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Sunday, March 14th, 2010
We were back at this Statehouse this week after the town meeting break. You can tell that we are now on the home stretch of the session. The level of intensity is rising and leadership is much more involved in the process. Friday was crossover day which means that any bill that does not pertain to the states finances had to have been passed by the Senate or the House in order to be considered for any further action. In other words, it means that if a bill hasn't been considered by anyone now it has died in committee. Well over eight hundred bills have met this fate and can no longer be considered for action in this legislative biennium.
I reported H.498 An act pertaining to maintaining private roads on the floor Tuesday. This bill establishes in Vermont law a default provision for maintenance of private roads if an agreement between the private property owners does not exist. The need for this law was brought to our attention by the Vermont Bankers Association who pointed out that the secondary mortgage market (Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac) will not participate in conventional mortgages if a private road maintenance agreement doesn't exist. The bill satisfies this requirement. After some questioning of language, the bill passed on a voice vote.
Our commerce committee voted three bills out of committee this week. The bills were H.288 An act relating to the Vermont recovery and reinvestment act of 2010, H.639 An act relating to motor vehicle insurance for volunteer drivers and H.594 An act relating to access to restroom facilities.
S.288 relates to the Governors proposal to appropriate State Fiscal Stabilization Funds(SFSF) in the amount of $8,665,000 in fiscal year 2010. The version of the bill passed by the Senate had several pages of findings and directed funding to specific programs. Our committee after a discussion with the Speaker decided to remove most of the findings language and stick to funding agencies or programs in a less specific manner. There are some sections of language that remain in the bill that ask for reports, an audit or outcomes from specific programs. Most of the funding in our bill is directed to VEDA, VTA (broadband), VT Employment training fund, Agency of Agriculture, Tourism and Marketing, Entrepreneurs Seed Capital Fund and $500,000 ($350,000 to be used as loans and $150,000 as grants) to assist businesses affected by the Champlain Bridge closure. Our bill is much closer to the Governors recommend than the version we received from the Senate.
H.639 is a bill that is intended to protect volunteers from having their insurance canceled or rates increased for transporting people. We heard from several of the human service based non-profit agencies who depend on these volunteers to transport people in rural areas from doctors appointments, dialysis and even meals on wheels. We tried to make it less offensive to the insurance companies by adding a provision requiring the volunteer drivers to have a written agreement with the agency.
H.594 requires a retail establishment with no public facilities to allow people with an eligible medical condition (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, any other inflammatory bowel disease or any medical condition that requires immediate access) immediate access to a toilet facility. There no penalties or enforcement provisions included in the bill.
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.