Now that we have received our ballots, I want to quickly review Propositions 3 & 4. These are amendments to the Vermont constitution you are being asked to vote on. Propositions to amend the constitution originate in the Senate and have to pass with 2/3rds majority. If the House also passes it, the Proposition then sits until after the next election cycle so a different General Assembly can vote on it. It then needs to pass the Senate and House with a simple majority to get o

The biggest disappointment of my first term in the legislature was the battle for school choice. There is a large group of people who don't understand our choice system and how our kids go seamlessly from public to independent schools and that it works well. The discussion has drifted into irrational and emotional cul-de -sacs, with near rabid proponents of abolishing the fine independent institutions we enjoy. We will need to keep up the fight to preserve what we cherish. On

We have both a cost problem and a systemic fragility problem in our health care system. The costs of providing health care, especially at hospitals, are too high. This, and demographics, drive our insurance rates up. Both are some of the highest in the country. In addition, too many people are going to the ER instead of addressing issues early with their primary care physician. Preventative care is the cheapest care. The health care system is notoriously complicated, interc

The number one issue I hear when knocking doors is, understandably, taxes. My property taxes doubled when Weston reassessed everyone's property last year. It is painful and not sustainable. The legislature has been working hard on reforming our education funding system, which drives property tax rates. But this effort will take years and might not go far enough given our general proclivity for local control of everything. That said, the legislature spent over $100 million the

As many of you know, the Magic View Motel had been used by the state for years to put up unhoused people. The problem was that the facility was not adequate for their needs; there were absolutely no support services provided by the state and there was no shopping within walking distance. More importantly, the poor mental and physical health of the folks living there, combined with drug use and violence, placed significant and unsustainable demands on local services (Rescue Sq

Hello Friends, Well, it’s been an interesting few weeks… First, the facts. Then we will get to commentary… As you are likely aware, 5 Ecuadorian asylum seekers were arrested in Londonderry recently by ICE. Besides the obviously horrific experience of the detainees, many in the community felt upset, powerless and violated. The community reacted quickly and with substance the next day by gathering to understand the situation and organize to help. Because of our help, Migrant Ju

I was recently at a conference with legislators from around the country. Beyond policy discussions, we talk about what each other’s legislature looks like. There is a wide variety across the country. For instance, many states budget on a two year cycle and have shorter off year sessions. Oftentimes, legislators are shocked to find out Vermont legislators have no staff, no office, no benefits and low pay. Another topic of conversation is how many legislators are in each assemb

Happy Fourth! It is quite hard to get a sense of what the Legislature does and its impact on Vermonters. You hear about the education reform bills, some health care bills and the high profile vetoes, but there is a lot more that happens in the State House, much of it routine, non-partisan and important in different ways. So, to give you a sense of our output you can scan the list of bills that were recently passed into law. If you want more information about a particular la

I have gotten thoughtful feedback that I should not be critical of Democratic leadership or Governor Scott. That I should play it safe, especially in an election year. This is most likely good political advice. However, I do not consider myself a politician – but rather a public servant – and I feel like the folks in this district want honest, independent minded analysis. I am not always right, and neither are the Governor nor party leaders. My commitment to you is to provide

Hi, Today is download day. Below is a list of the major bills worked on this session with brief boilerplate descriptions. I will editorialize about some of these bills in the coming months. I hope you find this useful. You can read the bills by searching the number here: https://legislature.vermont.gov/ Please be in touch with any questions or concerns. Best, Chris Agriculture, Food Resiliency, & Forestry H.739 bans the use of paraquat, a highly toxic herbicide linke

I hope you are enjoying this beautiful summer weather we are having. My youngest daughter graduated from college and moved into her first apartment over the weekend. Last night I went to an art opening at the West River Coffee Barn for Bev Foster, my daughter’s kindergarten teacher at Flood Brook those many years ago. Life keeps circling and rolling… I want to continue with my theme of exploring complexity and trade-offs. Bear with me as I try to take you inside the journey

Well, we finally made it out of Montpelier! The legislature passed the education transformation bill after weeks of negotiations. It is an improvement over last year’s education bill and it will, by design, be revisited for years to come as reports, contingencies and on-the-ground realities reveal the best path forward. I will be letting you know about many of the bills that passed, and a few that didn’t, over the coming weeks. For now, I want to take a big picture view and m

Happy Memorial Day, Busy times in the statehouse! We spent last week ploughing through many bills that came over from the Senate and various conference committees. We are going to adjourn, for sure, this coming week. The main holdup has been the education bill. The Senate, House and the Administration have been sorting out a compromise which we will see on Tuesday. The primary point of contention has been the Governor’s demand for forced mergers, which neither body has the

Happy Mother's Day! ACT 181 Well, the big news last week was the House passing S325, the bill that repeals the controversial elements of Act 181. (Act 181 is the bill that reformed Act 250, our signature land use bill from decades ago.) Balancing smart development, property rights and conservation is an ongoing high wire dance. But clearly, with 181, the legislature went too far and S325 was needed. The original bill that came from the Senate consisted of just a delay in th

Happy Green Up Day, Many House committees are in a lull while we wait for the Senate to finish work on their Education and Yield (setting property tax rates) Bills. These two, along with the budget, will all get negotiated in conference committees at the end of the session, and they are all intertwined. The Governor has threatened repeatedly to veto the budget if the legislature does not pass an education bill that he wants. Stay tuned for all the end of session development

Greetings, Education and the Budget We are in a weird limbo right now. My committee work is mellow while the big bills are being worked on in key committees, mostly in the Senate. This year the budget is tied to the education reform bill because the Gov has been threatening to veto the budget if we don’t give him what he wants for an Ed bill. (Here is a 4 minute audio breakdown of the situation from VPR). Not having a budget by the start of the fiscal year – July 1 – woul

Greetings! Due to the widespread concern about the potential impacts of Act 181 (the reform of Act 250) I will be holding a discussion/Q&A on Sunday April 19th at 3pm at the New American Grill in Londonderry. Please join us. What is Act 181? And what are people concerned about? Act 181 was passed in 2024. It is both a housing bill and a conservation bill. It was a long overdue overhaul of the important, but flawed, Act 250 which is largely responsible for the preservat

Greetings! Quick update on Education – the House Ed Committee finally got a bill out. It was a rough road with many disagreements, but it looks like they got to a decent place. We need to digest the bill, H955, to assess the impact on our district. Please keep in mind that the bill still needs to go through Ways and Means and Appropriations before getting voted on by the House and then it goes to the Senate where changes are highly likely and it is not clear whether the Gov

Greetings! It was quite a week in the statehouse! Instead of being in our committees, we were in the main chamber debating and voting on the dozens of bills that had passed out of the various committees in the previous weeks. We tackled the big bills – the budget, the yield bill (which sets the property tax rate) and the Transportation bill – along with many other important bills. Most bills passed with little contention but others got diverted into long tangential discus

Greetings! This is the time in the session when we get to see all the good work that has been quietly happening in Committee rooms come to fruition. It is gratifying and encouraging to get to learn more about these bills and the solutions they present to solve problems in Vermont. I will give you a rundown of a few to give you a flavor of what your legislature has been up to. (Keep in mind - these bills passed the House but still need to go to the Senate and be signed by th