Hopefully all of our dear readers are enjoying the House’s hybrid format because it’s sticking around for now.
Legislators on Friday morning passed a resolution extending their part-remote, part-in-person Covid protocols until Tuesday, Feb. 15. Had they not acted Friday, their current procedures would have expired next week.
Under the updated resolution, House members are directed to report to work in person, unless they “must be absent from the chamber due to symptomatic illness or direct Covid-19-related circumstances.” In that case, they may participate in their committees and on the floor remotely.
The umbrella of “Covid-19-related circumstances” is purposefully broad. Some legislators may exercise greater caution because of their own health concerns, or those of their family members, Rep. Anne Donahue, R-Northfield, said on the floor. Other lawmakers with kids have cited their child care woes due to Covid-prompted school or daycare closures, which can render it impossible to report to Montpelier.
Rep. Katherine Sims, D-Craftsbury, said she was glad to see the body “offering maximum flexibility” and “recognizing a variety of Covid-related circumstances.”
“This allows for maximum participation by members, which I think is good for this body and the constituents that we represent,” she said.
The resolution passed via voice vote with overwhelming support, but not everyone seemed particularly thrilled. Rep. Heidi Scheuermann, R-Stowe, who has been waging a crusade to get her colleagues and the public back into the Statehouse, reluctantly voted yes.
“I have been strongly supportive of us returning to work, just like … staff and teachers in schools and servers in restaurants and what-have-you throughout this state,” she said.
Rep. Brian Cina, P/D-Burlington, noted on the floor that the resolution does not permit remote participation for non-Covid illnesses, such as influenza. Donahue said that, just like The Before Times, members who don’t come to the Statehouse because they have a non-Covid illness would miss their votes.
Cina responded saying he is “one of those people who don’t stop working even when (they’re) sick.”
“In the future, if I feel sick, and it’s not Covid, and I want to come in, I don’t want to miss a vote, I’m probably going to come in,” Cina said. “If people are uncomfortable with that, I’m happy to talk with you individually and I might consider making another choice. But it’s important to me to represent my constituents. It’s important for me to vote.”
There’s not a rule against coming in sick, but Donahue reminded her colleagues of their “individual responsibility.”
“One would hope that members have a degree of responsibility, that they would not come with a contagious illness,” Donahue said. “I would hope no one would have in the past or would now do something that would place others at risk.”
— Sarah Mearhoff
IN THE KNOW
Between 2000 and 2021, 289 minors were married in Vermont, Rep. Carol Ode, D-Burlington, said in a presentation to the House Judiciary Committee on Friday. She said 80% of those minors were girls marrying adult men.
State law currently allows 16- and 17-year-olds to marry with the consent of one parent or guardian. Ode is cosponsoring a bill, H.631, that would eliminate this exception and raise the age to 18.
— Riley Robinson
Staffing at Vermont’s long-term care facilities was at a crisis point even before the Omicron surge, a recent Vermont Legal Aid report shows.
Published earlier this month, the legislative report says staffing issues and the poor resident care that followed require “urgent attention.” The report covers the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2021, but the staffing issues at elder care facilities persisted, according to Sean Londergan, Vermont’s long-term care ombudsman, who authored the report.
“This was an issue before the pandemic and it’s only gotten worse,” he said.
The long-term care ombudsman office fields hundreds of complaints from families, residents and advocates.
— Liora Engel-Smith
The House Judiciary Committee is considering three drug reform bills, the most-supported of which would decriminalize possession of a personal supply of controlled substances.
H. 644 proposes making possession of limited quantities of controlled substances a civil offense warranting a $50 fine. Choosing to be screened for a substance use disorder would waive the fee.
The committee considered what it would mean to treat drug abuse as a matter of public health rather than criminality, especially considering the bill would not inject additional funding to recovery infrastructure.
“Is our health care system up for the challenge of treating this solely as a health care issue?” asked Rep. Martin LaLonde, D-South Burlington.
“Of anywhere in the country that can handle this starting off without additional resources, I think Vermont is probably one of the best candidates,” said Andrew Seaman, the Vermont Medical Director for Better Life Partners, an addiction treatment organization. He pointed to the hub and spoke program as an example of Vermont’s success treating Substance Use Disorder.
— Ethan Weinstein
ON THE MOVE
The House is officially sending gun control bill S.30 back to the Senate. The measure passed on third reading Friday, 84 to 42. A more limited version of the bill passed the upper chamber in March, but the House has since amended it to close the so-called “Charleston Loophole.”
“Today, the House overwhelmingly passed gun safety legislation that would protect Vermonters while respecting our long history of hunting and responsible gun ownership,” House Speaker Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, said in a statement cheering the measure’s passage. “S.30 takes steps to ensure that guns are kept out of the hands of individuals with a history of domestic abuse or other dangerous behaviors, and out of our hospitals where people are seeking care and the presence of guns is unnecessary.”
— Lola Duffort
COVID CORNER
A new subvariant of the now-dominant Omicron strain was detected in Vermont this week as part of genomic sequencing, the Department of Health reported Friday.
The Broad Institute identified the subvariant in a sample sent to them as part of Vermont’s “ongoing sequencing efforts,” according to health department spokesperson Ben Truman.
The subvariant has been identified in about two dozen other U.S. states so far, but its prevalence remains below 1% in every state, according to Outbreak.Info, a multi-lab research cooperative. It’s also been detected in 53 countries besides the United States.
— Erin Petenko
IN THE FEED
May your weekend bring less suit, more sweatpant:
We couldn’t agree more.
WHAT WE’RE READING
Vermont’s non-Covid-related deaths reach their highest point in years (VTDigger)
28 neglected farm animals rescued in St. Albans Town (VTDigger)
Pitchfork’s take on a new album by Vermont artist Anaïs Mitchell (Pitchfork)
