News from Montpelier week 4 of Reconvened Session 2020

Action taken on Tuesday during a brief House Floor session included the passage of two bills in concurrence with proposal of amendment, S. 220 an act relating to professional regulation and S. 234 an act relating to miscellaneous judiciary procedures and was messaged to the Senate. Two more bills were taken up and considered during Floor on Wednesday. H. 967 an act relating to the provision of child care at family child care homes during remote learning days was passed with the agreement to the Senate proposal of amendment and this action was sent to the Senate and the Governor. The bill and its amendment changes statute to allow students to be in their day care settings on remote learning days with the effective date set to the first day of school. H. 880 an act relating to Abenaki place names on State park signs was considered and again the vote was to agree with the Senate proposal of amendment.
Thursday the House took action on the Governor’s veto letter of H. 688 an act relating to addressing climate change. On a roll call vote to determine ‘shall the bill pass the failure of the Governor to approve notwithstanding?’ the decision was to override the veto on a roll call of 103 Ayes and 47 Nays. The Senate now has the deciding vote. S. 54 an act relating to the regulation of cannabis was the next order of action and the question whether the report of the committee of conference be adopted was agreed to on a roll call vote of Yeas 92 Nays 56. The last piece of legislation passed out of the House during the afternoon was H. 962 an act relating to the duration of temporary relief from abuse orders with the Senate proposal of amendment agreed to.
During a marathon Zoom session on Friday the House took action on H. 952 an act relating to the charter of the City of Burlington, H. 99 an act relating to trade in covered animal parts or products, H. 663 an act relating to expanding access to contraceptives, S. 352 an act relating to making certain amendments to the Front-Line Employees Hazard Pay Grant Program, S. 353 an act relating to expanding the Front-Line Employees Hazard Pay Grant Program and S. 237 an act relating to promoting affordable housing. There was much discussion and several amendments on all of these bills. At the end of the afternoon rules were suspended and our actions were messaged to the Senate on H. 663, S. 352 and S. 353. The Speaker of the House, Representative Mitzi Johnson shared the news that of the twenty-two legislative staff members selected to be honored nationwide by the National Council of State Legislatures three were from Vermont. The Vermont General Assembly is served by a great team of professionals.