On Tuesday afternoon, the Statehouse lawn was dotted with Palestinian flags billowing in the unseasonably warm breeze as roughly 100 demonstrators joined a handful of state lawmakers to call for a cease-fire in the monthslong war between Israel and Hamas.
The demonstration came as state lawmakers have circulated among themselves a letter, slated to be sent to President Joe Biden, urging him to flex his presidential might on the international stage to push for an end to the war. As of Tuesday, more than 60 state representatives and senators had signed onto the letter, as well as Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman.
One of the letter’s organizers, Rep. Dave Templeman, D-Brownington, told the crowd on Tuesday that when legislators first began drafting the letter, “We began to hear a familiar message: Stay in your lane.”
“We do not accept the premise that only certain voices belong in this struggle,” Templeman retorted on Tuesday. “We must not ignore the suffering of innocent civilians, or accept the notion that we can only influence crises within our immediate sphere.”
Demonstrators carried signs during Tuesday’s event that declared “ceasefire now,” “we won’t look away,” and other anti-war messages. Taped onto one sign was a photo of three Palestinian and Palestinian-American college students who were non-fatally shot in Burlington in November — a violent incident that showed, according to Tuesday’s speakers, the war’s conflict has reached across the world, touching Vermont. (Prosecutors have not divulged a motive, and no hate crime charges have been filed against the shooting suspect as of Tuesday.)
In two press appearances on Monday, Biden raised hopes of an impending pause in the violence during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, according to the Associated Press. But the AP reported on Tuesday that officials from both Israel and Hamas have walked back those claims.
The latest outbreak of violence erupted when, on Oct. 7, Hamas militants killed some 1,200 Israelis and took hundreds more hostage in the deadliest terrorist attack in the nation’s history. Israel’s rebuttal has been fierce, killing nearly 30,000 Palestinian civilians to date by air strikes and a ground invasion, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, an agency of the Hamas-controlled administration. Eighty percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants have been displaced and millions are now facing disease and famine.
The Legislature is not unanimous in calling for a cease-fire. As members were circulating their letter for signatures, Rep. Casey Toof, R-St. Albans Town, stood on the House floor last week to decry the move, saying that “the message this (letter) sends to our Jewish friends and neighbors is one of ignorance and shows a complete lack of sympathy.”
“Until the remaining hostages are released and Hamas surrenders I don’t foresee the president caring what the Vermont Legislature has to say,” Toof said. “Nor should we assume we are informed enough about this conflict to add our opinion one way or the other. However our Jewish neighbors care very much what we say right now, and sending this letter says the wrong thing.”
At Tuesday’s demonstration, Debra Stoleroff from the Vermont chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace pushed back against that narrative, saying, “It is not antisemitic to criticize a government.”
“As long as our tax dollars fund the Israeli military, the plight of Palestinians is a local issue that affects us, as it renders us all complicit,” Stoleroff said.
— Sarah Mearhoff
In the know
A key Senate panel is developing a bill that would again delay the next phase of Vermont’s “Raise the Age” initiative and would revise laws on violent offenses and some drug crimes.
Though not yet finalized, S.58 is in no small part a response to the widespread perception — echoed by Gov. Phil Scott, among other leaders — that Vermont faces a public safety crisis spurred by a lack of accountability in the criminal justice system.
The Senate Judiciary Committee panel expects to vote out the bill, which has become a vehicle for at least five different policy proposals, by the end of this week.
— Shaun Robinson
The latest data from the Vermont Agency of Education shows a small decrease in projected education spending and affirms previously anecdotal evidence on the major factors causing a projected increase in education property taxes.
Health care costs, construction, special education, disappearing federal money and increased salaries are all contributing significantly to a projected $230 million increase in education spending, from $1.71 billion in fiscal year 2024 to $1.94 billion in fiscal year 2025, according to the agency’s survey.
Using new budget information from late January and early February, the average education property tax bill is now projected to rise 19% rather than 20%, a product of about $15 million less needed to be raised by the education fund. The revised number is a result of some school districts shaving money from their budgets, as well as updated education fund data.
— Ethan Weinstein
On the move
Senators on Tuesday morning advanced S.199, a bill that would make changes to the laws governing Vermont’s communications union districts including a new framework under which one or more of the districts could merge.
Sen. Randy Brock, R-Franklin, said on the floor that lawmakers don’t see any mergers on the horizon for the state’s 10 existing municipal districts, which partner with private companies to build and operate broadband networks in different regions of the state.
But he said that as the districts deploy more broadband infrastructure, some may realize that the local economies of scale favor joining forces with another district.
In addition to several more minor changes, S.199 also would provide a more explicit accounting of which district records are exempt from Vermont’s Public Records Act. State law already exempts districts’ “confidential business information” from the act but does not elaborate.
Per S.199, “confidential business information” would include records that “could put the district at a competitive disadvantage” when it comes to offering and building out broadband service, including those on construction, serving customers and network deployment plans.
The exemptions would not, however, apply to district “governance records and information,” the bill states.
Speaking on the floor Tuesday, Sen. Irene Wrenner, D-Chittenden North, criticized the fact that state law allows exemptions to the Public Records Act for districts, saying that it limits transparency of entities that receive public funding for their work. (She later voted against advancing the bill.)
Brock pushed back, saying that confidentiality is important to protect trade secrets.
— Shaun Robinson
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On the campaign trail
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley announced on Monday afternoon that she will touch down in Vermont for a rally on Sunday. The event is scheduled for noon at the DoubleTree Hotel in South Burlington, two days ahead of the Super Tuesday primary.
In attendance will be at least one high-profile Vermont politician: Republican Gov. Phil Scott. On Tuesday, Scott’s spokesperson Jason Maulucci confirmed that the gov will make an appearance at the campaign event. Asked if the governor will deliver a speech, Maulucci said the details are still being finalized. Scott last month endorsed Haley in the race.
“(Scott) would reiterate his belief that after years of controversy, violent rhetoric and growing polarization, the last thing America needs is four more years of Donald Trump,” Maulucci wrote to VTDigger Tuesday.
Vermont is one of 15 states slated to vote in Republican and Democratic presidential primaries next Tuesday, along with the U.S. territory of American Samoa. With roughly one-third of delegates awarded to primary candidates in one day, Super Tuesday is seen as a major turning point every presidential cycle.
Haley, a former U.N. Ambassador and governor of South Carolina, is the sole remaining challenger to the Republican frontrunner former President Donald Trump.
— Sarah Mearhoff
What we’re reading
Some Upper Valley school districts postpone budget votes amid changes in Vermont’s funding formula, Valley News
Adventurer, humanitarian, skier: Kasha Rigby dies in avalanche, Stowe Reporter
Swanton Village voters set to vote on a $14.8 million public safety facility, VTDigger
