News from Montpelier 2021 session week 13

J.R.H.7 joint resolution strongly opposing the basing of any nuclear weapon delivery system in the State of Vermont was introduced and committed to the General Housing and Military Affairs committee as a bill. Committee members’ mailboxes are being flooded with requests to be informed when testimony is scheduled to be taken. The Legislative website is the best source of information. Agendas for the week are posted on each Committee’s page accessible through the Committee link and are amended to be kept current as witnesses’ availability and Floor time may change what has been planned. https://legislature.vermont.gov/
For the first half of this week the committee focused on the Floor report and amendments to H.157 an act relating to registration of construction contractors. Tuesday the reporter of the bill presented the Committee’s strike-all amendment and it and three amendments were acted on by the House. A roll call vote was taken on the acceptance of the amended bill and the third reading was ordered on a vote of 97 yeas to 47 nays. Two more amendments were agreed to on the third reading of the bill and it passed. The General Housing and Military Affairs committee also took testimony on S.79 an act relating to improving rental housing health and safety and the eviction moratorium and had an introductory walk through of H.232 an act relating to land and home ownership and economic opportunity, H.273 an act relating to promoting racial and social equity in land access and property ownership, H.379 an act relating to a reciprocity requirement for out-of-state consumer shipping licenses. A bill that the committee spent time on in the early days of the session has been allowed to pass into law without the Governor’s signature. H.81 an act relating to statewide public school employee health benefits takes effect on passage with the exception of two sections that are time sensitive and already outdated for this year.
H.315 an act relating to COVID-19 relief passed on the House floor Tuesday further amended from the Senate’s proposal of amendment on a roll call vote of 141 ayes to 5 nays. Rules were suspended to move it through all stages of passage and message the action to the Senate ‘forthwith’. The Senate concurred with the House and the bill has passed on to the Governor’s desk. S.18 an act relating to limiting earned good time sentence reductions for offenders convicted of certain crimes and H.225 an act relating to possession of a therapeutic dosage of buprenorphine also were acted on and passed by the House. Third reading for H.225 was ordered on a roll call with 126 ayes and 19 nays.
It was an honor to share the lunch hour with BFA’s Senior Social Studies class Wednesday. Introducing them on the House Floor was not the same with all of us meeting remotely but they were still welcomed by the members as they watched on YouTube.
Representative Barbara S Murphy bmurphy@leg.state.vt.us 802-849-6545