Good evening,

A quick note at the start of the New Year –

Today was the first day of the 2024 Legislative Session. This is my tenth year serving as our district’s representative, and it continues to be an honor to advocate for our communities. Thank you for your confidence, thank you for your questions – especially the difficult ones, and thank you for staying in touch.

On Monday the Deerfield Valley Chamber in Wilmington is hosting a legislative event with Sen Nadar Hashim myself and Rep. Tristan Roberts. Come listen to our thoughts on the upcoming session and ask your questions – RSVP at www.visitvermont.com

Tomorrow, January 4th, the Governor will give his state of the state speech at 2 pm to a Joint Assembly. To view the Joint Assembly proceedings, go to the following YouTube channel: https://legislature.vermont.gov/senate/streaming/joint-assembly.

This week the House Environment and Energy Committee is meeting with the House Transportation Committee to hear from the administration and environmental advocates about the effects we are seeing in Vermont from Climate Change and on the damage to Vermont communities and people from this year’s floods. Responding to the flooding throughout the state is expected to be a major focus of this this year’s session alongside education finance and property taxes.

This session, the bills I am sponsoring are focusing on infrastructure oversight, telecom accountability, public safety reform, climate adaptation, Act 250 reform and education finance and property tax.

• Critical Infrastructure
  • Ensuring that the Vermont Legislature provides appropriate oversight for the largest public infrastructure project underway in our state – broadband build out. Public investment in broadband in Vermont is expected to ultimately reach a half a billion dollars.
  • CCI/Fidium is being acquired by a private investment company. This is in Vermont, where the Public Utility Commission must sign off on this acquisition. Vermont must ensure we protect Vermonter’s existing telephone access and hold this company accountable for public promises they have made and public investments they have sought and received. I’ve communicated the urgency of protecting Vermonters with this sale to legislative leaders and have introduced legislation to give the legislature a vote.

Recent history of Vermont's legacy telephone carrier: FairPoint Communications: Acquired Vermont landline assets from Verizon in 2007 and after coming out of bankruptcy it was acquired by Consolidated Communications in 2017. Following labor issues and increased costs to maintain the again infrastructural, the Vermont Public Service Board (now known as the Public Utility Commission) played a crucial role in overseeing and approving the transaction. A Certificate of Public Good (CPG) is a regulatory requirement issued by the Public Utility Commission for such transactions. It outlines the terms and conditions to ensure that the public interest is protected. Recent news on CCI and Fidium: Consolidated sells wireless assets for $490M to boost its fiber build

• Public Safety
  • Working with Sen. Hashim to update bail and conditions of release so that judges are able to consider a wider array of factors when setting bail or conditions of release.
• Climate Change Adaptation
  • Alleviating duplicative permitting for hardening our critical electric infrastructure
  • Updating Vermont’s Renewable Energy Standard to increase instate renewables and reduce incentive programs that are most expensive for Vermont ratepayers
• Property Taxes
  • Excellent statewide leadership and accountability of our public education system, appropriate tools for local leaders to provide and maintain high quality programs, control local costs and limit inequitable burdens on the statewide finance system.
  • Ensure access to state and regional tools, capacity and funding for all communities and that those tools, capacity and funding benefit from local knowledge and experience.
  • Modernize RPCs and ensure they are both state and locally driven.
• Act 250 Reform
  • Revising statute to put in place 6 month deadlines for applications to be determined complete

Over the next few days this Vermont independent will be participating in a bipartisan leadership and democracy workshop with elected Republican and Democrat officials from across America’s state and local governments. I’m excited to share about Vermont’s experience and to bring back what I learn learn from others across our nation and the political spectrum.

Please check back here – or subscribe – for regular updates on Friday nights or Saturday mornings as the 2024 Legislative Session progresses.

As always, if you have suggestions, concerns or critiques please be in touch so we can schedule time to discuss. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need assistance navigating government services at (802) 384-0233 or lsibilia@leg.state.vt.us. Follow my regular posts online at http://www.laurasibiliavt.com

It is an honor to represent our district in the legislature. Thank you!

Rep. Laura Sibilia – Dover, Jamaica, Somerset, Stratton, Wardsboro