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Sunday, May 6th, 2007
Several controversial items were brought onto the floor of the house this week. Primary seatbelt enforcement came in the form of a new bill, cellular telephone usage while driving, curfew on junior operators, medical marijuana and a prescription drug manufacturer’s tax were all passed the House. These issues resulted in many hours of debate and several roll call votes on each issue.
Promoting life safety has been part of my entire adult life and I will always support legislation that is proven to save lives. After being witness to many accidents where seat belts have contributed to saving a live, it is easy to support legislation that makes enforcement of the law mandatory.
I supported the limitations on cellular telephone usage while operating a motor vehicle because I know it is a distraction and it will save someone's live some day. I spend many hours per week driving to Montpelier and I am usually on the phone most of that time. This will be a big inconvenience to me and many others but, it is the right thing to do to protect the general public. I voted against the curfew on junior operators, increasing the usage of medical marijuana and a prescription drug manufacturer’s tax.
The institutions committee worked on several issues this week. The most important was S.67, this bill deals with the Bennington state office building and the employees who have been affected by a rare illness referred to as sarcoidosis while working at that building. This bill will re-imburse all present or past state employees who has been affected by this rare disease. The bill creates an insurance fund that resembles workers compensation. We passed this bill out of committee on Friday unanimously.
New life for property tax reform. In another surprising move last week, the Senate passed the proposed cap on education spending. This brings new hope for some form of cost containment in state education spending this session. I am hopeful that this will at least lead to more in depth discussion and possible solutions to our property tax problem. The cap on education spending may not be a viable long-term solution but, it is something that should be thoroughly discussed. At the state level, the legislature has to do something to address out of control cost of education. However, I am concerned about the impact of a cap on Milton's school district and will continue to research its impact prior to casting my vote.
Currently, our hope for reform is in the hands of a conference committee. A conference committee is made up of three Senators and three members of the House. They will attempt to negotiate out the differences between the education reform bill that passed the House and the version that passed the Senate. I am hopeful that the committee reaches a more practical and substantive resolution. If a settlement is reached, each body will then have an opportunity to vote on the agreement. Should either body not support the settlement, the bill will die or another committee of conference may be appointed.
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.