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May 13, 2009 &nbs=
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senprespt@leg.state.vt.us &nbs=
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Volume 1,
Issue 5 |
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Welco=
me to
the end of session edition of Shumlin’s
Briefing!
The g=
oal of
this newsletter is to keep you up to date of the work we’re doing in
the
It is=
an
honor to serve all of you in the State Senate. If you
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INTRODUCTION<= o:p> Welco=
me to
the end of session edition of Shumlin’s
Briefing Gay M=
arriage S. 48=
Energ=
y Bill Econ =
Dev –
will generate 200 million |
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THE BUDGET In th=
ese
tough economic times, legislators were faced with many difficult choices =
as
they worked to craft a budget.
None of the choices made were easy, but the budget crafted and pas=
sed
by the legislature is a responsible and balanced one that asks all Vermon=
ters
to play a part in solving our fiscal crisis. I understand that there isn̵=
7;t
anyone who is completely happy with the budget – it makes significa=
nt
cuts to programs and includes modest tax increases. But in these difficult times dif=
ficult
choices and difficult compromises must be made if we are going to move
forward. Our budget strikes=
a
responsible balance between difficult choices and Governor Douglas should
sign it. After=
eight
days of negotiations with the Administration, we decided to move forward =
and
place a balanced and responsible budget on the table. To the extent possible, we
incorporated the Governor’s views into the budget, the most obvious
example being increasing the obligation on the Education Fund. Governor
Douglas proposed shifting $63 million from the General Fund to the Educat=
ion
Fund in January. While we
disagreed with this shift we also understand that these difficult times c=
all
upon us to make compromises. In
the hope that the Governor would do the responsible thing and support the
budget, we made this overture despite significant concerns expressed by m=
any
members of the legislature. The
budget we put forward uses a balanced approach that generates revenue by
closing tax recognize that in this = economic crisis, middle and lower income Vermonters need as much support as we<=
/span> can
give them to help weather the crisis.&nb=
sp;
Our budget provides this support by including a middle Lower
and middle income Vermonters are contributing to this crisis everyday as =
the
services The
budget also includes nearly $60 million in cuts to state programs and
services, such as the Next
Generation Scholarships. No=
ne of
the cuts we made were easy yet we all understand that in these difficult
times, difficult choices need to be made. It is important to remember that=
the
cuts we made were in addition to $100 million in cuts and adjustments tha=
t we
made to the budget last year. At
this point, we feel very strongly that if we make additional cuts we will=
be
betraying many of Vermonters’ values. The revenue that we do raise wil=
l help
us preserve critical programs like VPHARM, which provides elderly, low in=
come
Vermonters with prescription drugs. It is
critical that we do everything we can to help our state weather this econ=
omic
storm, especially middle and lower income Vermonters who are most
affected. That is why the
legislature is closing the capital gains and income tax deduction loophol=
es. Lower and middle income Vermonte=
rs are
contributing to this crisis everyday as the services they rely on are bei=
ng
eliminated. We feel that all
Vermonters should play a part in the solution and this includes the
wealthiest three percent. <=
o:p> Overa=
ll,
while there are many hard choices and something for everyone to dislike in
this budget, it is a reasonable and responsible compromise. Governor Douglas should sign this
budget. If he chooses to ve=
to the
budget, it will be the first time in |
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RENEWABLE
ENERGY BILL Last =
week the
Senate passed a comprehensive energy bill, H. 446 (ht=
tp://www.leg.state.vt.us/docs/2010/bills/Senate/H-446.pdf)/
This bill will encourage the development of renewable energy sources and
energy efficiency measures throughout H. 44=
6, known
as An Act Relating to Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, creates
standard offer rates that will jumpstart the development of renewable ene=
rgy
projects across Durin=
g the
town meeting break, Speaker Smith and I outlined several priorities for t=
he
remainder of the session. O=
ne of
these priorities was to encourage the development of wind energy on state
lands, which is a provision included in this bill. Currently, the Douglas
Administration prohibits wind energy from being developed on state owned
sites, even though several locations have been deemed appropriate for wind
energy. H. 446 allows for t=
he
exploration of wind energy on these state lands in conjunction with the
Agency of Natural Resources. The
comprehensive energy bill also includes provisions to reduce
businesses’ energy efficiency costs. The legislation allows companies=
who
contribute at least $1 million annually into the state’s efficiency
fund to institute self managed efficiency programs. It is
imperative that during these tough economic times, we help Vermonters and=
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CAPITAL
BILL In th=
e last
days of the session, the Senate and House passed the capital construction
bill, H. 445 (http=
://www.leg.state.vt.us/docs/2010/bills/Passed/H-445.pdf). The bill focuses on job creation=
by
investing roughly $110 million into various infrastructure projects
throughout The b=
ill
combines roughly $70 million in proposed borrowing, approximately $39 mil=
lion
in federal stimulus funds and $400,000 from reallocations of previous cap=
ital
projects. This significant
investment in our state will provide jobs for thousands of Vermonters thr=
ough
the construction and renovation of state buildings, water infrastructure
projects and improvements of our forests and parks. The b=
ill
spends $19.5 million of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) dol=
lars
for water pollution control through sewer projects and $19.4 million of A=
RRA
funds for drinking water projects.
These investments in our water resources will provide jobs and res=
ult
in cleaner water for Vermonters for generations to come. The c=
apital
bill also includes roughly $6 million to be invested into a state park
renovation initiative. This
investment into our state’s natural resources will include a parks
conservation corps that will employ disadvantaged youth, a number of ener=
gy
conservation and renewable projects and infrastructure improvements that =
will
include building repair, wastewater projects and road upgrades. A majority of these projects are
shovel ready and will be handled by small contractors throughout the stat=
e. I am =
pleased
that during these tough economic times we have been able to create an
immediate impact on the job market through the funding of many shovel rea=
dy
projects. These projects wi=
ll not
only create jobs, but will have a lasting impact on |
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TRANSPORTATION
BILL The H=
ouse and
Senate passed the Transportation bill, H. 438 (http=
://www.leg.state.vt.us/docs/2010/bills/Senate/H-438.pdf).
The bill will repair =
and
maintain broken roads and bridges throughout the state. Furthermore, like the energy and
capital bills, the Transportation bill will create hundreds of good paying
jobs for Vermonters. The
legislation devotes $455 million toward the much needed improvement of our
transportation infrastructure.
The bill includes a two percent tax on the wholesale price of gaso=
line
and diesel that received broad bipartisan support. Based on current fuel costs, this
assessment is expected to raise $12.8 million in FY10. By levying this assessment on
wholesale gasoline and diesel, the state’s transportation fund will
rise alongside volatile fuel prices.&nbs=
p;
The p=
roblem
with our current structure is that when gas prices rise, people drive less
and our revenue declines, making it difficult to keep up with necessary
repairs and improvements. T=
he
advantage of the two percent tax on wholesale gasoline and diesel is that=
as
gas prices rise, so will our revenues. The b=
ill also
sets up a bonding structure that will allow the state to bond in future y=
ears
when the state is no longer receiving federal stimulus funds. The state is expected to receive=
140
million of transportation dollars through the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA) over the next two years. |
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ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT BILL Just =
prior to
adjournment last Saturday, both the House and the Senate approved the lar=
gest
and most effective economic development bill I have seen in my many years=
in
the legislature. The bill w=
ill create
$200 million in economic activity by creating good paying jobs, investing=
in
our small and emerging business, creating a more predictable and timely
permitting process, and encouraging renewable energy development and
combating worker misclassification. The e=
conomic
development bill will encourage entrepreneurship through a venture capital
seed fund. Start
up companies often struggle to find the capital they need to get o=
ff
the ground or expand. The c=
apital
seed fund established in this bill will invest roughly $8 million of Amer=
ican
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds into technology, green energy =
and
agriculture start up companies.
One million of those dollars will be used to buy down business loan
interest rates through the Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA).=
Under=
the
bill, the State of the The permitting changes made in t=
his
economic development bill will help the state distribute the funds in the
ARRA, and streamline regulations that are unnecessary challenges to busin=
ess
expansion. The comprehensive
economic bill also includes provisions to help both businesses and worker=
s by
combating misclassification and modernizing wage rates. The bill will all=
ow
the state to level the playing field for businesses by improving enforcem=
ent
efforts for worker misclassification.&nb=
sp;
Furthermore, the bill will ensure that all workers hired under sta=
te
contracts for ARRA funded projects will receive a fair wage. In these tough economic times, <=
st1:State
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