By Guy Page

Just hours before today’s noontime Act 181 reform rally on the State House lawn, a key Democrat senator says he supports repealing the controversial road rule.

At present, Act 181 would require Act 250 review and approval for development on virtually all rural properties with roads of 800 ft. or more. A grassroots, non-partisan movement of concerned rural property owners has surfaced in recent weeks, and a large crowd is expected at today’s rally.

The Act 181 fault lines in the Senate bill (s.325, up for a floor vote tomorrow, Wednesday March 25) fall like so: those who want to delay implementation of the road rule until 2030 (Senate Natural Resources & Energy leadership) and those who want to repeal it, now. 

VDC caught up to Sen. Thomas Chittenden (D-Chittenden, named after his ancestor and first governor of Vermont, also Thomas Chittenden), and asked if he supports repealing the road rule. His answer: yes – he supports repeal. If the 13-member Republican caucus stands with him, only one more Senate Democrat would be needed to deliver a 15-15 vote, in which case Lt. Gov. John Rodgers would cast the tie-breaker. 

It is unclear, as of this morning, how Rodgers would vote. Chief of Staff James Ehlers said he “stridently supports” Act 181 reform and is actively engaged with senators of what that reform should look like. 

Sen. Brian Collamore (R-Rutland) said he doesn’t expect road rule repeal to come up on second reading of S.325 on the Senate floor tomorrow. However, don’t be surprised if a road rule repeal amendment comes up on third and final reading, or in the House version, or – in the event of the House and Senate passing different versions – a reconciled, final draft of the bill. 

Collamore said the turnout at the rally and the tune they are singing wil affect what happens in the Senate this week. “If there are 12 people, that’s not good,” Collamore, a road rule repeal supporter, said. “If there are 1200, that’s a different story.”

Milton rep a hit on talk radio – Rep. Brenda Steady (R-Milton) may be an outsider on the House Human Services Committee, but she was a hit on the WVMT Morning Drive radio call-in show this morning. Top three topics of caller interest:

1. Her committee’s bill to spend $82 million on homelessness programs next year (H.938), which she opposes based on added cost to taxpayers and reducing a spirit of self-reliance among Vermonters.
2. The “Runaway Bill,” H.657, giving more services to minor youth seeking emancipation from their parents. She’s not in favor of that bill, either.
3. Opposition to the Yield Bill that would raise property taxes about 7% percent. The bill has been approved by the House Ways & Means Committee and the Appropriations Committee and now goes to the House floor. 

“I lit up the board,” the irrepressible Steady told VDC this morning. “I’m so excited.”

Goldilocks bill – too warm or too cold? Lawmakers are spending time this week on a proposal to prevent workers from getting too hot or too cold. The legislation (H.348) will be debated in the House Committee on General and Housing, energy policy’ expert Matt Cota reports to VDC.

While the House bill is a “short form” bill, the Senate companion (S.153) has more detail. Under the “Extreme Temperature Worker Protection Act,” employers will be required to implement a “buddy system” when the temperature becomes too cold or too hot.

Additionally, if an employee gets wet, they must be immediately removed from the worksite and taken to a warm-up area, and they must not return until their wet items have dried. Employees must also have a 15-minute rest break every two hours to warm up. If an employee complains, they will have grounds to sue thanks to the “private right of action” clause in the legislation. The bill offers no specifics on how it would regulate those who deliver heating fuel and install and service heating systems, which, by necessity, occur when it is cold.