weekly statehouse roundup #8

Weekly Statehouse roundup #9

It was a busy week on the floor of the House. Most floor time was spent debating and voting H.559, also known as round two of Governor Shumlin's health care proposal. That debate has been well covered by the press. Here are other highlights of the week's activities as submitted by House Republicans:

Rep. Linda Myers from Essex reports the House Institutions and Corrections Committee members spent committee time last week working on the Capital Budget Adjustment bill. The Committee is hoping to complete most of the money and language sections of the bill before Town Meeting break. The Committee anticipates getting the report from Freeman French Freeman on the consultants’ recommendations for the Waterbury Complex. That report is due March 9 while the legislature is on break and the Committee wants to be ready to start making decisions on Waterbury right after the break. The speaker would like the bill out by the middle of March, so Committee members will be plugging away as soon as the Town Meeting break is over. A joint hearing with the Senate Institutions Committee was held to hear from residents of Waterbury who told of their efforts to bring the town back from Tropical Storm Irene and hopes for state help with town needs. The Committee testimony on several sections of the bill including: administrative districts; judiciary building renovations; the historic property stabilization and rehabilitation special fund as well as funding for Indian burial sites; state energy use; property transactions; and funding for ANR pollution mitigation projects. In other action, the Committee worked on language for H. 577, an act relating to public water systems. The bill was scheduled to be on the floor on Friday, but the lateness of the work on the health care bill prompted leadership to postpone action until Tuesday. The Committee continued work on a bill on the mental health needs of the corrections population and heard from the state treasurer on the state’s bonding ability and how the Legislature’s actions on capital spending could affect the state’s bond ratings.

Rep. Anne Donahue reported the Human Services Committee focused on two priorities this week: recommendations to Appropriations on the budget, and the revisions to the Vermont Prescription Drug Monitoring System. Both are due out next week. Final budget testimony was in regards to the casework supports for Reach Up participants who are working on a college degree, and the shortfall in the Legal Aid budget due to having to do involuntary mental health patient court hearings in many parts of the state instead of just in Waterbury. The prescription monitoring system for addictive drugs has many issues of concern among those testifying: should doctors and pharmacists be required to check the system each time they write or fill a prescription [even if they know a patient well]? Should ID be required to pick up such prescriptions? Should pharmacies be required to download into the data base every day? Time and cost compete with how much these measures might help block diversion of drugs. The biggest issue is about access to the database. It was created to have the Health Department gather the data, without patient consent, in order to allow doctors to block abusers. Now the state police are seeking full access to the patient data, even if they do not have a reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed.

Rep. Vicki Strong from Albany reports the Judiciary Committee met only two days during the week due to the busy floor schedule. Time was spent hearing testimony on H. 535- An act relating to social disparities in the Vermont criminal justice system. There are already many policies in place in the judicial system that addresses the goal of having no racial bias. Another bill, H.691, was introduced to the committee which forbids collusion among businesses. Testimony was also heard concerning the creation of new facilities that can be used to house mental health patients. The bill, H.759-An act relating to permitting the use of secure residential recovery facilities for continued involuntary treatment was discussed, and the committee voted to move the bill forward. .
Time was given to several other bills; H.523- An act relating to revising the state highway condemnation law; a committee bill that updates the use of ignition interlock devices; a part of a bill from military affairs that updates National Guard issues, and finally, H.600-An act relating to mandatory mediation in foreclosure proceedings.

Rep. Lynn Dickinson from St. Albans Town reports the House Commerce Committee started the week with the Ag Committee giving an update on the Working Landscape Bill. The Committee continued work on the Public Service Bill H.718. Later, Rep. Ernie Shand reported this bill to the floor. The Department of Labor bill, a committee bill, deals mostly with workers compensation. This bill includes the independent contractor piece that Rep. Heidi Shuermann from Stowe and Rep. Chip Conquest from Grafton have been working since last year with Commissioner of Labor Anne Noonan and a working group with business and labor representatives. A public hearing on Tourism was held in room 11, and continued hearings and discussion on the Act relating to Insurance Business Transfers, H.533 are expected. Work continued on a consumer protection bill. The bill grows larger every day as more pieces are added. There are bipartisan concerns about (H.730).

Rep. Carolyn Branagan from Georgia reports Ways and Means Committee testimony continued on fee requests by the administration. The Committee has divided the fees roughly in half. House bill H.761, about half of fees requested by the administration, was presented on the House floor early in the week. It was approved following an 11-0-0 Committee vote. This portion of requested fee changes included the Department of Motor Vehicles fees strongly supported by the House Transportation Committee . Remaining fees are all from the Department of Environmental Conservation, are much more controversial and will receive additional committee testimony this week. Stay tuned!