Dear Constituents –

This week in the VT Statehouse, legislative business settled into a predictable pattern.  Committees are taking up the hard work of digging into the issues before us. The Education and Finance Committees are working on school funding and related policy, and we are told that every other committee will have a piece of that puzzle to work on in the near future. In the meantime, we are all taking bill introductions from sponsors and hearing from agencies and organizations that we will work with throughout the biennium.  Some committees, notably Government Operations and Health Care, have passed out bills that have been voted on by the House and sent to the Senate. Appropriations finalized the Budget Adjustment Act (BAA) on Friday, which will be presented to the House next week.

In Government Operations & Military Affairs, we heard presentations relating to our committee jurisdiction: VT Association of Broadcasters (relating to emergency management);  Department of Liquor & Lottery (BAA request); VT Cannabis Equity Coalition; Department of Public Safety; VT Sheriffs’ Association; VT National Guard. We drafted our memo to Appropriations on the budget adjustment items that came before our Committee, and we continued to hear testimony on the Bennington-1 contested election.

On the House Floor, the following bills were passed: H.78 (use of Australian ballot in local elections); H.27 (Domestic Violence Fatality Review Commission); H.35 (permanently unmerge individual and small group health insurance markets); H.31 (claim edit standards and prior authorization requirements); HR5 (authorizing remote committee voting).

On Tuesday, the Governor made his annual Budget Address to the Joint Assembly.  He spoke about the need for more Housing, better Public Safety, Education funding reform, and Affordability for all Vermonters, themes that were woven throughout his speech. We will learn more about those initiatives in the coming weeks.

The Rural Caucus met on Wednesday to hear more priority bill pitches from members who have policy concepts related to rural Vermont. In the next week, members will be ranking those priorities to learn which top five priorities we will focus on learning about as a Caucus.

For those following the military pension income tax exemption issue, H.43 was introduced on Friday to the House Ways & Means committee with moving testimony from both active and retired military members. Gov Scott also included this in his annual tax relief package.

To learn more about bills introduced or passed, please see the VT General Assembly website and type the bill number into the bill tracker.  You will find the status of the bill, where it is located, and any action that has been taken on it. For questions or concerns, please reach out to me at [email protected] Stay well, Rep Lisa Hango

Dear Constituents –

The pace at the Statehouse is starting to fall into a more predictable rhythm – Committees continue to take bill introductions, learn about the agencies and organizations (advocates and others) that they will interact with, and attend trainings. House action has been minimal and mostly oriented toward bill introductions, ceremonial items and routine announcements.

In the Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee, we drafted and passed a committee bill to clarify certain provisions relating to the Australian Ballot System and heard presentations from the VT League of Cities and Towns, the Office of Professional Regulation, the Office of Racial Equity, the Vermont Community Action Partnership, and the Vermont Access Network, all within our committee purview.  We also had bill introductions for H.1, H.17, and H.27 – for those wishing to learn more about the bills that are on the wall in this committee, they can be found on our committee webpage, as well as those that we are taking up in the current week.

On the House Floor, we were really pleased to welcome members of the Richford Jr-Sr High School Championship Boys Track & Field, Softball, Girls Soccer, and MVU Softball Teams, their Athletic Directors and Coaches. It was an honor to introduce these young people and their mentors to the General Assembly.

We also received the report on Education Finance from the Secretary of the Agency of Education as a Caucus of the Whole.  This consisted of a presentation of bold concepts that will need time and energy to digest. The Committees of Jurisdiction have already been diving into the work of pulling these initiatives apart and vetting all of them.

The VT National Guard & Veterans Affairs Caucus met and recognized, and I will remain as a tri-partisan Co-Chair, along with Rep Laura Sibilia – I and Rep Mary-Katherine Stone – D. We were introduced to a new partner, the US Coast Guard station in Burlington, and had a refresher intro from the VT National Guard.

The Rural Caucus had its weekly meeting where a few of our partner organizations introduced themselves and our members began pitching bill concepts to the Caucus.

Please continue to reach out to me with questions and concerns at [email protected]

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango, Franklin-5

Dear Constituents –

The first full week of the legislative session began with Committee members receiving trainings and introductions to State agencies and others who are frequently in our rooms. House Appropriations is working on the annual Budget Adjustment Act, and we are all anticipating the Governor’s budget address on Jan 28.

In the House Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee, we heard presentations from the Department of Liquor & Lottery, the State Auditor’s Office, the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, the Wildland Fire Program at Forest, Parks, and Rec, the Vermont Retired State Employees Association, and the Regional Planning Commissions and Development Corporations. We also began our work of receiving the Attorney General’s report on the contested election in the Bennington-1 district.

On the House Floor, we held several memorials to past Representatives, including former Governor Thomas Salmon. A number of new bills were introduced and referred to Committees. A bill that I am proud to have co-sponsored that was referred to the House Ways & Means Committee is H.43, exempting military retirees’ pensions from state income tax. This is a bill that has been submitted for several bienniums but has never gained traction because of opposition in the tax committees. This session, we are proud to have 75 members in the House and 21 members in the Senate sponsor this bill. It is the very least that we can do to honor the men and women who have served our country. (Not to mention that we are ranked as one of the worst states for policies to retain military retirees).

On Wednesday, the VT Rural Caucus held its reorganization meeting, and I will continue as a tri-partisan Co-Chair. We were excited to see so many new members from around the state in attendance.

I am pleased to be working with two interns this session, one from a program I helped to establish with Norwich University and one from UVM. I look forward to having these young people assist me with my work, as well as providing mentorship and instruction to them; internships are a win-win for both the mentor and the mentee, and it is a privilege to introduce students to State government.

As always, I welcome questions and comments at [email protected]

Thank you for the honor of serving.

Stay well,

Rep Lisa A Hango, Franklin-5

Dear Constituents -

The Vermont Legislature opened on Wednesday, January 8. The first order of business was the determination of a quorum by roll call of members, including the resignation of one and the appointment of his successor. Next up was the election of a Speaker of the House, the first such contested election in my six years in the General Assembly. The House elected Rep Jill Krowinski of Burlington to her previous position by a vote of 111-35 and unanimously re-elected the Clerk of the House by voice vote. In the afternoon session, the House held its seating ceremony, and the Senate elected a President Pro Tem to lead their Chamber. A Canvassing Committee, of which I took part in, to certify the election of statewide candidates, was convened, and several procedural Resolutions were voted on.  Later in the session, Committee assignments were announced, and I am happy to report that Franklin County Representatives are now a part of Committee leadership on several committees! I will continue to serve on the House Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee, this biennium as Vice-Chair. On the second day, the House cast our votes for Lt Governor (no candidate having received a majority of the vote in November); John Rodgers won that vote 158-18. In the afternoon assembly, we listened to the Governor’s Inaugural Address, where he stressed the need to work together to fix the education finance system, relax regulations to allow more housing to be built, and make Vermont affordable again for all its residents. After this session, Senators also received their Committee assignments; northern Vermont is well-represented on Committee leadership in that Chamber, as well.

Committees began meeting so members could get to know one another, ask procedural questions, and learn the juridiction and process of their committees. Several committees saw new bill introductions, as well. Caucuses also began the work of re-organizing and reaching out to members on their respective issues. I am hopeful that we are setting the tone for collaboration and cooperation on the important needs that our constituents impressed upon us during the election season, and I look forward to working with my colleagues from across the State and across the aisle to find solutions to make Vermont affordable and livable.

Please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected] with your questions and concerns. Thank you for this opportunity to serve.

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango – Berkshire

Dear Constituents –

Thank you for exercising your right to vote this Election Day! Statewide, the political pendulum has swung toward the middle, and this can only be a hopeful sign for Vermonters. I expect to see more moderate legislation, more thoughtful consideration for constituents’ immediate needs, and more collaboration on important issues like the economy (jobs, workforce) and affordability (more housing, fewer taxes); I certainly hope that’s correct! I look forward to working with my colleagues in Montpelier, and I welcome your input. Please reach out to me at [email protected] with your concerns and questions, and I will endeavor to keep you abreast of Statehouse news throughout the session (Jan 8-May, 2025).

Stay well,

Rep Lisa A Hango, Franklin-5

Dear Constituents –

This year’s Primary Election is important! Voting is on or before August 13 at your regular polling place or by requested Absentee Ballot.  Your voice makes a difference in how policy is written during the Legislative process! Please exercise your freedom and right to vote by voting now or on August 13.  Vermont requires voters to choose only one ballot, but if you don’t see the name of your candidate of choice on that ballot, you can write it in and select that candidate, regardless of which ballot you choose to vote. Please don’t hesitate to write in my name on whichever ballot you choose, as that will assure that my seat remains filled by a thoughtfully conservative-minded legislator.

Thank you and Stay well,

Representative Lisa Hango, Franklin-5 (Berkshire, Richford, Franklin, Highgate)  

Dear Constituents –

Last Monday, the Vermont General Assembly re-convened for a veto session to address the eight vetoes that Governor Scott thoughtfully considered and wrote this past session, most of them at the very end.  As I’ve noted in previous columns, this Legislature has a bad habit of waiting until the 11th hour to produce lengthy, complex legislation for its members to consider and vote on. On reading the Governor’s veto messages, which can be found on his webpage http://governor.vermont.gov/content/home, a common theme is heard: this Legislature took on too many “first in the nation” issues, leadership did not come together with average legislators to pass legislation that would benefit all Vermonters, and we passed legislation that will have consequences for working Vermonters for years to come. Over the past several months, I’ve noted that a few individual legislators from all three parties and Independents have been willing to sit down to hammer out compromises, and I’m proud to have been a part of that effort.  We had a popular, Administration-backed housing bill that had tri-partisan sign-on in January that would have offered housing relief for our decades-long crisis. I am grateful to my colleagues from the Democrat and Progressive parties for being bold enough to sign onto it, and the Independents for supporting it.  As I’ve said, that bill went nowhere because House leadership wanted it their way, which was to combine housing development access with a sweeping land conservation bill that was written by powerful outside organizations. Senate leadership allowed some of the initiatives in the initial bill to go forward and be approved by the House, but it was too much, too restrictive, and too late for many to support the entire bill. This scenario continued through the veto session, as a total of seven vetoes were overridden in the House, and six were overridden and one was sustained in the Senate. In the space of seven hours, reasonable consideration to balance the needs of all Vermonters was crushed, leaving the minority of us who voted to sustain the vetoes exhausted and discouraged. We expected it and showed up but hoped for a better outcome. Sadly, the rhetoric doesn’t end there.  Every chance the supermajority has, in nonpartisan school and Selectboard meetings, in Op-Eds throughout the media, and in public forums, they are touting how they are the saviors of public safety in our communities, the answer to housing for everyone, the pinnacle of substance abuse prevention, and the champion of many other initiatives that are among the most liberal or restrictive in the nation, depending on the nature of the legislation that was passed into law. Nowhere do the supermajority talk about dialog and compromise; instead, they point to who did or didn’t show up to meetings and how their way is the only way. It pains me to see my colleagues across the aisle, whom I’ve had honest and heartfelt conversations with, being strong-armed into holding their noses and voting the way leadership wants them to, regardless of the outcome for their constituents.  [email protected]

Thank you for the honor to serve.

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango

Dear Constituents -

I will be seeking re-election to the House of Representatives in October.  It is an honor to represent my constituents in Richford, Berkshire, Franklin, and Highgate.

The Legislature adjourned at 2am Saturday after passing a staggering number of bills, many “half baked”, in the final hours, despite having had many months to get them right. As we end this 2023-24 biennium, I reflect back on our work, thinking about the legislation that passed, and my role in that process. We began this session with great hopes for a bill that I sponsored which would allow for the simpler, faster build-out of substantially more housing units. Despite efforts by the Rural Caucus and the Administration, we did not get that bill. We were left with H.687, the Act 250 bill, being the vehicle for all housing legislation. This is a massive bill that very few legislators had the opportunity to understand in the very short time between being presented to us and having to vote on it.  While I respect the input that made this bill better than it started out, it is still not the housing bill that we needed or anticipated in those early weeks of the session. A bill of this magnitude had too much crammed into one piece of legislation (167 pages!) too late in the session, and regardless of requests for more time, the Supermajority leadership chose to push forward. As one legislator put it, “I can’t vote yes on something that I haven’t had time to understand”, which was sadly the case with a number of bills that were passed in the final days of the session. I have serious doubts that this bill will allow development in places that really need it. Teachers, nurses, loggers, manufacturing workers, and law enforcement all need a place to live in our communities, and we already turn them away for lack of housing. This bill adds a new requirement for the re-imagined Land Use Review Board to make rules and to contemplate whether and how subdivisions are a jurisdictional trigger in Tier 3 areas – potentially much of the land in rural counties. What Tier 3 rule-making will bring is completely unknown, and at no point does it contemplate the impact on communities; only the environment, and I fear that the more rural areas of our county will be left behind economically if development is not easily accessible for our small towns.  Legislation that didn’t pass because for lack of support included several bills that would increase recruitment efforts, expand benefits for members of the military, and tax relief for veterans, survivors, and retirees. As a Co-Chair of the VT National Guard & Veterans Affairs and a member of the Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee, I find it shocking that we rarely take up this type of legislation, let alone pass an act that honors those who served their country. Additionally, the failure to pass a Yield Bill (H.887) that produces any real savings in the education fund or makes necessary structural changes to the education funding system will be felt in our pocketbooks well into the future.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve Franklin-5. Please reach out to me at [email protected]

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango

Dear Constituents -

We are approaching the final week of the Legislative session, which is characterized by frenzied attempts to pass bills; this often looks like advocates requesting new policy at the 11th hour, new language being adopted without thorough review, reliance on other committees or individuals to “fix the issues” as it moves through the process, and a general “pass it any way we can” mentality. This is not good policy-making! The VT Legislature meets January-May, with the exception of Town Meeting Week. There would be plenty of time to get it right, if we had appropriate and reasonable criteria for a bill to be considered, rather than allowing the supermajority leadership to determine whose bills take priority; instead, we continue to take up an increasing number of new bills and leave others hanging until the final weeks.  Very few of the bills before us are “must pass” (the Budget is one). For example, last biennium, there were 130 bills in my Committee, and we took up 59 of them; this biennium, that number grew to 173 with 74 being passed out as of this writing. That is an unsustainable number! There is not enough time to adequately vet all of these bills, many of them priorities of the powerful lobbies that work year-round to put their preferred candidates in office. You will see the unfortunate results of those efforts in your hard-earned paychecks and at restaurants, hotels, convenience stores, and the gas pumps. Vermont is unaffordable for working Vermonters; taxpayers and businesses are bearing the brunt of that reality. To counter this trend, I work very hard to not raise taxes or add new fees, and I hope that my efforts will be supported at the polls this year, along with other fiscal conservatives like myself across the State. Candidates are currently circulating petitions to get their names on the ballot – please take the time to vet those candidates: look at their voting records and webpages to learn what issues they support.  Ask yourself if they truly represent the Vermont you want to live in!

To learn which bills were passed this week, the daily House and Senate Journals are available online at the Vermont General Assembly website; they are too numerous to list here. These can be found by clicking on “More House Information” and “More Senate Information”. Each committee’s webpages also list all bills passed from that committee, which can be found by clicking on “Bills Out of Committee”. To learn the status of those bills, type into the bill tracker the letter and number of the bill, and you will see its’ current location.

A sampling of bills of interest this week include:  S.259 (climate change cost recovery); S.195 (how a defendant’s criminal record is considered in imposing conditions of release); S. 58 (public safety); H.766 (prior authorization and step therapy requirements health insurance claims, and provider contracts); S.196 (types of evidence permitted in weight of evidence hearings); S.309 (miscellaneous changes to laws related to Department of Motor Vehicles, motor vehicles, and vessels); S.213 (regulation of wetlands, river corridor development and dam safety); H.889 (Pay Act). Please reach out at [email protected]

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango