Vermont Legislature SmartTranscripts:

[Bradley (unidentified)]: 2.1, this amendment was approved by house appropriations, and it was also just approved by house ways and means on a straw poll, both unanimous in favor, and I will go through the amendment. So the first instance of amendment amend s six twenty. S six twenty was a bill this chamber, the the this body, passed earlier this year, an act relating to establishing the farm and forestry operation security special fund to provide payments for farm and forestry operation losses due to weather conditions. The title tells you what the bill does, which just means it's a good title. And, and so this it corrects a tactical correction. When the governor was signing the bill, the governor was confused about whether the review board or the secretary shall make the the final award determination. So earlier in this bill, it says the secretary in consultation with the review board makes these determinations. But here, it was less clear. And so the governor asked the bodies to make this change, and the committees of jurisdiction agreed to do so. And so here's the change. It changes the language to say the secretary shall make the final award determination within fifteen days following the date of the review board's recommendation. And so it's in consultation. These bodies these entities are working together to make that determination, but it is the secretary to make the final award determination. That would be the secretary of agriculture. The second instance of amendment is removing the large and medium farm operating permits. I don't believe this section has made it to you folks yet. So early in s three twenty three's genesis, it had these exemptions from large and medium farm operations. So the large farm operation permit is $2,500, and the medium farm operation permit is $1,500. This started off in s three twenty three, but it was stripped out in senate finance way back in the day. And because there wasn't an appropriation for that, but it was the goal of the administration to make it a general fund appropriation to fund essentially the revenue loss from these fees so that they could stop charging farmers for these fees. And so that appropriation has been worked into the budget, and it is there now. However, there is a corresponding language to, remove the fees from statute. So as it stands right now, there's both an appropriation for about 2 and $30,000 and there's also authority for the Secretary of Agriculture to collect those fees in the same amount. So they're actually getting excuse me, they're getting doubled. And so so this amendment would take that fee revenue and remove that fee revenue, and then it's just the appropriation. And so that's what these pieces do. And that's the amendment.

[Rep. David Durfee (Chair, Bennington)]: Is that what you're saying was that Obi John? That second part?

[John L. Bartholomew (Vice Chair)]: No. No. This is all language that the Appropriations Committee will stand up and speak to.

[Rep. David Durfee (Chair, Bennington)]: They'll be the S-sixty part as well. Yeah. Okay.

[John L. Bartholomew (Vice Chair)]: But if you have, well, if we questions, we can ask Bradley now. If, Bennington, the floor has a question and you want to be the person, you can answer it. Yeah, on this one then, I remember I remember the governor in his budget address mentioned this as a He highlighted this. And then I remember that it was in S-three twenty three. And for some reason, I thought that they took it out. Did you get a 606? Have you told me? 606? That's not us, I don't think.

[Rep. David Durfee (Chair, Bennington)]: I didn't. Sag, your baby cat. What's that? Misland and Sag, and then we have Ninethirty2. Did you work on ninethirty 2 yet?

[John L. Bartholomew (Vice Chair)]: Did you

[Rep. David Durfee (Chair, Bennington)]: straw That's what we're just working with. Spinner wants to call that. Ninethirty two, yeah. The regulation of forestry act.

[John L. Bartholomew (Vice Chair)]: Yes, we did that one. You didn't drop that shot, though, right? Because you want to check that. Did you struck me? You know, he added me when I walked to his place when I was down. I liked it, so. Green one?

[Rep. David Durfee (Chair, Bennington)]: Yes. Many of you, I'm thinking

[John L. Bartholomew (Vice Chair)]: that bitch. This is a quora.

[Rep. David Durfee (Chair, Bennington)]: Did you our skit? Yeah.

[John L. Bartholomew (Vice Chair)]: She have

[Rep. David Durfee (Chair, Bennington)]: a quora. Okay. It's good if she nine goes to powder or

[John L. Bartholomew (Vice Chair)]: 32? Yeah, Yeah, Representative Lipsky is ready to go on that.

[Rep. David Durfee (Chair, Bennington)]: Okay, thank you. Thank you, yeah. No apologies. That's

[John L. Bartholomew (Vice Chair)]: all right, that's all right. Crazy timing. Anyway, yeah, so we don't need to belabor this. I think we need it in there. It was the intention all along, so good to have it back in. Are you all set? Yeah. Any other questions for Bradley? We're gonna try and do this on the floor this morning also, Bradley. 323? Yeah.

[Bradley (unidentified)]: Okay. Then I will head over there after up at the very beginning of the senate. Okay. And so I'll head over there as soon as I can. Okay. And I will meet you there. I need to run.

[John L. Bartholomew (Vice Chair)]: We do need we're all set. Patricia, yeah. We need a vote in this town. Yeah. So we should right. We should I think we should do a straw poll on this.

[Rep. David Durfee (Chair, Bennington)]: Stay on that.

[John L. Bartholomew (Vice Chair)]: Yeah. Everybody who's present support this amendment. Okay. Just presented by Brad.

[Rep. David Durfee (Chair, Bennington)]: Yeah. Yeah. Shall I call Richard? Or

[John L. Bartholomew (Vice Chair)]: Yeah. Maybe we should see where she is.