Vermont Legislature SmartTranscripts:

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: Thank you everyone for your patience. With Mike's retirement, it was all that's been by and we have not had a quiet moment. So we just had a quiet moment. He is delighted that we're ready to move. Six thirty nine is fine with the cure period and is ready to accept it with open arms and not commingle it with anything else. When you say open arms, we're gonna be done with this pill after. That is the hope, and he was fine with the Okay. Because that's really pretty much the major substantive review then. So we I'm happy to wait till David joins us, but I think we are ready to vote this bill out if the

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: be used to the tax agency. He may have a comment too.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: Oh, yeah. A little. I I just said, I'm waiting we'll wait for David. Okay. But I would hope we could move this bill when David returns. And we and at night so we have some time. And I think we could just while we have all the players here, we could also talk. Have you so I think putting s 71 on the date of brokerages is something you'd like to think about. I think we I don't think that I think it's think we could do that, sort of move things along. Have you I just I'd love to I just wanna make sure it's as passed by the senate. So I wanna make sure it's that version. I wouldn't want to undermine the work institutions do. So Sure.

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: Yes. I just I understand, if I may. I understand that since

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: So we're just switching gears to talk about this proposal Thomas has put on the table.

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: I would be comfortable with just that passed by the senate, but I also think there's some comments and language that nobody's disagreeing with that Connecticut passed 2025 that we could also amend it to that. But that's where I would want some more articulation from those that maybe are at the center of those discussions where getting for agreement. But again, I'd be fine with what you started with. I just think there's also some other pieces of updates that you're gonna get us passed that would make sense also include the conversation. But that would be I'm not And

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: and I just I just wanna reiterate. I know rest of you don't that we have house bills coming at us, which is what we'll be able that time for the following the following week, floors at ten. So next week, we have our time to try and get our bills finished. The pro tem reiterated that yesterday to me. We will have time to deal with hospitals that are coming back to us. We're starting with one that's come back earlier today. Well, are we able to talk about what our priorities are for the Yeah. But let me just finish. Okay. Which is And you're saying So we're we'll have enough time. We start it. We start

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: I didn't we didn't get an announcement yet that we start

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: At ten. Ten. Trust me. It's what Ashley sent to all the chairs. We're starting at ten the following week. So the week of May 15 or whatever it is, May 8. I whatever that Tuesday is. We're starting normal time Tuesday day. Is it Tuesday the fifth?

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: No. This is important. So Tuesday the fifth or Tuesday the twelfth?

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: No. The fifth Tuesday the twelfth.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: Yeah. No. Tuesday the twelfth. So we're that's not a change. Got it. No. That's not a change for next week. Yeah. It's the week after. We are gonna so we are gonna have house bills coming at us is my point. We're gonna only have an hour and a half each day to deal with those.

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: So you got what what days do you want us to meet at 08:30? Because

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: I'm gonna it'll depend on what comes at us from the house. Okay. But So we're gonna Next week. Wednesday and Thursday will be at 08:30. I mean, could we pause and Is that about next week? Yes. Let's look at next week. I'm planning on 08:30. We already Okay. That wasn't Not on Tuesday. So okay.

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: Wednesday? Yeah.

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: It just you like,

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: these But that still only gives us two and a half hours to

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: I however long it gives us, we haven't this hasn't been communicated to us.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: So Yes. It has. I've I've I've I've pretty much said that. So if we can get some of these bills out of here this week

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: and So down the seventh, eighth, where you want us to meet at 08:30.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 08:30 to and we took that till eleven. And then the following week, let's aim for nine to ten because four is at ten on Wednesday, Thursday, Fridays at 11:30 again. But we'll aim depending on what we get sent from the house, I'd really like to still keep 08:30 to ten Wednesday, Thursday, and see where we are. If we don't need it, we can let it go. But better to have it booked in our heads as we get to the

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: end of session. Hear that again. I'm still

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: Sorry. Do you So floor on Friday the eighth is at 11:30. Correct. We're starting Wednesday, Thursday, Friday through the eighth at 08:30.

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: Okay. Just because we we're gonna it's three hours.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: That's fine. No. It's eight. Right. Well, that's our normal time to meet. Yeah. Three hours. Okay. So then the And then following week, we're gonna see what we still will have from coming from the house, and we will adjust our schedule accordingly. But I'd like everyone to be able to walk 08:30 to ten Wednesday, Thursday, and then Friday, we could probably do nine to 11:30.

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: Sorry about the intro, but the beginning of week of May 12, that entire week, the floor is at 10AM.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: I know. I just said that. Okay. Yes. We're Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But even on Friday? Yeah. Oh, sorry. So Friday Friday are also at ten. So we will aim to start at 08:30 then Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: So Thursday, the fourteenth, I drop my daughter off at school, so I'll be right back.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: Yeah. I know. I realized that there are challenges with you, but I also have obsession. So, Thomas?

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: If I might make a suggestion, looking at Monday, May 11, this is only my sixth year to this third term, but I think we wanna just pencil in and hold off if possible. My schedule builds up pretty quickly just the nine to eleven hours for a soon it's gonna be committee meeting. We'll know that Monday, the eleventh, what the final weeks looks like. So I just

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: can put it there We could cancel in Monday, the eleventh. I think

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: From my experience, that would probably set us up better for the the following meeting.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: Yes. We could do we could do nine to eleven.

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: I think I can cancel it.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: Or we could do the afternoon, whichever suited. You can't do the afternoon?

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: Well, have to keep it up in finance, but sure.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: Oh, oh, got it. Okay. Got it. So I I I would be happy with penciling that in. So let's pencil that in. Good idea.

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: Sent us a calendar invite with the Zoom links for Monday, the eleventh, for nine to eleven.

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: Yep. Easy to cancel it. It's just better to Yeah.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: No. Thank you. I was gonna suggest that for this Monday, but I think we're I think that's a better idea to be able to because we're gonna know. I have a much better idea of what Sure.

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: Rick doesn't mind connecting with us on Monday. Yeah. Oh, maybe tell us.

[Rick (Legislative Counsel)]: It's it's Mondays are five p on Zoom, so no problem at all.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: Yeah. I think we don't. So it's

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: Are you wrestling with Dave Weeks?

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: He's probably if wanted do you know where they need Yeah. Who are we wrestling?

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: Dave Weeks.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: Oh, oh.

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: When you got on agenda, we don't have to that.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: So the other bills coming in, we have we have a a bunch of bills coming back. We s $3.27. I think it's on the floor today. That's coming back to us that we'll look at because they've added some stuff for that. We have s three twenty eight coming back at us at some point, which is the housing bill. We have the labor has all been put into s three twenty so that we're gonna look at that today with Sophie. And it's all and then we just if we can get maybe one or two of the housing bills out this week, in the next day or two. So We I'd like to talk about

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: an amendment I would like to propose on our CHIP and labor provisions related to housing.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: And CHIP, we're not touching. We have an agreement, speaker pro temp administration to not touch CHIP for the first year. So I'm not I am as I think I said, I'm, you know, I'm I'm honoring that agreement.

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: And I I never made that agreement.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: Well, that's okay. I'm chair. So I made that agreement, and that was the agreement was to not touch it for

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: a year. That was When was that agreement made?

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: It just rolled out in January.

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: We've had five months So we're not even gonna hear about how Nope. It's not gonna be able to be taken out by a majority of the large projects that we've planned.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: That is not what we're hearing. We're hearing it occurred from one project. And I believe that they have 12. It's rolling out as expected. There's a lot of interest. No one else seems to be having a problem. And I know there's there we have two there's a technical corrections request that's minor, and really everyone's trying is holding the line at not doing anything until it's been rolled out for a full year.

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: May I ask a question? Yeah, Thomas. So I again, how the building works, and I'm just curious when that agreement you just referred

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: to. That was made at the beginning of session.

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: So I'm just curious if information has changed since then. So I know things are percolating in my inbox and the polls Now

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: we have Jeff. You got to come in and talk about it. So

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: just just my point, I'm wondering if all the players that made that decision are of familiar

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: That was the vaccine?

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: Percolating since the last month or so. Nothing has changed. Just double checking on that. No. Nothing And nothing

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: in check that had

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: been raised.

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: Alright.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: The vaccine hasn't raised an issue with anyone, any of the applications having a challenge, and I'm happy to have her come in and do an update on that. Maybe we could do that tomorrow in the time that we have at 09:15.

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: That's just my point

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: of information change. We were

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: gonna return to the project labor agreements piece that there were most of the projects that

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: are now stalled because of concerns over language of in chips. Chip is a pretty modest piece for some of those big big big projects.

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: I I I feel like we should just stay in the facts. You know? It's not modest. It's every project is trying to main stay on budget.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: So I I wouldn't call

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: it modest. They're also making a huge investment in the inside

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: We're talking about one particular project in the Smithville,

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: the South End Of Burlington.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: Happy to have Jessica come in. I think we need to

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: hear from more than Jessica. We had other partners who helped write the language.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: I'm sorry. That the agreement with the administration and the speaker and the pro tem has been that we are not touching a new program and making any changes for the first full year.

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: When you say administration, you mean vaccine? Correct. Because I don't think the rest of the administration

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: That is the agreement. Of that agreement. Honoring that's the partner we're playing with at the moment. And I think that we will that that that's who we're working with.

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: So we also said we returned to our labor project labor agreements in large housing

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: projects. I haven't talked about that. So I I I would have to be

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: I I I know We let it go in our bill, and then the understanding was we would keep working on it. Last year? No. This when we let go of

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: our Which labor bill? It it took it had project labor agreements for Oh, I guess. Yes. Right. Right. Got it. And that we can return to.

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: And I would leave And I will be

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: They took that up into the house Yeah. Because we let it go to the house.

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: So I will also be making proposals on Chip and on the the definition of a long term rental to the finance committee. I think we should be very concerned about how h September came to us changing the definition of what landlord tenant law looks like. So I have a very simple amendment. I'm gonna propose to finance. I think this committee should look at what was done because it tries to define or add context for what a bonafide landlord tenant relationship is, and that would upend all of landlord tenant law.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: I don't think anything in the landlord tenant bill up and ends all in landlord tenant.

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: I'm not going on the landlord tenant bill. I'm talking about the education bill and the definition of I'm not in

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: my control. Got it. Got it. That's obviously not in our committee.

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: I just want the housing committee and the landlord tenant to know I'll be going to finance the proposal. I want How does the housing policy change?

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: Great. I appreciate it. We rolled out a very important new infrastructure program last year. And I think when we roll out new things, we need to honor the work that went into the guidelines and the work setting it up. It's been rolled out for five months. It got active and excited interest. We can get an update on it, but I am not willing to open it up for substantive changes, which I understand are what we are being discussed I with

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: wouldn't say that. They're corrections.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: They're not technical corrections. I've heard what they are.

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: Well, I'd like to look at them. I'd like to be able to present them in committee.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: You you can present them, but I am not I am actively supporting the agreement to not I think we should

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: at least be able to have a discussion about what I'm always willing to take a Chip. Just

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: setting forward the agreement, and I'm honoring that agreement. And I people can try and go around and undermine it, but I would really appreciate it if people could honor setting up a new project and letting it roll out and see how it works and we can make changes next year. So, Tom.

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: On the previous point in finance yesterday, were walking through H nine fifty five and I did raise the concerns about the definitions. So we talked about that in the the chair of finance that she she had spoken with you, but then you okay. So whatever the case may be

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: She hasn't she hasn't spoken to me, and we spoke briefly, and she said she wanted to keep everything at nine fifty five in your committee.

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: Yeah. That's exactly what she said. So that being the case, I think the language that we raised came from the tax department study, but I still think it

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: It's the second home concerns.

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: This would be relevant. Yeah.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: I think finance she's wanting to keep that in mind.

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: That's the point I wanna make is

[Kesha Ram Hinsdale (Member)]: So I'm just saying here, I do think it is a huge change to how people would write landlord and then agreements in order to meet this new standard, and it would be using tax policy to change housing policy, and I will be proposing something to finance.

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: What I was saying seem clear that we weren't gonna have it come through here and keep it in finance. Yes.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: She did make that. That's fine.

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: That's fine. My apologies

[David Weeks (Clerk)]: to Greenway. Came out of Elkhart, and just so everyone's aware, in Elkhart we're talking about the wetlands, 50 feet versus 25 feet, etcetera, etcetera. If chair desires, it might be appropriate, so we're gonna hit this for about three weeks and a row in Elkhart. If you wanna have a committee conversation related to housing only, I I would welcome that so I go in there better informed. Yeah. That's your decision.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: And you also might ask Anne, who on Elkhart serves on Senate Natural? Because that's a Senate Natural issue, the fifty, twenty Seth Hawkins is And he's on LCAR? Yes. So we might also have that conversation together, maybe. Maybe that's a good conversation to ask. Just wanna let you know. Yeah. Great. So, we're gonna go back to H639, the genetic data privacy bill. We have walked through the compromise and the amendment of the sixty day cure period. We have agreement from the house that they are will not add or add it to any other bill, and they will they they are fine with the cure period of sixty days. So we were waiting for a vote until you joined us and any concerns you might have at this point. And I'm happy to have Rick review because Kesha wasn't here for the whole thing, but maybe we can quickly review the amendment because I think we're ready to send it on its way if you're okay with it.

[David Weeks (Clerk)]: Can give it a few minute review? I only need 10. I don't need about a What would you like? A few minute review of what it is. Yeah. So I can play with this.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: Yeah. Well, that's okay. We walked through it the other day. It's the amendment about the cure period. Rick, would you be kind of just to run through the amendment again?

[Rick (Legislative Counsel)]: Yeah. Let me share my screen.

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: The cure periods without restriction. It is just a cure period. Right? Right. Okay.

[Rick (Legislative Counsel)]: So this is, senator Weeks' same draft that I brought to the committee last time that it went over the bill, if it was this week or last week, draft 2.1 of the committee amendments. So there are two instances of amendments. The first instance is correcting a a technical mistake where it would have restricted biometric data from being stored, transferred outside The US without consumer's consent. That changes to biological samples, not biometric data. I mean, that wasn't the intent of the bill. Doesn't seem to be much complicated with that, of that change. The second instance is, you may remember there's enforcement in this bill, through the Consumer Protection Act. Typically, the AG enforces, and the consumer has path that they have damages to sue the company. This bill, the amendment would be consumer still has the right, but the company gets sixty days to cure any alleged violation. At that point, the consumer can

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: sue if they want. So that's the, that's the proposal. The other thing I think you missed a 100 weeks ago, Fannie, is that, the chair went up to the house to confirm that it would be in agreement with totality with this change that should not go to committee of congress based on what the and the archives impression is in the committee. So this should be if enabled, we can go otherwise in the COC. That's the impression I have, but

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: we'll No.

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: That's what happens with it.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: That was my discussion with Blaine. Good. Thank you. Are you okay? You ready to take the role of senator clerk?

[David Weeks (Clerk)]: Yes, ma'am. Thank you very much. So I'd entertain a motion to ask H6639 out favorably with as amended.

[David Weeks (Clerk)]: Can I ask the is the traffic number 2 Point o? Because that's just It's

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: 2.1. 2.1. I

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: think it's 2.1.

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: Yeah.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: I have

[Thomas Chittenden (Member)]: For the chair's request, it will move favorably draft number 2.1, ending H639. Thank you.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: And thank you, everybody, for your work on this. This is this is how we get it get things done. So. Yes. Does anybody have a burning desire to report this bill? Okay. We will to be determined. We will be recording a bill.

[Rick (Legislative Counsel)]: Let me know.

[Alison Clarkson (Chair)]: And happy to do it if if I have one to do it. I guess if not, I'm happy to do it, but I'm also happy that anyone. So thank you. We'll take a break until 09:30 when we're gonna take up of our s sorry. 02:30, not 03:20. 2 thirty, which is our delivery bill that was sent to the house to come back with us with some changes, and we will take that up to Sophie Sedatney at that point. You. So, El, let's go