News from Montpelier 2019 week 2

The Session’s start up ceremonies were the highlights of last week’s schedule but now committee work is fully underway. Time on the House floor was enhanced by a few all-member training sessions but otherwise brief. Until a committee votes a bill out and sends it to the Clerk’s office there is no Notice or Action calendar to be addressed by the House. The standard schedule for a week in session starts with the House Floor at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, followed by the Party caucuses and Committee time from 1 PM on; Wednesday and Thursday have a House Floor start at 1:00 PM so the Committees can use all morning and the remainder of the afternoon for testimony and discussion; and Friday the House Floor is at 9:30 AM with the rest of the day open to Committee work.
Tuesday afternoon the Transportation committee was introduced to the key individuals from the Joint Fiscal Office and the Office of Legislative Council who will testify to the committee on fiscal and legal aspects of the work of the committee. Wednesday and Thursday committee times were filled with an overview of the Agency of Transportation. Secretary Flynn opened the presentation and introduced the division directors who walked the members through their areas of jurisdiction. An important budgetary point that was brought forward more than once is that the State has only two thirds of the needed funds identified to maintain the transit inventory in good condition.
Friday the committee was walked through the 2019 edition of the Fact Book and annual report found via the following link: https://legislature.vermont.gov/assets/Documents/2020/WorkGroups/House%20Transportation/VTrans%20Overviews/W~Jacqueline%20DeMent~VTrans%20Fact%20Book%202019~1-18-2019.pdf
The book is a compilation of the most recent data from projects and areas of Transportation investment and contains many charts and images, look for the Fairfax resident in one of the pictures on page 8.
Farmer’s Night has long been a tradition in the State House and has evolved to provide near weekly public performances during the open session. This biennium’s first Wednesday night performance was by Vermont’s Own 40th Army Band. Two of its newest members were introduced to the audience and included Fairfax resident Spc. Lillian Eastman in the Cornet/Trumpet section.
Contact: bmurphy@leg.state.vt.us or 802-849-6545 home/ 802-828-2228 Vermont State House