Every recipient on key House committee voted for S.259, too
by Guy Page
Last December, the Vermont Public Interest Research Group – a longstanding advocate for renewable power and other ‘green’ causes – publicly announced its ‘Make Polluters Pay – Support a Climate Superfund’ campaign, to include legislation creating a Superfund in which carbon emitters, including Big Oil, would be sued to pay for Vermont’s climate-change related damages.
More than a year earlier, VPIRG made campaign contributions to 2022 Vermont House and Senate candidates. According to data retrieved from Open secrets.org, VDC has determined that every House and Senate candidate elected with VPIRG campaign contributions has voted yes on S.259, which creates a Superfund assessing recovery funds from big past and present carbon emitters – most likely by suing Big Oil. The funds would then support climate recovery in Vermont.
Also, every Senate VPIRG campaign contribution recipient co-sponsored S.259 – except one, Senate President Pro Tem Phil Baruth.
Also, every member of the House Environment and Energy Committee who received VPIRG 2022 campaign contributions voted Yes to send the bill to the House floor. The bill was voted out of the committee 9-2. Only Republican Reps. Paul Clifford and Brian Smith, who didn’t receive VPIRG contributions, voted no. This morning, Tuesday April 23, the bill was sent from the House floor to House Ways and Means, and is slated to return for full House consideration this afternoon.
Caveat: Not all lawmakers voted yes on S.259 received a VPIRG contribution. Rather, every lawmaker who received a VPIRG contribution has voted yes, when given the opportunity. Also, taking campaign money and then voting in support of a donor’s bill or campaign is not necessarily bad government. It’s possible that every legislator who took VPIRG campaign money fully supports the Superfund they voted for.
But in the interests of full disclosure and transparency, without passing judgement, VDC publishes the publicly-sourced information below. The information will be updated if/when the House holds a roll call vote on S.259.
| Date of VPIRG campaign contribution | Amount | Vermont House/Senate member Recipient | Vote on H.259 (so far) | Senate bill sponsor? | |
| 09-14-2022 | $500 | LEAVITT, JOSIE (D) | Rep. Grand Isle | ||
| 09-14-2022 | $1,000 | MACDONALD, MARK A (D) | Sen. – Orange | Yes | Yes |
| 08-05-2022 | $500 | MCCARTHY, MIKE (D) | Rep. St. Albans City | ||
| 09-14-2022 | $200 | WOOD, THERESA PERSONS (D) | Rep. – Waterbury | ||
| 10-13-2022 | $400 | CORDES, MARI (D) | Rep. – Lincoln | Yes | |
| 09-14-2022 | $200 | SMALL, TAYLOR (D) | Rep. – Winooski | ||
| 10-18-2022 | $500 | ARSENAULT, ANGELA (D) | Rep. – Williston | ||
| 10-05-2022 | $500 | SIMS, KATHERINE (D) | Rep. – Albany | ||
| 09-19-2022 | $200 | MROWICKI, MIKE (D) | Rep. – Putney | ||
| 10-05-2022 | $400 | GAROFANO, REY (D) | Rep. – Essex | ||
| 08-08-2022 | $500 | CASEY, CONOR (D) | Rep. – Montpelier | ||
| 10-16-2022 | $500 | CAMPBELL, R SCOTT (D) | Rep. St. Johnsbury | ||
| 09-23-2022 | $200 | WHITE, REBECCA (D) | Sen.. – Windsor | Yes | Yes |
| 08-06-2022 | $500 | SATCOWITZ, LARRY (D) | Rep. – Randolph | Yes | |
| 09-14-2022 | $200 | COFFEY, SARA (D) | Rep. – Vernon | ||
| 09-14-2022 | $200 | LYONS, VIRGINIA (GINNY) (D) | Sen. – Chittenden | Yes | Yes |
| 09-14-2022 | $200 | DOLAN, KARI (D) | Rep. – Waitsfield | ||
| 09-14-2022 | $200 | BARUTH, PHILIP (D) | Sen. – Chittenden | Yes | No |
| 09-26-2022 | $500 | ANDREWS, JULIA (D) | Rep. – Westford | ||
| 09-14-2022 | $200 | EMMONS, ALICE M (D) | Rep. – Springfield | ||
| 08-01-2022 | $500 | SIMS, KATHERINE (D) | Rep. – Craftsbuiry | Yes | |
| 09-21-2022 | $500 | DEMROW, CARL (D) | Rep. – Corinth | ||
| 09-14-2022 | $1,000 | GULICK, MARTINE LAROCQUE (D) | Sen. – Chittenden | Yes | Yes |
| 08-05-2022 | $500 | MIHALY, MARC B (D) | Rep. – E. Montpelier | ||
| 09-14-2022 | $400 | TORRE, DARA (D) | Rep. – Moretown | Yes | |
| 08-04-2022 | $500 | ANTHONY, PETER D (D) | Rep. – Barre City | ||
| 08-03-2022 | $1,000 | PERCHLIK, ANDREW (D) | Sen. – Washington | Yes | Yes |
| 09-14-2022 | $500 | BERBECO, DAISY (D) | Rep. – Winooski | ||
| 09-15-2022 | $400 | BLACK, ALYSSA (D) | Rep. – Essex | ||
| 09-15-2022 | $500 | CAMPBELL, R SCOTT (D) | Rep. – St. Johnsbury | ||
| 09-28-2022 | $500 | MASLAND, JAMES (JIM) (D) | Rep. – Thetford | ||
| 08-05-2022 | $500 | RICE, MIKE (D) | Rep. – Dorset | ||
| 08-01-2022 | $500 | PATT, AVRAM (D) | Rep. – Worcester | Yes | |
| 10-12-2022 | $200 | CUMMINGS, ANN E (D) | Sen. – Washington | Yes | Yes |
| 08-08-2022 | $1,000 | VYHOVSKY, TANYA (D) | Sen. – Chittenden | Yes | Yes |
| 09-22-2022 | $200 | HARDY, RUTH (D) | Sen. – Addison | Yes | Yes |
| 09-14-2022 | $400 | BRADY, ERIN (D) | Rep. – Williston | ||
| 09-30-2022 | $400 | POUECH, PHIL (D) | Rep. – Hinesburg | ||
| 08-01-2022 | $500 | MCGILL, JUBILEE (D) | Rep. – Bridport | ||
| 10-31-2022 | $200 | BOS-LUN, MICHELLE (D) | Rep. – Westminster | ||
| 09-19-2022 | $1,000 | HARRISON, WENDY (D) | Sen. – Windham | Yes | Yes |
| 08-01-2022 | $500 | WILLIAMS, JONATHAN (D) | Rep. – Barre City | ||
| 10-01-2022 | $200 | CHASE, SETH (D) | Rep. – Colchester | ||
| 09-14-2022 | $200 | MCCORMACK, RICHARD J (DICK) (R) | Sen. – Windsor | Yes | Yes |
| 09-14-2022 | $200 | HINSDALE, KESHA RAM (D) | Sen. – Chittenden | Yes | Yes |
| 09-19-2022 | $500 | PRIESTLEY, MONIQUE (D) | Rep. – Bradford | ||
| 08-18-2022 | $1,000 | HASHIM, NADER (D) | Sen. – Windham | Yes | Yes |
| 10-06-2022 | $200 | MORRIS, KRISTI C (D) | Rep. – Springfield | Yes |