News from Montpelier Week 12

The Transportation committee heard testimony from Brian Searles, Special Projects Consultant-Rail, Agency of Transportation. He provided an encouraging update on Amtrak’s Vermonter Route being extended back to Montreal. A bill in Congress and Parliament will allow for the creation of a pre-clearance facility in Central Station in Montreal, a critical component of the project.
The T-Bill, H876, was presented by our committee to the House floor on Tuesday and the final vote Wednesday moved it on to the Senate. The committee took testimony on sections of S225, the Miscellaneous DMV bill, including on the topics of saliva and vision testing, motor assisted bicycles, truck chain-up and VT 108 restricted access.
Floor action this week included the passage of H853- setting the nonresidential property tax rate, the property dollar equivalent yield, and the income dollar equivalent yield for fiscal year 2017 and other education changes. Other bills passed by the House this week include H879-relating to e-cigarettes, H878-Capital Construction and Sate bonding budget adjustment, H863-Making Miscellaneous Amendments to Vermont’s Retirement Laws, H538-Captive Insurance Companies and JRS45-Relating to the transfer of two State owned parcels of land to the Town of Duxbury.
Sheila and Jim Dooley performed the devotional exercise for the House on Wednesday. They were in the State House as representatives of Alzheimer’s Association Advocates. Chief Justice Paul Reiber held an ‘open door’ hour in the Ethan Allen room of the State House Friday morning and is aware of judicial system concerns in Franklin county. Saturday, April 9th there will be an opportunity for Franklin County residents to bring their concerns in regards to the judicial system to a meeting in Enosburg.