Five years on from the start of the Covid-19 pandemic — when wearing face masks in public was common and, later, mandatory in Vermont — state lawmakers are again considering the government’s role in overseeing what steps people take, or don’t, to protect their health.
The Senate Government Operations Committee on Tuesday took up a bill, S.81, that would prevent local leaders from limiting or banning mask-wearing in their cities and towns. The bill is sponsored by 15 senators — half of the chamber — who hail from all three major parties.
Senators said they weren’t immediately aware of any communities in the state that have put such restrictions in place. But some have heard, anecdotally, of local officials weighing the idea in recent years, said Sen. Becca White, D-Windsor, who is one of the legislation’s backers.
In 2025, “your ability to wear a mask is your decision. And I would strongly encourage anyone who feels unwell to make that decision,” White said during Tuesday’s committee hearing. “So, I appreciate this proactive step.”
Still, public face mask bans have been proposed, and in some cases enacted, in other parts of the country over the past year. Last August, a county in New York put in place a ban that local lawmakers said was a response to “antisemitic incidents, often perpetrated by those in masks” they described having taken place after the start of the Israel-Hamas war, the Associated Press reported.
The county’s law excludes masks worn for health or religious reasons, though it faced swift opposition — including a class action lawsuit — from disability rights’ advocates, who argued that it discriminates against people who are at greater risk of complications from Covid-19.
Vermont’s proposal refers to any potential ban on “hygienic” masks, which Tucker Anderson, an attorney with the Office of Legislative Counsel, noted keeps the bill’s focus specifically on public health.
Since Senate GovOps didn’t take up the bill ahead of crossover, it may not get off the committee’s wall this year. But panel chair Sen. Brian Collamore, R-Rutland, said he may nevertheless work with his colleagues to tack its language onto another bill.
— Shaun Robinson
On the move
The budget adjustment stalemate continues.
The House gave final approval to a new version of a midyear spending bill around noon. It’s lawmakers’ second attempt at the annual legislation after their first try was shot down by Gov. Phil Scott. But the Republican governor has signalled he won’t sign off on the Democrat-backed budget-adjustment-2.0 either.
At the heart of this clash is a fierce disagreement over Vermont’s motel voucher program. Democrats want a three-month extension for all unhoused people sheltered in motels, waiving restrictions on motel stays that the Legislature and Scott agreed on last year. Those restrictions resulted in the eviction of over 1,500 people from the program last fall, and more evictions are set to play out this spring when the voucher program’s looser winter rules end next week. Republicans, meanwhile, want to keep the restrictions in place.
The Scott administration has offered to extend motel stays for a narrow group of people – families with kids and people with severe medical needs – through the end of the fiscal year. But Democrats haven’t taken them up on the proposal, and have so far held firm in their desire to see this extension through for all.
That leaves Democrats and Republicans playing a game of chicken – who will blink next? And there’s a ticking clock. If they don’t agree on the motel program’s immediate future and get a bill passed and signed by the end of the week, the evictions will begin a week from today, on April 1.
The Senate is slated to take up the bill later this week.
— Carly Berlin
After substantial debate, the House granted preliminary approval Tuesday to a bill that would make sweeping changes to the state’s election laws. Among other measures, H.474 would prevent a candidate who loses a major party primary from appearing on the general election ballot for another party, or as an independent — a so-called “second-bite” candidacy — as well as require certain write-in candidates to give the state a heads-up of their intention to run.
The bill would also remove the current $500 minimum that candidates have to raise or spend in order to trigger finance disclosure requirements. Under the bill approved Tuesday, candidates would have to disclose any amount of money they raise or spend, as soon as they spend it.
On the floor Tuesday, lawmakers approved an amendment — backed by Republican leaders — that nixed a provision seeking to bar a party from nominating a general election candidate in a race in which the party didn’t run a candidate in the primary. The amendment also pushed back a proposed deadline by which write-in candidates would have to declare that they’re running.
Meanwhile, lawmakers rejected a separate addition to the bill proposed by the chamber’s independents. That amendment, which failed after significant back-and-forth on a roll call vote, sought to give independents more time to formally declare their candidacy with the state.
— Shaun Robinson
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In the know
“From my experience here in the building, we need more investigative reporters, not less.”
Perhaps a counterintuitive sentiment from Republican Lt. Gov. John Rodgers — a politician advocating for more scrutiny of public officials. But on Tuesday he was joined by Democratic Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas, a House rep from each major party and a smattering of local media leaders to call on the state to invest more of its advertising dollars in Vermont news organizations.
H.244 would require state government to spend at least 70% of its ad dollars with in-state media, allowing carve outs for certain campaigns targeting a broader audience. Local media jobs have dwindled in recent decades amid crumbling ad revenue, supporters noted, increasing the need for a new and steady stream of funding.
The legislation, which passed out of the House Government Operations Committee on a 7-4 vote, would also require the state to detail its ad spending annually. Currently, the bill’s supporters said, it’s unclear how much the state spends on advertising and where those dollars go.
VTDigger is among the outlets backing H.244. We hope to earn a few more government bucks, but in the meantime, consider donating to our annual Spring drive to keep us reporting.
— Ethan Weinstein
Clearing the air
Tuesday’s Senate floor session was briefly put on pause while firefighters came into the chamber to investigate a smoky smell that had permeated the air. Officials later determined the smell was coming not from inside the building, but rather drifting in from someone’s wood stove burning nearby, according to Sergeant-at-Arms Agatha Kessler.
Rodgers was quick to offer his theories as the firefighters walked around the chamber. “It smells like a nice, clean wood,” said the lieutenant governor — who might have been a likely suspect himself had the smoke carried a slightly skunkier odor.
— Shaun Robinson
