By Guy Page

What do the impending, across-the-board Trump administration and Congressional cuts to federal education, energy, and human services mean to Vermont?

Ask this question to legislators and advocates in the State House and the response is like a Greek chorus chanting, ‘We don’t know, we don’t know, we don’t know.’ (Whether the play is a comedy or a tragedy is a matter of perspective.)

Think, the Sword of Damocles.

What State House insiders do know is that Congress will be passing a budget resolution in the next few days. And that budget will reflect the spending priorities of the new administration and the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. They’ll see who this year’s winners and losers are in the ‘elections have consequences’ game. 

For example, Planned Parenthood of New England. Winner or loser?

Will the House budget (just to cite one example) continue to allocate Title X family planning money to Planned Parenthood? Planned Parenthood of New England certainly hopes so – there was a request at the governor’s budget public hearing last week from PPNE for an increase in Medicaid for family planning for $85k state funds and a 90% federal fund match, which would bring the total up by $850k.

That money would go a long way to shore up the sagging finances of the state’s largest abortion and transgender services provider. As reported in a front page story in Sunday’s New York Times, Planned Parenthood nationally is spending huge sums on advocacy while shortchanging its local clinics. As a result, some affiliates are being sued for botched abortions, and many affiliates have closed satellite offices (including Vermont). But even if the Phil Scott administration and the Legislature fork over the 10% match, will Trump’s Washington provide the other 90%?

Other examples of state programs on federal funding tenterhooks…. The Vermont Agency of Education, which oversees the state-funded public education system, receives more than 90% of its funding from federal sources. And 80% of all State of Vermont climate change funding comes from the feds. This, at a time when the Trump administration wants to disappear the Department of Education and drastically cut back on renewable power. 

Scott aide Jason Maulucci said that after the budget passes, the National Governor’s Association will comb through the lengthy document to determine just how it affects state budgets. The results will be known in a couple weeks. Stay tuned…..

Universal School Meals Program is far from universal – Just over half of students participate, but the Universal School Meals program costs the State far less than once thought, Rep. Carolyn Branagan (R-Georgia), said in a recent newsletter. 

“Data received last week at the statehouse made it clear that the free breakfast/free lunch program is not costing as much as previously thought,” Branagan, a member of the House Ways & Means (taxation) Committee, said. She reports:

“What’s happening with that program? The federal gov’t matches the program almost dollar for dollar. Federal money totaling $16.9 M comes into our state for the school meals program. Since universal school meals went into place, there has only been a 10% increase in per student use of school meals, 51% to 61% of the student population participates. That means 39% of students are still not consuming school meals even though the meals are free. Wealthy families are essentially not participating so it is not true that the program subsidizes those who do not need it.

“What the program does do is cut a lot of administrative cost and headache. There is no need to hire an additional employee simply to run a register and no need to hire someone to collect and file all the paper work for free and reduced meals, and then to collect debt at the end of the school year.

“When it’s all said and done, universal meals are not costing our state an additional $18.5 M. The numbers are variable due to a few factors, but the cost difference of running the program is $3-6M. And that $3-6M brings in $16.9M Fed dollars.”

Not so fast on elementary school closings – The House Education Committee Tuesday afternoon will discuss H.180, a bill that would involve communities in the process of closing their local elementary school. 

Many legislators have expressed concern that the governor’s plan to consolidate into larger schools will necessarily require the closure of some local elementary schools. This bill says, in effect: not so fast:

“Communities and their community elementary schools should be afforded due process on a case-by-case basis before an elementary school is closed. Elementary schools are not all the same. Before closing a community elementary school: The community, including students, parents, community members, and teachers, should have a meaningful voice. The educational benefits of the school for students should be carefully considered, especially for at-risk students from historically marginalized groups, students from households with low income, and ethnically or linguistically diverse households.”

The bill would also require that “the financial savings associated with financial savings associated with closing the school should be objectively analyzed based on credible data, and those financial savings should be measured against all other reasonable savings options.”

Reps. Lucy Boyden, Mollie Burke, Elizabeth Burrows, Thomas Charlton, Mari Cordes, William Greer, Leanne Harple, James Masland, Michael Mrowicki, Woodman Page, Phil Pouech and Shawn Sweeney.

GWSA repeal ignored, but ‘Transition to clean energy’ gets committee time – A week after committee leaders said bills to repeal the Global Warming Solutions Act and Clean Heat Standard wouldn’t be discussed in committee, the House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee announced it will hold hearings Tuesday, February 18 on H.125, a bill that would ‘require the Department of Public Service to report on the economic impacts of the transition to clean energy within the State will get a long look in the House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee today.”

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Laura Sibilia, the ranking member of the committee and a staunch Global Warming Solutions Act and Clean Heat Standard backer. The report would include stats on the number of gas stations, heating fuel dealers, and renewable energy development companies. It would also include whether electricity rates have gone up or down. 

Four experts have been invited to testify Tuesday afternoon: Energy Action Network Executive Director Jared Duval, Agency of Natural Resources Secretary Julie Moore, Secretary of State Sarah Copelan-Hanzas, and Andrea Wright, Manager, Environmental Policy and Sustainability, Agency of Transportation.