FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 4, 2010
CONTACT: Martha Hanson
802-828-2226 (O)
Lt. Governor Dubie Declares: Passing Legislation That Has a Positive Impact on Jobs and Job Creation Must Be Top Priority for 2010 Legislative Session
Burlington — Speaking before the Burlington Rotary Club this afternoon, Lt. Governor Brian Dubie laid out three principles by which he will measure all legislation proposed during the 2010 legislative session set to begin tomorrow.
“The truth is that Vermont state government was on an unsustainable path, even before the recession began,” Dubie told Rotarians. “Now, with FY 2010 revenues projected to come in below FY 2006 levels, we have no choice but to reduce the size of government and its demands on the taxpayers of our state. We must create a sustainably-sized state government that matches programs with the balanced and realistic ability of Vermonters to pay for those programs.”
Lt. Governor Dubie went on to call upon the legislature to judge each bill introduced and each action contemplated by the general assembly this year by three principles:
1. All proposed legislation must have a positive impact on jobs and job creation.
2. The legislature must reduce demands on taxpayers by reducing the size of government. Legislation that adds programs and increases the size and cost of government must be rejected.
3. All state government programs – both existing and new — must be evaluated and judged as sustainable. They must carry a high-enough priority to merit an identifiable revenue source that will sustain them over the long term.
Dubie cited a recent Forbes Magazine (September 2009) ranking of Vermont as the 47th best state in the nation to do business. He attributed Vermont ’s low ranking and slow growth to the fact that Vermont is one of the highest taxed states in the nation. “This is simply not good enough,” he told the audience. “We must do better.”
In the face of looming budget shortfalls in the coming years, Dubie concluded, “We must commit ourselves to improving our business environment and making Vermont government sustainable. Those two objectives are critical for the upcoming session of the legislature and are the keys to improving the economy of Vermont .”
Martha Hanson
Lieutenant Governor’s Chief of Staff
State of Vermont
The Statehouse
115 State Street
Montpelier , Vermont 05633
Tel. 802-828-2226
martha.hanson@state.vt.us
www.ltgov.vermont.gov
