MONTPELIER – If you wake up at 9 p.m. with a high fever, a worsening cough, or a child who just doesn’t seem right, you don’t have many options. You can wait and worry or you can go to the emergency room. More and more Vermonters are choosing the latter. Not because[Read More…]
Legislative Report
Update on positive legislation and progress on working together
MONTPELIER – This week felt like a much-needed breath of fresh spring air in the House Education Committee, and I want to share an update on some positive legislation we’ve been working on, separate from Act 73, that has recently passed unanimously out of committee. I think we could all[Read More…]
We can, and should, do better
MONTPELIER – I have always held Gov. Scott in the highest regard. His leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic was admirable and helped make Vermont the envy of much of the nation. His calm, balanced style, coupled with his good sense of following the scientists, guided our state in ways many[Read More…]
School consolidation through voluntary process
MONTPELIER – I need to take a moment to update you all on some very important legislation that was passed out of the Vermont House and is now headed toward the Senate. H. 955, a bill detailing the next steps in Act 73, sets Vermont on the path towards school[Read More…]
Education reform front-and-center
MONTPELIER – Education reform is once again front and center at the statehouse. Behind closed doors, as well as in public hearings, there is significant debate about what path Vermont should take. I voted against the House reform bill. Why? The bill, H 955, would not reduce property taxes until[Read More…]
Chance encounter on State Street
MONTPELIER – As I walked across the street in Montpelier, I noticed a little old lady standing on the corner, staring at me. As I got closer, I could see she was fixated on me. “Are you a senator?” she asked. “No,” I replied, “I’m a representative. Can I help[Read More…]
Statehouse has been active
MONTPELIER – The past couple of weeks have been quite active in the House. Many bills have passed out of the House and have gone to the Senate for consideration. Some of the bills do not do much other than correct language in current laws which was identified as needing[Read More…]
Education bill builds on months of hard work
MONTPELIER – I want to share an update on the education bill that the House Education Committee advanced. At its core, this proposal is about finding long-term, sustainable ways to support our schools while recognizing Vermont’s rural reality and strong sense of local identity. This work builds on months of[Read More…]
Good land use policy requires balance
MONTPELIER – A long time ago, when I was just a 22-year-old untested college student, the select board in Morristown appointed me chair of the town planning commission. It was the mid-1970s, and land use planning and zoning were still in their infancy. I quickly realized I had been thrown[Read More…]
Act 181, housing, education financing dominate
MONTPELIER – The annual education tax bill, H.949, has been advanced by the House on a party-line vote with all Republicans opposed. If you recall, the December 1 Tax Letter projected that property taxes would increase by about 12% statewide. H.949 forces a statewide average 7% increase, which is unacceptable,[Read More…]
The stakes are high
MONTPELIER – The property tax issue erupted yet again this week. Back in December, the Tax Department reported that property taxes would need to increase by roughly 12 percent to cover rising school spending. That number got everyone’s attention, And rightly so. Shortly thereafter, Governor Phil Scott proposed bringing down property taxes[Read More…]
Living at the mercy of someone else
MONTPELIER – When it comes to housing in Vermont, the stakes are high, and the power dynamic is clear: landlords hold the keys, literally and figuratively, to the homes so many of us call essential. With roughly 71,000 renter households across the state and rising median rents, a significant portion of Vermonters[Read More…]
