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Sunday, March 21st, 2010
The level of intensity has risen substantially and this past week we spent most of our time on the floor in the chamber of the house. Many bills came before the house and passed this week. They covered many very important issues facing Vermonters including: texting and other safety concerns while driving , youth and apprentice hunting issues, electrical installation safety concerns, judicial restructuring, foreclosure safeguards for the homeowner and job creation initiatives. The corresponding bill numbers are H.132, H.243, H.470, H. 555, H.590 and S.280 if you are interested in finding more about these issues on the State of Vermont website.
S.280 Prohibiting texting while operating on a highway was initiated in the Senate. It was a stand alone bill that only dealt with the texting issue. However, the House judiciary committee modified the bill by adding the following provisions: Junior operators are prohibited from driving from midnight through 5 AM, junior operators are prohibited from using wireless telephones and other hand-held electronic devices while driving, people over 18 years old are required to use hands free devices while driving and the last and most controversial provision of the bill allows a law enforcement officer to stop an operator suspected of not wearing a seatbelt, otherwise known as primary enforcement. The house was divided on this portion of the bill and much debated ensued as a result of this provision. The main argument was that it would give police officers more discretion and one more reason to stop you. The bill passed after several attempts to remove this provision. I am sure that we will hear more about this as we move closer to adjournment as the Senate is adamantly opposed to this provision. I voted to support passing the bill as amended by the House committee in the spirit of life safety. I explained my vote on the floor as follows: "Mr Speaker, If this law generates a thousand discretionary stops and only saves one life, it is worth it to me."
Our commerce committee worked on three bills and passed two of them out of committee this week. The bills were H.527 An act relating to the cost of fire department response, H.722 An act relating to resale of tickets and H.689 An act relating to the Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act which will be discussed further next week before a vote is taken.
Hosting friends at the Statehouse is one of the things I enjoy most about serving in the legislature. This week I had the pleasure of introducing past member Carroll Towne who served thirteen years in the house representing Milton. Carroll was joined by his wife Nina, son Tim and daughter-in-law Perla who were visiting from Colorado. Cindy Valyou and Richard Shotwell also were visiting on Tuesday as part of the Vermont early education day. 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.