News from Montpelier 2021 session week 8

This week marks the beginning of committees push to get bills out for crossover. The deadline to get bills out of committee for this year’s action by the General Assembly is March 12 for policy committees and March 19 for the money committees. Exceptions can be made through application to the Rules Committee to present extenuating circumstances which have created an inability to meet the deadline. The completion of the election of three UVM trustees by the General Assembly was moved to Tuesday, March 9.
Floor action included passage of H.89 an act relating to limiting liability for agritourism, H.135 an act relating to the State Ethics Commission and H.199 an act relating to validating legal instruments used in connection with the conveyance of real estate. S.14 an act relating to deed restrictions and housing density passed in concurrence sending it directly to the Governor. The House also adopted H.R.8 House resolution extending the House’s declaration of a state of emergency to May 15th and H.R.9 House resolution amending House Rules regarding records in the journal. H.338 an act relating to reapportionment proposal deadlines and H.315 an act relating to COVID-19 relief both came to the Floor Friday but were expedited through all stages of passage on a vote to suspend House Rules which sent them directly to the Senate upon their passage. The total bills introduced to date have reached three hundred and sixty nine with rules suspended each day this week to introduce by number only due to the quantity. The tally on the wall in General Housing and Military Affairs has grown to forty nine.
Committee work continued on H.R.2 with moving testimony from many witnesses who spoke on the personal and community trauma resulting from the eugenics survey. As a resolution this legislation does not have to meet crossover and when adopted by the General Assembly does not have to pass to the Governor. The Committee’s focus this week and the week the Legislature returns is on bills the Chair has selected as priorities for meeting the crossover deadline. These include H.313 an act relating to miscellaneous amendments to alcoholic beverage laws, H.149 an act relating to modernizing statutes related to the Vermont National Guard and H.157 an act relating to registration of construction contractors. More may be brought forward when the Legislature returns after the Town Meeting recess.
Representative Barbara S Murphy bmurphy@leg.state.vt.us 802-849-6545
https://legislature.vermont.gov/