This week, the House passed bills that would raise the minimum wage and create a paid family leave program — two of Democratic legislative leaders’ top priorities.
But neither passed with sufficient support to guarantee an override of a veto by Republican Gov. Phil Scott. In both cases, the split fell largely along party lines — Democrats voting for the measures, and Republicans against.
The paid family leave bill passed the House Thursday on a vote of 89 to 58. The legislation, H.107, which represents a compromise between House and Senate lawmakers, heads straight to the governor’s desk, where it faces a likely veto.
That puts the focus on a group of Progressives and Democrats who withdrew their support for the bill over concerns that it didn’t go far enough, and whether they will change their positions in the face of an override.
Six Democrats voted against the bill, including some who lean more moderate and others who are more progressive: Reps. Christopher Bates, D-Bennington, Cynthia Browning, D-Arlington, Charen Fegard, D-Berkshire, Logan Nicoll, D-Ludlow, Linda Joy Sullivan, D-Dorset, and Randall Szott, D-Pomfret. Five House Progressives voted against the paid leave bill: Reps. Robin Chesnut-Tangerman, P-Middletown Springs, Selene Colburn, P-Burlington, Diana Gonzalez, P-Winooski, Sandy Haas, P-Rochester, and Brian Cina, P/D-Burlington.
Friday, the House passed S.23, which would raise the minimum wage to $12.55 per hour by 2022 — a compromised target from the $15 per hour rate favored by Democratic senators. That bill also fell short of a veto-proof majority, on a vote of 93 to 54, with several independents and moderate Democrats raising concerns about the impact on small businesses.
Eight Democratic representatives voted against the minimum wage hike: Browning, Fegard, John Gannon, of Wilmington, Charles Kimbell, of Woodstock, Daniel Noyes, of Wolcott, Lucy Rogers, of Waterville, Theresa Wood, of Waterbury, and Sam Young, of Glover.
Now, the measure heads to the Senate for a final vote before it goes to Scott, where it faces a possible veto.
