News from Montpelier 2018 week 10

Debate and action on the House floor dominated the week. Tuesday’s calendar had more than 40 bills listed but was reduced to twenty five by the Speaker. The bills that were shifted were sent to either Appropriations or Ways and Means to be reviewed as they had financial components, or were delayed due to requests from the presenting committee. This still left a full afternoon of work on bills that covered a broad spectrum of topics. H 917 was one that I presented for the Transportation committee. As a miscellaneous and technical correction bill to transportation-related law one of its effects is to update language in the statute to reflect the outdated terms of trainmen and airmen.
Wednesday’s calendar brought two dozen bills to the House floor for action, some new and some for a third read after being presented Tuesday. H 906, Professional licensing for service members and veterans, will streamline the transfer of relevant military credentials to civilian life. This will be a useful recruitment tool for the state of Vermont and recognizes the value of the skills and training, members of the military can gain during their service.
H 730, an act relating to State response to waters in crisis caused a great deal of debate and several roll calls. The bill was divided to separate the creation of the authority of designating a lake in crisis to the Secretary of Natural Resources and the direct designation of Lake Carmi as such a lake. Discussion ensued over a concern for the authority being granted to go beyond existing statute or rule in setting water-quality requirements in the first part and why any single body of water would be exempt from the process the bill sets in place by pre-identifying Lake Carmi. The discussion continued on Thursday with an amendment offered before the third reading which again culminated in the vote being taken by roll.
Thursday morning a Joint Assembly was held to determine judicial retention of a Superior Judge and a Magistrate. Superior Judge John R Treadwell and Magistrate Barry E Peterson received affirmative votes for retention to six year terms. It is notable that Magistrate Peterson of East Fairfield received 145 out of 145 votes from the body.
The money committees, both Ways and Means and Appropriations were granted leave of the House to be absent from the Floor during debate and the request was made to also permit the Corrections and Institutions committee to remain in their room for the rest of the week to meet the Friday deadline for their bill. When the request was made to permit the Judiciary committee to also be excused, a debate ensued over the rules adopted by the House that require members to be on the Floor when it is in session. The vote was taken by roll and the House did grant permission with 82 voting in favor and 52 opposed.
The last vote taken on the House floor Friday was a unanimous roll call on H 919, workforce development. In section 6 of the bill the Franklin/Grand Isle workforce investment board is highlighted as a partner in the Vermont Talent Pipeline Management Project (VTPM), an employer-oriented strategy that expands the role of employers as end customers of the education and workforce systems.