The 2022 Vermont Legislative session considered numerous issues and lawmakers determined how to use federal pandemic relief funds with the state’s budget needs. Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility recently hosted the leaders of the state House and Senate for a virtual review of the session.
Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, or VBSR, is a statewide organization with over 650 members that advocates for prosperity through positive social and environmental change. The group invited the Vermont Speaker and the Senate President ProTem, both Democrats, to discuss the highlights and challenges that remain from the 2022 legislative session.
VBSR Public Policy Manager Jordan Giaconia says the organization began the session with a number of priorities.
“This year was marked by both major victories and also some unfortunate defeats when it comes to people, planet and prosperity. Just to name a few in terms of VBSR’s legislative priorities. On climate and clean energy more than $200 million in cost cutting and carbon reducing strategies. Reproductive liberties. So recognizing that abortion and reproductive care is health care and we are marking the final step in a four year legislative process to permanently enshrine reproductive liberty in Vermont’s Constitution. Also housing. This year lawmakers leveraged really historic investments in housing and workforce and economic development.”
House Speaker Jill Krowinski cited a workforce development bill as an example of how legislators worked across committees.
“Our Commerce Committee obviously was the home for that conversation. But what I asked all committees to do was to weigh in. Have the Health Care Committee weigh in. Have the Judiciary Committee weigh in. Have the Transportation Committee weigh in and really dig in to all of these different areas. What are the demands? What are the needs? How can we increase recruiting opportunities and retaining workers? And so I was really proud of the work to get a really strong workforce development to become law.”
Asked what issues remained at the end of the session, Senate President Pro Tem Becca Balint, who is running for Vermont’s at-large U.S. House seat, said she doesn’t think the legislature fully anticipated the impact of current inflationary trends.
“For example we invested huge amounts of money in housing but we’re not going to get as many units out of that as we anticipated because of the supply chain issue, because of prices. And it was frustrating to not be able to get the governor to come along with us on the Clean Heat Standard. We did not make enough progress on climate action because of that veto.”
Krowinski lamented the number of vetoes issued by Republican Governor Phil Scott.
“It’s a sad statistic to say that this governor has vetoed the most bills out of any other governor in the history and all of the vetoes, I think the 15 of this biennium, were really frustrating.”
Looking forward, Speaker Krowinski said it’s important for people to realize there will be a huge turnover in the legislature in the next biennium.
“We are going to be starting next year with an unprecedented amount of new members and new chairs. You know in the House over half of our chairs have retired. We have not seen this type of turnover in an extremely long time which means that we have a lot of work to do to help support, prep and educate all these new members and chairs about what the needs are for Vermonters.”
Balint appreciated the Speaker mentioned the loss of experienced legislators, adding:
“We have a third of the Senate leaving. Unprecedented. We can’t remember a time when we had that much turnover. So there’s going to be a steep learning curve for some of these folks. And also there’s going to be tremendous new energy which is going to be wonderful I think for both chambers.”
