[J]ust when you thought it was over, it’s not.
The legislative process is iterative, if not deliberative. That is to say, just because the Senate believes an idea has merit, doesn’t mean the House will. And vice versa.
Paid sick leave is a good example. This week the legislation, which requires companies to give workers paid time off when they or a family member is ill, gets one more round in the House.
Initially, proponents of the bill hoped the House would simply rubber stamp the Senate version, but that’s not happening.
Lawmakers will vote on four amendments when the paid leave bill, H.187, is taken up on the floor today, several of which will look eerily familiar.
To recap the process: The House passed paid leave last year, and the original version required all businesses to offer paid time off for part-time and full-time employees when they are sick or caring for a relative who is ill. Only temporary and seasonal workers were exempted. The Senate tweaked the bill, putting in exemptions for part-timers who don’t work more than 20 hours and workers under the age of 18, among other changes.
The Senate failed last week to exempt businesses with five or fewer employees.
And now, in the House, the exemption for small companies is back. This time, Rep. Alison Eastman, an independent from Orwell, wants to give businesses with three or fewer workers a pass. In addition, she wants to give new employers a three year waiting period before they fall under the new mandate.
Rep. Oliver Olsen, an independent from Londonderry, wants to limit the number of hours a worker can accrue. He also hopes to exempt salaried workers from the mandate.
In House General, Housing and Military Affairs this morning, lawmakers will examine the amendments and get a briefing on just how much the new regulation will cost to implement.
All four amendments could gain traction in the House where the Democratic majority seems to be less interested in the party line (and cowed by the House Speaker), and more free to vote their own minds. But the proposals could just as easily be stamped out with little debate — depending on the mood of the assembled and the ability of individual members to manipulate the rules.
In any case, paid sick leave will dominate the House calendar this week. Even so, lawmakers will have time to elect new trustees for the Vermont State Colleges and listen to Bill McKibben’s arguments for the state divestment from fossil fuel stocks in House Government Operations.
This week the House and Senate will determine crossover day — the last day the two bodies have to pass bills before the end of the session. Crossover for most bills will be March 11. Any legislation that features a fee, tax or budget impact must be out the door March 18.
Meanwhile, marijuana legalization is on a trajectory for a Senate floor vote next week. Today S.241 will be vetted in Senate Economic Development where lawmakers will hear about drug testing and the potential impact on employers. On Wednesday and Thursday, the appropriations committee will hear from law enforcement and regulatory agencies about how much legalization will cost the state. Early estimates peg the cost at $2.2 million in fiscal year 2018, the first year the law would go into effect. The annualized cost of implementation could run as high as $12 million.
