Remarks of Speaker Shap Smith on the opening of the 2009-10 Legislative Biennium

January 7, 2009 - Thank you, and what a wonderful day it is today. I want to begin by thanking my wife, Melissa. She is a strong, compassionate, intelligent and beautiful woman and I am lucky to be married to her. I also want to thank my children, Eli and Mia. I am very lucky to have such wonderful, intelligent and (mostly) well-behaved kids. To my family - my father and step-mother, my mother and step-father, my brothers and step-sister - thank you for your continued support.
I also want to thank my colleagues here today. I could not be more excited about working with such a smart and capable group of people in this House. Over the coming months, we will disagree from time to time. But disagreement is healthy - it allows us to tease out the best course of action and make the best decisions for Vermont. I thank you in advance for these disagreements and for your hard work to ultimately reach the best decisions for all Vermonters.
As we open this session, I want to reflect on an experience I had last year that brought into focus for me why I am here today; I'm sure all of you have had similar experiences that have brought into focus your own reasons for service in this body.
Last October, on a beautiful fall day, I went with my daughter to pick up my son from school. I had a busy day and wanted to get back to prepare dinner and make lunches. But my kids wanted to go play. I decided to stop and take a moment. We went down to the swings and as my kids played on that beautiful October day, I looked out over the same playground that I had played on as a child. I saw the same ball fields and the same schools that I had grown up with. And I saw in the background the same Green Mountains that I had hiked in as a kid.
I realized then, just how lucky I am to have been able to return and raise my kids in the same vibrant community I grew up in. I also realized that it was the work of men and women in this same chamber 30 years ago that made this possible. Their work preserved our working landscape and built our vibrant communities and outstanding school system.
Now, just as legislators went to work 30 years ago to build a future for Vermont that allowed me to return and raise my children here, so too do we go to work today to help lay the groundwork for a similarly bright future for our children.
Every Vermonter knows the seriousness of our state's challenges in the coming weeks and months, but we must also look beyond the immediate crisis toward building a stronger, more vibrant state for the future. Working together, we must all focus our efforts in this building over the coming months on the policies and priorities that will keep Vermonters working, warm and well.
It is precisely because we must confront immediate and long-term challenges that we can and must rethink the way we think about our state government and the way we deliver services to Vermonters. Our work must focus the state on providing a helping hand when Vermonters need it most. Our policies and priorities can and should:

Keep Vermonters working by ensuring they have access to ongoing education and training and helping to create growth opportunities for Vermont businesses, particularly small businesses;
Keep Vermonters warm by ensuring every Vermonter has access to safe and reliable heat in their homes and by building opportunities to weatherize their homes and businesses; and,
Keep Vermonters well by partnering with them and their families to make sure they have access to quality and affordable health care and mental health services.

As we confront our immediate budget challenges and as we work to craft policies across the board that keep Vermonters working, warm and well, it is imperative that our state government reaches these goals efficiently and effectively.
We are now facing an immediate crisis, which requires an immediate response. This crisis is why today I am calling on this House to craft and pass a $150 million bond-based Economic Recovery package to keep Vermonters working now and in the future.
The centerpiece of the proposal is a public works jobs program modeled after one championed by Governor Richard Snelling in 1983. Together, we can keep Vermonters working and strengthen our state's public assets for the future.
Additionally, I am calling for a major reinvestment in Vermont's crumbling transportation infrastructure. Our roads, bridges, rail and public transit system keep the Vermont economy moving and current and future businesses are looking to us to ensure they are well constructed and maintained.
While the economy will be the first order of business and at the top of our agenda, there are many other pressing needs this body must confront, from strengthening public safety laws to building a strong energy future and retaining our working landscape. With the talent and creativity I see here in this chamber today, I know that we can work together and accomplish important work for Vermonters both on the economy and on these other issues.
Now is the time for decisive action. Now is the time for this legislature to follow in the footsteps of the legislature 30 years ago, which built a Vermont in which we are all proud to raise our children.
Now is the time to get to work, which is why on this opening day of the session, after the election of the Clerks and the adoption of our House rules, I shall direct the Clerk to journalize the appointment of the following committees:
AGRICULTURE
Partridge, Chair of Windham
Lawrence, Vice-Chair of Lyndon
Malcolm ® of Pawlet
Ainsworth of Royalton
Bray of New Haven
Conquest of Newbury
McAllister of Highgate
McNeil of Rutland Town
Stevens of Shoreham
Taylor of Barre City
Toll of Danville
APPROPRIATIONS
Heath, Chair of Westford
Larson, Vice-Chair of Burlington
Helm ® of Castleton
Acinapura of Brandon
Crawford of Burke
Johnson of South Hero
Keenan of St. Albans City
Manwaring of Wilmington
Miller of Shaftsbury
Minter of Waterbury
Morley of Barton
COMMERCE
Kitzmiller, Chair of Montpelier
Marcotte, Vice-Chair of Coventry
Shand ® of Weathersfield
Botzow of Pownal
Bissonette of Winooski
Clerkin of Hartford
Dickinson of St. Albans Town
Lorber of Burlington
Smith of Mendon
Turner of Milton
Wilson of Manchester
EDUCATION
Donovan, Chair of Burlington
Mook, Vice-Chair of Bennington
Clark ® of Vergennes
Geier of South Burlington
Gilbert of Fairfax
Kilmartin of Newport City
Pearce of Richford
Peltz of Woodbury
Perley of Enosburg
Waite-Simpson of Essex
Zenie of Colchester
FISH, WILDLIFE & WATER RESOURCES
Deen, Chair of Westminster
Adams, Vice-Chair of Hartland
McCullough ® of Williston
Bohi of Hartford
Fagan of Rutland City
Lewis of Derby
Nease of Johnson
Spengler of Colchester
Webb of Shelburne
GENERAL, HOUSING & MILITARY AFFAIRS
Head, Chair of South Burlington
Baker, Vice-Chair of West Rutland
Moran ® of Wardsboro
Johnson of Canaan
Ram of Burlington
Savage of Swanton
South of St. Johnsbury
Stevens of Waterbury
GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS
Sweaney, Chair of Windsor
Atkins, Vice-Chair of Winooski
Devereux ® of Mount Holly
Consejo of Sheldon
Evans of Essex
Higley of Lowell
Hubert of Milton
Leriche of Hardwick
Martin of Wolcott
McDonald of Berlin
Townsend of Randolph
AGRICULTURE
Partridge, Chair of Windham
Lawrence, Vice-Chair of Lyndon
Malcolm ® of Pawlet
Ainsworth of Royalton
Bray of New Haven
Conquest of Newbury
McAllister of Highgate
McNeil of Rutland Town
Stevens of Shoreham
Taylor of Barre City
Toll of Danville
APPROPRIATIONS
Heath, Chair of Westford
Larson, Vice-Chair of Burlington
Helm ® of Castleton
Acinapura of Brandon
Crawford of Burke
Johnson of South Hero
Keenan of St. Albans City
Manwaring of Wilmington
Miller of Shaftsbury
Minter of Waterbury
Morley of Barton
COMMERCE
Which I will ask the Rules Committee to rename the Committee on Commerce and Economic Development
Kitzmiller, Chair of Montpelier
Marcotte, Vice-Chair of Coventry
Shand ® of Weathersfield
Botzow of Pownal
Bissonette of Winooski
Clerkin of Hartford
Dickinson of St. Albans Town
Lorber of Burlington
Smith of Mendon
Turner of Milton
Wilson of Manchester
EDUCATION
Donovan, Chair of Burlington
Mook, Vice-Chair of Bennington
Clark ® of Vergennes
Geier of South Burlington
Gilbert of Fairfax
Kilmartin of Newport City
Pearce of Richford
Peltz of Woodbury
Perley of Enosburg
Waite-Simpson of Essex
Zenie of Colchester
FISH, WILDLIFE & WATER RESOURCES
Deen, Chair of Westminster
Adams, Vice-Chair of Hartland
McCullough ® of Williston
Bohi of Hartford
Fagan of Rutland City
Lewis of Derby
Nease of Johnson
Spengler of Colchester
Webb of Shelburne
GENERAL, HOUSING & MILITARY AFFAIRS
Head, Chair of South Burlington
Baker, Vice-Chair of West Rutland
Moran ® of Wardsboro
Johnson of Canaan
Ram of Burlington
Savage of Swanton
South of St. Johnsbury
Stevens of Waterbury
GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS
Sweaney, Chair of Windsor
Atkins, Vice-Chair of Winooski
Devereux ® of Mount Holly
Consejo of Sheldon
Evans of Essex
Higley of Lowell
Hubert of Milton
Leriche of Hardwick
Martin of Wolcott
McDonald of Berlin
Townsend of Randolph
HEALTH CARE
Maier, Chair of Middlebury
Milkey, Vice-Chair of Brattleboro
Wheeler ® of Derby
Copeland-Hanzas of Bradford
Greshin of Warren
Morrissey of Bennington
O'Brien of Richmond
Poirier of Barre City
Till of Jericho
Trombley of Grand Isle
Wizowati of Burlington
HUMAN SERVICES
Pugh, Chair of Burlington
Fisher, Vice-Chair of Lincoln
Donahue ® of Northfield
Andrews of Rutland City
Frank of Underhill
French of Randolph
Haas of Rochester
McFaun of Barre Town
Mrowicki of Putney
O'Donnell of Vernon
Orr of Charlotte
INSTITUTIONS
Emmons, Chair of Springfield
Myers, Vice-Chair of Essex
Rodgers ® of Glover
Browning of Arlington
Davis of Washington
Hooper of Montpelier
Koch of Barre Town
Larocque of Barnet
Lenes of Shelburne
Macaig of Williston
Reis of St. Johnsbury
JUDICIARY
Lippert, Chair of Hinesburg
Grad, Vice-Chair of Moretown
Flory ® of Pittsford
Donaghy of Poultney
French of Shrewsbury
Jewett of Ripton
Komline of Dorset
Marek of Newfane
Martin of Springfield
Pellett of Chester
Scheuermann of Stowe
NATURAL RESOURCES & ENERGY
Klein, Chair of East Montpelier
Krawczyk, Vice-Chair of Bennington
Nuovo ® of Middlebury
Canfield of Fair Haven
Cheney of Norwich
Edwards of Brattleboro
Jerman of Essex Junction
Mitchell of Barnard
Weston of Burlington
Wright of Burlington
Young of St. Albans City
TRANSPORTATION
Westman, Chair of Cambridge
Potter, Vice-Chair of Clarendon
Audette ® of South Burlington
Aswad of Burlington
Brennan of Colchester
Burke of Brattleboro
Corcoran of Bennington
Courcelle of Rutland City
Howrigan of Fairfield
Lanpher of Vergennes
Peaslee of Guildhall
WAYS & MEANS
Obuchowski, Chair of Rockingham
Ancel, Vice-Chair of Calais
Branagan ® of Georgia
Clarkson of Woodstock
Condon of Colchester
Howard of Rutland
Hube of Londonderry
Masland of Thetford
Sharpe of Bristol
Winters of Williamstown
Zuckerman of Burlington