Vermont Legislature SmartTranscripts:

[Unidentified committee staff/technician]: Lucky because there's no sound. But this camera's gonna to

[Brian Collamore]: the senate committee on government operations, a meeting for 04/01/2026. We're gonna take out h nine one seven, an act relating to military affairs. I don't see the sponsor of the bill with us, so we'll turn things over to our legislative counsel, Sedatney, to walk us through the bill.

[Sophie Sedatney]: Good afternoon. Sophie Sedatney for the Office of Legislative Counsel. So this is a 23 page bill, but again, as we touched on before we went live, the first thirty nine secondtions we can get through pretty swiftly. So, essentially, what the first 39 do, which is pages one through 20, is it the niece and inspector from the title of the adjutant general. So right now, in our state statute, it refers to the adjutant and inspector general. In fact, there is an inspector general with the National Guard. Historically, the the adjutant general had those responsibilities as well, but given the size of the job, they got separated at some point. And so this is really just a a cleanup of that to be more accurate when referring to the adjutant general. I would just quickly draw your attention to section five at the bottom of page three, and that simply provides that a cross reference to title two. This has to do with the election of the adjective general. So currently, the the fact that the adjutant general is elected every two years and all the information around the National Guard is entitled 20. But if somebody wants to run for election, that's under title two, which deals with the legislature. So it's just putting in a cross reference. So if somebody's interested in running, they can actually find where the information about running is located. Okay. Unless anyone has questions, Scott?

[Alison Clarkson]: Yes. Senator Clarkson. So what this is a a bill, MAC related to military affairs. Is it what's the problem that was being addressed with this bill?

[Brian Collamore]: Well, we can ask the sponsor to probably For the report?

[Alison Clarkson]: Yeah.

[Brian Collamore]: But it comes we don't normally Okay. That's true. I was

[Alison Clarkson]: just curious if you were there first. Right. I will ask Mark after him if he takes this. Alright. If I

[Sophie Sedatney]: move to page 20 of the bill, section 42 right at the bottom of page 20. What this does is it adds into title three. This is to do with state employees. And right now, there is certain preferences for when you're hiring into state government. And this provides a preference for military spouses. So it provides that before you do that, you still have to comply with the current language that's in Title III. So for example, once the requirements for collective bargaining agreement have been satisfied and a diligent effort has been made to recruit an employee within the classified service to fill a vacancy, which is the reference where it says subsection three two seven a on one and seven on page 21, that's what that's referring to. Mhmm. Then the state shall make a diligent effort to recruit, interview, and hire, and then there's a list of preferences. And this adds at subdivision large capital c line 18 as the spouses of personnel currently serving in the US Armed Forces. And then it has a second provision which starts at subsection two on line 20, which again adds spouses of personnel currently serving in the US Armed Forces that if they apply for and meet the requirements for any competitive recruitment that's conducted using a point based examination and they receive a passing score, they would then get five points added to their competitive examination rating. And the testimony is being from the Department of Human Resources that the only place where state government is currently using competitive examinations is for law enforcement. So that doesn't, it's probably not going have a huge effect, but that's what that provides. And then the final piece is on page 22, line 13, section 43. This is to do with parking for disabled veterans, and this is under the municipal provisions in title 24. And this provides, again, language on page 23, lines five through seven. A vehicle with disabled veteran plates issued by any state shall be permitted to park at a parking meter without fee.

[Rebecca "Becca" White]: Senator White. Thank you, mister chair. So the definition of a parking meter, is that a parking meter that a town operates or is that a private lot?

[Sophie Sedatney]: So this is under the municipal code, and I will say this was not my bill originally. This came from, as you would know, probably from the transport side. This was Dahien's bill that got added into here. So I'm not gonna be an expert on parking meters. It says to regulate parking lots and parking meters on public property. Okay. So I'm assuming these are public ones and not private.

[Rebecca "Becca" White]: But if you, for example, are a municipality that has, like, a third party service like Town, who do, like, twenty four seven parking lot surveillance, they're a third party, and they collect a separate fee on top of enforcement of parking fees for the town. So with the if a disabled veteran got a ticket, would they still have to pay the fee to town who's, like, the third party vendor that has a fee on top of the fee from the municipality?

[Sophie Sedatney]: I don't know if you answered that. You might put a tag in and Oh. About that.

[Rebecca "Becca" White]: Yeah. I mean, I I think that's a fantastic idea. And I especially since and I you know, I would extend it to all disabled folks, you know, in general, but I appreciate this Yeah.

[Brian Collamore]: So that we don't see.

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: That was actually going to be my question. Do we allow anyone with a platter to park in a space for disability to park in a parking meter without a

[Sophie Sedatney]: fee? So my saying is it's two different provisions. So there is disabled parking where you can park, and and I can pull out the I've got all the different fills, I've got all the the language in here, but that's there are separate provisions relating to disability parking where you can park for, like, for an extended period of time. I mean, it's not even two hours. Like, it's Yeah. A number of days. You can park for a long period of time. So this is a separate provision. These are two separate parts of the statute relating to disability parking. Okay. Right.

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: I guess my question is just are they permitted to park at the parking meter without a fee, if they have just sort

[Sophie Sedatney]: of the general disability plan? No. My understanding is no. That's that's yeah. That's covered by a separate statute.

[Rebecca "Becca" White]: She's chopping at the bit behind us, like Right.

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: But then we also support extending that to anyone who has Zac Lager.

[Brian Collamore]: Senator Clarkson, did you have a question?

[Alison Clarkson]: It's sort of been answered. Park Gulp. I mean, that's the question. With any of these we have Park Gulp one with stuff. Exactly. I think that interplay of the parking apps and

[Rebecca "Becca" White]: because you paid the town and you also paid them. So that would be really frustrating to me because if you were covered under this and then you still get charged a $3.50 fee. Mhmm. Or because you're over the you know, that that seems like

[Alison Clarkson]: But maybe we just figure out a a a a code that a a a disabled person or disabled veteran would have that they could put into the parking pass. So it strikes me because it's not insolvable.

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: I also feel like in instances where the only option is to pay through the app, we should they should not be allowed to charge fees. If the town is saying, no, this is the only way you can pay it, then you shouldn't incur a fee because there's no ability for you to pay it without incurring that fee. Exactly. Yeah.

[Sophie Sedatney]: So, I'm just looking. So, current law provides individuals with a disability plate or placard, except as otherwise provided in this subsection, an eligible person should be permitted to park and to park without fee for at least ten continuous days in a parking space or area that is restricted as to the length of time parking is permitted or where parking fees are assessed, notwithstanding the ten day period. In the case of a state or municipally operated parking garage, an eligible person should be permitted to park and to park without fee for at least twenty four continuous hours. And then there's a carve out. This doesn't apply to spaces where it's, you know, illegal to you know, if it's prohibited, you know, where they have the no parking.

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: I can't park in front

[Sophie Sedatney]: of the fire hydrant. Right. Right.

[Rebecca "Becca" White]: So wouldn't any disabled veteran also have the placard when they also already come back that? Not necessarily. Sorry, Cath. What's your What's your

[Brian Collamore]: anyone else have questions about the language in the bill for selfies? Okay. Thank you. I know you have to change locations.

[Alison Clarkson]: Yeah. Hit your parking finger.

[Brian Collamore]: So we're welcoming Mary Stone, who sponsored the bill, and you've heard at least a couple of the, we're not concerned, but questions.

[Representative Mary Stone]: My name is Representative Mary Cappinstone of Burlington, Vermont for the record. The reason that this bill exists is because, you know, for a long time in Vermont history, we've had a long tradition of services and communities all over our state. It's no surprise to y'all that neighbors stepped forward to wear the uniform of our country and our Vermont National Guard, but services never carried alone. It's often shared by spouses who move and have to rebuild careers. I say that as a military spouse myself, by families who have to endure long deployments and by veterans who return home, the lasting impact of that commitment. So this bill is just making sure that Vermont actually meets that service with respect and support, and it is a omnibus bill, being that it came from many bills that were related to create this kind of hodgepodge of things, but the goal is to support military and their families. So it brings our statutes up to date and strengthens the way our state recognizes and assists people who have served and those who stand beside them for military spouses seeking employment, disabled veterans navigating everyday life. So it's a practical and meaningful step forward to ensure that we continue to honor the people who serve. I won't belabor walking through the bill because you just heard that, but I will just touch on the parts. So number one was just because we were talking a lot

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: about the adjutant general election,

[Representative Mary Stone]: we just added, and the title was wrong. Mhmm. It kept saying adjutant and inspector general, and I was like, we are not electing the inspector general. It is literally a separate human being who is not the adjutant general. They they provide like, they do inspect you know, inspections and

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: In general.

[Representative Mary Stone]: Yeah. In general. And it includes, like, overseeing the adjutant general if the adjutant general had something that they needed to be, yeah, inspected on. It has, a conflict of interest. Right? So I was like, this is still wrong for so many reasons, and it's just because it's an antiquated term. I asked the question, it was like, oh, back in 1865 or whatever, they used to be the same person, but they're not now. And I'm like, okay, let's like

[Alison Clarkson]: What separated them?

[Representative Mary Stone]: Let's, yeah. Actually, quote what we're voting on, like, on paper so it's accurate. So that's what the first part

[Brian Collamore]: of the

[Representative Mary Stone]: bill is.

[Brian Collamore]: Yeah.

[Alison Clarkson]: Was I know it's it's a legacy, but I guess need to include it all.

[Representative Mary Stone]: Right. Because it's yeah. It's not transparent. It wasn't it wasn't accurate. So, anyway, that's the first part of the bill. The next part of the bill is creating preference for hiring military spouses into employment in state government. People are like, does it apply to a private? Don't know. It's just state government. And it's two birds and one stone. I know in our committee, we've heard a lot there are a ton of vacancies in state government right now. And then I know that there are a lot of military spouses who have to move here at the drop of the hat, and it's times hard for them to find jobs just because their resumes look kind of odd a lot of times. It's like, I've moved four times in the last year, and therefore, I have, like, two months of employment here and three months, and it's just to, like, highlight But a lot of times, that's because they're having to move in service to their spouse and in service to the country. So it's, yeah, recognizing that.

[Alison Clarkson]: Senator Clarkson. But, that and I I assume this would come into play in in the interviews. That's also a challenge for hiring somebody if you think they're not gonna be around for a while. I mean, that's it's a plus and a It's a

[Representative Mary Stone]: plus and and a plus, but yeah.

[Alison Clarkson]: And at some point we should also review the licensure because we've gone through this, I wouldn't say giving preference so much as enabling and honoring licensure in other states precisely for the same group of people.

[Representative Mary Stone]: The compact military example of we were doing that work.

[Alison Clarkson]: We need to do more of that work to make our licenses of military spouses transferable into our state so that we can be that has often been a barrier for employee military spouses. So, we've begun work on that. We've done a lot of work on that in our OPR bills, but we haven't. We can continue that work too.

[Representative Mary Stone]: And this doesn't guarantee

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: that anyone's gonna get a job.

[Representative Mary Stone]: Mhmm. It's not like, oh, just because I'm a military cop, I'm gonna get this job for sure. It's just to recognize their service and kind of flag it that then, you know, they're military

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: in the house.

[Representative Mary Stone]: Add some points. Add some- And add some points if it is like a point based system, which you heard- Right. If they're wanting to be a state trademark. So anyways-

[Alison Clarkson]: they might well be actually really well- They could all call them. Yeah. They must do that.

[Representative Mary Stone]: And then the last one is to provide free parking for disabled veterans. And the reason I was chomping at the bit is that there are two different ways you can call it, like, disability is defined. So the I wish I had a prop here, but like the little icon, like the person in a wheelchair- Yeah, yeah. That you put on your thing or that's on license plates, that is a different definition as compared to, what veterans get when they go to the VA to get disabled status. So to get the little, like, icon, you have to be pretty much I'm

[Alison Clarkson]: gonna say.

[Representative Mary Stone]: Right? Yeah. Yes. Like, you have to have a ambulatory mobility impairment and or have to have a very significant visual impairment. No. To be a disabled veteran and to have a disability status from the VA, it's not the same, like, qualifier. So folks with disabled veteran plates, a lot of times, like in other states, if they have the disabled veteran plate, they automatically get free parking. So that's another reason. It's, like, our number one source of income in the state is tourism. So these folks have come here from other states too. Like they would also qualify if they had a disabled veteran plate. If they parked at a parking meter municipality, we'd be like, yep. You don't have to pay here because Vermont actually appreciates your service and whatnot. So the little icon that y'all are used to seeing is different than a disabled veteran's plate because it it's

[Alison Clarkson]: So one's a plate and one's a little thin pen from your

[Representative Mary Stone]: There's two different So you can be a disabled veteran, and it's not the same qualifier as what we civilians use to say you are

[Alison Clarkson]: Disabled. You have a disability. Correct. Yeah. Senator White.

[Representative Mary Stone]: So in that instance, to qualify for the status of getting a placard for your vehicle, essentially the folks who would have a license plate but not a placard, it's like they're in the gray zone between kind of qualifying So for they yeah. So I think that's interesting as a concept. Enforcement wise, did you discuss that? Like, how towns like, the fee piece I was asking, like in ways and means. Okay. So they did discuss it, and I know that League of Cities and Towns, I believe, came in and talked and Oh, okay. Said that made So you should you should pull up, like, that has to be on the ways and means page. Yeah. Perhaps we ask the league to come in and just talk because my only concern is if there's like, if the town is on the hook for some kind of random think they covered I think they covered that. That was one of the things I know I talked to them off record about where it went to Ways and Means and

[Alison Clarkson]: yeah. Great.

[Brian Collamore]: And I'm still trying to understand. Maybe it's a unique phenomenon in Woodstock, I don't know, where you have two charges. How do you pay for each of them?

[Representative Mary Stone]: Well, depends on how your account has set up a contract with the vendor. Two charges. You are charged both a fee. You don't they don't break it out on your little ticket, you know, when you pay your parking, but you are also being assessed a small administrative fee.

[Alison Clarkson]: So this is for let's clarify. This is for any town that uses a a mobile parking app.

[Representative Mary Stone]: That's my

[Alison Clarkson]: third party.

[Representative Mary Stone]: Yeah. Exactly. Brand name, whatever. That's my understanding. So my only concern is, let's say, there was a ticket or there was a fee that was assessed. Right. And then that veteran said,

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: I'm not supposed to get

[Representative Mary Stone]: this fee. Well, is the town now having to pay the fee difference? Or if the ticket do they have to compensate for the ticket? Like, who's who's on the hook? Or could you just void it all together? Yeah. Like, will will these third party services say we do this in other states and this is

[Brian Collamore]: Future sale doesn't help.

[Sophie Sedatney]: Yeah. Yeah. This might

[Representative Mary Stone]: be an education piece. I mean, obviously, it will be to the mutualities of, hey. If you see this, not in addition to the logo that we're familiar with, it says disabled veteran. That too should be for a period.

[Brian Collamore]: So I'm trying to think of another question that I asked. I go to Burlington on occasion, not a lot, but on occasion. And I'm parked underneath a hotel

[Representative Mary Stone]: Mhmm.

[Brian Collamore]: That has a gate that goes up and down. It's not manned. It's just there. And you pull in and the gate goes up. You drive in and you park. Then when you leave Mhmm. Sometimes there's somebody on duty or whatever the right term is to collect the fee for parking. Mhmm. And sometimes there isn't. And you can only use a credit card. Like at the Burlington Airport, there's nobody there, but that gate won't open unless you pay. So how would this bill address that situation?

[Representative Mary Stone]: Well, says public property. So I think that's what the I don't know if the one at the airport would technically be public property.

[Brian Collamore]: The city owns itself, probably owns the parking lot, saying. They own the airport. They do own the airport, they know I

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: am no computer genius, but I'm going to guess that in those instances, there would be behind the scenes coding that could be done so that that ticket could be validated and raped. Because people who have the placard,

[Representative Mary Stone]: like the disability placard now,

[Brian Collamore]: have to

[Representative Mary Stone]: figure that out somehow, right? They figured that out.

[Alison Clarkson]: Okay.

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: Because I know- This would be- Like, I've gone to the Burlington Airport to visit the weather people and they validated, they were able to just validate inside. And so then when I got the thing, I scanned my ticket and it let me out without paying. So there is a mechanism by

[Brian Collamore]: that. Okay. Alright.

[Representative Mary Stone]: Yeah. Yeah. But would you have to submit for reimbursement if you were in a situation where you're in a public garage? You get

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: you have to pay to leave. The gate's not going up. But I think internally in that system There's

[Representative Mary Stone]: gotta be a way. Because people Oh, Totally. But how would you in the moment, you just have to pay it? Like, right. Or just run down the ganking shop? Getting paid. Don't know. Legislative intent with Jeff.

[Brian Collamore]: You didn't take any testimony about how that particular situation would be affected.

[Representative Mary Stone]: That came through in I'm guessing it came through in ways of being that's the whole reason that the bill had to be referred to that. It was to deal with, like, the fees that could be

[Brian Collamore]: Okay.

[Representative Mary Stone]: Incurred through this. Yeah.

[Brian Collamore]: Will this likely go to finance then over here?

[Representative Mary Stone]: I don't know. I don't know how y'all work over here. Yeah. It's a blooper question.

[Alison Clarkson]: Yeah. Only if there's a fee that remains in it. If there's any

[Representative Mary Stone]: If we haven't addressed but we've already addressed it. That's all I know.

[Brian Collamore]: Alright. Well, we definitely should have the LCT come in, and maybe they can answer the question.

[Representative Mary Stone]: And I think they may have already come in, so I would just say I would go to house wagons and memes and look up $9.17, and it may I can do

[Alison Clarkson]: it right now, but it

[Representative Mary Stone]: may be in there.

[Brian Collamore]: Is that the only witness that you stated?

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: I don't know for sure. Okay.

[Alison Clarkson]: That's the way Should actually have Park Mausoleum. They're represented in

[Brian Collamore]: Okay. The It would be

[Alison Clarkson]: great to get a third party Okay. Parking because many of our towns are moving to do that at Park Mall to the parking leaders.

[Brian Collamore]: I just find it almost Sorry. It's not an insult, but a real inconvenience if a disabled veteran had to go through some sort of validation or even pay

[Alison Clarkson]: it and then later get it That's why they had if there was a with their they got a code that would

[Brian Collamore]: give the that would they could use time. All people. What do you call them? Park mobile?

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: At their parking apps. Yeah.

[Alison Clarkson]: Their parking application. Oh. And one the one Woodstock uses this ParkMobile here too. And here here in Long Island, he's ParkMobile.

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: Representative Stone, do you know if someone who has the disabled veteran license plate on their car also has some indication of their driver's license that they are disabled veteran?

[Representative Mary Stone]: I know. It also depends state by state because even the disabled veteran plates, they are different each day. Like, some states, like, do 20% disability rating for the VA and other, like, 50%, whatever. Like Mhmm.

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: Yeah. Because what I'm wondering same thing. Again, like, the coding of the machines, if it's on their driver's license, can they just scan their driver's license? Like, oh.

[Alison Clarkson]: Okay.

[Brian Collamore]: Well, thank you very much for coming down.

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: Yeah.

[Brian Collamore]: Any other questions for representative Stone?

[Alison Clarkson]: Okay. It's Raj. But I'm

[Representative Mary Stone]: not gonna have to go. Oh, okay.

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: The apps are not relevant to the sales.

[Alison Clarkson]: Absolutely. You know, they said one of our great producers of farm site also. So we have lots of here. I

[Representative Mary Stone]: know. I was like, What?

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: Is this brief? Okay. I was definitely wondering where that was going as Yeah.

[Representative Mary Stone]: Thanks, y'all.

[Brian Collamore]: Thank you.

[Representative Mary Stone]: Hopefully it's straightforward.

[Brian Collamore]: Hopefully.

[Representative Mary Stone]: Any legislative. Yes. And then a selection. Thank you.

[Brian Collamore]: Chris Rutland, did you wanna? Sure. Just wait real quick. Chris Rutland Fiscal. This bill did go to ways and means because of that final section related to department leaders.

[Chris Rupe]: Ways and means only put testimony from staff on this building did not have outside witnesses. They had the bill for a brief period of time. Just for the benefit of the committee, you know, JFO typically gets involved with bills when they are moving out of a policy committee and into a money committee. Something popped up on my radar and it's like, oh, so DUI has ways and means getting this bill. We did not write a fiscal note on it because we don't do estimates for municipalities. But there's no situation where this would be a meaningful revenue loss to any one municipality. For a sense of context, there's fewer than 300 Vermont issued disabled veteran plates out there. This would apply to disabled veteran plates issued by other states, but we're talking about a very, very small percentage of the vehicle fleet. Not very many Vermont municipalities have parking meters to begin with. They tend to be areas that have downtown business districts where turnover of street spots is like you wanna look into this now. That's why there's no So another de minimis bill. De minimis to municipalities. Yep. Senator White.

[Rebecca "Becca" White]: Are there any state spots that we have parking meters at?

[Brian Collamore]: Maybe, but probably not very many. Okay. But I can't imagine this would be a situation where people would be parking at a state spot for any real length of time.

[Alison Clarkson]: Yeah. Can't think of one.

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: Yeah. Was sure I can't think of a state building.

[Brian Collamore]: I can't think of it.

[Alison Clarkson]: Okay. Great. There are parking meters right outside of the DMV. True. So you think of Mount Kilier. They are Monkelier, but I'm just saying by a state building, there are park but there are not

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: distinct parking meters.

[Brian Collamore]: Correct. There are also visitor spots and a lot behind them. That is true. I did not know that. It was not bad for some.

[Rebecca "Becca" White]: Yeah. Okay. New address. Maybe I bring this up to Damien, and I have a side conversation.

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: Feel like Otherwise Let's get parking people want people to access state government services, and charging for parking sort of flies in the face of that. Like, it to be, like, what I think about, like, having state parking meters to access state services. Yeah. Like Oh, I'm so There should be responding

[Rebecca "Becca" White]: to I'm prostitious. I just don't want there to be a situation where someone who has that plate is told that they have to pay, and then they have to go through this whole rigamarole where it's like that because that's what's gonna

[Brian Collamore]: What else I'll refer the committee that most municipalities that have the parking naders have an appeals process. Oh, great. Good point. I mean, like, I I mean, what do I know? I'm from Philly where you get, like, five parking tickets a year as cost of living there. And there's an appeals process. Right.

[Alison Clarkson]: And everything and in Woodstock, you could take it into the store that you would happen to park in front of her close by and get get a stamped, get out of jail free card. Yes.

[Brian Collamore]: Stamped So the appeals process from court, is it civil offense? I mean, I come from, it was purely administrative. Right. It didn't even touch the point system unless

[Alison Clarkson]: you I

[Brian Collamore]: don't know how dangerous it was. Yeah, having a

[Rebecca "Becca" White]: people that's hard to teach hard to teach hard

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: to When you ski, it is the same. It is completely administrative. Represent.

[Brian Collamore]: Go to this edition. Oh, interesting. Yeah. Here at. How

[Alison Clarkson]: do we stay? Get off and alert to lobbyists about who represents Park Mobile or any other Talk to one of them. They'll go agree.

[Rebecca "Becca" White]: I'm happy to ask. I don't know. I'm absolutely I'm sure they'll

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: be very supportive of my prohibition on charging fee.

[Rebecca "Becca" White]: I know. I'm happy to do a little transportation investigation.

[Alison Clarkson]: Yeah. Because actually, Well, we do have a $33,000,000 transportation gap.

[Rebecca "Becca" White]: And we'll make it up on the

[Alison Clarkson]: We'll make it up on parking.

[Brian Collamore]: The t phone only gets moving violations, not parking violations. What's wrong with that? Anything else for Chris?

[Alison Clarkson]: Okay. He's the man for transportation questions. I'm here.

[Brian Collamore]: Thank you, Chris. It will be as always. Thank you. We have one other item for expiration today. Unfortunately, I was

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: I have good news. I heard from the city attorney's language school.

[Brian Collamore]: Oh, really? Yes. David was in

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: I know. Since since he was in here to now Oh, what happened.

[Brian Collamore]: Yeah. So can you walk us through the language?

[Alison Clarkson]: Yeah. I'm fine. Language. Do

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: we have that on our pager in front of us? Yes. Have to leave 335. 35.

[Alison Clarkson]: This what number is it? Won't be that. 508.

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: The berligt. This is the Burlington Charter that we've been waiting on and waiting on and waiting on. I don't know to that's fine. I can look through it. Well, let's find it out. It's here. Yeah. I just I don't have five zero

[Alison Clarkson]: eight at all. Yes.

[Brian Collamore]: Is it as fast as I have? No. It That's is the bill.

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: Round 1.3.

[Alison Clarkson]: You have it in your pile.

[Brian Collamore]: There are a whole bunch of other things. K.

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: So as you may recall, this charter came to us attempting to remove the Yes. Requirement for Burlington to go through a whole charter change process Yeah. Change the balance of their wards and districts. Mhmm. And they had wanted to give themselves an allowance to to change them outside of the tenure census cycle, but with some some sort of restriction on just being able to do it whenever they felt right. The language they sent us didn't really achieve that. And so the language that you have in front of you is language that achieves what they have asked for. So the city council may change election area boundaries following the taking of the decennial census. And the reason we chose may instead of shall is they don't want to have to change them if they're not if they don't need to be changed. And whenever necessary to correct an unconstitutional division of population among the city districts or wards. So that's that language that gives them the ability to change it outside of the census if it is unconstitutionally proportioned. And that and and they will still be approved and voted on and all of that, but they no longer have to go through the whole process of a charter change. This language has gone through, as you will see, three versions, and this final version has been approved by a member of the city council and the city attorney and achieves what they were trying to achieve.

[Alison Clarkson]: So this two twenty five languages should be recycled? Yes.

[Brian Collamore]: You should have draft 1.3 I'm I'm five zero eight.

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: Any questions?

[Rebecca "Becca" White]: No. Is happy it does what they want it to do. Yes.

[Brian Collamore]: This is a whole five year thing. Right? Yeah.

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: That's what it yes. Because they they wanted to be able to do it in order to correct things, but they put that path up for five years. And it was like, well, what if it goes unconstitutional in one year? So this actually does put the sort of restriction of, like, these are the only instances you can change the boundaries, but it doesn't have to be found in the sense and they don't have to do a charter change to do it. Because if you recall, we bring testimony that when the city of Burlington did that charter change, they thought they would never have to change the Right. Districts and wards. And now we're looking at a charter change allowing to do it more frequently because of how quickly the population is shifting from

[Brian Collamore]: the city of Maryland. Any questions, comments, concerns? I just wanna go to those. We could go to that right now.

[Alison Clarkson]: Why don't we just do it?

[Brian Collamore]: I'm I'm

[Alison Clarkson]: right with you. I'm I'm fully supporting you.

[Brian Collamore]: I can feel that support. I feel like h five zero eight.

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: I'm draft 1.3.

[Brian Collamore]: That's the amendment. So you're gonna have to make sure that it references approval with instance of amendment or however that it's favorable with amendment? With amendment. Yes. And as soon as you've copied that down, we'll ask you to Senator. Senator Clarkson? Yes. She's reading it for the first time.

[Alison Clarkson]: The had a support. By the the senator from Chittenden.

[Brian Collamore]: Senator Morley. Yes. Senator Vyhovsky? Yes. Senator White? Yes. Senator Collamore? Yes. And I know that Senator Vyhovsky is dying to

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: I am happy to report this. It is a municipality I represent, and I did

[Alison Clarkson]: a fair amount of work to

[Brian Collamore]: do this. You a great job with this. Thank you. Melissa's already poked her head in, and I said, no. We don't have anything, so it's up to you. Do you wanna take it upstairs to get it on the calendar? If you don't, we can wait till tomorrow.

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: I think I'll take it up tomorrow because I have

[Alison Clarkson]: a bill tomorrow and Okay. My other thing.

[Brian Collamore]: Okay. Well, by golly, we come to the end of our day. Wow. Tomorrow, we have something in this if you'd like to.

[Sophie Sedatney]: I mean

[Brian Collamore]: I can stay for as long as you need to. Senator You have two minutes.

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: Didn't even I I told you I wouldn't be fast enough to get you out of here by 03:30 kidding. But I was.

[Alison Clarkson]: You are. Are you working another bill elsewhere?

[Rebecca "Becca" White]: No.

[Brian Collamore]: She has something else to think about.

[Tanya Vyhovsky]: Are we

[Brian Collamore]: live? Yes, we are. Tomorrow we're gonna take another look at OPR, and we're gonna have another witness on 519, which is the Randolph Police moving over to well, we'd already scheduled them. He's a United Federation of Police Officers. My guess is he'll be in favor of this. I would help him. They have no idea. And we're also gonna have folks in from VAM, the Vermont Access Network, with a request for funding. So if there's nothing else to come before the committee

[Alison Clarkson]: I would just note as we think about that, that the chap who was here filling behind you Mhmm. Was in fact yeah, know Patrick Cody, who runs the Ludlow Apologizes Network and was doing is doing a piece on the three Windsor District Centers. So there was an example of van in action of the Vermont Access Network in action.

[Brian Collamore]: Yeah. We're gonna hear from Davidian. I believe that's not even doctor last evening.

[Alison Clarkson]: Yes, Lauren.

[Brian Collamore]: And from Rutland Bank TV. So

[Alison Clarkson]: Yeah. Great.

[Brian Collamore]: Okay. Is there anything else? Then we'll adjourn for the day and see all of you tomorrow.