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Barbara
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« : March 24, 2018, 08:45:44 AM » |
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This has been a busy week with the money bills introduced on the floor by the committees on Education, Transportation, Ways and Means, and Appropriations. A small but significant component of H 922, a bill from Ways and Means making numerous revenue changes, allows for the Fairfax Fire Department’s Calcutta to be exempt from Rooms and Meals tax. The committee was open to the intent of H 586 but was concerned that as worded it made the exemption too broad. The following language was agreed to by the committee and passed the House; “if the organization or association is a fire department, as defined in 24 V.S.A. § 1951, or provides emergency medical services or first responder services, as defined under 24 V.S.A. § 2651, it is not necessary that the meal be served on the premises of the organization to qualify as an exclusion from “taxable meal” under this subdivision;” and will be in place for next year’s Calcutta if the Senate and Governor support it. Thank you to Dave Yergeau for bringing the issue forward.
The third reading of the Budget was eclipsed by the debate on the Judiciary committee’s presentation of a strike all version of S.55. Judiciary voted the bill out of committee on a 6-5-0 vote which ensured rigorous debate on the floor. Numerous roll call votes punctuated the discussion of each component of the bill as divided and reordered, including an initial vote as to whether the bill should be postponed which failed on a 61 to 85 roll call vote. Section 1-5 was the language that passed the Senate concerning the disposition of unlawful and abandoned firearms by the Department of Public Safety. This portion of S.55 passed on a 141-2 roll call vote. Section 9, Bump-Fire Stocks: Possession Prohibited passed with the agreement that the effective date would be delayed to give owners the opportunity to comply without becoming immediate criminals on its passage. The roll call vote was 119-25. Section 6, Firearms Transfers: Background Checks, had an amendment that would have added the ability for an individual to request their own background pre-check from a law enforcement agency. The vote went against the motion 57-89. The language for Firearms Transfers: Background Checks, section 6, passed as presented on a 83-61 roll call. This does allow for a broadly defined family member transfer without requiring review. The debate on section 8, Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Devices included a concern that enforcement of this section was challenged by the fact that no serial number or manufacturing date is on the item to determine prior ownership. The roll call on this section was 79-66. Section 7, Sale of Firearms to Minors Prohibited, elicited a lengthy discussion regarding the question of age of majority and the tradition of youth hunting. The language allows for the sale to occur without an age limit if the buyer has satisfactorily completed the Hunter Safety course. This passed 88-56. Finally after voice votes on changing the effective dates for Section 9, which passed, and Section 6, which failed, S.55 as amended was voted on to be read a third time on a roll call vote of 85-59.
H.924, Making Appropriations For the Support of Government, the Big Bill as it is known, provided for the future financial needs of Vermont as well as the current needs of Vermonters while maintaining an extremely low growth rate. It passed with technical corrections offered by the Appropriations committee on a Division vote. This method gives a count of the Yeas and Nays but does not give individual members vote.. The tally was 122-10 and the House adjourned just after 9 P.M..
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