Dear Vermont:

This past week in the House, all legislative focus centered on H.454, the House Education bill. It quickly became evident that there were not enough votes to move the bill forward to the Senate. Opposition was bipartisan, with all Republicans and a significant number of Democrats planning to vote against the bill.

While some Republican members ultimately supported the bill in an effort to keep the conversation alive and improve the policy in future negotiations, we were not among them. We remained a firm “no” vote for several reasons.

First and foremost, the bill fails to offer any form of tax relief for at least five years. Vermonters made it abundantly clear in November that tax relief is a priority now—not half a decade from now. Delaying action is not acceptable for hardworking families and individuals across our state.

Another significant concern is the bill’s restriction on public tuition dollars, which would be directed only to a narrow group of six “approved” independent schools. To qualify, these schools must receive 51% of their tuition from public funds—a requirement that would drastically reduce educational options for families in sending towns such as Georgia. This provision undermines school choice and restricts local control.

Despite these concerns, after extended negotiations, several Republican members agreed to support the bill out of concern that if the House failed to act, leadership might refuse to take up an education proposal should the Senate advance its own version. That risk of inaction—on both education and tax reform—is one Vermonters simply cannot afford.

From our youngest learners to our oldest taxpayers, the people of Vermont deserve solutions, not delays.

– Rep. Ashley Bartley and Rep. Carolyn Branagan (Republicans from Fairfax/Georgia district)

To the Editor, and the Members of the Health Committee at the VT Statehouse:

Mary Holland Esq., CEO of Children’s Health Defense, an expert on childhood chronic diseases, travelled to Vermont with a month prior invite to testify to the Health committee on Friday April 11, 2025, Vermonters worked hard to bring such a venerable expert before this committee, to hear facts and figures they appear not to know. Many of those travelled to the Statehouse to receive her and to hear her additionally present in a meeting room there (approximately 75 Vermonters, meaning there is significant support in Vermont for her expertise). Five legislators stopped in but were too busy to hear her talk. Vermonters will be releasing shorts and the entire talk will be available on Orca.

On the day of the hearing, Mary Holland’s testimonial invite was cancelled and withdrawn, and no one on the Health committee heard her information regarding why so many young adults are infertile, and other important facts, although they opined on that reality.

The Health committee is in violation of the US and Vermont Constitutions, wherein the people have an unbridgeable right to petition the government. Petition does not just mean write a statement, it means to bring forward grievances and to testify to them regarding. Vermonters offered to the Health Committee a singular expert voice who would appeal to their government and petition for changes in policy. By refusing Mary’s testimony at the last minute, after she had already travelled, after so many Vermonters had taken off of work to support her information, this committee also prohibited all these Vermonters’ right to freedom of speech, the right to petition without redress (without being punished for doing so).

This is an actionable issue. Government HAS to be responsive to the people, and it HAS to consider petitioners providing evidence of grievances. The Health Committee is responsible for the invite for Mary to testify, which was made a month in advance, upon which many laid their plans. The Health Committee, personally and as public servants can be sued for this violation and the costs of travel for each Vermonter and for Mary be claimed as actual damages, aside from the violation of unalienable rights to petition and speak freely, which would be the subject of punitive damages, when this matter is taken up in a title 3 court, Common Law, where our rights are recognized.

As many no doubt realize, the government followed wrong advice during Covid, and it is particularly pertinent now because a new similar situation is being prepared, planned and prepped for, the WHO just last week, conducted and event for a fictional Polaris virus, as it conducted event 201, just months before Covid, with the untrue premise that Covid happened naturally. That wrong advice affected all of us. So to silence Mary Holland, is especially wrong. 

Government has indeed become a corporate entity, whose product is control of the people, however, each and every one of our public servants swore an oath to uphold our rights instructed in the US Constitution and the Vermont Constitution; both of which instruct

government to hear our petitions and petitioners. I am writing to notice the members of the Health Committee after learning of its trespass to publicly require that the Health Committee, reconvene and pay for the travel and time of Mary to come before the committee within 2 weeks, a sum of 2000 dollars and to additionally pay 3000 dollars to compensate the 60-75  Vermonters who travelled to petition through Mary Holland.

By addressing their trespass of Vermonters right to petition in this exact fashion, and only in this timely fashion, a suit will be displaced and not introduced regarding. Please refer to the Vermont constitution Art 6 regarding the accountability, in a legal way, of public servants to the people.

-Emily Peyton, Putney