The 2014 session of the Vermont Legislature has begun with legislators facing a $70 million budget shortfall and is expected to focus on how the state can combat the abuse of opiate drugs.
Speaker Shap Smith brought the Vermont House to order shortly after 10 o’clock Tuesday morning with an admonishment to members to be prompt. “Would the House please come to order? I just want to remind members that we start at 10 o’clock. Not 10:01. Not 10:02. At 10:00. Just a reminder. I understand it’s the first day of school. (laughter) So.”
Following procedural formalities, including seating two new members appointed by the Governor during the summer recess, Democratic Speaker Smith reviewed the key issues facing House members. “And so it is we are embarking on a new legislative session. We have a budget gap to close. We have concerns about the opiate epidemic in our communities. We have pressures on our education funding system. We face real challenges in our environment. Our lakes are sicker because we continue to have problems with pollution going into them. We haven’t been able to reach consensus about how to fix that problem. And we’ve had a little bit of a bumpy roll-out for the health care exchange. We have a number of issues that we have to face .”
Middlebury College Professor Emeritus of Political Science Eric Davis says while money bills will be crucial, he is also intrigued to see to what opposition may arise to Democratic Governor Peter Shumlin’s intent to hold the line on state spending and tax policy. “There are some Democrats in the legislature, progressive Democrats, as well as members of the Progressive Party, who would like to see the state spend more on programs for vulnerable Vermonters. And they also would like to see the state’s tax structure changed to, in their view, place more of a burden on those who are better able to pay. And to what extent will progressive Democrats and Progressives end up being the opposition to the Shumlin administration in the Legislature? The Republican contingents in the Legislature are really too small a force to have much influence. So the dynamics between the administration and the progressive Democrats and Progressive Party members will be interesting to follow.”
Vermont League of Cities and Town Executive Director Steven Jeffrey says legislators must focus on three key areas. “We have a statewide property tax that has been going through the roof. So getting a handle on education property taxes is probably our number one priority. Secondly is funding for local highways and bridges. We’re now being required to build for more resilient infrastructure, so we’re looking for some assistance from the state. Thirdly is for the state to develop some way to fund its cleanup of Lake Champlain. Unfortunately too much of this burden appears to be targeted to fall on sewer rate payers and property tax payers.”
Audio from the Vermont House is courtesy of Vermont Public Radio’s live stream from the Statehouse. Governor Peter Shumlin will deliver his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature on Wednesday afternoon.
