CAMBRIDGE — Town meeting week is always a good time to reflect as we take a break before we head into the second half of the legislative session. What did I learn from the first couple months of the session and what now do I need to think about for[Read More…]

MONTPELIER — A considerable amount of attention and work this legislative session has been devoted to Vermont’s PreK-12 public education system and how it is funded. This is important work. Thirty percent of Vermont state spending is devoted to our most precious resource, 83,000 children. Vermonters understand how meaningful these[Read More…]

MONTPELIER – As the 2025 Vermont legislative biennium picks up steam, the Vermont House of Representatives remains committed to making our state more affordable for the people who call it home. So far, our work has focused on smart investments in the Budget Adjustment Act and meaningful policy discussions in[Read More…]

MONTPELIER – The Legislature has been busy. To date, there have been over 300 bills introduced and referred to committees. My assigned committee has 22 bills assigned to it. Most of these bills are energy-related, the others are relating to broadband and consumer protections. Again, there have been many people[Read More…]

MONTPELIER – “I don’t care how you do it, Dave. Just lower our property taxes. They are killing us.” I remember this exchange with a voter on Election Day as if it were yesterday. The desperation was palpable. Others had made similar comments and spoke of how they might be[Read More…]

The Vermont General Assembly convened for the sixth week of the 2025 Legislative session, January 11 to 14. For the Senate, the majority of days during the legislative session follow the same schedule: one committee meets in the morning, then Senators move to the floor, then afternoon committees meet. Tuesday[Read More…]

MONTPELIER – Already January is over and the learning process for a first term  legislator continues with volumes of information to read, daily committee presentations from departments under our purview and work on the House floor. The big picture saw Governor Scott propose a $9 billion budget for the 2026[Read More…]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As millions of working class families struggle to afford the high prices of groceries, gas, rent and other basic necessities, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced bipartisan legislation to cap credit card interest rates at 10%. During the campaign, President Trump pledged to cap[Read More…]

MONTPELIER – The first two weeks of the 2025 legislative session are in the books. Week one was filled primarily with pomp, circumstance and for freshman such as myself, a good deal of orientation. I won’t bore the reader with the details of swearing in (though that was very special[Read More…]

The Legislative session has started. The first two weeks have been busy. I have been placed on the Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee. Two bills have been assigned to our committee so far. H.11 is an act relating to consumer protections applicable to broadband and VoIP services. The other is[Read More…]

MORRISVILLE – A friend asked me what it took to be a good legislator. I thought for a minute then shared my opinion. The statehouse on any given day is filled with passionate, sometimes emotionally charged people who come to share their sentiments with lawmakers. They have driven to Montpelier,[Read More…]

MONTPELIER – Education funding, and its impact on property taxes, remains a central focus this legislative session. During a joint hearing of House and Senate members, we reviewed highlights of Governor Scott’s plan to overhaul not only the education funding formula but also the governance structure. Commissioner of Education Zoie[Read More…]