Vermont Governor Phil Scott held his first weekly briefing today since the legislature began its new biennium this month.
Governor Scott began by paying tribute to former Governor Thomas Salmon, a Democrat who served two terms from 1973 until 1977, and died on Tuesday at the age of 92.
“While I didn’t know him well, I know he served during the nation’s most challenging times. His efforts on behalf of Vermonters are worthy of our gratitude, remembrance and respect," Scott said. "My thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time.”
The Vermont Legislature is in its second week of the session. Scott said his administration plans to submit four separate bills focused on his priorities of housing, public safety, education and affordability.
“This will make it easier to understand the what and why, track changes and follow it through the process," Scott explained. "The way we’ve done it over the past is a more scattered approach, hasn’t worked that well, leading to confusion and accusing us of not being fully engaged. Which couldn’t be further from the truth. With larger more broad bills, it’s my hope committees will hear testimony on the entire package and give legislators the full picture of what we’re trying to accomplish.”
The Republican then focused on public safety issues. He outlined key provisions he plans to put before legislators to address what he says are growing public safety concerns among Vermonters.
“First, to increase accountability for those who break the law. We see too many arrested and then released the very same day without any real consequences. We need to create a culture of accountability on the part of the criminal and re-instill trust in the system. Second, too much of this behavior is done by repeat offenders. Third, we’ll continue to push back against increased illicit drug use and its effect on our communities," outlined Scott. "And finally recognizing the evolving work of the Department of Public Safety, I’ve submitted an Executive Order to the Legislature to elevate the department to a cabinet level agency.”
Department of Public Safety Legal Counsel Tucker Jones reported that communities across the state have been holding special meetings on public safety that often focus on repeat offenders.
“With an impartial analysis of these cases, we are clearly not striking the right balance between protecting communities from ongoing harm and serving the liberty interests of a small group of defendants. Some steps were taken last year on this topic but specific gaps remain," noted Jones. "We propose this year to clarify the circumstances in which a defendant should be detained pretrial for repeatedly committing crimes and disregarding court orders.”
The Scott administration also plans to propose a repeal of the Raise the Age law for 19-year-old offenders. According to the governor’s office, if the legislature does not amend the law, as of April any 19-year-old accused of a crime would be treated as a child in family court.
