IN JAN. 10’S FINAL READING …
Youth Lobby climate activists deliver their climate declaration, Sen. John Rodgers explains his cellphone ban legislation and Democrats are on board with Scott’s after-school program.
THE TOP TAKE
Teens wearing black T-shirts bearing the Youth Lobby logo mobbed the Statehouse Friday morning, as the organization launched a session-long campaign to urge the Vermont Legislature to enact an ambitious climate action agenda.
The group plans to return every Friday during the session. “Legislators need more pressure from us being there, constantly reminding them that these things need to be done,” said Avery Paull, a senior at Montpelier High School.
Almost 50 lobby members held a press conference to tout the group’s climate declaration, which was adopted in November by participants in its first Youth Climate Congress.
“We are facing an unprecedented global emergency,” Lili Platt, a senior at Harwood Union High School, told reporters. “As young people, we will be living through the dire consequences of climate change.”
After the presser, students visited each House and Senate committee room, distributing laminated posters bearing the text of the declaration. They asked that the posters be put on the wall in each room, to serve as a constant reminder of the need to address climate change. For the most part, they got a positive reaction. The Senate Appropriations Committee rebuffed the students, but members of the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee gave them a hearty welcome.
“You have an ongoing invitation to participate,” committee chair Sen. Chris Bray, D-Addison, told the students. “You should keep an eye on us and hold our feet to the fire.” – John Walters
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
— House Gov Ops voted 9-0-1 in favor of a constitutional amendment clarifying that slavery and indentured servitude are prohibited “in any form” in Vermont. It now heads to the House floor.
Sen. Dick McCormack, D-Windsor, the lone dissenting vote last year in the Senate, told the committee he thought the change would erase history. But his concerns were brushed off. “We totally ignored it and moved on,” said Rep. Jim Harrison, R-North Chittenden. – Kit Norton
— Democrat gubernatorial hopeful Rebecca Holcombe slammed Gov. Phil Scott’s State of the State address for failing to present adequate climate change and economic growth solutions.
“It is ridiculous and insulting to hard working Vermonters to suggest that an electric Mustang is a solution to the crisis of climate change,” she said in a press release, referring to his enthusiastic remarks about Ford’s electric vehicle innovations. “Vermont deserves better.” – Grace Elletson
— Democrats are embracing Gov. Phil Scott’s plan to roll out a universal after-school program. But they want to implement it on a faster timeline. Under Scott’s plan, the program wouldn’t be up and running until the 2024-2025 school year.
Sen. Phil Baruth, D-Chittenden, chair of the Senate Education Committee, says it could be in place in two to three years. Both Baruth and the governor are eyeing revenue from a legal marijuana market as a funding source for the program. – Xander Landen
— One of the session’s big questions will be whether Vermont should take part in the regional Transportation and Climate Initiative. Sen. Tim Ashe, D-Chittenden, a proponent of the program, said opting out of the initiative would mean Vermont pays the price without reaping the benefits.
“Like a cartel, which of course this industry is, they all operate together,” Ashe said of fuel companies, which he predicted would increase prices in Vermont to offset the cost of the initiative. “They rip us off together.” – Elizabeth Gribkoff
— Although Vermont’s greenhouse gas emissions have gone down slightly for the first time in five years, it still has the highest per capita pollution in New England. Transportation pollution, which has flatlined in recent years, now accounts for more than 44% of the state’s emissions. – Elizabeth Gribkoff
— House committee chairs and vice chairs met early afternoon for leadership training, aimed to make committee discussions more effective. However, enthusiasm wasn’t high among all attendees. One lawmaker headed into the training told a VTDigger reporter, “It’s not very sexy.” – Grace Elletson
— The Social Equity Caucus held a press conference Friday laying out their mission to make Vermont more inclusive for all marginalized people. However the event was sparsely attended: WCAX and VTDigger were there along with a few passersby.
Rep. Kevin “Coach” Christie, D-White River Junction, said he wasn’t disappointed more of his colleagues didn’t show. “I know where they live,” Christie joked. – Grace Elletson
— The Sergeant-at-Arms Office is trying out a new “quote of the day” feature on its office whiteboard. However, it remained “Just breathe” for the first week, which was marked by a protest during the governor’s State of the State speech in the House Chamber. “We really like breathing,” said Janet Miller, the sergeant-at-arms. – Grace Elletson
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK
New legislation introduced by Sen. John Rodgers, D-Essex-Orleans, is making national headlines. The proposal would ban cellphones for residents under the age of 21.
The bill is largely symbolic, and Rodgers doesn’t expect it to actually pass. VTDigger’s Grace Elletson caught up with the senator to better understand why he’s pursuing the legislation.
GE: Why did you introduce this?
JR: I introduced it to try to make a point to all the wealthy and privileged liberals who are trying to take our gun rights away. Cellphones are far more dangerous than guns are. No gun has ever been used to radicalize or recruit terrorists, neo-Nazis or fascists. … And so if we really care about the safety of our kids and saving lives, they should stop attacking people’s constitutional rights and figure out how do we address this crisis that cellphones, the internet, is causing. Because many suicides are linked to bullying and harassment on social media.
GE: So the intention of the bill is symbolic?
JR: The question I have for everybody is “What liberty will you give up for safety?” That’s the bottom line. And the people in this building are willing to give up my gun rights because they’re something they don’t use or value. I would sooner give up my phone than my gun. But you can see as soon as I introduced this, tons of people are going “Give up my phone? I can’t do that.” And so it’s just to make that point.
GE: What’s your response to the concern than you’re wasting your colleagues’ time?
JR: My response to that is … why are they wasting my time taking my gun rights away? Which has been a major time slop out of the last couple years down here. Taking rights away from good people will never make anyone safer and that’s basically what they’ve done.
