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(05/07/20 10:00am)
Vermont lawmakers have experienced a drastic change in their work since the Covid-19 outbreak began, and are now passing legislation remotely from their homes instead of in Montpelier. The Campus spoke with Vermont State Senator Ruth Hardy (D-Addison) about how the legislative session is continuing and what legislation has been passed in response to the pandemic.
Governor Phil Scott (R) declared a state of emergency on March 13 in response to Covid-19. “In a state of emergency, the Governor is really in charge of the response because the executive branch can act much more quickly than the legislature,” Senator Hardy said. The Vermont General Assembly is hard at work on legislation related to the pandemic, but the primary response and orders are under the discretion of the Governor and his office.
On May 1, Scott announced new steps in the process of reopening the state’s economy. These measures included the allowance of certain manufacturing, distribution and construction work in compliance with specified safety measures. One safety requirement calls for pre-screenings before each work shift to check all employees for symptoms of the virus.
While the governor deals with matters of closure and reopening of the state, the legislature has focused on working on bills that will address the needs of Vermonters under the new orders and the reality of the outbreak.
The first task of the legislature was figuring out how to conduct their work in a way that adhered to social distancing guidelines, but did not break any rules that applied to the legislative bodies and their work.
“It took us a little bit of time to work out how we were allowed to do our work,” Hardy said. “We actually had to change the rules of the legislature to enable us to meet remotely because prior to this, we couldn’t meet remotely at all.” Hardy said the Senate was able to change those rules relatively quickly because there are only 30 senators. Because the Assembly requires representatives to vote in-person on rule changes, it took the 150-member House longer to assemble and agree to go fully remote.
Now House of Representatives and Senate sessions are live-streamed for anyone to watch on YouTube. “In some ways, it has made [our work] a lot more publicly accessible,” Hardy said.
One of the first priorities for Vermont lawmakers was adjusting the healthcare system and facilities so that the health of Vermonters was the best it could be during this time. “The first pieces of legislation that we did were to make things easier for our government to operate,” Hardy said, citing actions like making telemedicine visits covered by health insurance.
“For example, when a hospital wants to expand its facilities, it has to apply to expand,” Hardy said. “[The General Assembly] wanted to make it easier for hospitals to do things like set up new facilities for Covid-19 patients, so we allowed them to do a lot of expansions and things really quickly if they were related to Covid-19.”
In addition to addressing healthcare, Vermont legislators have also worked on matters relating to local government and education, including allowing school boards and select boards to meet remotely and increasing the flexibility of elections.
“We did a bill that would allow elections to be done either by mail or by drive-up, [giving] the Secretary of State flexibility in how elections can proceed so that we prevent the spread of Covid-19,” Senator Hardy said.
Legislators have also been working on ways to lessen the financial burden of the pandemic and to recognize the bravery and sacrifice of frontline workers. On May 1, the Senate passed Bill S.346, which Hardy said would provide $1,000 per month in pay for two months for essential workers with potential exposure to Covid-19.
“The majority of [these essential workers] are types of healthcare workers in lots of different settings… but it also includes grocery store workers and first responders,” Senator Hardy explained. That bill is currently being read in the House.
The Senate has also passed a bill that expands hazard pay for workers who face a heightened risk of being exposed to Covid-19, “If somebody is working and they are exposed at work, then they can get workers compensation for it,” Senator Hardy said. This bill was also transferred to the House for their consideration this week.
Another matter of importance for lawmakers was evictions. “The House [last] Friday passed a bill that [the Senate] had earlier passed that would basically stop all evictions in the state,” Hardy said. “That was important so that people wouldn’t become homeless during the pandemic.”
Hardy explained that, since Governor Scott declared the state of emergency, the only legislation that the General Assembly has worked on has been related to Covid-19. While there are some bills that were being considered pre-Covid-19 outbreak that might still be in the works, Hardy said most other work is probably not going to be addressed this session.
The legislature will need to take up the matter of the state budget and the state’s finances next, including a budget adjustment for FY20, followed by a short term budget for the following fiscal year.
“We have to change this [fiscal year’s] budget because things have changed so much,” Hardy said. “We’ll probably come back in the Fall and pass the full budget for FY21 [since] the state revenues have plummeted significantly and we have far less money available to us than we did just a few months ago.”
For a complete list of General Assembly bills and resolutions related to Covid-19, visit www.legislature.vermont.gov
Editor’s note: Ruth Hardy is married to Middlebury College Professor of Film and Media Culture Jason Mittell, who is the Campus’s academic advisor. All questions may be directed to campus@middlebury.edu.
(03/05/20 11:00am)
The Vermont Senate read a proposal to add the right to a clean environment to the state constitution this month. This “Green Amendment,” sponsored by Senator Christopher Bray (D-Addison), would give Vermonters the “right to clean air and water and the preservation of the natural, scenic, and cultural values of the environment.” The proposal was read for the first time in the Senate on Feb. 14 and referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and Energy, which Bray chairs.
The proposal as introduced states that “the State of Vermont’s natural resources are the common property of all the people. The State shall conserve and maintain the natural resources of Vermont for the benefit of all people.’”
Senator Cheryl Hooker (D/P-Rutland), a co-sponsor of PR.9, said in an email to The Campus that she believes “the bill sends us in the right direction.”
The process of amending such a longstanding document as the state constitution is complex, requiring passage in the House, Senate and General Assembly, as well as in a public vote of Vermonters.
Bray hopes the amendment can be used as a firm protection against future legislative disputes over environmental policy. “If someone challenges a rule, there will be a legal foundation to point to to say ‘Look, we have already made explicit and guaranteed to each other the right to clean air and clean water,’” he told VTDigger.
Vermont’s environmental protection measures often receive bipartisan support, and opposition to the “Green Amendment” is more often rooted in concerns over logistics and practicality than rejection of the premise.
Senator Tim Ashe (D/P-Chittenden) told VTDigger that he is unsure about the amendment given the problems faced by states that have passed similar measures. Pennsylvania and Montana have already passed constitutional amendments to address environmental rights. However, this has not always guaranteed complete environmental protection.
“Pennsylvania, I believe, is the state that’s often pointed to and their fracking process leaves one to wonder what the impact of that constitutional language has given, since many people there do not have clean air or clean water,” Ashe said.
Former Vermont Governor Jim Douglas ’72 is worried about the implications of this amendment. “I don’t know what this would accomplish and I fear that it would expose the taxpayers to needless litigation,” Douglas told The Campus. “Imagine if everyone who can’t use a Burlington beach due to an algae bloom could sue.”
Douglas feels that efforts can be better concentrated. “We should continue to pursue strategies to reduce vehicle emissions, which is our greatest air quality challenge, and maintain our efforts to improve our impaired waterways. That’s more important than spending time on a Constitutional amendment.”
For up to date information on this matter and other environmental legislation, visit legislature.vermont.gov.
(02/13/20 11:01am)
Electronic cigarettes, climate change, marijuana, the safety of sex workers and paid family-leave are all topics that have come before the Vermont General Assembly this year. The topics have caused consequential debates about what is, and what is not, best for the state.
Electronic cigarettes and vaping products have become increasingly prominent in recent years, prompting legislators to propose bills addressing these devices and their markets. The 2020 session brought a proposed ban on menthol products, which was met with significant pushback from the tobacco industry. The bill as introduced (H.823) proposes “to ban the sale or possession of flavored cigarettes, flavored e-cigarettes, and flavored substances that contain nicotine or are otherwise intended for use with an e-cigarette.”
Led by Representative Jessica Brumsted (D-Shelburne), over thirty members of the House sponsored bill H.823. Brumstead explained teenage use of flavored vaping products underpinned her sponsorship. “Those who start using e-cigarettes while in their teens are four times more likely to become traditional cigarette smokers than teenagers who do not,” Brumsted said.
The General Assembly has made multiple efforts to combat the health effects of e-cigarettes and similar products, including the ‘Tobacco 21’ bill passed last year to ban the sale of and use of tobacco products for people under the age of 21. Still, the Assembly sees a need for further action.
“We know that by reducing the number of people vaping and smoking, we will also reduce health care costs for our state,” Brumsted said. H.823 was read and referred to the Committee on Human Services Jan. 21 of this year.
Legislators are also working on several climate-related bills this session. Senator Ruth Hardy (D-Addison) said this an area of particular importance for lawmakers. “I am a member of the Climate Solutions Caucus, [which] has been working hard since the end of last session to put forth a bunch of different proposals,” she said.
Legislators are considering bills to create and meet targets for greenhouse gas emissions, to increase electric vehicle accessibility and use and to create carbon credit programs for owners of forest land, among other bills addressing climate change.
“In Vermont, our number one emissions [source] is automobiles,” Hardy said.
Though the effect auto emissions have on Vermont’s carbon footprint is immense, its prominence allows lawmakers such as Hardy to address the problem head-on.
“We all have to do our part as individuals because we don’t have one big smoke stack it’s all coming from, it’s all coming from our tailpipes,” she said, adding that she wants students to know that the legislature is working to pass “meaningful climate legislation.”
“I don’t know what the end result will be, but [climate legislation] is something that we work on every day on a number of fronts,” Hardy said.
Legislators are also working on cannabis-related issues. S.54 was introduced last year and has been actively worked on to date. The bill proposes the creation of the Cannabis Control Board to regulate “the production and sale of cannabis and cannabis products in Vermont.” The senate passed S.54 on March 1 of last year, moving it to the House, where it was referred to Government Operations and then to by Ways and Means. It was referred to Appropriations on Feb. 6 of this year.
Senator Joe Benning (R-Caledonia), a cosponsor of S.54, believes that the need for the bill is simple given the activity that takes place on the black market.
“In the black market, we have no control over who obtains [cannabis], no control over what it contains, and no revenue to promote educational or prevention programs that might help eliminate this and other problems,” he said.
Benning said that the bill, if passed, would introduce a method of distribution that would take on an educational stance, monitor product quality, and prevent minors from accessing cannabis. Benning said too that the bill generates revenue to put towards prevention and rehabilitative programs, including law enforcement efforts.
One bill gaining national attention this session is H.569, an act relating to prostitution. The bill as introduced reads that, “It is the intent of the General Assembly to repeal the laws pertaining to prostitution between consenting adults, while retaining strict prohibitions and criminal penalties for human trafficking.” H.569 was referred to the Committee on Judiciary Jan. 7 after a first reading.
The 2019 session also included a proposal that creates a Paid Family Leave Insurance Program within the Departments of Labor and Taxes. This program is funded by contributions from employers and employees as part of H.107. Following a sustained veto from Governor Phil Scott (R), sponsors of the bill reformed and brought a new version of the bill to the legislature in the 2020 session. Gov. Scott vetoed the bill again on Jan. 31, 2020 in accordance with his promise to not raise taxes. The bill then returned to the House where the assembly sustained the governor’s veto by one vote.
Gov. Scott said he is not opposed to paid family leave but said he is opposed to the notion of raising taxes to sustain a mandatory family leave policy. Gov. Scott talked about his work on a voluntary paid family and medical leave plan in his veto message to the Legislature, Jan. 31.
“Our approach is voluntary for employers and employees,” he said in the address. “It can be accomplished more efficiently, affordably and quickly, without a $29 million payroll tax that Vermont workers simply should not be burdened with, and without putting the risk of underfunding on taxpayers.”
Representative Constance Quimby (R-Essex Caledonia) explained that the Republicans agreed with Gov. Scott and came together to support his position. The Republican party needed all members present to have any hope of sustaining the veto, given the significant Democratic majority.
“It’s a shame that the liberals did not think it was a good idea to ‘tweak’ the bill and make it a voluntary program so that perhaps all members of the house could have voted for it,” Quimby told The Campus.
Legislators are also considering bills relating to electric vehicles, water quality, gun regulation and other points of interest. More information about activity in Vermont’s capital can be found at legislature.vermont.gov.
Editor’s note: Senator Ruth Hardy (D-Addison) is the spouse of Prof. Jason Mittell, The Campus’ academic advisor. Any questions may be directed to campus@middlebury.edu.
(11/14/19 11:03am)
From sunrise to sunset on Saturday, Nov. 9 and Sunday, Nov. 10, local Vermont youth took to the woods all across the state in hopes of a successful deer hunt. This Youth Deer Weekend is one of the three hunting weekends in Vermont geared toward younger generations of hunters. The event precedes the opening of rifle season by one week. This gives youth — defined by Vermont Fish and Wildlife as those 15 and younger — the chance to get into the field before the deer season opens to older, more experienced hunters.
“Youth weekend originally began as a youth day before being expanded to a full weekend,” Vermont Game Warden Wesley Butler said. Butler currently covers the Southern half of Addison County and remembers participating in the youth season himself when he was growing up in the area.
“I got a 128 lb four-pointer on Saturday,” said Colby Butler, a successful local youth hunter. Colby started hunting when he was seven years old and is now 15. “I think that [youth weekend] is a really good time. I kind of like it more than regular season.” For him, youth weekend is really about family. “Whenever I think of youth hunting I think of time with my brothers,” he said.
Butler explained that there are multiple laws that apply to youth deer season that are not present during what is often referred to as the “regular season,” which is open to all ages. During youth weekend a youth hunter must be accompanied by a licensed but unarmed adult to provide an experienced mentor for aspiring hunters as they are introduced to the activity. Youth hunters are also required to ask for permission on the land that they wish to hunt on — even if that land is not posted or otherwise restricted. This measure aims to teach youth about respect for land and community members. Youth Deer Weekend allows participants to hunt deer regardless of the deer’s antlers or sex, which increases the opportunities for shots. Biologists can learn valuable information about the health of the herd from the does (female deer) and spike horns (small bucks which are illegal in the regular season) that youth hunters can hunt during this weekend. This information, which is otherwise unavailable, can help inform policy recommendations.
In terms of law enforcement, Game Wardens said that they want youth to have a positive experience, encourage hunters to take the season seriously and use the weekend for what it’s intended for. For this reason, Butler says that youth weekend violations result in increased fines and, potentially, the loss of an adult’s hunting and fishing license.
This year Vermont Fish and Wildlife and local Middlebury businesses teamed up to host an Operation Game Thief event during youth weekend. The event, held at G. Stone Motors and Vermont Field Sports on Rt. 7, included raffles, discussions with game wardens and a barbeque for the community.
“We put together a youth event for the kids and the community to get them out and educate them about hunting and the different aspects of it,” said Tara Raymond, the Finance Manager for G. Stone Motors.
In addition to hosting, there were raffle prizes such as a lifetime hunting license, a Ruger gun donated by Vermont Field Sports, a shoulder mount by Bragg’s Taxidermy and a wildlife woodburning by Dattilio Artwork.
Youth check in their deer by bringing them to certified weigh stations like VT Field Sports, and Rack ‘N Reel in New Haven, Vermont. Manager for Vermont’s Agency of Natural Resources Amy Alfieri was stationed at this location to examine the deer that were brought in. “The deer being brought in over the past couple years have had good fat on them and the population seems to be healthy,” Alfieri said, and went on to explain the examination process. She measures the spread (the widest distance) of the antlers on a buck, the quantity and health of the teeth to estimate age, and removes an incisor tooth from the deer to be professionally analyzed in a lab out of state. Alfieri also weighs the deer, visually assesses its health, and asks the hunters questions to understand if it was dressed properly in the field.
Tanner, 11, and his dad Chris Alexopoulos, a Fisheries and Wildlife Specialist for Green Mountain National Forest, visited the Operation Game Thief event between their time in the field on Sunday. Tanner shot his first deer when he was nine and hoped to get another one this year.
“Tanner is a fourth-generation Vermont wild game hunter,” Chris said. “The youth weekend is imperative. We have to keep the young sportsman involved and active.”
The state hopes that having youth weekends will encourage participation and get new sportsmen and women who will take on the role of maintaining the healthy conservation of the beautiful Vermont wildlife. There are many hunting courses throughout the state and around the year. Interested youth can also attend Green Mountain Conservation Camp to learn more.
(10/17/19 10:01am)
After years of significantly increased demand for its services in the Addison County community, the Middlebury Charter House was open this summer for the first time in its 15–year history. To celebrate this milestone, its recent renovations, program advancements and general success with providing basic food and housing for Addison County residents in need, the house hosted an open house this past Saturday.
The Charter House, a nonprofit and volunteer-based organization located at 27 North Pleasant St., has previously only been open Oct. 15 through April 22.
“Our board had a long term goal a couple of years ago to see if we could stay open year–round,” Charter House Co-Director Doug Sinclair said.
At the open house, Charter House board members and volunteers gave visitors tours of the newly updated and changing facilities, talked with volunteers about their work and enjoyed some snacks with good company.
There were signs throughout the house with information about the services the coalition offers and the renovations that are underway. One sign stated that in 2019, the house has so far provided 7,047 bed nights — or the number of individuals multiplied by the number of nights — and 40,000 meals. Sinclair said that this is consistent with the 15% yearly growth rate the program has experienced since it started in 2004 — from its humble origins as a provider of Friday night meals to a year–round, 24/7 operating facility.
Board member Dutton Smith said the board noticed in the past few years that there was an increasing number of people sleeping under the bridge in town over the summer. “It’s not just a seasonal problem,” he said.
Charter House would have liked to be open year-round in the past, but the extra season adds significant costs that just weren’t feasible given its budget. Despite this obstacle, members felt passionate about addressing the need.
“We were able to raise some additional funds from the community, so we made the decision in March of this past year to keep the shelter open for individuals through the entire summer,” Sinclair explained.
The shelter has facilities to support both families and individuals, but found that in the summer, individual adults were most commonly in need of support.
“The shelters have been at capacity or above all summer; the need is there,” Sinclair said.
Charter House is happy to serve the community in this additional capacity but is still struggling with funding for the next summer. The extended season costs are about $65,000, and, so far, it has only been able to raise about two-thirds of that sum. “Our goal is to now keep the shelter open year-round, but it really depends on what our financial position is when we get to next March,” Sinclair said.
These significant costs are particularly troubling at this time because of the ongoing renovation projects the Charter House is currently spearheading. “We realized three years ago that there were a lot of things the building needed,” Sinclair said. With the house being 240 years old, some of the projects are just a result of wear and tear over time; others are in accordance with efforts to make the building fully accessible given funding regulations.
One of the projects is an installation of an elevator which costs $70,000, according to Sinclair. Due to a state regulation, the initially planned elevator had to be relocated to the back of the building, costing an additional $40,000.
This was not the only time a renovation cost exceeded its original budget. One of the largest projects, a brand new kitchen, ultimately cost the program $140,000 — $30,000 higher than expected.
“You start to open up the walls in an old building and construction is much more expensive because the old walls either aren’t adequately supported or they’re just deteriorating,” Sinclair said. Problems with support beams in the kitchen space not only added that extra cost, but also extended construction by a month.
The house also installed an upgraded heating and air conditioning system at a cost of $84,000. Smith noted that the addition of air conditioning is extremely helpful given the house’s new summer services.
Additionally, the building underwent asbestos remediation at a cost $48,000, added an accessible full bath ($60,000), added access ramps ($20,000), removed an old boiler system and completely weatherized the building to minimize heat loss. All of these projects improve the building and services of Charter House, but inevitably put a financial burden on the program. “We actually started eating into our operational reserves in order to finish the work this summer,” Sinclair said.
To meet the house’s increasing needs and growing costs, Charter House relies heavily on the work of volunteers. These volunteers are usually students and retirees.
Board Member Vicky Wideman ’89 emphasized that the program is only able to succeed because of the volunteers. Wideman once heard a child staying at the house say: “I had the best day on Saturday! I played with a college student.”
Wideman said that for many of the residents, the relationships they build with the volunteers — especially with college athletes, many of whom volunteer to meet their teams’ community service component — is what is truly special about the space.
Middlebury College students who are interested in getting involved with Charter House are invited to contact Emily Carfi ’21, president of the Charter House student organization, at ecarfi@middlebury.edu. “We are always looking for more volunteers, that’s the main thing,” Carfi said.
Students and community members can also visit charterhousecoalition.org for more information and to get in touch with the co-directors of Charter House.
(10/03/19 10:04am)
Porter Medical Center recently published a five-year plan with visions to renovate and add infrastructure, hospital functionality and additional services.
“The five-year plan is intended to support our overall mission, which is to improve the health of our community one person at a time,” Vice President of Communications and Engagement Ron Hallman said. Hallman has worked at UVM Health Network/Porter Medical Center for 30 years.
Hallman noted the plan is not something of the future; the center has already begun work towards initiatives of improving health care in our community. The plan can be summarized into four main areas of focus: access, new services, employees and population health.
Porter’s five-year plan focuses on access in order to connect people with doctors in a smooth and efficient manner. “If people can’t get in to see a provider, then it doesn’t matter what the services are,” Hallman said.
Porter is also working towards adding new service lines including a Pain Clinic, which would serve as a department for the treatment of chronic pain complications. Other new services would include Cardiac Rehabilitation and Express Care. “[We are] always looking for opportunities to add new lines of service so that we can provide care here locally to all of our citizens,” Hallman said.
Hallman also noted plans to focus on Porter’s employees. “We want to invest in our employees so that they have appropriate wages and benefits and opportunities for growth,” he said. Hallman explained that a large part of achieving growth in the employee pillar of the plan has to do with transitioning to the Epic platform, an online system widely used throughout the medical community for maintaining electronic health records.
“We are going live on Nov. 1 with the first wave of this new electronic health record,” he said. Hallman hopes that the implementation of the new electronic health record program will greatly improve patient service at Porter.
“Instead of having a different medical record at the hospital and at your doctor’s office and at the nursing home and then up in Burlington, you’re going to have one medical record,” Hallman said. By transitioning to this electronic program, patients will be able to have their medical records easily follow them to the different services they may need.
The fourth pillar of the five-year plan is population health as Porter shifts its focus to the community as a whole rather than solely the sick and injured. “We are putting strategy in place to help people stay well and healthy and avoid expensive healthcare treatments,” Hallman said.
“I have a personal interest in our medical office building because it’s going to help us align some services underneath my medical group that definitely need to be realigned,” Porter Vice President Tom Manion said. Manion explained that the five-year plan includes the addition of an office building that will allow for programs to be centrally located.
“We are going to be able to combine the Women’s Health and Pediatric Group in a Mother-Baby Unit that’s on-site,” Manion said. As of now the pediatricians who are on call are 10–20 minutes from the birthing center, which is not ideal for either of the programs. Manion feels that the best part of the program is access for college students; Porter is often very busy and it can sometimes take weeks to months to make appointments for simple things like a sinus problem referral.
“With Epic, we’re able to actually look across all our organizations,” Manion said. This would increase access for community members, students and staff for other locations and doctors at places such as UVM. The transition to Epic will play a crucial role in this access as it will allow for one’s medical record at Porter to be easily accessed by other places digitally. “I think what improves the health of our community improves the health of the College’s community the same,” Hallman said.
The five-year plan does not come without drawbacks. “It all costs money, it all requires capital,” Hallman said. According to Porter president Seleem Choudhury, the medical center is currently seeking permission for a $30 million medical office building alone.
Manion voiced concern about the Epic platform, and the amount of time and feedback that will be required to install and optimize the program. “Between Nov. 1 of this year to Oct. 1 of next, we are going to live in an interim state, which means we have an outpatient record and an inpatient record,” Manion said. During this period the medical records won’t “talk” to each other as well which could potentially cause stress and problems for the employees.
“Likely more staff will be needed to help with that,” Manion said.
“Healthcare is a tricky business,” Hallman said, and widespread changes do not come without struggle. Nevertheless, the leaders of Porter hope this plan will enhance the services the center offers and help make our community a better place for everyone.