This is an excerpt from the Final Reading of April 3.
Medical crews move COVID-19 negative patients from Burlington Health & Rehab March 24 to the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel for a two week quarantine before returning to their homes. Photo by Mark Johnson/VTDigger
— Mark Pitcher, medical director of Burlington Health and Rehab — which has seen an outbreak of COVID-19 infections among its patients — briefed Joint Rules lawmakers about the facility’s work to contain the outbreak. He said the coronavirus deaths at his facility were a “misfortune not a mistake.”
“I’ve spent the last 17 days defending myself,” Pitcher said. “It’s not that anybody did anything wrong.” He said his staff has also been harassed and even assaulted because the public is so angry about the outbreak.
“I have witnessed first-hand drive-by yelling and screaming,” Pitcher said. “I have witnessed first-hand the assault of a hospice nurse as she was trying to walk into the driveway.” – Grace Elletson
— The fiscal projections for Vermont’s education fund are now even worse than had been expected.
Analysts speaking with the House Ways and Means and Appropriations committees on Friday said that they expect the fund will lose $89 million in revenue this year because of COVID-19’s economic impact — about twice as much as previously projected.
This means COVID-19 will likely wipe out the fund’s reserves, and leave a $40 million deficit that lawmakers will have to contend with as they mull a massive budget adjustment in the coming weeks. “Basically, the ed fund is insolvent at this point,” said Mark Perrault, an analyst with the Joint Fiscal Office – Xander Landen
— After a final conversation with stakeholders about a rent eviction moratorium bill, Senate Econ is expected to vote out the bill on Monday. It would halt all eviction and foreclosure proceedings during the COVID-19 state of emergency and 30 days after.
But it might not enter the Senate chamber for a vote until the week after next. Pro Tem Tim Ashe, D/P-Chittenden, said today that 16 lawmakers will come into the Statehouse Wednesday to vote on a rule change to allow for remote Senate chamber voting.
And it might take the rest of the week to work out the kinks in the voting process for less controversial bills. Which is why Monday, April 13, was set as a better day to pick up the eviction moratorium bill. – Grace Elletson
— Chris D’Elia, president of the Vermont Bankers Association, also briefed lawmakers on the dwindling reserve of Paycheck Protection Program funds, a program that provides loans to small businesses so they can continue paying their employees.
He said he’s received updates that $400 million has been claimed through the program so far nationwide. The total PPE fund has $350 billion to allocate. But D’Elia predicted that by Monday, that money might be claimed entirely.
“You can’t believe the pace that this is moving at,” he said. He warned lawmakers that there may not be enough money for Vermont businesses left in this program and that more will likely need outright grants rather than loans. – Grace Elletson
— Anson Tebbetts, secretary of the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, told House Agriculture lawmakers that farmers markets are not deemed essential services, meaning they can’t be open during the COVID-19 state of emergency.
But he added that the Agency of Ag is working with the Agency of Commerce and Community Development to figure out how to keep them open. The key would be limiting contact between vendors and customers, he added.
The Bennington Farmers’ Market, which received an exemption to run a market on Saturday, pivoted to a pre-order system with staggered, curbside delivery, said market president John Primmer. Farms are designated an essential service, and CSAs and farm stands can remain open.
“I think now more than ever, Vermonters are really going to appreciate Vermont farmers,” said committee chair Rep. Carolyn Partridge, D-Windham. – Elizabeth Gribkoff
This is an excerpt of Final Reading. For the full rundown of bills in motion at the Statehouse, the daily legislative calendar and interviews with newsmakers, sign up here for the unabridged version delivered straight to your inbox Tuesday through Friday evenings.
