Final Reading: No bus cuts?

Passengers disembark at the Green Mountain Transit Center in Burlington on March 31. GMT may reinstate its recently discontinued routes, after all. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger

Green Mountain Transit may reinstate its recently discontinued routes, after all.

As recently as last week, the service cuts appeared all but certain, despite a public comment process that is currently ongoing.

But at a meeting of the Senate Transportation Committee on Tuesday morning, GMT general manager Jon Moore told lawmakers that the $1.4 million set aside for fare-free transit in the House-passed transportation bill should be enough to allow routes to be restored and rides to stay free at least through the upcoming fiscal year.

“Not only could we continue the zero-fare service on our local routes, we could actually double that money by maximizing the use of our available federal funds,” Moore told the panel. “And with that, our board would have the flexibility to prioritize how to best use those funds, which would likely include the elimination of our proposed service reductions.”

Sen. Thomas Chittenden, D-Chittenden, made Moore another offer: What if lawmakers gave GMT the money set aside for fare-free transit — but also gave the bus system the option of using it in other ways? GMT could, for example, maintain free rides on weekdays but charge on weekends and use the proceeds to offer more frequent service.

“I just sense that many riders need the service as much as they appreciate the fare-free, and that’s why I’m advocating for flexibility as the (GMT) board gets creative,” Chittenden said.

“I think there’s certainly a valid debate on how investment in transit can be best spent to provide the public good — if that’s through fare-free transit, or charging a fare and expanding services or a combination of both. So that flexibility would certainly allow the GMT board to consider those factors,” Moore said.

Senate Transportation chair Dick Mazza, D-Grand Isle, has made clear he is no fan of fare-free transit, which he thinks is unsustainable in the long term. But for now — and with federal cash available to draw upon — he said he’s inclined to let GMT have the money set aside in the House-passed bill.

“As long as they’re aware of that maybe someday in the future they’ll have to consider small fares again,” Mazza told VTDigger. “But as long as this federal match is there, I think the consensus is going to be that, sure, we should do it. We should do the best we can. But they’ve got to think in the future, of when this money does dry up.”

— Lola Duffort

IN THE KNOW

The Vermont National Guard investigated five allegations of sexual assault, including two of rape, involving its members last fiscal year, according to an annual report discussed Tuesday afternoon in the House Committee on General, Housing and Military Affairs. Three of those incidents allegedly took place that year, while two occurred in previous years.

Lawmakers addressed the annual report, which has been required by law for nearly a decade, as they considered H.666. The bill would create a consultant position to assist lawmakers in overseeing the Guard’s efforts to reduce sexual misconduct among its ranks.

“Commanders and leaders have created a climate where survivors of sexual assault are coming forward with confidence that their reports will be taken seriously and knowledge that they will receive the support and care necessary,” Adjutant General Greg Knight said in a memo to the Legislature.

— Auditi Guha

Lawmakers are concerned about a backlog following the recent closure of a mobile state-run clinic that evaluates children with developmental disabilities, which has left families waiting sometimes a year or more for evaluation for conditions such as autism.

Some 300 children a year received evaluations for speech delays, learning disabilities, ADHD and other conditions affecting child development. Vermont began phasing out the clinic before the pandemic, the Valley News reported last month. There have been no new referrals to the clinic since 2020.

On Tuesday, Ilisa Stalberg, maternal and child health director at the Vermont Department of Health, told the House Committee on Human Services that the state recently finished working through its backlog from before the pandemic.

The services have been transferred to a University of Vermont Medical Center clinic in Burlington, but families have been told they’d have to wait for more than a year for evaluations. The backlog is just as severe at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health’s clinic in Lebanon, New Hampshire.

In response to lawmakers’ concerns, Stalberg acknowledged the timing of the state clinic’s closure is not ideal. But she said children with developmental disabilities can begin getting services before they’re officially diagnosed. She also said the state is looking for ways to address the wait for evaluations.

A solution may be weeks or even months away, however, because the Agency of Human Services is still developing a solution.

— Liora Engel-Smith

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

When students of Northern Vermont University become alumni this May, Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale, D-Chittenden, will be there to congratulate them.

Ram Hinsdale will deliver the commencement address at the public university’s Lyndon campus on May 15 — fewer than three months before she faces her Democratic opponents in the August primary for Vermont’s lone seat in the U.S. House.

University spokesperson Sylvia Plumb told VTDigger on Tuesday that commencement organizers chose Ram Hinsdale as a keynote speaker because her work on diversity, equity and inclusion in the state Legislature aligned with the university’s own goals.

“We chose Sen. Ram Hinsdale for our commencement speaker because she’s a strong young Vermonter who has broken down barriers,” Plumb said. “She’s an inspiration for many of our graduates.”

Katherine Levasseur, a spokesperson for the Vermont State Colleges System, told VTDigger via email that other politicians have delivered commencement speeches in recent years. Gov. Phil Scott spoke at Community College of Vermont’s graduation in 2019; U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., at NVU’s in 2017; and U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., at Castleton University in 2010.

Levasseur said the system does not endorse political candidates, and Ram Hinsdale was invited “strictly in her capacity as a state senator and social equity and inclusion expert.” Plumb said that NVU has been in contact with Ram Hinsdale’s campaign to “make it really clear that this is not a political platform.”

Campaign spokesperson Riley Janeway said that Ram Hinsdale has been asked to speak at similar events recently, so NVU’s invitation “didn’t raise flags” as an ethical violation.

“I think everyone’s on edge about the race,” Janeway said. “Anything that gives folks any platform causes some type of eyebrow to be raised, regardless of whether it’s in their capacity as state legislators or well-known figures.”

— Sarah Mearhoff

COVID CORNER

BA.2 has taken over New England.

The Covid-19 variant, Omicron’s close cousin, now forms about 84% of cases in the region, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

Measuring BA.2’s impact on Vermont is challenging. The meaning of state data has changed as Vermont transitions to an “endemic” mentality in its data collection and shifts its Covid testing strategy.

Vermont now provides antigen tests and LAMP tests along with PCR options at its state-run testing sites, but the majority of cases reported by the Department of Health continue to be PCR results.

The state reported 150 cases Tuesday for a seven-day average of 150.3, about 16% higher than last week, according to the health department. At the same time, the PCR positivity rate has risen to 7.2%, the highest it has reached since early February.

Read more here.

— Erin Petenko

MARCH MADNESS

We are delighted to report that the winners of this year’s Statehouse March Madness tournament are Rep. Taylor Small, P/D-Winooski (1st runner-up) and Charity Clark, chief of staff to Attorney General TJ Donovan. They both wore fabulous purple outfits, pictured below.

Rep. Scott Beck, R-St. Johnsbury, who should maybe try wearing more purple next year, was second runner-up.

Clark said she would donate her winnings to the Junior League of Champlain Valley Diaper Bank and noted that there is no government subsidy — yet — in Vermont for diapers. The rest of the pool’s entrance fees are set to go to World Central Kitchen, which is helping in the Ukrainian humanitarian effort.

For winding up in 87th place after strong showings in previous years, outgoing Secretary of State Jim Condos received the “Tarnished Star” award. Rep. Chris Mattos, R-Milton, who finished last, nabbed the “Better Luck Next Time” trophy (but did not attend to accept his prize). House Speaker Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, and Sen. Thomas Chittenden, D-Chittenden, who are apparently sentimental fools, were recognized for “selecting brackets with heart” after picking the Catamounts as their champion.

Our very own Riley Robinson, who placed 11th, was named Rookie of the Year. Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Chittenden, who organized the pool and Tuesday’s very serious awards ceremony, noted that Robinson commented in this very newsletter that her selections had been based on nothing but “cool mascots and general vibes.”

“Just goes to show you that well — whatever,” he said.

— Lola Duffort

WHAT’S FOR LUNCH

Chef Bryant is getting fancy. On Wednesday the specials will be Jasper Hill blue cheese and Boyden Farm beef burgers, sirloin chili with Nitty Gritty cornbread, and ham, apple and Vermont Farmstead brie paninis. In this economy??

— Lola Duffort