Rep. Laura Sibilia: Week 7 & 8 of the 2024 Legislative Session

Good evening,

Please join Windham County Senator Wendy Harrison and I for public office hours on Saturday, March 2nd at the Dover Free Library from 11 am – noon.

Town Meeting 2024

Town Meeting is Tuesday, March 5th, please check in with your Town Clerk if you have questions about voting or participating. I will be traveling to as many Town Meetings as I can get to – hopefully all – with my intern Miriam from UVM. I’m hoping to start in Wardsboro at 9 am, travel to Jamaica, then Stratton and hopefully arrive in Dover before lunch. Typically I put out a brief electronic and printed update about bills on the move in the legislature and I’ll be happy to answer questions as long as your moderator allows and with an eye towards making all four Town Meetings.

Wardsboro Town Meeting at the Wardsboro Town Hall at 9 am Warning
Dover Town Meeting at the Dover Town Hall at 10 am – Warning
Jamaica Town Meeting at the Town Hall at 10 am – Warning
Stratton Town Meeting at the Stratton Town Hall 10 am – Warning

H.850 School Budget “Fix” signed by Governor

Check the story in VTDigger that shows the districts that benefited from the 20 year overdue correction of pupil weights.

H.850 will repeal the 5% homestead tax rate increase cap created by Act 127. The cap is part of the hold harmless for districts that had benefited through the unjust under-resourcing of poor and rural school districts in the bill which corrected pupil weight after two decades. The cap will be replaced with a tax discount system limited to districts that lost taxing capacity under the new pupil weighting system.

The Fiscal Note for this fix can be read here.

Here are some pieces I have written previously on the pupil weight issue and this year’s property tax spike:

St Albans Messenger Our schools: The consequence of inaction mounts.

Act 250, Conservation and Housing

This bill is codifying everything.
VLCT testimony on H.687

H.687 – An act relating to community resilience and biodiversity protection through land use in House Environment and Energy (my committee)
S.213 – An act relating to the regulation of wetlands, river corridor development, and dam safety in Senate Natural Resources and Energy
Be Home Bill – An act relating to bringing everyone home in Senate Economic Development

Legislative proposals on Act 250 under consideration are very different and until recently were taking place in three different committees. In the committee I serve on, we are working on H.687. This bill proposes to move to location based jurisdiction for Act 250, which means jurisdiction being automatically triggered for certain types of land and all land being mapped for Act 250 jurisdiction. There are significant changes contemplated to the potential development rights of every property in the state, how Town and Regional Plans are developed and approved, where Act 250 appeals can be heard, plus new powers contemplated for the Regional Planning Commissions changing the relationship between the towns and RPCS. This proposal has pulled from three off session consensus agreements on how our largest towns and cities might be exempted from Act 250 and also includes proposals for a new road rule and forest block criterion. As currently drafted, the bill would move much faster then stakeholders had contemplated during their off session work.

H.687 is massive. While we have taken a lot of testimony from RPCs, environmentalists and ecologists, we have only just begun committee discussions and there are 8 days left until the bill needs to be voted out of committee for crossover, which is when bills must be voted out of committees in order for both the House and Senate to be able to consider them. I expect to be talking about these potentially historic changes to land use permitting at Town Meeting and encourage those with experience in permitting and planning to read the bill and be in touch!

Read my latest OpEd: The Consolidated Communications Transition and the future of rural landlines in Vermont

What is happening with the Clean Heat Standard?

The first “check back” report on development of the Clean Heat Standard has been submitted to the legislature. Recall that the 2023 legislature created the Clean Heat Standard in statute, requiring the PUC develop the marketplace and the rules for implementing a Clean Heat Standard through a public process utilizing technical and equity experts in order to provide the 2025 legislature and governor with rules to implement the Clean Heat Standard and then change, pass, or repeal the statutory provisions of S.5. This first report demonstrates a commitment by the Vermont Public Utility Commission to meet the timelines that coincide with Vermont’s Global Warming Solutions Act. The PUC also reflects on the compressed time frame. Read the report here

We have also received an analysis conducted by the administration on various Thermal Energy Sector Emissions Reduction Policies for Vermont, including the Clean Heat Standard. This analysis did not support the wildest claims on fossil fuel prices that were made last year. In fact the analysis projected a few cents increase over the next five years.

Banning Sales of Flavored E-Cigarettes

Thank you to those who have reached out to communicate about S.18 An act relating to banning flavored tobacco products and e-liquids

This proposed new law would create stricter rules for selling tobacco. Here’s what it means if passed:

Vermont is proposing to pass three model Artificial Intelligence policies H.114 H.710 H.711

If a store sells tobacco to someone under 21 or helps a young person use tobacco, they’ll get in more trouble.
If someone under 21 is caught with tobacco, they have to either join a program to quit or pay a $50 fine (it used to be $25).
If a young person lies about their age to buy tobacco, they won’t just get a fine or community service. Their tobacco and fake ID will be taken, and they have to join a quitting program or pay a $50 fine.
Stores can’t sell discounted tobacco anymore.
Starting January 1, 2025, flavored tobacco substitutes and e-liquids can’t be sold.
Starting July 1, 2025, menthol-flavored tobacco products like cigarettes will also be banned. Other flavors like mint and cherry are still allowed for some tobacco products, but not for cigarettes.

Attention Consolidated Land Line Customers:

Consolidated is being taken private by its investors. In Vermont it first must secure a Certificate of Public Good from the Public Utility Commission.

There will be a public proceeding which is a hearing organized by the Vermont Public Utility Commission (PUC), where a joint petition from Consolidated Communications Holdings, Inc., Consolidated Communications of Northland Company, and Condor Holdings LLC is being discussed.

Is your landline phone service unreliable? Now is the time to let the Department of Public Service Know – or to file a comment about how you have tried to resolve the issue with the PUC. Here are instructions on what might be included in those comments.

The purpose of this meeting is to seek approvals for their project under certain Vermont state laws, specifically Sections 107, 109, and 311 of Title 30 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated (V.S.A.). These laws govern aspects related to utility regulations, permissions, and procedures.

The hearing will take place virtually via GoToMeeting videoconference on March 7, 2024, starting at 7:00 P.M. There will be a presentation at 6:30 P.M. by the Vermont Department of Public Service, and the hearing will commence immediately afterward. During this meeting, representatives from the companies involved will present details about the project and will be available to answer questions from the public.

Members of the public may participate in proceedings before the Vermont Public Utility Commission by attending this hearing, submitting public comments or by intervening as a formal party to a case. Sign up at EPUC to offer public comment

Public Hearing Notice

It’s been a busy few weeks with some wonderful local visitors to the statehouse and the opportunity to nominate our Adjutant General Greg Knight to to lead our Guard for another two years.

Monitor the bills I am sponsoring and recorded roll call votes.

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

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