Final Reading: 'We aren't about to drop the ball quite yet'

Lawmakers and anti-hunger advocates gathered on the Statehouse steps Wednesday to rally for universal free meals in K-12 schools.

The bill that would provide them, S.100, has had a long and winding journey. The Senate first passed the bill last session, although at the time its sponsors settled for a slightly cheaper proposition: free breakfast. Helped along by a near $100 million Education Fund surplus, House lawmakers have since amended the bill to include both breakfast and lunch — although just for a year.

“Since last year, we got the universal meals bill through the House, and it’s back over with us,” Senate Agriculture chair Bobby Starr, D-Essex/Orleans, told a cheering crowd. “And we aren’t about to drop the ball quite yet.”

The federal government already subsidizes free lunch in schools for low-income kids, and critics say they don’t want to invest taxpayer dollars to feed kids whose parents can afford to pitch in. But advocates say the current system lets too many children fall through the cracks — and creates a stigmatizing experience for families who opt in.

“Nobody says well, you don’t get to get on the bus because your parents have nice cars in the driveway. That would be ridiculous,” said Sen. Chris Pearson, P/D-Chittenden. “If the cost of universal meals — delivering dignity, and providing community, a stronger sense of community in our schools — is free lunch for a few rich kids, that’s well worth the price.”

But a long-term source of funding has not yet been identified to pay for universal meals. And even Democrats are not all lined up behind the measure. Senate Education Committee chair Brian Campion, D-Bennington, for example, has said he thinks other priorities should take precedence: namely, educator workforce shortages and remediation of PCBs, a common class of toxic chemicals, in schools.

Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint, D-Windham — one of S.100’s supporters — acknowledged as much in a separate press conference earlier on Wednesday. “I have some senators who are perhaps not as supportive, and so we’re going to continue to figure out a compromise going forward,” she said. Balint said she, too, considered PCBs a top priority, and added that there might be a path to do both.

And indeed, the Education Fund’s $95 million surplus could easily accommodate the $30 million price tag for one year of universal meals and the $40 million Campion has flagged for PCBs. But that won’t leave much room for all the other pet policies lawmakers — and Gov. Phil Scott — have been eyeing that money for, including pension investments, property tax cuts, and career and technical education.

— Lola Duffort

U.S. Sen Patrick Leahy gets a hug from his wife, Marcelle Leahy, in the cafeteria at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Wednesday. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger

IN THE KNOW

When U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., paid a visit to the Statehouse in Montpelier on Wednesday, he thought he would lunch with legislators and watch a typical House floor session.

Instead, he was met with a House chamber packed with all of the state’s legislators, Gov. Phil Scott and Lt. Gov. Molly Gray. They all gathered in the same room for the first time in two years for a surprise ceremony to honor Leahy’s nearly 50 years of service in the U.S. Senate as he approaches his retirement in 2023.

When House Speaker Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, began reading aloud the resolution honoring his “illustrious senatorial career,” Leahy turned suddenly with surprise to his wife, Marcelle Leahy, sitting beside him. She was in on it, and patted his arm.

Read more here.

— Sarah Mearhoff

The Vermont Democratic Party, which has been beset by turnover and turmoil in recent years, is once again looking for new leadership.

VDP executive director Claire Cummings has resigned from her post, exactly one year after taking the reins. A statement released Tuesday evening by state party chair Anne Lezak said that the party was “strong and energized a year after Claire Cummings took on the role of executive director. Her hard work, acumen, and enthusiasm have contributed to advancing the values and goals of the Party.”

Reached by phone, Lezak would not elaborate on the reasons for Cummings’ departure, other than to say that she had ended things with Cummings on “good terms.” The executive director delivered her resignation yesterday, and it was effective immediately, Lezak said.

Read more here.

— Lola Duffort

A bill to ban racially or religiously restrictive covenants in property deeds now faces an uncertain future after a prominent racial justice advocate told lawmakers that the bill needs more testimony.

“It’s my personal opinion that the bill should be tabled,” Rev. Mark Hughes, executive director of the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance, said at a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting on Tuesday.

It’s now “up in the air” whether the committee will move ahead with the bill, committee chair Sen. Dick Sears, D-Bennington, said in an interview Tuesday afternoon.

Read more here.

— Riley Robinson

ON THE FIFTH FLOOR

It was at times a messy breakup, but the split is now official: Essex Junction is slated to become its own city, distinct from the town of Essex, this summer.

The two jurisdictions that have been bound to one another for more than a century will separate on July 1, after Gov. Phil Scott signed H.491 — a charter change approved by voters in the village of Essex Junction — on Wednesday.

The village of Essex Junction and the town of Essex both have governments that provide residents with municipal services. But village residents get some of their services from the town, meaning they pay taxes to both the village and the town. Town residents only pay taxes to the town government.

By splitting apart, village officials argued, residents will pay a slimmer property tax rate, and some municipal services will not be duplicated.

Read more here.

— Jack Lyons

Scott signed a spate of other bills into law Wednesday:

H.627, which increases size and eligibility for some loans from the Vermont Economic Development Authority.
H.680, which removes restrictions on which town clerks can issue marriage licenses.
H.556, which exempts land owned by Native American tribes from property taxes.
H.448, a bundle of Burlington charter changes.

— Riley Robinson

WHAT’S FOR LUNCH

One could call me a lot of names, but one thing I am not is a liar. And so I kept yesterday’s word and sauntered down to the ol’ caf today to try Sandwich Man Peter’s famous Mediterranean tuna sandwich and let me tell you: It delivered.

Come Thursday, caf connoisseurs can partake in bacon mac & cheese, with a side of baked beans (a pairing that Chef Bryant made out to be expected, even second nature, but one for which I personally have never opted).

From Sandwich Man Peter’s station on Thursday, you can grab a chicken tzatziki gyro. And from the grill — hold onto your horses — a rodeo burger, featuring Boyden Farm beef (naturally, support local), BBQ sauce and crispy onions. Yeehaw!

— Sarah Mearhoff