By Guy Page
A cannabis bill that opponents say creates a dangerous loophole for teens 18 and over is scheduled for a vote on the House floor this morning.
H.612 would allow recreational stores to sell high THC concentrates to Vermont teens 18 and over with a medical marijuana card. Under Vermont Medical Marijuana Law and Rules, Vermont teens 18 and over can get med cards from an online doctor in NYC who is paid per card and is not required to review med records or notify parents or the teen’s doctor back home, according to a statement by Physicans for Healthy Communities.
There is no effective limit on the amount of THC marijuana concentrate a teen with a med card can buy each day in Vermont, PHC said. In Colorado this type of access resulted in an increase in black market THC in Colorado high schools. Teens were harmed by cannabis addiction, cannabis induced psychosis, suicidality, and mental illnesses requiring hospitalization. The law was changed after legislators’ children were harmed by excessive use of THC concentrates.
The House convenes at 10 AM and H.612 is the first bill on the agenda. Concerned Vermonters may contact lawmakers by calling the Sgt. at Arms office at 828-2228.
Make government more accountable to the Legislature? – The rest of State government doesn’t always do what the laws passed by the Legislature tell it to do. This irks legislative leadership. Last summer, a Summer Government Accountability Committee met to determine when and how this failure has happened, and what to do about it.
This morning, the House will consider giving final approval to H.702, a bill to implement the recommendations of the Summer Government Accountability Committee, which aim to systematize the General Assembly’s government accountability efforts as much as possible rather than relying upon individual legislators or individual committees.” An amendment to be offered by Reps. Brian Cina (P-Burlington) and Anne Donahue (R-Northfield) would direct the committee to “consider issues of significant public concern referred to the Committee pursuant to a resolution adopted by either chamber of the General Assembly.”
The summer government accountability committee found that, for example, some flood control practices required by law weren’t followed prior to last July’s flooding. Although the breach of practice didn’t result in an actual breach of a dam, some committee members say other branches of government needed to be reminded, and required, to follow the law as written.
The amendment offered by Donahue and Cina – neither of whom belong to the Democratic majority – would at least require a house resolution before the House acts on any lack of accountability.
Act 250 reform ‘housing’ bill goes to House floor – by far the biggest bill – in terms of both longterm impact and level of interest within the State House (not always the same thing), going to the full House today is H.687, an Act 250 reform bill sold by Speaker Jill Krowinski as leading to more construction of housing.
The full name of H.687, co-sponsored by Reps. Amy Sheldon and Seth Bongartz, is “An act relating to community resilience and biodiversity protection through land use.” The lengthy bill makes new construction virtually prohibited in wildlife areas ,while exempting from Act 250 review municipalities with rigorous water, sewer, and regulatory infrastructure, closely supervised by the state and regional development authorities, with the review process beginning as soon as 2027.
Its critics say it would actually force communities to wait three years while the State prepares its ‘Tier 1’ housing regulations purporting to give some municipalities the tools to create more housing. Meanwhile a more housing-friendly bill, H.719, has never come off the Environment and Energy Committee wall, despite urging by Gov. Phil Scott and a large tri-partisan group of House members. Gov. Scott issued a statement yesterday, in anticipation of a vote today:
“As we all know, we have a housing crisis in all parts of Vermont, and we desperately need to make it easier, faster, and less expensive to build the housing we urgently need. Yet this week, the House of Representatives will vote on a bill that will move us backward by further complicating our regulatory and appeals systems.
“If passed into law, this land use bill will make it harder to build housing units in most parts of the state, which could make our housing crisis permanent in many communities. In fact, 100 members of the House represent towns that will likely never benefit from the Tier 1A designation in the bill.
“H.687 would take four years to implement, doing nothing to address the housing shortage we are facing today. It includes changes that would significantly expand the bureaucracy, inevitably resulting in more delays that make it more expensive to build housing now. It will deepen the disparity between the ‘haves and have-nots’ in our state, especially for rural Vermont, where expanded regulatory requirements will fall on the shoulders of communities with the least capacity.
“I believe rural Vermonters deserve affordable housing as much as those from Burlington and Montpelier. H.687 suggests otherwise and sets the state up for years of inaction, at a time when we need to move swiftly to support the housing needs of all Vermonters.”
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Categories: Legislation
So, this is a giant sucking sound of tax dollars, from the country to the city and restrictions on the country folks while giving a pass on the city folk.
Look at Burlington, pumping brown trout on the swimming beaches since 1986! Yet in the country if we add a bedroom, we have to build and entire new septic system.
This is Agenda 2030 taking over all of Vermont land ownership via regulatory taking without compensation. This has nothing to do with protecting the environment and all about total control by the government.
These regional planners, not elected, with no power seem to have all the control. VNRC, and VPIRG revolving door between lobbyists and administrators writing policy as law make it easy to take over our little state.
They don’t care what the public wants, in all these meeting they’ll have 3 ideas. One insanely stupid, another that really can’t work and a third which is their idea that they want you to pass. When the public suggests there is a better way, they bulldoze you over. How did Rosa know so much 10 years ago and layout exactly this plan happening in Vermont? She read Agenda 21. One of the best videos ever. She covers a massive amount of information, extremely well. Highly recommended.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1IacmUWVa4
btw…this bill has nothing to do with “affordable housing”
The reliance on use of data for decision making ( link provided to VT mapping the state for all the world to see on line) supports policies and commodification of Vermont ( even if the data is erroneous). UN’s global initiative of 30 x 30 is underway in Vermont. Take a look at Vermont’s Mapping Project and find yourself amidst: https://geodata.vermont.gov/ Read about UN global 30 x 30 https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2022/WorkGroups/House%20Natural/Act%20250/W~Annette%20Smith~Getting%20to%2030%20by%2030-%20Guidelines%20for%20Decision-makers~4-8-2021.pdf. Here is Vermont’s Legislatures’ Getting to 30 x 30 Agenda https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2022/WorkGroups/House%20Natural/Act%20250/W~Annette%20Smith~Getting%20to%2030%20by%2030-%20Guidelines%20for%20Decision-makers~4-8-2021.pdf
When we rebuilt our entire state of Vermont, after Irene, we didn’t pass act250 reform, we did an emergency action that waived all the permits required.
Then every Vermonter who owned or operated a backhoe got to work and Vermont was back in business within a couple of years.
See, we need government out of the way, we Vermonters can do a fine job of building homes across our state without interference from Montpelier and regional planners.
It’s an easy solution, that can be solved with Taxes! Hear me out. State passes legislation that every town should permit 24-50 homes for $250,000 or less within the next year or suffer $2,000,000 town tax, increasing by 2x every year until it’s completed.
Those 12 towns with the best plans will receive $2,000,000 to lower their tax base.
Suddenly we’d get some action.
Where o’ where is our little VTGOP?…….shillin’t for the NWO? Party Unity they call it?
now you have caught on to the evil of metro 13 13 regional planning/////
Fascinating… The past two biennium legislatures have accomplished so much to codify single party rule and an absolute totalitarian state, without breaking a sweat.
H.702 is yet another control bill, designed to add to the super-majorities power over all aspects of the citizens life. We ignorantly allowed the 2020 legislative session to begin the process, by legally changing voting laws- forever- because we feared Covid 19 and the amplified fear our state government projected upon us. We allowed legislators to create protected classes, themselves included to stifle dissent, labeling it “threatening behavior”(2022’s S.265). We allowed red flag laws to proliferate, without due process- and are adding to those laws on a yearly basis-
now with federal support from the biden administration- still without due process.
We have allowed legislative takeover of energy- be it electricity, motor fuels, home heating of any sort- the legislature and their donor class now control all of it thru the GWSA of 2020 and numerous bills(Clean heat Standard) and regulations since. Just like healthcare, education and land use (H.126, Act 59)- we have acquiesced our Constitutional rights to elected “representatives” that use their power to obtain more power and the resulting dollars that inevitably follow unbridled abusive power. Hidden in plain sight is H.829, “An Act relating to long term housing solutions” is a millionaire tax, actually it starts at $500,000.- an increase in the property transfer tax that hits at $600,000- these tax increases, allegedly sought by “Fair Share for Vermont” a group of elitists , with ben cohen, of ben & jerry’s fame at the lead. Vermont has become just another socialist state, rapidly heading for a fascist/marxist state- and most eligible voters either giddily support this- or are ignorant of the result of their ignorance. These actions by our allegedly “elected” representatives cannot be undone easily. These people have enacted laws, cloaked in “benevolent protection for the public” that will take a generation or more to rectify- if voters change course now. The consequence is living under a marxist government, with ever increasing power and control- like Massachusetts.
Not funny, how a majority of legislators left high-tax socialist states to come here- and now want here like there.
H.702, A bill to “Make government more accountable to the Legislature?”
How about making the Legislature more responsible to “We the People ?” Evidently swearing an oath to uphold the Constitution is not binding ? Do we need to have them sign a written contract with real, and unassailable consequences, to hold these power mad, anti- public service, socialist pig’s feet to the fire ? I am so sick of them enacting legislation that “we the people” have not asked for, and in a lot of cases, do not want or need simply because they believe they, and/or lobbyists know better than us, so they introduce, and pass it for “our own good,” because they are so much more intelligent, and rightious than we . Get over it ! When we send you to Mount Peculiar, we send you there simply to represent us, not to be our benevolent, all knowing overlords. Represent us, period !
who has violated their oath to uphold the constitution? why do you think the legislature doesn’t represented the views of the majority? – provide some facts or stop your daily ranting – a tiny minority of vocal wingnuts don’t get to dictate public policy anywhere
As a Land Surveyor and Septic System Designer I can tell you that we are witnessing the tightening of development rules in a big way. The rules that trigger act 250 review should scare us all. Isn’t ironic that the picturesque villages portrayed on postcards that draw all the flat heads here would never have come into existence if Act 250 were in place. Thanks Deane Davis for nothing.