By Guy Page

Your Vermont State House reporter can find news every day on SAOOR (Suck All The Oxygen Out of the Room) bills like:

The high-profile S.325 – the ‘Act 181 repeal’ bill faces a vote this morning in House Environment Committee. The final version likely will include last minute changes, Rep. Sarita Austin (D-Colchester) told VDC in the coat room this morning. 

One proposed change would limit the Land Use Review Board (LURB) to data collection and analysis but NOT recommendations – an “ask” by Rep. Rob North. Instead, recommendations will emerge from the now-developing stakeholder engagement process. After the vote, S.325 will go to the House floor for a vote and then (likely) back to the Senate for reconciliation of the two different versions. 

Beverage redemption – Other more ‘under the radar’ bills still would impact Vermonters on a daily basis. For example, a bill to change the beverage redemption process – how it’s done, who pays, and how much.

Shane Switser of Lyndonville Redemption wants H.915 would require distributors (Farrell Distributing and other beverage distributors) to pay the state’s embattled beverage redemption centers an additional inflationary increase penny per return – from 3.5 cents to 4.5 cents. Redemption centers are struggling to make ends meet under the state’s current regulatory regime. The additional penny would be passed on to the consumer and would not be reflected in the five cents paid to consumers returning cans and bottles, Switser said. 

Nick Sherman, lobbyist for the state’s wholesale beverage distributors including Farrell Distributing, told VDC the bill changing the regulatory landscape should be passed first. New consumer costs like a handling fee increase ($2 million total from consumers) should be reviewed later, he said. 

Voting by phone? – Backers of S.297 (mobile voting option for municipalities) were in the State House cafeteria today passing out coffee and danishes and urging anyone who would listen to allow voters to vote by phone. “Democracy is broken and our government is polarized and at every level because too few people vote,” they said. “The only way to fix it is higher turnout. And the only way to do that is to meet the voters where they already are: on their phones.”

They claim existing mobile voting software has end to end verifiability and encryption and other election integrity protections. 

Youth flying & fishing – Also as usual, a lot of the activity in the State House today had little or nothing to do with legislation. Peter Geier of Barre is an 18 year old who has passed the written test for his commercial drivers’ license. He was in the State House to support the state’s aviation program and network of state-run airports. Winners of a youth state art contest met with Governor Phil Scott in his ceremonial office. Gov. Scott pointed out how K-3 winner Will Hartman (Lincoln) cleverly signed his drawing of a Largemouth Bass – along the fish’s spine.