While home looks like a snowglobe, lawmakers are wishing Vermont’s Olympians good luck in the Winter Games in Beijing.
Friday’s Opening Ceremony kicked off more than two weeks of the world’s most incredible athletic feats, during which roughly two dozen athletes with Vermont connections will show the world how it’s done on the slopes and off.
House members during Friday morning’s floor session offered their applause and well wishes to the athletes. And one intrepid reporter caught Lt. Gov. Molly Gray — a former UVM cross-country skier — in front of the golden dome filming a social media message for Vermont’s competitors.
“We are so proud of you,” she said, snow flurrying around her. “We know you hail from every corner of the state, and you’re competing in so many different events. We’ll be cheering you on.”
Gov. Phil Scott also offered his well wishes in a video Thursday, telling Olympians that he is “certain each and every one of you will represent our brave little state well.”
“Every four years, athletes from around the globe show the value of preparation, perseverance and patriotism,” he said. “No matter what’s been happening politically, the Olympics have always been a beacon of hope, pride and unity. During these times of uncertainty, it’s more important than ever to show the world all the good we have to offer.”
It’s a cliche to compare politics to sports, but this political reporter is here to break all of our Statehouse aficionados some tough news: The Olympics are far and away much cooler than anything that happens in Montpelier. Sorry!
— Sarah Mearhoff
IN THE KNOW
The $367 million budget adjustment act, which received preliminary approval from the Senate yesterday, was held back from third reading Friday as the chamber’s appropriations committee considered two amendments — one from Sen. Chris Pearson, P/D-Chittenden, and Senate Minority Leader Randy Brock, R-Franklin.
Pearson’s amendment would require American Rescue Plan Act-funded construction contracts of $200,000 or more awarded under the bill to pay Vermont’s prevailing wage. A similar rule — with a $100,000 threshold — is standard in the state’s biannual capital bill. The proposal has 13 co-sponsors — including Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint, D-Windham.
Of the committee’s members, only Sen. Alice Nitka, D-Windsor, said she would oppose it, although several, including Sen. Richie Westman, R-Lamoille, said that they would like to see the threshold increased.
Brock’s amendment remains unsettled as lawmakers work on an update over the weekend.
Scott’s administration and Republicans have repeatedly argued that Democratic lawmakers are not applying the federal dollars strategically enough. The minority leader’s amendment says it seeks to “establish (the Legislature’s) commitment to using ARPA funds in a transformational manner, including for broadband, water and sewer, housing, economic recovery, and climate mitigation infrastructure.”
But asked by Sen. Phil Baruth, D/P-Chittenden if his amendment was intended to have any material consequences, Brock assured him that it did not.
“If you got your language but we didn’t change the ARPA spending pattern, would your folks vote for this bill?” Baruth asked, referring to Republican senators.
“My sense is they would because what this is is a message designed for the future,” Brock replied. “It’s not designed to rewrite budget adjustment.”
The budget adjustment act is scheduled to come back on the floor Tuesday.
— Lola Duffort
As Vermont’s Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations continued to trend down, Health Commissioner Mark Levine celebrated the state’s resilient health care system at the governor’s weekly press conference Tuesday.
“At no point during the Omicron surge, even when our hospitalizations were in the 120 range per day (of Covid patients) and the number of ICU beds and use were in the high 20s, did the state’s health care system capacity become overwhelmed,” he said.
Yet Omicron infections among staff forced the largest hospital in Vermont to shuffle workers around under emergency staffing procedures. Smaller hospitals resorted to using positive staff members, canceling elective procedures and boarding admitted patients at the emergency room.
So what does “overwhelmed” mean to Levine? Vermont Department of Health spokesperson Ben Truman on Friday made a distinction between a “highly stressed system” and a system that can no longer accommodate its patients.
In other words, Vermont hospitals never had to turn patients away like hospitals in Colorado and other parts of the country have.
That may be true, but Vermont’s situation is far from ideal, said Jeff Tieman, president and chief executive officer of the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems.
“In the spectrum between overwhelmed and the ideal, we’re much closer to overwhelmed,” he said.
— Liora Engel-Smith
Legislators in the state’s Senate Committee on Agriculture are discussing a bill that would limit the types of nuisance suits property owners can bring against farms.
It would bring the state’s “right to farm” law, which exists in all 50 states, closer to laws that exist in a majority of other states, including Arkansas and Michigan, Michael O’Grady, a lawyer for the Office of Legislative Council, told the committee this week.
If passed, the new law could protect farms against suits such as the one neighbors recently brought against the Vorsteveld farm in Addison County. The trial played out in Addison County Superior Court in December and early January, and the judge has not yet issued a decision.
— Emma Cotton
ON THE MOVE
A proposed constitutional amendment clarifying that all forms of slavery and indentured servitude are prohibited in Vermont has overcome its final legislative hurdle. It’s now poised to go before voters in November.
Capping off a four-year process, the Vermont House on Friday voted 139-3 for Proposal 2 with little debate or opposition. Rep. Hal Colston, D-Winooski, said on the floor that the constitutional amendment “is simple and clear, yet powerful and profound.”
Vermont was the first state in the nation to abolish slavery in 1777, but proponents of Prop 2 say the Constitution’s language is ambiguous — and harmful.
The measure would amend the Constitution to simply state that “slavery and indentured servitude in any form are prohibited.”
— Sarah Mearhoff
CAMPAIGN SEASON
Kitty Toll, a former Democratic state representative from Danville who led the House’s powerful budget-writing panel, is joining the increasingly crowded race for lieutenant governor.
Toll served two terms as chair of the House Appropriations Committee, which she said gave her a keen understanding of the interplay between federal spending and state budgeting. Vermont is at a crossroads, she argued, with unprecedented amounts of one-time federal cash to spend, and could benefit from her experience.
“I think that this is a time where we have to be very thoughtful in the choices that we make,” she said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
— Lola Duffort
WHAT’S ON TAP
MONDAY, FEB. 7
Noon to 4 p.m. — House Appropriations will continue its whirlwind tour of the fiscal year 2023 budget, with stops at the state treasurer’s office, the Vermont Criminal Justice Council and the Agency of Education.
TUESDAY, FEB. 8
The House will take up Prop 5, enshrining abortion rights into the Vermont Constitution.
The Senate will take up S.210, the rental registry bill, and H.679, the budget adjustment bill.
WHAT WE’RE READING
Mikaela Shiffrin, recovering from heartbreak, ready to hit Olympic slopes (VTDigger)
Attorney general reminds Vermonters of propane protection laws as snow, cold continue (VTDigger)
Amid police chief debate, Progressives’ opponents see public safety as top election issue (VTDigger)
The Nursing Home Slumlord Manifesto (The American Prospect)
