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Friday, April 6th, 2007
Another busy week here at the Statehouse. We spent most of our time on the house floor debating several important bills. The education, appropriations and energy bills were passed by the house this week.
The education bill H.526 was supposed to address property tax reform. However, the thirty-five page bill did very little to address our increasing property taxes. This bill establishes two study committees, suggests consolidation in certain areas, limits the maximum amount of rebate/prebate an individual is entitled to at $6000 and establishes some penalties for high spending school districts. During the debate several amendments to address increasing property taxes were proposed and failed. This is a very small step in the right direction and I am hopeful that this is the foundation for which bigger and better things are to come from in the future. I voted yes on the bill.
The appropriations bill H.537 was passed by the house with several hours of debate. This increases the FY08 state budget by approximately three percent. I feel that this is a responsible and affordable budget. I voted in favor of the budget and believe that it sends a fiscally responsible message to the residents of the state.
The energy conservation and generation bill H.520 also passed. It contained several components that I did not like but, there were far more positive components than negative. I voted in favor of this bill.
I would like to welcome Caitlin Morse to the Statehouse. Caitlin will be spending the next six weeks with us serving as a legislative page. It is a wonderful and very educational opportunity for her and I am proud that she is representing our community.
The institutions committee worked on two bills this week. Vermont requires that any person under the age of 21 and under the supervision of the corrections department without a high school diploma or GED must attend school. H.135 would increase the age requirement from 21 to 26. It is has been proven that receiving formal education does help prevent people from ending up back in corrections. The second bill we discussed would allow county courts to bond for capital improvements. We will take more testimony next week on these bills and then decide whether or not to vote them out of committee.
I am very disappointed and sorry to report that there will be no substantial property tax or healthcare cost reform this session. With the major bills relating to these issues passing the house this week, my fear has become reality. No major cuts or savings were approved, hence there will be no property tax reform this year.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, comments or concerns.
I can be reached here at the Statehouse by calling 1-800-322-5616 or by my cell 373-5960; My website address is Don Turner Jr.com or e-mail me at dturner@leg.state.vt.us. Thank you and have a great week.