Legislature looks to wrap up broadband bill

The sun breaks through on Gabert Road in Woodstock, Vt. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

A Vermont bill meant to pave the way for broadband expansion is in the final stages of legislative approval.

The state Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved its version of the bill H. 360, which sets a framework for building out Vermont’s broadband network, with a focus on reaching the most remote parts of the state through local efforts. The funding comes from recent relief money in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). As of Thursday night, this legislation remained in conference committee, where the House and Senate versions of the bill are being reconciled. Once that’s done, the bill goes to the governor’s desk for possible signing. 

The broadband proposal adds support for Communications Union Districts, local municipally-approved entities which have facilitated more broadband connections in several regions. The legislation also allows small local telecom providers to benefit from the proposal, but they must support universal broadband access to do so, the Brattleboro Reformer reported.

The Senate version of the bill totals $100 million, down from the $150 million proposal the House approved in March. Gov. Phil Scott has expressed disappointment in both amounts, as his administration originally proposed spending $250 million of the ARPA funds on broadband. In a Thursday interview on Vermont Public Radio, Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint, of Brattleboro, said “additional monies can and will be appropriated as it becomes clear what investments are needed.” She also noted that the Legislature has 3 ½ years to spend the ARPA money, giving ample time to consider further investments in broadband.

“We have time to figure this out, and I think Vermonters want us to do that,” Balint said. 

At Tuesday’s Senate proceedings, which are still being held on Zoom, Senate Majority Leader Alison Clarkson, of Woodstock, said broadband access has been a top priority during all her 16 years in the Legislature. Now, these federal funds are making significant progress possible, she said. 

“It’s a very exciting moment, and this is something that the pandemic of course has illustrated: the essentialness of this work … for education, health and our economy,” Clarkson said. 

For the entire past year, lawmakers in Vermont and elsewhere have emphasized the great need to increase broadband access, since gaps in that access put many adults and students at a disadvantage during the pandemic. Remote learning and telehealth services became critical in early 2020, as COVID-19 infections rose and millions had to remain home. There are also long-term limitations to business growth without more high-speed broadband connections, lawmakers said. Lack of broadband access has disproportionately impacted low-income Americans, multiple studies have shown.

At the federal level, the U.S. government is now offering some emergency discounts on internet services. Under the Emergency Broadband Benefit program, eligible households can receive a discount of up to $50 per month on their internet bills, and households on qualifying Tribal lands can receive up to $75 per month. Additionally, the program offers low-income families a one-time discount of up to $100 toward the purchase of a laptop, desktop computer, or a tablet. 

— Gareth Henderson

Vermont COVID-19 aid bill becomes law

The hills around Woodstock, Vermont, last summer. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

A $104 million COVID-19 relief bill has become law without Vermont Gov. Phil Scott's signature. The legislation includes $10 million in grants for struggling businesses, along with aid for housing, mental health services, and a range of infrastructure needs.

Scott reportedly declined to sign the bill, in part, because one of its provisions taxes some business loans under the federal Paycheck Protection Program. But the governor allowed the plan to become law because it "contains urgently needed funds for Vermonters," Vermont Public Radio reported. One part of the bill excludes the first $10,200 of unemployment benefits from 2020 from taxation, in accordance with a federal tax change this year.

In other Tuesday news, the state reported its COVID positivity rate has further dropped to 1.5%. Daily case counts are on the decline, in large part because the cases among younger age groups in Vermont recently dropped by one-third. Cases on college campuses are also down.

Additionally, federal officials hope to have some recommendations on Friday about resuming the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, with some restrictions. A pause in administration of that vaccine has continued this week in Vermont, as health experts are looking into the implications of six cases of rare blood-clotting in people who had the vaccine.

This week, Vermont's supply of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines will be level, while pharmacies in the federal pharmacy program will see an increase in those doses across the country. That means 8,000 more doses for pharmacies in Vermont.

On Monday, all Vermonters age 16 and older became eligible for COVID vaccinations, and 47,000 Vermonters age 16-29 had signed up to get their shots as of Tuesday morning.

— Gareth Henderson

Relief bills advance as Vt. lawmakers eye longer session

A view of the mountains from Cloudland Road in Pomfret, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

Much-anticipated COVID-19 relief moved forward in Congress and the Vermont Legislature this week. 

Both proposals were voted out of their respective House chambers and are headed to the Senate level. A $1.9 trillion federal bill got House approval late Friday night. Key elements in that proposal would raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, extend federal unemployment insurance, deliver $1,400 direct payments to most Americans, help small businesses and support vaccination efforts. In total, the bill has $960 million for Vermont.

“This bold relief bill is a critical step to get us through and eventually recover from this unprecedented pandemic,” U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, of Vermont, said in a statement. 

The Vermont relief bill totals $80 million and now awaits state Senate action. It will be the top priority for lawmakers when they return from their week-long break from legislative deliberations. The bill includes $10 million in grants for businesses that didn’t previously qualify for federal aid; $10 million for affordable housing; $1.3 million for the Reach Up program for one-time payments to families in need; $1.4 million for the Vermont Food Bank; and $5 million for the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative.

On Saturday, State Rep. Charlie Kimbell and Sen. Alison Clarkson, the Senate majority leader, updated voters from Woodstock, Plymouth and Reading on the legislative session. Clarkson said COVID-19 relief was at the top of the list and that lawmakers are looking to “leverage these precious federal dollars” to help on a host of issues for Vermonters, such as housing needs and broadband access.

However, lawmakers are also making recovery a priority, including focusing on areas like unemployment insurance and expanding telemedicine — which have been crucial for Vermonters during this time. 

“We’re really focused on learning lessons from pandemic,” Clarkson said. She also noted they’re considering how to sustain the unemployment fund for the long-term, while also being sensitive about how businesses are impacted. Another result of those “lessons learned” is a bill currently being considered, which would allow changes in municipal functions, such as moving public meetings to Zoom, if there is a declared state emergency.

Another major topic was the future of the Vermont State Colleges System. Last year, then-Chancellor Jeb Spaulding proposed that two campuses be closed, which drew great public ire at the time. On Monday, the board of trustees voted to consolidate Northern Vermont University, Castleton University and Vermont Technical College into one entity. Under this new plan, Community College of Vermont would become a separate institution. 

The system is looking for additional funding from the Legislature to move forward with the merger, and this funding also considers the actual costs of demolishing some buildings and/or consolidating operations, according to Kimbell.

“They are committed to maintaining operations at their locations, but they have to alter those operations,” Kimbell said via email after Saturday’s meeting. Currently, the state colleges system receives $30 million in the state budget each year. In a separate request, the system is seeking to increase that base funding by $17.5 million.

Over the past year, one of the most significant issues facing workers has been child care. Kimbell said lawmakers are looking at how to address access to child care and help with funding.

“There are 20,000 fewer people in the workforce now, than before the pandemic,” he noted. Kimbell said many people either couldn’t find child care, or opted to home-school their children amid concerns about COVID-19. 

On a different issue, the implementation of Vermont’s tax-and-regulate cannabis law came up. A question was raised about the Cannabis Control Board, which sets and administers the rules for the tax-and-regulate system, and when members would be appointed to the new board. Clarkson answered that this is up to the governor’s office, and Senate leadership will urge the governor to complete that process.

“It is pushing everything behind, and we have 2,000 businesses waiting for this work to go forward, and for the structure to be all set up,” Clarkson said. 

The tax-and-regulate cannabis law went into effect last October. Kimbell said a number of towns on Tuesday will vote on whether to allow retail cannabis businesses. Recently, Woodstock municipal leaders established a group to study the issue for Woodstock.  

Moving forward, it looks like lawmakers are in for another long session. It may again go into the summer to give the Legislature time to appropriate the nearly $1 billion expected from the new federal relief bill. 

That also means a lot more time on Zoom, which, Kimbell and Clarkson acknowledged, has been a challenge for legislative work. The time spent during breaks and in the cafeteria during an in-person legislative session is important to understanding the issues surrounding a bill, Clarkson said. Those informal conversations don’t always make it into the day, in the current context.

“Really challenging to do some of that informal work that comes from being together,” Clarkson said. 

In a later interview, Clarkson explained lawmaking often involves having “very private conversations” with people about what’s driving their views. That’s harder to facilitate, being outside of the in-person environment.

However, Clarkson said she was glad the Legislature has the option to meet on Zoom. Furthermore, she noted that last year, lawmakers appropriated over $1 billion, and she’s confident they can accomplish the same high level of work for Vermonters this year.

“We’re soldiering through, we're doing best we can with the limits that we face," she said.

Clarkson is vice chair of the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs, and is also on the Senate Government Operations Committee. Kimbell is a member of the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee. 

Other issues they spoke about Saturday included: 

• A proposal to remove the state education tax from the property tax and make it an income tax, from the Tax Structure Commission’s recent report. In this case, the education tax would be more closely tied to what the local school budget is.

• Examining unfunded pension liabilities for state employees and teachers. This has become “a $4.5 billion problem”, Kimbell said, and lawmakers are hoping to craft a plan to make the system  more sustainable. Currently, the state pays $389 million from the general fund each year. 

• Incentives to improve broadband access, by providing funding to more communications union districts, like ECFiber. 

• A bill which assesses the need for school construction projects statewide. Kimbell mentioned there has been no state aid for school buildings since 2007. Woodstock is currently in the planning process for building a new high school. 

• A bill which would establish a statewide rental registry, which state agencies could access for information about rental properties. Clarkson said this would have been useful to have both during Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, and now during the pandemic. 

• An elections bill which makes permanent the mailing-out of ballots for general elections. The proposal also gives the ability to cure ballots and provides more flexibility around polling places. 

— Gareth Henderson

Click on the following links to contact Sen. Alison Clarkson or Rep. Charlie Kimbell.

An historic day for Vermont leadership

For the first time, Vermont is beginning its legislative session with the House, Senate and lieutenant governor's office all being led by women, and Vermont Gov. Phil Scott recognized this historic occasion in his welcoming remarks to the Legislature Thursday.

The new leadership includes Speaker of the House Jill Krowinski, Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint, Senate Majority Leader Alison Clarkson and Lieutenant Governor Molly Gray — all with the Democratic majority. After a small swearing-in ceremony, Scott also recognized that the House caucuses each have female leaders as well: Rep. Patti McCoy (R), Rep. Emily Long (D) and Rep. Selene Colburn (P).

Scott said this day in Vermont leadership was "long overdue."

"We should all be proud of these milestones and appreciate the history they’ve made," he said.

Vermont's Republican governor also spoke about vandalism and violence that occurred Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol.

"Seeing our Capitol — a symbol of democracy around the world — stormed by this mob of traitors was heartbreaking," Scott said. "The fact that these flames of hate and insurrection were lit by the President of the United States will be remembered as one of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history."

In his inaugural address to the state on Thursday evening, Scott said American voters sent a clear message that they want a different kind of leadership, that treats people of all parties with respect. Scott said that approach is critical, especially in the midst of the ongoing pandemic.

"The challenges we face demand the very best of all of us, that we rise above the partisanship and division, the pettiness and political games, to commit to the tough work ahead, to get through this crisis safer and stronger, and to do it together," he said.

In Vermont, Scott said the pandemic has put the spotlight on major challenges, such as inequities in remote learning access, the struggles of the state college system, the severe impact on businesses and job loss, and the need for workforce training.

"And with all of this, we see the urgency to build a more diverse and resilient economy and make Vermont more affordable for families and businesses," Scott said.

Among his goals for Vermont this year include expanding the state's tax increment funding program to spur local development, and also modernizing Act 250, the statewide land use law. In his annual budget proposal, he'll call for a property tax exemption for licensed preschool programs, to boost state help for child care. Scott also proposes to organize all the state’s child development work within the Agency of Education. Additionally, the governor has asked his administration to develop a plan to get every Vermont student back to full-time, in-person learning by the end of the school year, and perhaps by April.

To watch, listen or read the governor’s 2021 inaugural address in full, click here.

— Gareth Henderson

Keeping up with the legislative session

Sunlight shines through the woods in West Woodstock. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

As expected, the 2020 Vermont Legislature has spent a ton of time on the state budget, amid the financial pressures of the pandemic. But other bills have also been working their way through the House and Senate. 

A climate change-related bill now awaits the governor's signature, after it received approval from both chambers. The Global Warming Solutions Act would require Vermont to meet targeted reduced carbon emissions, and the bill forms a climate council to create a plan to reduce pollution. Some opponents of the bill, including Gov. Phil Scott, have said the responsibility for that plan should not be placed in the hands of an unelected council. Supporters argue it's time for the state to take bold action on climate change. Lawmakers appear to have the votes to override an expected veto from Scott, according to NBC5.

Also making progress is legislation that would require the state to automatically purge criminal records for people convicted of possessing small amounts of marijuana. Rep. Tom Burditt, of West Rutland, told Vermont Public Radio on Monday that since the state has legalized possession of an ounce or less, criminal records from those convictions should also be expunged. That bill is up for a final vote in the House on Tuesday, according to VPR. 

Another bill which creates a tax-and-regulate system for cannabis was in a House and Senate conference committee as of Monday. 

As this unusual legislative session continues, the above bills are several proposals prioritized by lawmakers. There are clear differences between some lawmakers and the governor on the climate change legislation. Additionally, it will be interesting to see what transpires regarding the tax-and-regulate bill — a topic that has sparked some debate in the past. With several measures nearing the legislative finish line, it appears we have another important week ahead of us. 

— Gareth Henderson