Vermont Legislature SmartTranscripts:

[Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale, Majority Leader (Chittenden)]: Thank you. Oh. Thank you.

[Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers]: Will the senate please come to order? And will the senators kindly put away their phones?

[Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale, Majority Leader (Chittenden)]: Yes. Apple. Apple. Who's that? Y.

[Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers]: Mhmm. Will the senators please come to order?

[Senator Philip Baruth, President Pro Tempore (Chittenden Central)]: We

[Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers]: have a resolution for introduction, j r s 28 joint resolution relating to final adjournment of the general assembly in 2025. Listen to the reading of the resolution.

[John Bloomer, Secretary of the Senate]: Resolved by the senate and house of representatives that when the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives adjourn their respective houses on the June 2025, they shall do so to reconvene on the joint call of the speaker of the house and the president post the floor of the senate if needed or on the January 2026 at 10:00 in the morning if not so recently prior to that meeting.

[Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers]: Senator from Chittenden.

[Senator Philip Baruth, President Pro Tempore (Chittenden Central)]: Thank you, mister president. Senators who have been here before will remember that we always do an adjournment resolution. Sometimes, it includes a veto override session. We've just completed the veto override session. The reason this particular resolution is a little bit different is due to what's happening in Washington. So we may, god forbid, but we may experience severe cuts to our funding federally. If that is the case, it may be that we need to reconvene, in September, October, something like that to respond to the budget that comes out of Washington. For instance, if Medicaid were to be cut, the Medicaid expansion were to be cut and we were suddenly $200,000,000, off in our budget reckoning, we would come back. Just to put people at ease, the speaker and I would immediately, if we recognize that need, we would begin reaching out to our members to decide when was best for everyone, with the intention of trying to make sure as nearly as possible we had everybody for that date. So you'll see that language there in the middle of the paragraph. It is not the speaker nor my hope that that happens. So in which case, we would come back on the January 6. But if it's needed, you would hear from us once the federal budget is written. Thank you, mister Brooks.

[Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers]: The senator has moved pursuant to joint rule fifth I know it's fine. Oh, it's simpler than that. Shall the joint resolution be adopted? Are you ready for the question? If so, all in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed, nay. The ayes have it, and we have adopted the resolution. Senator Fromchinen.

[Senator Philip Baruth, President Pro Tempore (Chittenden Central)]: Thank you, mister president. I move pursuant to joint rule 15 that all bills passed by both the senate and house be ordered delivered to the governor.

[Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers]: The senator from Chittenden has moved that pursuant to joint rule 15 that all bills passed by both the senate and the house be ordered delivered to the governor. Are you ready for the question? If so, all in favor, aye. Aye. All opposed, nay. The ayes have it. The motion carries. Senator from Chittenden.

[Senator Philip Baruth, President Pro Tempore (Chittenden Central)]: Thank you, mister president. Now we get to the good stuff. I move that the senate direct the secretary to inform the house that the senate has completed the business of the session and is ready to adjourn pursuant to the provisions of j r s 28.

[Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers]: Senator from Chittenden is moved that the senate direct the secretary to inform the house that the senate has completed the business of the session and is ready to adjourn pursuant to the provisions of j r s 28. Are you ready for the question? If Point of order. Senator from Rutland.

[Senator Scott Beck, Minority Leader (Caledonia)]: Do we still have h four eighty potentially coming out of the house for our attention, or is that a misunderstanding?

[Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers]: Senator from Chittenton, would you like to inform us on four eighty?

[Senator Philip Baruth, President Pro Tempore (Chittenden Central)]: I believe age four eighty will be concurred with in the house. The amendment that they had pending was defeated, and so they will be concurring. Therefore, no need for us to wait for that action.

[Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers]: Are you ready for the question? If so, all in favor, say aye. Aye. All opposed, nay. The ayes have it, and you have moved to direct the secretary to inform the house that the senate has completed the business of the session and is ready to adjourn pursuant to the provisions of j r s 28. Senator Fromchittenden.

[Senator Philip Baruth, President Pro Tempore (Chittenden Central)]: Mister president, point of information to the senate secretary. What is the order of the closing speeches?

[Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale, Majority Leader (Chittenden)]: You for that.

[Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers]: Senator from Chittenden, I believe that you can start us off if I recognize you. Is that correct? Mister secretary?

[John Bloomer, Secretary of the Senate]: I think it's

[Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers]: too early. Please.

[Senator Philip Baruth, President Pro Tempore (Chittenden Central)]: Thank you. And thank you to the Senate. I wanted to begin by going back three years when we had what I referred to as the Big 10 come in. 10 new members that had never happened in my time in the senate. It was a huge deal. I called them the big 10. Bob Norris immediately renamed them the perfect 10. They were not perfect, but they are wonderful senators. And I remember people asking me, what will you do with that many new people? And I said, we will do what the senate has always done, which is we will bring people in, we will read them into our rules and our procedures, and we will all work together, and we will pull the weight for the state of Vermont. And that is in fact what happened. Then this past year, when the results of the election came in and we had suddenly far fewer Democrats and far more Republicans with our margin very tight, I had not the same people but other people ask me, how will you govern with that shorter margin and my answer to them was more or less the same. We will bring them in we will work together and we will carry the weight for the people of Vermont. That in my opinion is what happened this year and I was proud of the work we did today together. So I wanted to make sure that I hit that note. I think that everyone who has entered this chamber in the last three years has done big work, great And for those Republicans who joined us this past election, you have done so in a collegial and mature way, and I I appreciate it. No way. That's about all I wanna say except for some thank yous. I want to give a huge shout out to my leadership team senator Keisha Ram Hinsdale and senator Becca White. They are extremely good vote counters and they are also people who I think put a good face on what we do for the state and to the other body in the house. So thank you to those two. The other person I want to thank you you know. You know who I'm talking about, Ashley Moore. Ashley, in terms of this year, on the issues that matter to all of us, she was there before we gabbled in. She is there every night after everyone else leaves. She's here in the morning before anybody comes in. So I couldn't do it without her. We couldn't do it without her. And I wanna make sure that she knows that and that she has my gratitude from the bottom of my heart. And then my last thanks are to our senate staff and our senate secretary who have done amazing work. You would notice we have turned over, our beloved Chrissy Gillhuely. We've added a wonderful person in her stead, and John, Bloomer. I just have to say, I've said it before, I'll say it again. He has taught me more about this subject than I've learned from anybody about any subject in my life. So thank you, John. And then my last, thanks, mister Young. Our new Lieutenant Governor who had a high bar, and I go back to Phil Scott as lieutenant governor, but you have seen the run up, in lieutenant governors and I think it is a high bar in terms of civility and in terms of being a fair broker, an honest broker with the body. And Sen former senator Rogers, now lieutenant governor Rogers, has done excellent work in that regard. Thank you. And so you have my thanks for that as well. Thank you.

[Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers]: Thank you all. And likewise, I would like to thank the pro tem and also the third member of the committee on committees for working as a team, and thank all the senators who I worked with on various issues, and I hope that I have showed the senators and Vermonters that the lieutenant governor's office is not ceremonial. It is not partisan. I truly believe myself to be advocate for all Vermonters, and I have been fortunate to be able to help a lot of Vermonters throughout this first term and, really hope to be able to continue that, and as I said in my opening remarks, I will continue to advocate for honesty and courage amongst all leaders, hold myself to a very high account in those those two virtues, and I believe we were elected to be leaders, and as we just did on education, we have hard decisions to make, but we were elected to make the hard decisions for the benefit of all Vermonters. So thank you all so much for a very, very successful first year as lieutenant governor. Thank you. Senator from Caledonia.

[Senator Scott Beck, Minority Leader (Caledonia)]: Thank you, mister president. Nothing philosophical, just a whole bunch of thank yous. First, for the senate staffers, Chrissy, I wish you best on your next journey. John and Melissa, thank you so much for patiently answering all of my questions all the time in a way that even I could understand. I certainly appreciate that. The chairs of all the committees, thank you so much. I know that that job requires a tremendous amount of work and sacrifice, and you do it so well. And in a lot of ways, I see you as the backbone of the Senate. So thank you so much for all the, the people that step up and our chairs. To my my assistant minority leader Brian, you have been loyal and and extremely professional and have done a great job of helping to keep our caucus organized And even when we don't agree, we still stick together. And that's been largely because of you. Senator Rahm Hinsdale, you are an exquisite interior decorator, something of which I have no skills. I greatly appreciate what you've done with that room and and all the frank conversations we've had this this session. I truly appreciate it. Senator Baruth, you know, I I consider you a friend, a colleague, an ally, sometimes an adversary, but a mentor too. And I just you've been great. I don't know if you remember this. I don't remember it was on the floor or in a private meeting, senator Bruce said to me, he said, I'm here to represent both parties. And I kind of live by this little thing in my life where I it's like, if somebody tells you what they are, they aren't. And I kind of started so I heard that and it's like, okay, we'll

[John Bloomer, Secretary of the Senate]: see how this we'll see

[Senator Scott Beck, Minority Leader (Caledonia)]: how this goes. You have been true to those words. You have represented both parties here, and you've been fair, and I really appreciate your your work. It's been it's been a pleasure. Lieutenant Governor, you have been fair. Sometimes I didn't like your version of fair, but you have you have been fair. I greatly appreciate that. And I also appreciate, Ashley Moore, Senator Bruce, Chief of Staff. She's been fantastic. And I don't think that some of the bigger bills or some of the tougher bills would have made it through this year without her. So I I appreciate everybody. I think this is terribly, really difficult work. I think, four fifty four was maybe the toughest bill I've I've had in my eleven years in the legislature, but we got through it and we did it with grace and I appreciate, everybody that had a part, in that process and I wish you all a fantastic summer as you reconnect with your communities and your family and your friends and get rested up because some something tells me next year next year is gonna be a tough one too. So thank you so much.

[Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers]: Senator from Chittenden.

[Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale, Majority Leader (Chittenden)]: Mister president, it occurs to me that the men did not wanna follow me in this. They all chose to go first. If it was up to me, I don't know that we would do speeches in the in the off year from an election. But these are also not normal times. And I am also not someone who will give up the opportunity to speak. So here we are. And I do wanna say before I forget, let's continue to ensure in the Senate that vote explanations are brief and infrequent. That's extremely important. And I think having served in the other chamber, as you know, now I think over, well, maybe it's changed, but at one time over half of this chamber had, there is something extremely special about our ability to get things done together in the Senate. I truly hope we never lose that. And I have to say, as a majority leader who was gonna come in hot and the numbers that have changed in this body, I was worried that we'd start to lose some of our bipartisanship. And in my estimation, there have been difficult moments, but as we look back at this session, I think we have had some of our most bipartisan moments, some of our most bipartisan bills. And I look at our work on healthcare, housing, and education. And I truly believe we have come closer to listening to each other as parties, but also come we have come closer on closing the gap between what the governor has once called the two Vermonts. I really believe we were forced to listen to each other in a new way. We heard it from Senator Hardy, who's not here, that it actually was meaningful for her to sit with somebody, even in her own caucus, who had a very different life experience, who had a very different district, and come to a place of compromise that I still believe lies at the foundation of the education bill that we passed, Mr. President. So I'm extremely proud of our work. I want to give some credit to my counterpart, my minority leader. I, you know, I think I've said a lot this year, like we could just do a lot worse with the opposition party, you know? And I mean that in the fondest of ways. We have a caucus and particularly right now, a minority leader who have been extremely upfront, honest, earnest, and had just wanted to get good work done. And I think that's when we are all at our best and when Vermonters believe we are at our best. So I do want to thank the minority leader and the what it what it the not so minority caucus at this point. I, first of all, we do have a great vote counter in our caucus, which has become extremely important. So I do want to thank, I always said, you're not my assistant majority leader, you're just the assistant majority leader, but my assistant majority leader and my friend, Senator Becca White has been incredible. We've needed to know our vote count pretty darn well right now. And so I do wanna thank her. I think, you know, I've heard people say this before and I haven't had a chance to work as up close and personal with a pro tem as I have this year. But, this is a very low drama pro tem and not to say other people were dramatic, but I think people can just appreciate the truth telling, the frankness, the lack of anything beyond what it is, that we actually need a lot right now. Vermonters, we need a lot right now in our Pro Tem. I just want to make sure that we really give our due through a sequence of very difficult years that do not seem to be letting up, that we have a pro tem who has taught a lot of us, how to be disciplined and forthright, and just kind in our work. Thank you. I'm always worried that I'd be in this position and forget to thank people. So I'm not going to go through the full list of people we could thank. But I will say that people, many people know I was friends with and graduate school classmates with Melissa Wortman, who was assassinated this weekend. And when I learned that her and her husband died, one of my first thoughts was how grateful I am to my spouse for supporting me in this work, how much our family sacrifice with whatever, this is our glory and we actually enjoy this. They get none of this, they're home taking care of our loved ones, they're home holding things down, making sure things are still running smoothly. And we never think that means that they will make the ultimate sacrifice in life. And this weekend, I hope reminded us that our families give a great deal for us to be here, a great deal. So I wanna thank everyone at home who makes it possible for us to be here, and I hope this means I'm thanking almost, if not everyone in this building, that keeps us safe. That felt incredibly reassuring today, particularly our law enforcement, but I would extend that to everybody who just kept an extra ear and eye out to make sure that we are safe and that we can carry on the work of this democracy. So I truly am grateful that we all get to do this work and do it as safely as we do. And I don't think we should ever take that for granted for a minute. Deeply appreciate all of you. I know we all wanna go home to our families, and I don't know if we have the governor in the building yet. But

[Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers]: Senator, you really don't have to fill all the I know. And I

[Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale, Majority Leader (Chittenden)]: was I was following up. There you go. With that said, mister president, I I was at the Swanton demonstration of Flag Day on Saturday, and we had a wonderful pastor, a Methodist reverend, Preston Fuller from St. Albans. And he said, We have a choice right now to choose envy or empathy, and let's choose empathy. And in all of our bills, reflecting all of Vermonters needs and values and hopes and dreams, I believe this entire chamber, this legislature, and on a very tripartisan basis, everyone in state government this year chose empathy, and that should be a beacon for all of us. Thank you.

[Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers]: Senator from Chittenden.

[Senator Philip Baruth, President Pro Tempore (Chittenden Central)]: Thank you, mister president. I move that the president appoint a committee of four members to inform the governor that the senate has completed the business of the session and is ready to adjourn pursuant to the provisions of j r s 28.

[Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers]: The senator from Chinden Central has moved that the president appoint a committee of four members to inform the governor that the senate has completed the business of the session and is ready to adjourn pursuant to the provisions of j r s 28. Are you ready for the question? If so, all in favor, say aye. Aye. All opposed, nay. Ayes have it, and the motion carries.

[Senator Philip Baruth, President Pro Tempore (Chittenden Central)]: Yep. Gotcha.

[Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers]: Senator Ram Hinsdale, senator Beck, senator White, and senator Collamore. The senate may be at ease while the committee goes to get the governor. Will the senate please come to order? Madam sergeant at arms?

[Sergeant at Arms (female, name not stated)]: Will the members please rise. It is my privilege to present to you the governor of the state of Vermont, the honorable Philip b Scott.

[Governor Philip B. Scott]: Thank you. I know you're all anxious to get home. It's actually early though, right? I mean, we've had some pretty late night here before. Mr. President, Pro Tem Baruch, Leader Beck, Leader Rahm Hinsdale, and members of the senate. It's only been about five months since we were all sworn in. Some ways, especially after today, see it feels like a long session. But in other ways, it's gone by pretty quick. I want to start by telling you how much I appreciate the time and effort you've made this session and the effort the majority has made to hear my point of view and the view of the minority. This is especially true on some of the difficult issues that you took up. In January, I asked that we focus on four areas: public safety, affordability, housing, and education. Because I believe those are the most important issues Vermonters are facing. And within these areas, we've made meaningful progress. We found common ground to make Vermont safer. And while there's still more work to do, this has been a good start toward increasing accountability and recognizing an area that needs more attention. I'm also appreciative of our work on tax relief. So Vermonters can keep a little more of what they earn, whether they're a veteran, a retiree living on social security, a low income worker, or a parent with young children. And I'll continue to advocate for more relief so Vermonters can thrive in Vermont, not just survive. On housing, we passed much needed infrastructure support, getting the expansion of TIFFs over the finish line, something many of us, many in this room, have been working on for years. This will help level the playing field So rural communities with fewer resources have some of the same economic tools as larger towns. We still need to work on regulatory reform in the second half of the biennium, because without it, we won't make the progress needed to make housing affordable and revitalize communities, schools, and fill jobs. On education, we found a compromise, which will set us on a path towards a system that will better serve our kids and our communities at a cost Vermonters can afford. I realize this has not been easy. And I know there are many who have and will continue to criticize our work. But our current system is unsustainable for students and taxpayers. This is only the first step. And the work ahead will be just as, if not more important than what we've done this session. But good work takes time and it takes courage. And I appreciate the work each and one of you has done to contribute to this effort. What we've accomplished over these last few months is so important, but what comes next will be even more important. We cannot make the mistakes others have made to declare victory and assume so many crises have been solved. I look forward to working with you into the next session to deliver the results our communities are calling for and Vermonters deserve. Thank you again and I hope you enjoy the summer with family and friends and have a time to have a well relaxed and enjoyable summer. Thank you again.

[Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers]: Will the committee please reassemble to escort the governor from the chamber? Senate may be at ease until the rest of the senators

[John Bloomer, Secretary of the Senate]: Is labor or we don't?

[Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers]: Will the senate please come to order? Senator from Chittenden.

[Senator Philip Baruth, President Pro Tempore (Chittenden Central)]: Thank you, mister president. I believe I have the sentence we've all been waiting for. Move that the senate do now adjourn pursuant to the provisions of j r s 20

[Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers]: The senator from Chittenden Central has moved that the senate now adjourn pursuant to the provisions of JRS 28. Are you ready for the question? If so, all in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed nay. The ayes have it, and we have adjourned pursuant to the provisions of JRS 28.