to agencies and departments to be used for COVID-19 related work, but unfortunate gaps in aid to agricultureremain. It is my hope that by the time the Legislature adjourns on June 26, these holes will be filled and more families will be out of danger of losing their livelihoods. I am grateful that the Commerce Committee has provided more funding this week for many of the small businesses, nonprofits, minority and woman-owned enterprises, restaurants, highway contractors, andcreative organizations that employ our family, friends, and neighbors. A bright spot on the Ag and Forestry products horizon is that the Working Lands Enterprise Fund will receive funding for related business ventures and that aid is provided to assure that our parks and natural recreation areas remain safe and open. For those of you who have enquired about additional funds for hazard pay to essential workers – only certainoccupations were allowed by the federal definition of “essential” worker and are included in the relief bill for those front-line workers.

Dear Constituents-
To all of Franklin County’s students who have graduated, please accept my heartfelt congratulations on a job well done. These are unprecedented times, and your perseverance and dedication is to be commended! I wish you all the very best in your future endeavors.
This was a very long Legislative week, with Committee meetings and House Floor sessions on Zoom stretching our screen time over many hours, as we tried to make sense of the guidelines on Coronavirus Relief Funding (CRF) and get the most money we could into the pockets of Vermonters. On Monday, my Committee, along with Senate Economic Development and Housing, fast-tracked $23 Million to the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board and its community partners to begin work to rehabilitate up to 250 units statewide for the purpose of re-housing homeless Vermonters who are currently residing in motels. Discussion on remaining funds continued throughout the week, with House General voting out another $52 Million in housing money to Appropriations on Wednesday and a joint session with the House Human Services Committee and DCF on funding wraparound services to keep individuals and families with complex, high needs housed going forward.

Dear Constituents –
This week, my Legislative work was all about housing. My General, Housing, and Military Affairs Committee pored through several proposals, including the Administration’s, allocating Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) to alleviate and prevent homelessness in preparation to contribute to a four-part bill along with Small Business, Marketing, and Agriculture assistance. We have begun to meet more frequently by Zoom in order to hear more testimony and discuss these proposals, as the deadline to pass this legislation approaches. I am pleased to say that there is a strong desire to help landlords, as well as tenants, navigate the financial difficulties that they are experiencing, and there is hope to pass more emergency legislation next week. House floor sessions, also by Zoom, have increased in length and frequency in order to cover all of the bills coming out of committees and over from the Senate. All of these meetings are public and can be viewed on YouTube by livestream or recorded; the links are available on the Vermont General Assembly website and each committee’s webpage.

Dear Constituents-

On May 30, we in the US traditionally celebrated Decoration Day, (or Memorial Day as we now call it), and I can recall spending time decorating graves in the local cemeteries with my family and scout troops, as well as participating in parades to honor those who served our nation and didn’t return. Although we aren’t able to do as much this year, marking this holiday is no less important. Those veterans who gave their lives in service, and the families they left behind, have my gratitude for fighting for our rights and freedoms.

Finally, Spring appears to have arrived in northern Vermont! Please be safe as you pursue outdoor activities and enjoy the landscape that we call home.  In honor of Memorial Day, I want to remember those who gave their lives in service to our country and to their families for their sacrifice; although we are unable to have large, public events this year, those veterans will be foremost in our hearts this weekend.

The week began on a call with Commissioner Harrington of the Department of Labor regarding the latest update on Vermonters receiving UI/PUA/PEUC benefits. Another 2300 non-traditional claims were added to the system this week with the assistance of the Legislative Action Team – thank you to those legislators who gave their time to this important endeavor. As of today, much of the backlog has been resolved thanks to everyone working together.

As I write this, our Internet was down for five hours today – no WiFi for texting or calling on cellphones, no Zoom meetings, and in my case, no voting on the virtual House floor.  When the House of Representatives voted to allow ourselves to vote remotely, I had some concerns. One of them was NOT what would happen if I lost internet and couldn’t use my cellphone OR my landline, which is exactly what happened to me today. I chose to not join the voting by landline because I was already using my landline to field calls from constituents on call-waiting while I was on hold with our internet provider, hoping to advocate for all of us who needed to work and attend school virtually. Although I have voiced this new concern to House leadership, I remain unconvinced that this issue will not come up again.