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Monday, February 15th, 2010
Friday was a bittersweet day for me as a Dad and Legislator. It was the last day that my daughter Erin was to serve as a Legislative Page. It was also a day in which both bodies of the legislature and the Governor recognized the Pages for their service to the State. The six weeks went by very fast and I will miss the special time that we had together serving the State. Especially, the two and a half hours a day of alone time commuting back and forth to the Statehouse. Erin did a great job representing our community and I received compliments from many people in the Statehouse about her service. I am very proud of her!
The House passed the fee bill last week. This is an annual event in which the Legislature reviews and adjusts State fees. Fees are costs associated with and charged to specific users of a State controlled service or resource. These are things such as licenses, permits and vehicle registrations. This years version of the bill raised many license fees and building permit fees. It also raised a fee paid by Vermont Yankee from $25,000 to $210,000. I could not support this bill as it also raised many fees associated with small trades businesses. These businesses are already struggling to survive in this economic climate and don't need additional costs at this time.
In committee we continue to work on job creation, worker compensation and economic development issues. We had many speakers this week centering around job creation.
Newly recognized Eagle Scout Sam Macy, his parents and Scout Leaders visited the Statehouse on Friday for the reading of a resolution honoring the Eagle Scout recipients accomplishments. Hosting friends at the Statehouse is one of the things I enjoy most about serving in the legislature. If you would like to visit the Statehouse please feel free to contact me to arrange a date and time.
As your representative, I look forward to representing you and your concerns in Montpelier. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, comments or concerns. I am very interested in hearing from you. During the session, I can be reached at the Statehouse by calling 1-800-322-5616 or by cell at 373-5960. My email address is dturner@leg.state.vt.us. My web-site address is www.donturnerjr.com. Thank you and have a great week.