January 9, 2020
From yesterday’s Final Reading
Climate change protesters disrupted Gov. Phil Scott’s State of the State address, minimum wage bill heads to conference committee, and confusion persists on marijuana legalization priorities.
THE TOP TAKE
“Climate” was the word of the day at the Statehouse Thursday … well, with the exception of Gov. Phil Scott’s State of the State address.
There was a noontime demonstration outside the Statehouse calling for dramatic climate action. At the same time, the Legislature’s Climate Action Caucus met, promising a comprehensive approach to the issue. Then, climate protesters filled the House gallery, interrupted Scott’s State of the State and chanted for 15 minutes until the Vermont State Police escorted them out of the House Chamber.
After 16 were detained (one was arrested) and order was restored, the governor delivered his address — which didn’t mention climate change until the 53rd paragraph.
The governor made it clear that, as far as he’s concerned, significant climate legislation was off the table. He cited the travails of rural Vermonters and seniors on fixed incomes.
“I simply cannot support proposals that will make things more expensive for them,” Scott said. The only proposal he offered was to divert money from Efficiency Vermont, the state’s nonprofit that promotes efficiency in electricity consumption, to fund transportation electrification.
So much for a carbon tax or most of the proposals before the Legislature, or the Transportation and Climate Initiative that Scott’s own administration helped to craft.
The speech was in dramatic contrast to the urgent pleas of the protesters, and the plans of the legislative climate caucus.
At a no-nonsense meeting, caucus leaders ran down an exhaustive list of climate-related legislation. The idea is to make sure every legislative committee will address the issue in some way. “We always need to be thinking about climate change,” said caucus member Sen. Chris Pearson, P/D-Chittenden.
The caucus’ agenda ranges from large-scale bills like the Global Warming Solutions Act (H.462) that would mandate state’s climate goals, to incremental measures like encouraging the use of local food in school meal programs.
The stage is set for a climate confrontation between the Legislature and the governor, with activist groups ramping up the pressure from outside the building. That campaign will continue Friday morning, with the Vermont Youth Climate Caucus descending on the Statehouse to urge action on its climate agenda. – John Walters
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
— The minimum wage bill is already headed to conference committee. The House General, Housing and Military Affairs Committee voted for the move Thursday. Committee Chair Rep. Tom Stevens, D-Waterbury, plans to advocate for a slightly higher increase than the one presented in the Senate bill. (Dem leaders set a loose target of between $12 and $13 per hour in preliminary talks). House lawmakers appear to be comfortable compromising with the Senate plan. – Grace Elletson
— Rep. Mary Howard, D-Rutland, is introducing legislation to bolster safety for employees in state offices. She previously worked in the state attorney’s office in Rutland where she and her colleagues had been harassed and received threats. Her bill is calling for the creation of a director to oversee office safety for state agencies, and infrastructure changes, like adding bulletproof glass, in offices that lack proper protection. – Grace Elletson
— Susan Lawrence of the California-based Center for Life Without Parole Studies hopes Vermont will become the first state to do away with life-without-parole sentences. Speaking before the House Judiciary Committee, which is looking at draft legislation, she said Thursday that passing the measure would create a “ripple” that would spread across the country. Fifteen people are serving life-without-parole sentences in Vermont, according to Lawrence. – Alan Keays
— The Senate Health and Welfare Committee heard testimony on the genital cutting bill which aims to ban the cultural practice. Sen. Ginny Lyons, D-Chittenden, said she doesn’t think the practice happens frequently in Vermont but because the state has a growing immigrant population from regions where the procedure is common, she supports the bill in an effort to protect women. She expects it to pass. Similar legislation has been shot down in other states out of fear it singles out ethnic groups. – Grace Elletson
— Much to her surprise, Rep. Marianna Gamache’s phone went off in the House General, Housing, and Military Affairs Committee Thursday morning. As a penalty, she had to put a dollar into the committee’s disruptive phone box. But the proceeds of the box go to a good cause — snacks for the committee. “It keeps us fat and happy,” said Gamache, R-Swanton. – Grace Elletson
— The Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs met in South Burlington for its last stop on a tour that took the panel to four other regions of the state last year. The committee assembled about 20 local housing experts for a roundtable discussion. Chairman Michael Sirotkin, D-Burlington, said housing will be the panel’s highest priority in the coming session. – Anne Wallace Allen
— The Public Assets Institute is usually pretty strait-laced. But the progressive-leaning think tank shed its usual drab attire and distributed a bingo game tied to Scott’s State of the State address. Each box on the bingo cards contained words or catchphrases such as “long-range plan,” “jobs,” “tripartisanship” and “courage.” Whenever Scott mentioned one of the phrases, PAI sent out a tweet. When players thought they had a “bingo,” they were supposed to respond on social media. The first three winners were to receive their choice of a PAI ballcap or T-shirt. – John Walters
— Sen. Tim Ashe, D/P-Chittenden, decided to redecorate the pro tem’s quarters during the off season. He bedecked the walls with an assortment of “anarchist” modern art. – Kit Norton
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK
Remarks from two House leaders led to confusion about where the marijuana tax and regulation bill stands. Rep. Sarah Copeland Hanzas, D-Bradford, and House Speaker Mitzi Johnson, D-South Hero, appear to disagree over whether legislation establishing a retail marijuana market will make it to the floor for a vote.
VTDigger’s Kit Norton spoke with Grace Elletson about what went down.
GE: So what happened today?
KN: At a press conference held by lawmakers and marijuana market legalization advocates, Sen. Dick Sears, D-Bennington, a champion and sponsor of the legislation, and Copeland-Hanzas, chair of the House Government Operations Committee, said there is a clear path for the retail market. Copeland Hanzas’ committee has done the majority of the work on this bill in the House.
The big takeaway? Copeland-Hanzas said that Johnson agreed to move the legislation forward to a full floor vote.
This would have been different from what was previously reported. But when I spoke with Johnson, there was no change in her rhetoric. The committee chair and Johnson don’t appear to be on the same page.
GE: What does that mean for the future of the bill?
KN: The speaker is not 100% supportive, which means nothing has changed. The bill will go through the committee process without a guarantee that Johnson will move it forward.
