Dear Constituents –

My week’s work in the Statehouse was focused on supporting amendments to H.510, a tax credit bill that the House Ways & Means Committee sponsored by a 7-4-0 committee vote along party lines.  The majority party’s bill, which touted a tax break for individuals and families with children earning up to $200,000 annually  was narrowly focused on this population and excluded many others who need it the most, highlighted in a bill with language proposed by the Scott Administration. That bill, H.527, resides on the wall of House Ways and Means. H.510 ignored approximately 4000 military retirees, 21,000 nurses and childcare workers, and 80,000 Vermonters who struggle making ends meet who would have benefitted from a boost to Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC), social security tax exemptions, student loan interest deductions, and childcare and dependent care tax credits, as outlined in H.527. Both the LeClair and Sibilia amendments did not go forward, and H.527 remains on the wall.  H.510 passed the House and has moved on to the Senate. The VT National Guard & Veterans Affairs Caucus, of which I am a Co-Chair, sent a letter to the Senate leadership and Finance Committee calling for action on the military pension and survivors benefits tax exemption.

Other action on the House floor was dominated by the passage of Proposal 5, the Reproductive Liberty Amendment, with impassioned debate on both sides.  I again thank all of my constituents for your postcards, phone calls, and emails – I heard overwhelmingly to vote no, and I did so knowing that I represented your voices , as well as my own beliefs, unequivocally with my vote. Additionally, I voted in the affirmative to expand employee  leave for crime victims (H.477), and against S. 30, an expansion of gun control.

The House General Committee this week held an unprecedented 2-day training by the world-renowned International Center for Transistional Justice on Truth & Reconciliation Commissions and Reparations Task Forces. The leaders of the training are global experts who have worked with South African apartheid, Canadian Indian Schools Reconciliation Canada, Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation, and many other high-level crimes against humanity worldwide. Our Committee is taking continued testimony on H.96, a Truth and Reconciliation bill, as well as a number of other bills that can be found on the General, Housing, and Military Affairs webpage pertaining to reparations and reconciliations.

The VT National Guard & Veterans Affairs Caucus heard from Honorary Commanders, who are community leaders embedded in companies throughout Vermont and who provide a liaison between the National Guard and employers. The REDWnG and Tourism Caucuses continue to discuss the progress of bills such as the Creative Futures Act and the On-Farm Accessory Business Act.

It is with regret that I note that my District-mate, Paul Martin of Franklin, has resigned his seat, and I wish him the best.  We are hopeful that his replacement will be appointed in an expedient manner so Franklin-5 has appropriate representation. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].

Stay well,

Rep Lisa Hango, Berkshire

Franklin-5

Dear Constituents –

Aside from shoveling out from a  generous amount of snow in Montpelier today, which will certainly help our winter tourism industry, members of the General Assembly have been dealing with a copious number of bills that have been introduced .  Most notably, Proposal 2, a proposed constitutional amendment clarifying the prohibition on slavery and indentured servitude passed today in the House by a roll call vote of 139-3 in the second of a two-biennium process. Voters will see this amendment on the Statewide November ballot.  Most members have returned to the Statehouse this week, which really energizes the building, but there remains a Zoom option strictly for those who have COVID-related reasons to be at home ; after nearly two years at home on Zoom, I am happy to see the Peoples’ House being used again.

Among others, the following bills passed by voice vote this week : H.701 relating to setting cannabis license fees, H.367 perpetual care of cemeteries, and H. 489 miscellaneous health insurance provisions. H.320, a bill that I’ve spoken in opposition of, relating to allowing re-hiring of an employee with whom the employer has reached a settlement of discrimination, passed by a roll call vote of 91-37.  Several Joint Resolutions were also adopted.  For anyone who wishes to learn more about the bills that are being taken up, please visit the General Assembly website at www.legislature.Vermont.gov , type in the bill number or a keyword ; you may also go to individual committee webpages from there to view what each House or Senate committee is working on, and the daily Calendar and Journal of each Chamber is accessed from the General Assembly home page.

In the House General Committee, our work has been focused on H.477 a bill that would protect an alleged crime victim’s (or their close family member’s) right to take unpaid leave from their place of employment to attend a hearing regarding the alleged crime. We’ve also continued to take testimony on H.273 relating to land access and property ownership, H.329 prohibitions against discrimination, H.387 establishing a Reparations Task Force for the institution of Chattel Slavery, and H.96 establishing a Truth and Reconciliation Task Commission for the eugenics apology Resolution that was passed last year. These are all incredibly complex, time-consuming, and difficult subjects, and it is my hope that they will not be rushed through to meet the crossover date in March or the end of the biennium in May ; they deserve deep, thoughtful discourse and careful consideration, something this Legislature doesn’t seem to have the propensity for.

In special issues caucus news, I attended the Rural Economic Development Caucus and the Tourism Caucus this week.  The Vermont National Guard & Veterans Affairs Caucus held a successful press conference on Wednesday with bi-partisan Caucus and Administration speakers who called for the need to address the fact that Vermont is one of only three states that does not offer any type of military pension tax relief. We Co-Chairs were pleased to receive a press statement released by Governor Scott commending our Caucus for supporting this important issue.

As always, please reach out to me at [email protected]

Stay well,

Rep Lisa A Hango, Berkshire

Franklin-5

Dear Constituents –

This week at the Statehouse was packed  – the House General Committee heard multiple bill introductions each day ; ranging from cemetery ownership  to collective bargaining provisions, employment discrimination policies, tenant rights, a full slate of alcohol related bills, and Native American/Abenaki affairs. The Committee passed out H.320, an act that prohibits agreements that prevent an employee from working for the employer following the settlement of a discrimination claim (8-3-0, along party lines) ; I voted against this bill, along with two of my colleagues, on the basis of serious concerns that we hadn’t heard enough testimony from employers on this legislation.

On the House floor, we passed : H.654, extending flexibility for COVID-19 regulations in healthcare, including provisions for out of state professionals and telehealth services ; H.462, a miscellaneous Dept of Health bill ; H.466, a bill relating to surface water withdrawals and inter basin transfers, which I did not feel was in the best interests of our region, and S.30, a gun control bill that did not have the support of 49 tri-partisan members of the General Assembly, including myself.

I was only able to attend two special issues caucuses due to scheduling conflicts this week : Rural Economic Development, where we discussed the Working Lands Enterprise Program, and the Vermont Creative Network ; and the Tourism Caucus, which focused on workforce development in the hospitality industry. Many of these issues affect our rural economy, and I am pleased to be learning more about the programs that can help Vermonters recover from the pandemic and move forward in a positive way.

The House Appropriations Committee continues their important work taking testimony on the Governor’s FY’23 proposed Budget, and it is interesting to observe the process in a year where not only does the State have surplus funds, but the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) also is infusing the coffers .

I truly appreciate every one of the postcards I’ve received on Proposal 5 (the Reproductive Liberty Amendment – a vaguely worded proposal to amend the Vermont Constitution), and my vote will reflect the voice of my constituents and my beliefs - a resounding no.

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

Stay well,

Representative Lisa A Hango, Berkshire

Franklin-5

Legislative Update – 21 January 2022

Dear Constituents –

This week marked the first full week that Legislators were invited back to the Statehouse to work in 22 months. Members who had a COVID-related reason to stay at home were accommodated via Zoom, so a hybrid model similar to what the Senate is using was in effect. It was important to me to be back in person to be able to fully execute my responsibility to my constituents.  Meeting other members in person throughout the day is crucial to the dynamics of being a Legislator.  In just one week, I was able to mediate discussion between members who had opposing views, engage in spontaneous conversations with various parties who wanted to weigh in on the issue, and seek last-minute information on bills before us. On the flip side, having the hybrid option provided a recorded livestream for me to review in the evenings that I was made aware of – after all, we can only be in one committee meeting at a time !

On Tuesday, we heard the Governor’s Budget Address for the upcoming year, and we were able to pass the Budget Adjustment Act (updating funding provided by the previous year’s budget) by Friday. This was a much faster process than in previous years, but there were important recommendations included in the BAA that can be acted on immediately by the passage of the bill, H.679. Additionally on the House floor, we dealt with bills held over from last session; H.157 relating to registration of residential contractors and S.78 relating to binding arbitration for members of the Judiciary. Both of these bills were problematic to me in that they were not requested by the populations they affect, and both are adding more layers of bureaucracy.

In the House General Committee, we focused on Homelessness Awareness, holding a joint hearing with House Human Services and a vigil for our homeless population on Wednesday. Legislation related to this issue includes H.93 the Homelessness Bill of Rights.  We also took up several bills relating to discrimation (H.320, H.329), land access/ownership equity (H.273), and employment leave (H.477). We heard updates and testimony from affordable housing advocates and organizations, as well as the National Guard on employment rights and tuition benefits.

I attended special issues caucuses throughout the week with the Older Vermonters Caucus, the Rural Economic Development Working Group, the Tourism Caucus, and the Womens Caucus. A myriad of topics were covered in each of these meetings, but one I found particularly relevant to our area was testimony from the operators of Jay Peak and Smugglers Notch ski areas regarding their challenges with the lack of Canadian tourists and the pressures on the housing market and childcare facilities that are driving a shortage of employees. Both of these attractions are important economic drivers to the economy of northern Vermont, and we will do all that we can within the Legislature to support their needs.

Please reach out at me at [email protected]  It is an honor to serve you at the Statehouse.

Stay well,

Rep Lisa A Hango, Berkshire

Franklin-5

Co-Chair, VT National Guard & Veterans Affairs Caucus

Legislative Update – 14 January 2022

Dear Constituents –

Our second week back in the virtual Legislature featured a packed schedule – Committees worked on their responses to the Budget Adjustment memo, heard introductions of new bills, and took testimony on bills from last year. The House General Committee was thoughtful in our response to the ask for housing funding in the budget, and I hope that our comments will be helpful to the Appropriations Committee that has the task of approving those requests. New bills that were introduced are on human rights issues, and holdover bills include several on discrimination and employment practices.  We will continue to take testimony on the ones that are prioritized by House leadership. We also discussed two bills from last session that were on the House calendar and postponed one legislative day, S.78 a collective bargaining bill for the Judiciary, and H.157 the requirement for registration of residential contractors.  Both are scheduled for a vote by the full House next week.

On the House floor, we voted out two additional bills relating to temporary elections measures S.222 and S.223. These bills give your municipalities additional options to hold their annual meetings and handle candidate petitions and school ballots in a safe manner during the continuing Omicron wave. Floor time on Friday was devoted to much discussion about a House Rules Resolution H.R.14 that will enable us to safely return in person to the Statehouse on the 18^th and H.589, the first of two re-districting bills that we will take up. In regards to H.589, many Boards of Civil Authority have already weighed in on a map that was sent out and approved by the Legislative Apportionment Board in November; the House Government Operations Committee chose to not use that “majority” map for their bill and instead used the “alternate” map.  This bill appears to be moving forward, and the Committee has assured the Legislature that BOTH maps will be sent out to BCA’s for the second round, with comments due back by February 15, so please be on the lookout for those maps and be sure to send feedback if you serve on your community’s BCA if it is passed. This is a once in a decade process, and it directly affects how your district is represented in the Legislature for the next ten years.

Special issues Caucuses this week included:  the National Guard & Veterans Affairs Caucus, of which I am a Co-Chair, with VTNG Family Programs discussing support for deployed units returning home and the Secretary of State’s Office on the challenges of voting from remote locations overseas; the Older Vermonters Caucus on Medicaid reimbursement rates and the need for more Adult Day programs; the REDWnG Rural development working group on an omnibus bill that encompasses many of the needs we heard on a forest economy tour this Fall; and the Tourism Caucus on how marketing and pandemic relief dollars are being spent.  Due to the House floor session running overtime, the Women’s Caucus did not meet this week.

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

Stay well,

Rep Lisa A Hango, Berkshire

Franklin-5

                                     Legislative Update – 07 January 2022

Dear Constituents – Happy New Year!

A new Legislative session has begun, but the reality for many legislators is that we continue to work in the off-session; assisting constituents, collaborating with special issues caucuses, and seeking information. After adjourning on May 21, the General Assembly met via Zoom on June 23 for a veto session and December 8 for a fiscal briefing, and we held in-person voting at the Statehouse on November 21 and January 4. The House General (my committee) and House Human Services Committees also held an in-person joint hearing on October 18 to discuss housing and related supportive services. Aside from those official meetings, there were special issues caucus meetings, economic development tours (I participated in a forest economy tour of Franklin and Lamoille Counties), and local events relating to Lake Carmi, the Franklin County State Airport, workforce development at Kaytec (with the Cold Hollow Career Center), and Moving Richford Forward.

The Vermont National Guard Caucus, of which I am a Co-Chair, re-branded itself to the VT National Guard & Veterans Affairs Caucus, to better reflect our mission of being a liaison between the military and veterans, families, employers, and legislators. We welcomed partner organizations into our Caucus, including the Governors’ Veterans Advisory Council, the VT Veterans Administration, the National Guard Family Support Group, and the USS Vermont Submarine Support Group; they continue to provide us with information that assists us in understanding the legislature’s role with Vermont’s military organizations. We also held our first Public Hearing on Veterans Affairs on October 28, where we heard overwhelmingly that Vermont needs to be competitive with other states by exempting military retirement pay from taxation, something we have been advocating for as a Caucus throughout our first year. We also heard from individuals that there need to be more mental health supports for veterans, which is being echoed throughout our country in schools, hospitals, and community settings.

The General, Housing, and Military Affairs Committee spent this week taking testimony on several employment anti-discrimination, collective bargaining, and alcohol bills, and we are working on our response to the Budget Adjustment Act letter, which is due on January 11 and contains important affordable housing language.

The General Assembly saw limited floor time, passing routine Resolutions and fast-tracking S.172 giving municipalities the option to hold their Annual Meetings remotely again in 2022.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].

Stay well,

Rep Lisa A Hango

Dear Constituents –

June 23/24 marked the General Assembly veto session where the majority party succeeded in overriding the Governor’s veto of H.177 and H.227, changes to the Charters of the cities of Montpelier and Winooski, respectively. These charter changes allow for the right of non-citizens to vote in municipal elections, and in the case of Winooski, municipal and school elections. Proponents of these bills argued that these folks already pay taxes and volunteer in their communities, so they should be allowed the right to vote.  I believe that the right to vote comes with becoming a US citizen and the responsibilities associated with that process. I opposed these charter changes, as did all 45 fellow Republicans in the House and 7 in the Senate, along with one House Independent and 3 Senate Democrats – I thank them for their votes and the courage to stand up for what they feel is right.

After the House adjourned, the Senate continued to do damage in the form of passing two more bills – H.157 that establishes a registry of construction contractors, and S.79 that establishes a registry of rental housing units (both long term and short term rentals inclusive). Neither of these bills were necessary to pass during a session that should only have dealt with gubernatorial vetoes, and both of them seek to grow big government by raising fees and adding State employees. I opposed each of these bills as they made their way from my Committee through the House, and I was pleased to see my like-minded colleagues in the Senate voice their opposition. We did all we could to prevent this bureaucracy from being passed, and now it is up to the Governor to take a stand.

I wish you all a very healthy, safe summer as we move into the recovery phase of our post-COVID world. I am thankful to put this once-in-a-lifetime pandemic in my rear-view mirror! Please continue to reach out to me at [email protected]

Stay well,

Representative Lisa A Hango

Franklin-5

Please click on this link to view my voting record from February 2019, when I was appointed by Governor Phil Scott to the end of the 2021 session in May:

https://www.ethanallen.org/lhango

Thank you to the Ethan Allen Institute for allowing me to post from their website and for compiling this data to promote informed voting!

Stay well,

Representative Lisa A Hango

Dear Constituents –

As of Friday May 21 at 5PM, the Legislative session has ended, as the House followed the Senate by adjourning after passing our Budget, H.439 and an Joint Adjournment Resolution, JRS029. It appears that we will have a short veto session on June 23/24, as the Governor has vetoed at least S.107, an act relating to confidential information concerning the initial arrest and charge of a juvenile. 

Other bills passed this week with my comments are as follows:

S.48 the interstate nurses licensure compact - a good step in the right direction to bolster our healthcare workforce; S.101 promoting housing choice and opportunity in smart growth areas – this bill contained a surcharge on the property transfer tax that is unnecessary at this time when we have a budget surplus; H.433 the Transportation Bill Report of the Committee of Conference was accepted; S.25 miscellaneous changes to cannabis procedures – I do not support the underlying tax and regulate concept; H.449 changes to the Vermont pension investment plan and commission – I couldn’t support this because the responsibility to consider other types of benefit plans was removed from the language at the 11^th hour; H.313 miscellaneous changes to alcohol law – I was pleased to be able to support the continuation of “to-go” alcoholic beverages with food orders, although the exclusion of direct-to-consumer shipping of spirits was disappointing; H.360 accelerated community broadband deployment – I will be interested to see how this is implemented; H.436 a miscellaneous tax bill; S.62 including employee incentives, technical eduction, and unemployment insurance – this was a difficult yes vote in that it contained not only a mechanism to reduce the burden on employers’ unemployment insurance ratings but also a burden on employers in the form of extra UI benefits to recipients. This was a hard bargain driven by the majority party, and we reluctantly agreed to the compromise to put future business protections ahead of other concerns; if we chose to vote this down, businesses would be hit with extraordinary taxes and their UI rate schedules would have suffered unsustainably.

Some bills of interest to constituents that didn’t make it through the process were H.157 regulation of residential construction contractors and S.79 improving rental housing health and safety. Both were fraught with concerns that were voiced during long committee and floor debates, as well as in letters, phone calls, and emails to your Representatives.

Throughout the session, 100 bills were passed! In my opinion, that is far too great a number when we were charged with focusing on COVID mitigation and relief and economic recovery.  I spoke up many times to voice my frustration over taking up bills that had no nexus to COVID and that could wait until a real, in-person session in January.

I will continue to be available for any comments or concerns by phone, via my website at www.hangoforhouse.com or on my legislative email [email protected] , which I will monitor throughout the off-season.

Thank you for the honor of serving you.

Stay well,

Representative Lisa A Hango

Franklin-5

Dear Constituents –

Today marks not only the lifting of the mask requirement by the CDC, but also by Governor Scott, a welcome sign that we are on the road to recovery from this pandemic.

As committee hearings wind down, House General concluded taking testimony on H.313, a miscellaneous alcohol bill that is coming back to us from the Senate, and we will be amending it with pieces of H.178, another alcohol bill, on Tuesday.  Next week is the scheduled last week of the 2021 Legislative session, although we do have a scheduled veto session in late June, should that be necessary.  There is talk of a short October session to implement funding mechanisms for the federal infrastructure bill, but that will hopefully be incorporated into the beginning of the 2022 session.

On the House floor, we passed a number of bills, including S.3 an act relating to competency to stand trial and insanity as a defense, H.438 Capital construction and State bonding, S.48 a nurse licensure compact bill, and several Resolutions: HR 11 allowing a return to in-person legislative work 30 days after the State of Emergency is lifted, JRS 6 racism as a public health emergency, and an amendment to JRH 2 an apology for the eugenics movement. We also sent two bills to Committees of Conference: H.433 the miscellaneous DMV bill and H.360 accelerated community broadband deployment. The House also passed S.15, an act relating to correcting defective ballots, which is so much more than the name implies.  This is a bill that originated in the Senate and puts into statute universal mail-in balloting for all general elections going forward, beginning with the 2022 election. I took issue with this and voted against this bill on the premise that it does not satisfy my concerns for Town Clerks bearing the burden of “curing” ballots that are defective, and ballot harvesters continuing to use drop boxes or hand delivery of up to 25 ballots per person/organization under the guise of “helping out community members who need assistance”. The Strong amendment, of which I was a co-signer, sought to delay implementation of S.15 measures until 2024, which would allow the Secretary of State’s Office to deliver an important report to the committees of jurisdiction on safeguards to ensure the integrity of our elections. If you share my concerns, please continue to voice those concerns to the House and Senate committees on Government Operations and the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office. 

It is an honor to serve as your Representative, and I encourage you to reach out to me with your comments at www.hangoforhouse.com Or [email protected]

Stay well,

Representative Lisa A Hango,

Franklin-5