By Michael Bielawski

A Vermont Senate committee Friday will consider a bill passed by the House that would allow the State of Vermont to issue professional licenses ‘regardless of citizenship status or immigration status or lack thereof’ – including those who have entered the country illegally.

Senate committees this week also will look at ailing transportation infrastructure, government bodies meeting in private, safe injection sites and softening penalties for hard drug offenses, and more. Agendas published weekly on the Legislature’s website are subject to change. The agenda for all the committees can be seen here.

American Immigration Council (Tuesday, Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs)

Victoria Francis who is Deputy Director of State and Local Initiatives for the American Immigration Council will speak. According to the organization’s website, they provided testimony to Congress concerning Biden’s controversial immigration and border policies.

They seem to generally support the president.

Their site states, “That releases of migrants at the border are a lawful exercise of the executive branch’s authority. That every presidential administration has released some migrants after crossing the border, due to legal, logistical, and diplomatic concerns. That CBP officers have more options than detaining individuals seeking protection.”

Emergency Housing and General Assistance (Thursday, Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs)

From the Department for Children and Families invited is their Commissioner Chris Winters, and from End Homelessness Vermont invited is their Executive Director Brenda Siegel.

The site for End Homelessness states, “Recently a large number of Vermonters were unsheltered from motels by the State of Vermont and we are working to support our neighbors and community members with resources, direct aid and more. We also provide support through the initial voucher and renewal process when people are having a problem getting renewed or are wrongfully removed from the cohort.”

It was recently reported by VDC that current temporary homeless shelters in the state are costing $50,000 per night to run.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission – H. 649 (Wednesday, Senate Committee on Government Operations) Sponsored by Rep. Elizabeth Burrows, D/P-West Windsor.

Michael Donoghue who is the Executive Director of the Vermont Press Association and Wendy Mays who is the Executive Director of the Vermont Association of Broadcasters are invited to speak. Also, four members of the commission are invited.

The commission and spokespersons for the press have been at odds with each other over the commission’s request to meet in private which would be an exception to public meeting law. The press claims the public has a legal right to oversee what the social justice-themed commission is up to.

Work licenses for immigrants – H. 606 (Friday, Senate Committee on Government Operations) Sponsored by Rep. Esme Cole, D-Hartford, and others.

Rep. Kate Nugent, D-South Burlington, who is reporter for the House Committee On Government Operations and Military Affairs, is invited. Legislative Counsel Tim Devlin is also invited.

This bill would require “professional licenses to be granted those licenses regardless of their immigration status or lack thereof.” It further reiterates that state licenses must be distributed ”regardless of that individual’s immigration status.”

Prospective licensees would not need a social security number, but could use a federal employer identification
number or individual taxpayer identification number.

Eliminating criminal penalties for hard drugs – H. 72 (Senate Committee on Health and Welfare) Sponsored by Rep. Taylor Small, P/D-Winooski, and others.

This is “to eliminate criminal and civil penalties for operation of a safer drug consumption program; repeal the crack statute; repeal the sunset of the decriminalization of small amount of buprenorphine; establish the Drug Use Standards Advisory Board within the Vermont Sentencing Commission for determining benchmarks for personal use dosage and personal use supply for regulated drugs.”

It continues that the amounts people are allowed to have of various drugs should be revisited by the Drug Use Standards Advisory Board.

Restorative Justice – H. 645 (Friday, Senate Committee on Judiciary) Sponsored by Rep. Karen Dolan, D-Essex Junction, and others.

Altogether five people are scheduled or invited to speak, including Leitha Cipriano who is Executive Director for the Center for Restorative Justice in Bennington.

This bill proposes to “create pre-charge and post-charge diversion programs under the administration of the Community Justice Unit of the Office of Attorney General, and in consultation with the Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs, for certain eligible offenses and persons.”

It will also “create a post-adjudication reparative program under the administration of the Department of Corrections, in consultation with the Judiciary, governed by memoranda of understanding that are required to outline eligible offenses, a process to supplement eligible offenses, evidence-based screening procedures, and confidentiality provisions.”

“An act relating to bringing everyone home” – S. 311 (Tuesday, Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy) Sponsored by the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs.

This bill, favored by Gov. Phil Scott and others as a housing crisis solution to the more restrictive House Bill 687, would make “changes related to housing, including land use planning, Act 250, municipal zoning, taxes, and housing incentives and programs.”

An example is it will modify lot sizes. It states, “In any district that allows year-round residential development, duplexes shall be an allowed a permitted use with the same dimensional standards as that are not more restrictive than is required for a single-unit dwelling, including no additional land or lot area than would be required for a single-unit dwelling.”

Transportation Infrastructure (Thursday, Senate Committee on Transportation)

Logan Mooberry, a fiscal analyst for the Joint Fiscal Office, will speak.

Though not specific to transportation, Vermont’s overall infrastructure grades are a C grade according to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ latest report card for Vermont which came out in 2021.

Their report states, “That grade means Vermont’s infrastructure is in mediocre condition and requires attention but is a step ahead of the national average of “C-” given in the 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. Civil engineers graded Vermont’s aviation (C), bridges (B-), dams (C), drinking water (C), energy (C+), roads (C+), solid waste (C+), stormwater (C-), and wastewater (D+).”

A “Climate Resilience Officer”? – S. 310 (Tuesday, Senate Committee on Government Operations)

This is dealing with “natural disaster government response, recovery, and resiliency.”

It will involve a new government job costing $90,000 to set up. It states, “The position of one new, permanent, full-time, exempt Chief Climate Resilience Officer is created in the Vermont Department of Public Safety.”

It will also give the Vermont Climate Council some new powers. It states, “projects that are geographically located around the State, but with a priority for projects in communities identified as high on the municipal vulnerability index, as determined by the Vermont Climate Council.”

More public rail service? (Wednesday, Senate Committee on Transportation)

The Public Transit Policy Plan will look into rail plans and intermodal bus stops. Currently, Vermonters have options on different luxury rail services via Rails-Vt.com, and there are existing and new commuter routes as well.

According to a recent update on rail projects it states, “The recently announced federal grants consist of $500,000 to plan expansion of service on the route of Vermont’s other passenger train, the Vermonter, and $500,000 towards the inauguration of a new train that would originate in New York City and call in Manchester and Bennington on its way to Burlington.”

The author is a writer for the Vermont Daily Chronicle