legislative work continues

Hi Everyone,

We lost the Civil Commitment fight. I worked hard on it this week, along with several other legislators, but the majority of members in the House thought the issue should be studied more before we established a system of treatment for sexually violent and violent offenders. We had tons of information, but were unable to presuade them. I really gave this my all, as did several others, but we were in the minority.

I got a chance to work closely with Public Safety Commissioner Kerry Sleeper and members of his staff as well as the Deputy Secretary for Human Services. They were extremely helpful, and I was impressed with the competence and drive Commissioner Sleeper has for keeping Vermont a safe place to live.

The good news is that the study will progress through the summer and the commmittee plans to bring back recommendations when we reconvene next January. So there is hope!

Otherwise, we're hearing that adjournment may come next week. Speaker Symngton told us to plan on attending session Saturday, June 4th. Since we don't usually meet on Saturdays, I'm thinking we maybe getting ready to break for the summer and fall.

thanks,

Representative Carolyn Branagan
Franklin-1, Fairfax/Georgia
Vermont House of Representatives