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Friday, April 20th, 2007
Another exciting week here at the statehouse. Three controversial items were brought onto the floor of the house this week, the primary seatbelt enforcement law, gas guzzlers tax and the school bus idling law were presented as amendments to Senate bills. This resulted in many hours of debate and a roll call vote on each amendment.
Current state law mandates that everyone shall wear a seatbelt while operating or riding in a motor vehicle on a public highway. However, it is a secondary offense and as a secondary offense, the law is only enforceable if the operator was ticketed for a primary offense. This created problems for law enforcement officers and citizens alike. I was torn on this issue and did not make a final decision on how I would cast my vote until it was my turn to vote. As a fire chief, my training has taught me that life safety is of utmost importance but, as a citizen who strongly believes in citizens rights I could see this being another reason for the police to stop people for no apparent reason. In the end, it came down to a very personal and selfish decision. As a dad, I will do anything and everything in my power to protect my girls and family from harm. On this day protecting my family and yours meant voting yes on this bill. Seatbelts do save lives! I have personally witnessed this many times over the years.
The gas guzzlers tax is an attempt to collect funds to use in the transportation fund for public transportation and offset some of the greenhouse gas emissions. I voted against this bill because many small businesses and families have to purchase this type of vehicle for specific their needs. The amendment did pass the house.
The school bus idling amendment was also passed on a roll call vote. This amendment requires that school buses be shut off while on school property. I voted against this bill because I think this is an unenforceable law and does very little to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere. It will be interesting to see how this is received by the parents of small children who are forced to ride on freezing cold buses in the winter months.
The institutions committee worked on two new bills this week, S.67 and S.97 both originated in the Senate. S.97 deals with prisoner access to mental health services in the corrections system. S.67 deals with the Bennington office building and the employees who have been affected by a rare illness while working at that building. We took testimony on both bills this week and will continue next week. We also passed out a committee resolution that will allow the state parks division to sell or trade state land. The proceeds will be used by the agency to rehabilitate three other agency properties.
New life for property tax reform. In a surprising move this week, the Senate passed a proposed cap on education spending. This brings new hope for some form of a cost containment in state education spending this session. I am hopeful that this will lead to more in depth solutions to our property tax.
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.