House Committee on Energy and Technology Chair Tim Briglin, D-Thetford, briefed the press Wednesday on a new draft bill aimed at accelerating the expansion of broadband coverage throughout the state.
The committee bill attempts to address two major issues: funding for broadband expansion and how state government can best support the buildout.
The importance of remote work, learning and telehealth during the Covid-19 pandemic has spurred action to ensure the entire state has internet connection.
However, Briglin warned that lawmakers have an eye on the future with this proposal, recognizing there is limited time to fix the current lack of internet in certain areas of the state.
“We are focused on what the long-term solution is here,” he said. “The pandemic has inspired us to work as quickly as we can as a committee, but at the end of the day, we’ve got an issue that’s been decades in the making.”
—Kit Norton
Law enforcement officials told lawmakers Wednesday that the amount of criminal activity in and around motels where people experiencing homelessness are being housed during the pandemic is “unacceptable.”
Barre City Police Chief Tim Bombardier told the House Committee on General, Housing and Military Affairs that currently seven hotels in Central Vermont are housing 254 adults and 62 children experiencing homelessness.
Bombardier said 138 of those adults have been involved with police, fire or EMS services while living at the hotels — and 53 have been arrested.
He said reports range from noise complaints and welfare checks to drug sales, overdoses, assaults, prostitution, human trafficking, domestic violence and one missing-persons case last April that is “probably going to turn [out] to be a homicide.”
“Everyone deserves to enjoy the same peace and tranquility that we all expect when we go home,” he said. “Just because you’re homeless, that should not be taken away from you.”
The state has allocated several million dollars for additional police presence at these hotels statewide to try to alleviate some of the security issues going forward.
—Ellie French
The price tag for criminal justice reforms known as Justice Reinvestment II totals $900,000, lawmakers learned Wednesday.
Officials with the Council of State Governments presented the latest plans from the years-long initiative to a joint Zoom meeting of the House and Senate judiciary committees as well as the House Committee on Corrections and Institutions.
The specific requests for FY 2022 to fund Justice Reinvestment II efforts include:
—$200,000 for domestic violence intervention programming;
—$400,000 to “target gaps” in mental health and substance community services for people on supervision in the corrections system; and
—$300,000 for transitional housing.
“The governor has released his budget and $900,000 is in the budget related to these funding recommendations for Justice Reinvestment policies,” Sara Friedman, deputy program director for the Council of State Governments Justice Center, told the lawmakers.
—Alan Keays
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