Session comes to an end: Lawmakers leave citing social changes, conservative budget

by Anne Galloway May 15, 2013 vtdigger.org The Vermont Legislature adjourned Tuesday night after an exhausting two-day bill passing marathon that sapped the patience of lawmakers. Dozens of bills were churned through the House and Senate within a matter of hours. Some were small provisions; others were big ticket items like the budget and tax bills.
By the time lawmakers packed up and hugged colleagues good-bye they had consumed 6,000 M&Ms between roll call votes on the House floor and found a way to create a $5.2 billion budget bill without raising new income, sales, meals or satellite taxes.
That tight-lidded approach to government spending was openly admired by Republicans in the House. But if the Democratic majority in the Senate and House could be described as fiscally conservative, their policy decisions on a handful of social issues were liberal, even uber liberal. They supported the agenda of their Democratic governor. They voted for drivers licenses for migrant workers, an end of life bill, decriminalization of marijuana and three major pieces of pro-labor legislation.
The Democrats, who have a supermajority in the House and Senate and most of whom are centrists, supported a fiscally conservative, socially liberal agenda that often pulled in independents, Progressives and Republicans, depending on the issue.
In two speeches addressing the Senate and the House, Gov. Peter Shumlin thanked lawmakers for adopting some of his education agenda, including free school lunches, tailored learning plans for high school students, and increased funding for higher education.
He didn’t mention his scuppered plan to provide $17 million in additional child care subsidies, which lawmakers cut down to about $3 million in new subsidies. Shumlin did briefly mention his controversial welfare reform proposals, to the state’s family welfare Reach Up program, saying the state moved further towards making welfare ‘temporary, not timeless’, a key catchphrase of his legislative campaigning in recent months.
Other issues he touted as achievements were a mix of his own priorities and what legislators managed on their own. Driving rights for migrant workers, end-of-life legislation, decriminalizing marijuana, and police public records reform were all administration priorities, which passed this session. Bills combating opiate and prescription drug abuse, and the implementation of a community-based mental health system, were largely led by legislators.
‘The opportunity this session was keeping our focus on the kitchen table issues facing Vermonters after a painful session,’said Shumlin, who said the Legislature measured up to the challenge and tackled ‘tough issues,’including health care reform, drug addiction and crime, downtown development, and laws about farms.
‘While our disagreements sometimes caught the attention of reporters in the hallways, we reached consensus to advance our mutual goals,’said Shumlin. While emphasizing the robustness of Vermont’s economy throughout his speech, he briefly referenced one source of those disagreements a few minutes later, saying: ‘We stood together and delivered for Vermont. We did so without new general fund taxes, which will help to keep our economic recovery squarely on track.’
This legislative session, lawmakers considered a slew of tax hikes, including gas and property taxes, along with taxes on cigarettes, sweet drinks, health care insurance claims, and bottled water, besides changes to income taxes. Later legislative leadership struck a deal with Shumlin to back away from all but two new taxes this session, which were passed earlier ‘increases in the statewide property tax and the state’s gas and diesel taxes.
Overall, Shumlin played down disagreements that surfaced in the past few months. ‘On all the other issues you’ve delivered, this session has re-affirmed the worth of Vermont’s brand of democracy. We work together across party lines to improve the lives of all Vermontersâ ¦I pledge that my administration will implement our good work to keep Vermont strong,’he said.
After passing the budget, 128-9, the leaders in the House offered their parting thoughts.
Rep. Chris Pearson, P-Burlington, who heads the Progressive caucus, made playful jabs at the parties. Pearson told the Democrats, ‘presenting amendments to you is like telling a mother her kid dresses funny.’
Pearson also praised the Speaker’s compelling personality. On the drive to Montpelier each morning, he said ‘I steel myself against your charm.’
Both Pearson and the minority leader, Rep. Don Turner, R-Milton, thanked the Democratic majority for being inclusive despite their dominance.
House Speaker Shap Smith, D-Morrisville, painted a contrast between the fiscal atmosphere at the start and the close of the session. ‘We faced incredible uncertainty on both the global and national level. It was unclear whether any fiscal deal at all would be reached in Washingtonâ ¦ Throughout the world, it looked like the economy was slowing.’
Smith continued, ‘I believe we leave this session with much hope and cautious optimism and part of that is because of the work we have done this year.’
The Speaker pointed to investments in the transportation fund and legislation that address opioid and meth addiction as key legislative accomplishments. He also acknowledged that the Legislature was leaving work unfinished in the realms of childcare, early education, higher education and energy efficiency.
Senate President Pro Tem John Campbell thanked his colleagues for their support on major issues that will directly affect the lives of Vermonters. He cited legislation to require out of state companies to provide medical coverage for same sex couples; driving privilege cards for migrant workers; a good samaritan law that gives immunity to people who call for medical help in the event of an overdose; an opiate bill that will ‘cut down on crime and deaths.’And he praised the Senate for taking up the end of life bill, which he personally opposed, but led the effort to bring to the floor this year.
‘I look back at the accomplishments this Senate made, and I just can’t tell you the pride I have in the work that not just one of us did but 30 of us did,’Campbell said.
‘We have a diverse body with Republicans, Democrats and Progressives,’he said. ‘I can’t remember a vote in this body where partisanship played a role. When reporters asked how do we feel about the governor beating us on the income tax issue, I said I don’t understand why we focus on who won fight. The people who should win are Vermonters and in the end that’s what’s happened here. Vermonters won. We did it the vermont way.’