IN APRIL 9’S FINAL READING:
— House Human Services lawmakers continued to wrestle with amendment language that would restrict parents who lost custody of their children from visiting them in foster homes during the Covid-19 pandemic to limit the spread of the virus.
Rep. Sandy Haas, P-Rochester, raised concern about parents who are under a court order to visit their children to rebuild relationships. “Then we say ‘I’m sorry, bad timing, you lose,” she said. “‘You can never build a relationship with this child.’”
“I worry about the mommy and toddler,” Haas said. She recommended that the language the committee decides on, if it moves forward with the amendment, should give wiggle room to parents under these kinds of court agreements. – Grace Elletson
— Former state Rep. Bernie Juskiewicz died Wednesday from the new coronavirus. Juskiewicz was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives in 2013 and served until he chose not to run for reelection in 2018.
“It’s kind of surreal. It just happened to such a wonderful man,” Rep. Larry Cupoli, R-Rutland, a close friend of Juskiewicz’s, said Thursday. Juskiewicz developed a reputation as an advocate for secondary education, and was devoted to the University of Vermont, where he was a trustee. – Elizabeth Hewitt
— Senate economic development lawmakers are beginning to look into what kind of federal aid the state will be receiving for housing assistance as many Vermonters are struggling to pay their housing bills during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Maura Collins, executive director of the Vermont Housing Finance Agency, said that while the federal aid packages do include relief for renters, there is less relief slated for homeowners who may be struggling to pay their mortgages.
“Seventy-one percent of Vermonters are homeowners,” she said. Collins urged lawmakers to also prioritize financial relief for homeowners as they begin divvying up housing assistance cash. – Grace Elletson
— Sarah Squirrell, commissioner of the Department of Mental Health, told House Corrections lawmakers that the demand for in-patient emergency services for mental health needs has gone down since the pandemic hit Vermont.
“One might say it’s a good thing,” Squirrell said. “At the same time, it worries me as the commissioner of mental health that we may not be seeing individuals who are experiencing significant psychiatric distress because they’re afraid to go out in public.”
While Vermont’s in-patient mental health services are currently operating under capacity, Squirrell warned that when the pandemic ends and these services see a surge in needs, they’re may not be enough staff to keep up with the renewed demand. – Grace Elletson
— For the last week, the Vermont’s Agency of Transportation has been monitoring traffic along the state’s borders to measure the effectiveness of Gov. Phil Scott’s orders aimed at reducing public activity and interstate travel during the pandemic.
Secretary of Transportation Joe Flynn told the Senate Judiciary Committee that in the last week, officials have found an overall 52% decrease in traffic. As of this morning, the department had staff monitoring traffic at 38 spots along Vermont’s border. – Xander Landen
— Debate over how farmers markets can be held during the time of the coronavirus continued in Senate Ag, as official guidance from the Scott administration is expected to come Friday morning. While supermarkets have remained open as essential businesses during the state of emergency, farmers markets have not.
The Agency of Agriculture says it’s harder to curb person-to-person contact at farmers markets than at supermarkets, which it says is the normal way most people buy the bulk of their food. “If you have an open farmers market, are you creating an additional avenue for people to get food … and thereby increasing their exposure to other people?” said Steven Collier, general counsel for the Ag agency.
Committee Vice Chair Sen. Chris Pearson, P/D-Chittenden, said he did not entirely agree with the agency’s argument. “I think we’re making a really odd distinction here, of kind of what is the normal way of people getting food and what isn’t,” Pearson said. “I guess I’m not convinced.” – Kit Norton
— The Vermont State Employees Union has a two-year contract with the state of Vermont that takes effect on July 1. But it may not be worth the paper it was printed on. The state budget picture is unclear because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the money may not be there to cover the nearly $50 million for pay increases.
Thursday morning, the House Government Operations Committee began investigating the possibilities. “This was our first in-depth conversation about the Pay Act,” said committee chair Rep. Sarah Copeland Hanzas, D-Bradford, after the hearing. “From what I understand about the fiscal outlook, any outcome is on the table — from not funding it at all, to funding at a later date.” – John Walters
