Is it me you’re looking for?
*Stretches neck, cracks knuckles, hover hands above keyboard* We’re back, baby!
I write to you, dear Final Reader, on Jan. 2 — the eve of Vermont’s new legislative session. A holiday in its own right, if you ask me.
Tomorrow, like moths to a flame, I will join hundreds of lawmakers, staffers, reporters, lobbyists and hobbyists as we collectively filter back into those storied Statehouse halls to commence the 2024 legislative session.
In ways, this year will feel familiar: It will, in fact, not be the first fully in-person session since the Covid-19 pandemic upended legislative proceedings; that was last year.
It will also be the second year of the 2023-2024 biennium. There is no new crop of lawmakers to inaugurate — been there, done that! — and legislators can largely pick up from where they left off this past May. We all have our sea legs under us, and that’s a beautiful thing.
But in other ways, Vermont’s lawmakers this year are venturing into uncharted waters — literally. You’ve heard it before, and I will say it again: This summer’s floods changed everything. The state’s housing crisis is now worse. Vital public infrastructure took a beating. And how the state will pay for it all — well, that’s up for debate.
We here at VTDigger will be following along every step of the way, from the first fall of the gavel to the last. Our loyal Final Readers already know what’s up, but a primer for the uninitiated:
Every day the Legislature is in session, so are we, delivering the top political stories of the day to your inbox. That means you can expect new emails Tuesday through Friday, January through sometime-in-May, with a brief, beautiful respite for Town Meeting week. We also like to have some fun around here, and hope you do, too.
We’ll be following closely as lawmakers hash out Vermont’s most pressing policy debates, from flood recovery and housing, to the opioid epidemic and public safety, to affordability and workforce development, and so much more.
This year also happens to be an election year — and a presidential one, at that. Every state lawmaker in both the legislative and executive branches will be up for reelection. We’ll be keeping tabs on their plans for November (Gov. Scott, call me!), and how those plans may impact their actions in Montpelier.
Thanks for reading, and don’t be a stranger. Our contact info is below.
See you soon,
— Sarah Mearhoff
This year’s crew
As the aforementioned hobbyists, lobbyists and lawmakers make their way back to the building on Wednesday, so too will VTDigger’s seasoned crew of Statehouse journalists. As we announced last month, some have new titles and some have new beats. All want to hear your hot tips and story ideas.
So who’s doing what?
Anchoring our coverage — and Final Reading — will be newly named Statehouse bureau chief Sarah Mearhoff (smearhoff@vtdigger.org) and state government and economy reporter Shaun Robinson (srobinson@vtdigger.org). Among other topics, Sarah will be covering legislative leadership, the Fifth Floor, money committees and flood recovery. In addition to economic issues, Shaun will be leading our legislative coverage of criminal justice and public safety, as well as transportation, broadband and government operations.
You’ll also be seeing members of our policy team in a committee room near you: energy, environment and climate reporter Emma Cotton (ecotton@vtdigger.org); human services and health care reporter Peter D’Auria (pdauria@vtdigger.org); criminal justice reporter Alan Keays (akeays@vtdigger.org); education and corrections reporter Ethan Weinstein (eweinstein@vtdigger.org), who also covers southern Vermont; and housing and infrastructure reporter Carly Berlin (cberlin@vtdigger.org), a shared employee with Vermont Public.
Northwest Vermont reporter Patrick Crowley (pcrowley@vtdigger.org) and southern Vermont reporter Tiffany Tan (ttan@vtdigger.org) will be covering issues related to substance use disorder — inside and outside the Statehouse. Data and Washington County reporter Erin Petenko (epetenko@vtdigger.org) will be lending her graphics wizardry to the team and supplementing our flood recovery coverage.
Ace photog Glenn Russell (grussell@vtdigger.org) will be returning to the Statehouse for his 38th (!!) session.
And wrangling all of this will be newly named senior editor Kristen Fountain (kfountain@vtdigger.org), who oversees our politics and policy team — as well as this very newsletter.
Add us to your press lists and tell us everything you know.
— Paul Heintz
Do your homework
If you’ve read this far, you’re definitely the kind of person who relishes in a homework assignment. (That’s not a dig; I was that kid, too.)
We’re not even back in the building yet, but VTDigger has already been hard at work reporting on the news to come from this legislative session. Check out our stories previewing some of the action:
- Despite governor’s opposition, Vermont House to consider bill to establish overdose prevention sites by Patrick Crowley
- With flood recovery bills coming due, state lawmakers brace for a tight budget by Sarah Mearhoff
- Lawmakers tee up solutions to address Vermont’s stubborn court backlogs by Shaun Robinson
- Summer floods lead to legislation calling for a statewide plan for rivers by Emma Cotton
— Sarah Mearhoff
Just for funsies
Have you read my story on the Attorney General’s Office’s star K-9 unit, Mojo the chubby yellow lab? If not, you better! I know you people love dog content!
— Sarah Mearhoff
