Good evening –

Over the Town Meeting break I was fortunate to reconnect with family, friends and colleagues from my year round job. Now we are back to work on the second half of this year’s legislative session.

This Thursday, March 21st at 6 PM I will be hosting online office hours via Zoom which can also be accessed in person at the Wardsboro Library.

Capitol Recap: With competing bills, road to Act 250 compromise remains unclear

This past week the committee I serve on, House Environment and Energy, voted out H.687, a historic conservation and Act 250 modernization bill. As envisioned, the Natural Resources Board will be professionalized and will hear Act 250 appeals. Act 250 will move to location based jurisdiction, which will afford towns with staffing, infrastructure and robust permitting apparatus the opportunity for exemption from Act 250. A “Road Rule” and forest block criteria will be added. Areas that are deemed “critical resource areas” will come under automatic Act 250 jurisdiction. The definition of critical resource area at times identified more then 85% of the state, but in the final version passed out of our committee, the definition will be determined through a public rule making process. New processes for approving town and regional plans are envisioned, and there are several instances in which the RPCs will regulate towns in addition to providing technical assistance. The bill also includes a public engagement process for helping communities engage and inform rule making as well as a study on how RPCs are currently configured.

The process for developing this bill was really challenging, with multiple 100+ page revised drafts being submitted to the committee after suggested changes from stakeholders. A bill of this size and complexity requires a lot of committee time and a lot of committee education and discussion. It was difficult for me and others to keep up with the pace of new drafts and changes. While we heard from a number of scheduled witnesses, due to time constraints, this bill did not receive the committee deliberation and editing time it needed to secure my vote. In addition, given the extensive examples of multi year jurisdictional opinion and permit appeals we have seen in District 2 Environmental Commission, I can not support moving appeals away from the courts, which I communicated early to House leaders and our Chair. The bill passed out of committee with an 8-3 vote.

The Rural Caucus weighed in with requests on the bill, and members are expected to seek amendments on the floor when the bill comes up for a vote next week.

The governor has been outspoken in opposition to this bill, preferring a bill that incentivizes housing development.

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This week I will be reporting H.289, also referred to as the Renewable Energy Standard Act, to the House. H.289 builds upon Vermont’s existing renewable energy goals and standards, and recognizes the differences in Vermont’s multiple different utilities. Vermont has long been committed to increasing its use of renewable energy sources as part of its broader efforts to combat climate change and promote environmental sustainability. This bill increases resiliency by increasing instate distributed energy generation.

The state’s Renewable Energy Standard (RES), established in previous legislation in 2015, sets targets for the proportion of electricity that must come from renewable sources. These targets have been incrementally raised over the years to encourage the use of cleaner energy technologies and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

H.289 updates the Vermont’s RES, helping to accelerate the transition to renewable energy by setting more ambitious targets and deadlines for electricity providers. Under the bill, most providers are required to ensure that 100% of the electricity they supply comes from renewable sources by 2030. Some of Vermont’s utilities are already getting 100% of their electricity from renewable resources.

Fiscal Note on H.289

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Sibilia/Carpenter Diagnostic Bill Voted out of Committee

Last week I testified on a bill I introduced with Rep. Melanie Carpenter, H.621, “An act relating to health insurance coverage for diagnostic breast imaging,”. This bill aims to address the critical issue of access to diagnostic breast imaging services by requiring health insurance plans to cover these services without cost-sharing. Breast cancer remains a significant health concern and early detection is an important factor for improving outcomes. However, financial barriers and limited coverage options often hinder access to essential screening services for many individuals. Despite the Affordable Care Act’s efforts to make preventive screening mammography widely available, gaps persist, particularly for follow-up imaging or for those at higher risk of breast cancer. This bill seeks to close those gaps by mandating coverage for screening mammography, ultrasound, and other breast imaging services recommended by healthcare providers. H.621 has advanced out of committee, and is one step closer to improving access to crucial diagnostic services for individuals across Vermont. A vote of the House is scheduled for this week.

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VTDigger: Why does education matter? Ask Elaine Collins.

The North Country Supervisory Union superintendent moved lawmakers this week with her story grounded in personal experience. She urged them to consider Vermont’s most vulnerable children.

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Latest Reports Submitted to the Legislature

3-11-2024	Report on the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds	Department of Environmental Conservation
3-11-2024	Facility Planning Strategic Plan	Department for Children and Families
3-4-2024	Pandemic-Era Hotel/Motel Housing Report	Department for Children and Families

Bill that have been signed by the Governor in 2024

H.839	3/1/2024	An act relating to fiscal year 2024 budget adjustments	87
H.516	3/1/2024	An act relating to approval of amendments to the charter of the City of Essex Junction	M-18
H.849	2/23/2024	An act relating to technical corrections for the 2024 legislative session	85
H.850	2/21/2024	An act relating to transitioning education financing to the new system for pupil weighting	84
S.154	2/20/2024	An act relating to the Vermont State Plane Coordinate System	86
H.599	2/9/2024	An act relating to retroactively reinstating 10 V.S.A. § 6081(b)	83
S.160	2/1/2024	An act relating to State education property taxes and flood-related damage	82
S.141	1/18/2024	An act relating to approval of the charter of Fairfax Fire District No. 1	M-17

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I’ve been reflecting on lots of discussions during the Town Meeting break, and it’s really clear that Vermont is at a pivotal moment, facing rapidly transformative changes in demographics, digitization, and climate. These historic shifts demand focused and proactive leadership at all levels to address both challenges and opportunities. Despite resilience in pandemic response, I have growing concerns about insufficient action from state leaders, particularly related to the implementing – and staffing – of affordable and effective government. The turnover of legislative leaders in this biennium is exacerbating this challenge. I have more to say about these difficulties, but right now see opportunity for new and leaders to engage. Every individual has a role to play, whether by volunteering or considering running for local or state office. Thank you to all who are currently serving our communities and state, and I urge others who have not yet stepped up, to join in helping determine Vermont’s future.

It continues to be an honor to represent the Windham-2 District in the Vermont House of Representatives.

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