Legislative Wrap-up: Marijuana decriminalization
Lawmakers introduced six bills that dealt with marijuana this session. They varied in scope from allowing people with post-traumatic stress disorder to use marijuana (H.213) to legalizing and taxing the substance (H.499). Five of them stayed on the shelf, but H.200 — a bill to decriminalize possession of up to one ounce of marijuana — [...]
Legislative Wrap-up: Flexible pathways
The Legislature made good on Gov. Peter Shumlin’s vision for expanding college opportunities for Vermont high school students. S.130 does exactly what Shumlin proposed during his inaugural speech — it doubles the funding for dual enrollment, which allows juniors and seniors to take college courses while in high school, and it lays the foundation for [...]
New law cracks down on unscrupulous pet breeders
Gov. Peter Shumlin on Tuesday signed into law a pet protection act that is meant to tighten up and establish a clearer regulatory framework for dog, cat and wolf-hybrid breeders. Architects of the law hope the regulations will prevent animal abuse cases, like the 50-plus-dog puppy mill that Karen Maple of Bakersfield was accused of [...]
Lawmakers open police records to public scrutiny
The Vermont Legislature has approved opening the criminal investigative files of police to public scrutiny, in a move modeling Vermont’s open records standards on a federal model. A conference committee to debate differences between the House and Senate on the legislation came to an agreement by Tuesday morning, said Sen. Dick Sears, D-Bennington. Senators like [...]
State troopers, Shumlin administration reach new contract deal
The Shumlin administration has brokered a new provisional contract with the union representing employees of the Vermont State Police. The contract with the Vermont Troopers’ Association lasts for two years, but must be ratified by the union’s membership. The state’s existing contract with the union, which covers pay and working conditions for 327 state police [...]
House passes bill regulating police use of license plate readers
The House voted 132-0 Monday to pass a bill aimed at regulating police use of automated license plate readers. Law enforcement officers use ALPRs — there are roughly 40 in use around the state — to capture digital images of license plate numbers, which, coupled with the car’s GPS coordinates, are uploaded into a database. [...]
House turns tap back on for tenant water rights bill
A week ago, the House Government Operations Committee struck down a Senate bill that would have allowed tenants to take over water and sewer bills if a landlord fails to pay them. Committee members had second thoughts, however, and the bill, S.41, was resurrected before the end of the week. Monday the House approved an [...]
Marijuana decriminalization bill heads to governor’s desk
The marijuana decriminalization bill is headed to Gov. Peter Shumlin’s desk to be signed into law. The House agreed Monday to accept the changes made to the bill on the Senate side, marking an end to legislative work on the bill. H.200 makes possession of an ounce or less of marijuana a civil penalty rather [...]
House ties up loose ends before final stretch
The Vermont House voted on three minor legislative changes before breaking for the weekend; they’ll return to wrap up business on Monday and Tuesday. House Judiciary Chair Bill Lippert, D-Hinesburg, tweaked an omnibus opiate bill to ensure that hashish is treated similarly to marijuana, regarding criminal consequences for possessing over 5 grams of hash, which [...]
Senate chooses study over moratorium on school privatization
The Senate came close to putting a one-year moratorium on allowing public schools to turn private Thursday, but the move failed by two votes, and the legislation reverted to a study.
