Legislative leaders might allow joint assemblies and committee hearings in-person at the Statehouse this summer and fall, in a test run for what the Legislature’s 2022 session may look like.
House Speaker Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, said Monday the Vermont House of Representatives plans to approve a resolution to allow a return to the Statehouse 30 days after Gov. Phil Scott lifts his Covid-19 state of emergency.
The resolution would allow House members to attend joint committee hearings and joint assemblies in Montpelier as early as August.
The tentative plan, according to Krowinski and other members of the legislative leadership team, calls for lawmakers, the press, lobbyists and members of the public to be allowed into the Statehouse for those hearings.
Krowinski told the Joint Rules Committee Monday that this system would allow the Legislature to “test things out” before a potential return to doing business in the Statehouse in 2022.
“We want to make sure that we are able to test what it looks like (in person) and work with staff and literally the building to see what this transition looks like for us,” Krowinski said.
Senate Majority Leader Alison Clarkson, D-Windsor, agreed with Krowinski. A gradual return may prove helpful for lawmakers, staff and the public to become accustomed to in-person proceedings as the coronavirus pandemic eases its grip on Vermont, Clarkson said.
“I think it’s an interesting idea to have the joint summer committee to be guinea pigs for how we might roll out starting again in January,” Clarkson said.
The House resolution is likely to include language that would give the chamber flexibility to meet at an auxiliary location if public health issues arise.
“Our goal through this whole process is to ensure that, when we come back, we’re doing it in a way that puts public health and safety first,” Krowinski said.
The House Rules Committee is scheduled to vote on the measure Tuesday. The Senate has already approved a resolution giving itself the flexibility to continue meeting remotely until early next January.
The Legislature will continue to conduct business via Zoom for the remainder of the 2021 legislative session.
Leadership spent much of last week discussing plans for the 2022 session. Debate began after the release of a study by Freeman French Freeman, an architectural firm based in Burlington, presenting options for how lawmakers could meet in Montpelier next year.
The first option — allowing only lawmakers and staff in the Statehouse, and banning the public, the press and lobbyists from the building — drew immediate criticism, and Krowinski and Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint, D-Windham, quickly said it was a nonstarter.
On Monday, Krowinski made clear that, under the House plan, the press and public media could attend in-person meetings inside the Statehouse this summer and fall.
“We need to … take into account how we ensure full access for the press and how we create access in a safe way for the public,” she said.
Krowinski said she has talked with the Statehouse sergeant-at-arms about setting up overflow rooms for committees; if the primary rooms get too crowded, people would watch a live video-feed of the proceedings in the overflow room.
Krowinksi said there are no plans to require proof of Covid-19 vaccination to enter the Statehouse. Masks will likely be required inside the building, she said.
Balint said that neither she nor Krowinksi has discussed allowing only vaccinated people to enter the Statehouse, and potential legal concerns surrounding that question, especially after Scott lifts his Covid-19 emergency declaration.
“We have to think very carefully if we use something within the Statehouse that runs counter to the emergency order,” Balint said.
