Meetings
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[Speaker 0]: Will the house please come to order and members kindly take their seats. Good afternoon. The devotional today will be led by representative Tony Nicholas of Milton.
[Speaker 1]: Thank you, madam speaker. Good afternoon. A fable attributed to Aesop. The mice once called a meeting to decide on a plan to free themselves from their enemy, the evil cat. Indeed, something had to be done, for they lived in such constant fear of its claws that they hardly dared stir from their dens by night or day. Many plans were discussed, but none of them were thought good enough. At last, a very young mouse got up and said, I have a plan that is very simple, and I know it will be successful. All we have to do is hang a bell about the cat's neck. When we hear the bell ringing, we will know immediately that our enemy is coming. All the mice were much surprised that they had not thought of such a plan before. But in the midst of the rejoicing over their good fortune, an old mouse arose and said, I will say that the plan of the young mouse is very good. But let me ask one question, who will bell the cat? This fable speaks to us in unique way as lawmakers. Here, we spend our days crafting policy, weighing solutions, and trying to make things better for the people we serve. The ideas we bring forward often reflect real hope and vision, but it is just the beginning for someone else. Someone in an agency, a town office, a business, a nonprofit, a classroom, or a courtroom. The people who must interpret, enforce, or comply with what we've passed often face the real complexity, the unintended consequences, and the burden of implementation. This lesson isn't here to discourage bold ideas. It is to remind us the value of practical wisdom as we consider proposals and vote on legislation is worth asking. What will this require of others? Will they have the tools, the clarity, and the support they need to make this work? The strength in our governance doesn't rest in the number of laws we pass, but how thoughtfully those laws serve the people and how well they work once they leave these chambers. Let us continue to be mindful not only of what we're trying to solve, but also of those who must bell the cat. Thank you.
[Speaker 0]: Members, our first order of business today is to welcome our newest member to the chamber representative Valerie Taylor of Mendon. Will the clerk please read the governor's letter of appointment?
[Speaker 2]: Dear speaker Krowinski, I have the honor to inform you that I have appointed Valerie Taylor of Mendon to serve in the Vermont House of Representatives representing House District Rutland 11. Sincerely, Philip B. Scott, governor.
[Speaker 0]: The member from Menden has taken her oath of office and is ready to be seated. So at this time, I'll ask the member from Milton to please proceed to the front doors of the chamber so that she can be officially escorted to her seat. Madam sergeant at arms.
[Speaker 3]: Madam speaker, I present to you representative Valerie Taylor of Mendon representing House District Rutland 11.
[Speaker 0]: Will the sergeant at arms please escort representative Taylor to her seat, which is Seat 119. And the chair appoints the member from Milton to the committee on healthcare. Again, congratulations member from Milton. Members, we have 19 house bills for introduction today. So with that, member from Pulte, can you please offer us a motion to suspend our rules to introduce bills by number only?
[Speaker 4]: Madam speaker, I make a motion to suspend rules in order to introduce bills by number only.
[Speaker 0]: The member from Pultely moves that we suspend our rules to introduce bills by number only. Are you ready for the question? If so, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, please say nay. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it and you have suspended rules to introduce bills by number only. Please listen to the first reading of bills by number only.
[Speaker 2]: H five eighty four.
[Speaker 0]: To ways and means.
[Speaker 2]: H five eighty five. To healthcare. H five eighty six. To healthcare. H five eighty seven.
[Speaker 0]: To government operations and military affairs.
[Speaker 2]: H five eighty eight.
[Speaker 0]: To government operations and military affairs,
[Speaker 2]: h five eighty nine. To judiciary, h five ninety. To judiciary, h five ninety one. To judiciary, h five ninety two. To judiciary, h five ninety three.
[Speaker 0]: To energy and digital infrastructure, h five ninety four. To human services,
[Speaker 2]: h five ninety five.
[Speaker 0]: To human services, h five ninety six. To human services, h five ninety seven. To energy and digital infrastructure, h five ninety eight. To energy and digital infrastructure.
[Speaker 2]: H five ninety nine.
[Speaker 0]: To energy and digital infrastructure. H 600. To energy and digital infrastructure. H six zero one. To energy and digital infrastructure.
[Speaker 2]: And h six zero two.
[Speaker 0]: To environment. Members, we also have a petition to refer to a committee regarding the security of schools and it is referred to the committee on education pursuant to house rule 32. We now have a joint house resolution to take up at this time. JRH6 is a joint resolution authorizing the Green Mountain Boys State Educational Program to use the state house facilities on 06/25/2026 offered by representative Markot of Coventry and others. Please listen to the reading of the resolution by title only.
[Speaker 5]: Joint resolution authorizing the Green Mountain Boys State Educational Program to use the state house facilities on 06/25/2026.
[Speaker 0]: Now the resolution has been read and is placed on the calendar for action on the next legislative day pursuant to house 52. We also have two joint senate resolutions to take up at this time. The first is JRS 29 which is a joint resolution relating to weekend adjournment on 01/09/2026. It was offered by senator Bartholomew and was read and adopted on the part of the senate. Please listen to the reading of the resolution.
[Speaker 5]: Resolved by the senate and house of representatives that when the two houses adjourn on Friday, 01/09/2026, be to meet again no late no later than Tuesday, 01/13/2026.
[Speaker 0]: Now you've heard the reading of the resolution. And the question is, shall the house adopt the resolution in concurrence? Are you ready for the question? If so, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, please say nay. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it and the resolution is adopted in concurrence. Next is JRS 31 which is a joint resolution relating to town meeting adjournment. It was offered by senator Bartholomew was read and adopted on the part of the senate. Please listen to the reading of the resolution.
[Speaker 5]: Resolved by the senate and house of representatives that when the two houses adjourn on Friday, 02/27/2026 or Saturday, 02/28/2026, it'd be to meet again no later than Tuesday, 03/10/2026.
[Speaker 0]: Okay. Now you've heard the reading of the resolution and the question is, shall the house adopt the resolution in concurrence? Are you ready for the question? Yes. So all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, please say nay. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it and the resolution is adopted in concurrence. The chair has another appointment to make at this time. The member from Linden, representative Feltus is appointed to the joint fiscal committee. Are there any announcements? Member from Middlebury.
[Speaker 6]: Thank you madam speaker. Just a reminder that the appropriations committee is hosting a couple of budget workshops, and the first one is this Friday at noon in Room 10. You can bring your lunch, but if you could sign up on the email that I sent out yesterday. And if you have any questions, let any house committee, appropriations committee member know. Thanks.
[Speaker 0]: Member from Virgins.
[Speaker 7]: Madam speaker, I move the house government operations and military affairs committee be relieved of h five four one, an act relating to interference with voters and election officials and the same be committed to the committee on judiciary.
[Speaker 0]: The member from Virginia's moves that the committee on government operations and military affairs be relieved of house bill five forty one which is an act relating to the interference with voters and election officials and that the same be committed to the committee on judiciary. Are you ready for the question? If so, all those in favor please say aye. Aye. All those opposed please say nay. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it and you have relieved the committee on government operations and military affairs of house bill five forty one and committed the same to the committee on judiciary. Are there any further announcements? Member from Guilford.
[Speaker 8]: Thank you, madam speaker. When I moved to Vermont, oh, so so many years ago, I thought I would live here for one year or maybe two. And the reason that I ended up staying in Vermont is because of what I now very affectionately call the creative sector in Vermont. And many of you know that the creative sector of Vermont, the arts, the cultures, film, libraries, historical museums, all the things that make Vermont of the things that make Vermont what it is is an amazing resource in our community, the third most powerful economic sector of Vermont, in fact. So tomorrow morning, there will be a new creative sector caucus that will be a meeting for the first time at 08:00 in the very small Room 11, intimate and tiny for all of us that will be gathering together. So please welcome everyone who has an interest in this notion of exploring how that that sector could become a more important part of our lives altogether. I'm a champion, and I'd like to welcome you all as well. Thank you.
[Speaker 0]: Are there any further announcements? Seeing none oh, member from Brattleboro. My apologies.
[Speaker 9]: Thank you, madam speaker. The climate solutions caucus will have our first meeting tomorrow at noon in Room 10. We will be hearing, the update on the climate action plan, discussing our thoughts for the year, and serving pizza. So bring your lunch or come and eat pizza with us. Thank you.
[Speaker 0]: Are there any further announcements? Seeing none. Orders of the day. Members, we have one resolution on our action calendar today. House resolution 10 is a house resolution amending house rules relating to bill draft request and approval deadlines in the second year of the biennium. This resolution has been read and appears in yesterday's count journal. It was offered by the committee on rules. The member from Heartland, representative Bartholomew, will speak for the committee. Member from Heartland.
[Speaker 10]: As you heard, HR 10 was introduced by the House Committee on Rules, and you can find it on page twenty seven forty four of yesterday's journal or perhaps more easily by searching for HR 10 on our legislative website. This came to the Rules Committee as a proposal from legislative council and changes some of the bill draft request and approval deadlines set forth in House Rule 40. Note that no changes are proposed for the first year of the biennium. The resolution proposes three deadline changes for the second year of the biennium. The first is the bill drafting request deadline. Current rules say the first work day of December, and this year, that was December 1. The resolution moves us to a date certain of May. This will provide members with a few more days after the Thanksgiving holidays for members to request for bills to be drafted. The second change is the deadline for making changes to drafts. Current rules say the Friday before opening of session. So this year, that was on January 2. The resolution shifts the deadline about two weeks later to January 15. This will provide legislative staff with an additional two weeks to connect with members and finish bill drafting. Importantly, members are back in the building during these two weeks, so it's going to be easier for staff and members to connect with one another. The third change is the deadline for approving bills for introduction. That is to gather cosponsors and give final approval for public release. Current rules say on or before the Wednesday in the second week of the session. So this year, that's January 14. The resolution moves us to a date certain of of January 31, so that will give us all two more weeks to find cosponsors. There are a couple of other changes that aren't substantive, but rather changes for conformity with the rest of the rules. So why are we doing this? A legislative council needs adequate time for legal analysis and for careful drafting with technical accuracy. It can be difficult for members and attorneys to reach each other over the December holidays. So this compromises the ability of legislative counsel to draft bills in a way that meet members' intent. Another issue is volume management. Historically, legislative council receives about 500 drafting requests in the second year of the biennium, with up to 40% of these received in the days prior to the deadline request. So that means that more than a third of these bills are drafted four weeks prior to the session, which includes the holiday season. And guess what? Our attorneys would also like to take time off during the holidays to be with their families. The most difficult and challenging time in the biennial cycle is for staff for staff is December and January of the second year of the biennium biennium, especially in January, as committees are very active right at the beginning of the session, and attorneys tend to be booked in committees during the day. So this leaves only evening and nighttime to draft committee amendments and to finish drafting all these new bill requests. So our goal here is to improve the quality of bills drafted by legislative council while maintaining the efficiency of the House and our ability to introduce bills in time to make crossover. Perhaps more importantly, we hope to reduce burnout and turnover in our attorney staff. Theirs is a unique job which requires a unique skill set. We need seasoned attorneys with experience in the state house and with experience staffing their subject matter area. I think it might be a good time for us all to take a moment to reflect on the incredible job our staff does to support our work. So these proposed changes strike a balance between meeting the needs of members, the needs of our staff, and the needs of the house, and they will improve the quality of service and drafting that we receive and expect from legislative council. Obviously, much of this doesn't apply to this biennium as two of the deadline dates already have passed, and we've not yet adopted the resolution. However, if adopted, the deadline this year for approval of bills for introduction will change to January 31. The committee vote in favor of this resolution was six zero one, and we ask for your support.
[Speaker 3]: The question is, shall the house adopt the resolution? Are you ready for the question? If so, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, please say nay. The ayes appear to have it, the ayes do have it, and the resolution is adopted. Members, that completes the orders of the day. Are there any announcements? Seeing none, member from Pulteney, can you please offer us a motion to adjourn until Thursday, January 28 to 2026 at 3PM?
[Speaker 4]: Madam speaker, I make a motion this body stand in adjournment until Thursday, 01/08/2026 at 3PM.
[Speaker 3]: The member from Pulteney moves that we adjourn until Thursday, 01/08/2026 at 3PM. Are you ready for the question? If so, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, please say nay. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it. And this body stands
[Speaker 0]: in