By Michael Bielawski
A bill to increase the age limit of Vermont’s popular, but expensive health insurance for lower and middle-income children will be reviewed in a key committee of the Vermont House of Representatives this week.
H. 721 (Tuesday, House Committee on Health Care) sponsored by Committee Chair Rep. Lori Houghton of Essex Junction and 79 others would make the public health program intended for youth known as Dr. Dynasaur eligible to young adults as much as 26 years old.
The bill would also change the eligibility for Medicare for adults to be the same income threshold as for Dr. Dynasaur and would require increased reimbursement rates to providers for delivering primary care, mental health, substance use disorder treatment, long-term care, and dental services to Medicaid beneficiaries. It allocates $250,000 for a study but otherwise does not assess the financial impact of the bill’s passage. If approved, H721 would almost certainly go to the House Appropriations and Ways and Means committees to study how much it would cost and how it would be paid for.
Dozens of other bills and issues are scheduled for review by House and Senate committees this week. In the House:
Education taxes – (Tuesday, joint hearing of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Education Committee) State lawmakers on Tuesday are going to look at how to fund the state’s education system that keeps going up in cost even as they lose students.
This is a sensitive subject for lawmakers especially this year as it’s been predicted by state offices that the education tax (property taxes) will go up 18.5% this year.
Mental health in schools – (Tuesday, House Education Committee) Lawmakers will discuss mental health in schools. Erica McGlaughlin who is the assistant executive director for the Vermont Principals’ Association will speak, more speakers are invited. According to a 2021 survey, 22% of middle school students and 35% of high school students say they’ve experienced “poor mental health” within the past year.
Homeless Bill of Rights – H. 132 (Thursday, House Committee on General and Housing) sponsored by Rep. Thomas Stevens of Waterbury and others, is to establish “a homeless bill of rights and prohibiting discrimination against persons without homes.”
In the language it says that unless there is a municipal law stating otherwise, “no individual shall be subject to civil or criminal sanctions for soliciting, sharing, accepting, or offering food, drink, money, or other donations in a public place.”
Strengthening penalties for car thefts – H. 563 (Tuesday, House Committee on Judiciary) sponsored by Rep. Thomas Burditt of West Rutland and others will look at “to establish a five-year felony for attempted auto theft.”
Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad is among several invited speakers. According to the chief’s 2023 crimes report, Grand Larceny was at a new record high of 1,626 incidents. The previous high was 2022 with 1,550 incidents and 1,106 incidents in 2021.
Retail theft – H. 534 (Thursday, House Committee on Judiciary) sponsored by Rep. Thomas LaLonde of South Burlington and others will look at a bill to allow prosecuters to consider the aggregate of stolen goods spanning multiple store visits when considering charges. Currently, there is a $900 threshold for a felony charge, and repeat offenders seem to operate with that limit in mind.
Funding more EV charging – H. 693 (Wednesday, House Committee on Transportation) sponsored by Rep. Sara Coffey of Guilford and others is asking that the Agency of Transportation produce a written plan for how to fund the state’s electric vehicle supply equipment which is “necessary for Vermont to meet the plug-in electric vehicle goals in the Comprehensive Energy Plan and the Vermont Climate Action Plan.”
A study published on Monday by Green Car Reports reveals that 50% of non-EV owners cite charging them as a primary concern, this includes the range that they can go and the time it takes to charge them.
Sister State – S.30 (Wednesday, 9 AM in House Commerce and Economic Development) sponsored by Sen. Ruth Hardy and others establishes “sister state” relationships between Vermont and states in up to five other countries to promote understanding and collaboration between residents, governments, businesses, and community organizations, create opportunities for cultural exchanges and joint programs for educational, recreational, artistic, humanitarian, and economic purposes, and peace, human rights, and environmental sustainability. The bill has no stated appropriation for funding.
Bring back Corrections work crews – H. 690 (Friday in House Corrections) sponsored by Rep. Martin LaLonde would restore the use of work crews as a sentencing alternative. Work crews were phased out during the Covid era.
College requirement to assist homeless/foster care students – H. 717 (Wednesday, House Education) sponsored by Rep. Jubilee McGill would require postsecondary schools in Vermont to designate an official liaison to students experiencing homelessness and students exiting the foster care system, as well as develop policies requiring priority housing and class enrollment options and fee waivers for such students.
Approval process for independent schools (Friday, House Committee on Education) Emily Simmons who is general counsel for the Agency of Education will talk about “Independent School Approval and Quality Assurance Process.”
There has been much pressure over recent years for independent schools to be held to the same requirements as larger and more funded public schools as it relates to, for example, serving students with special needs. Independent schools have also been pressured to adopt diversity statements. These matters could come up during this discussion.
Tomorrow: this week in Senate committees.
The author is a writer for the Vermont Daily Chronicle
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Categories: Legislation
26 ? That’s how we introduce young adults to real life responsibilities ? Why not 36 ? and while we’re at it let’s forgive their college tuition loans ! Remind me again why so many young adults believe that the way to get things they want is to complain, and protest .
Ahh…but that’s in there too… H.721 is a cornucopia of “free” health care and the implications for November 5th. This bill is directed at votes, under the benevolent guise of “health care for all”
Unfortunately the average Vermont voter has yet to realize the cheese isn’t “free”.
Until the pretending stops and people face the real cost of healthcare in Vermont and the implications of rationing services because of funding “shortfalls”, bills like this will certainly re-elect the socialist/progressive/democrat for many elections to come.
That’s why I mentioned it .
~”cost about as much as your cell phone bill”
Obama
Wow, Dr. Dino to age twenty-six, I assume they also believe in Santa Claus, and you wonder why the state & country are so feckless when it comes to rearing your kids or
now these young adults !!
More liberal nonsense, at twenty-six I had a good job, was married with kids, times they are a changing, whoops……………. changed already, how pathetic.
I had a great job at 24, stayed for 40 years, then retired…
At WHO’S expense, Houghton??? Oh, that’s right…the limitless supply of “free” money coming from the infinitely deep pockets of the average, working or retired Vermonters for whom you have voluntarily pledged a sworn oath to represent and to protect, but who you instead obviously detest and despise. You demonstrate your abhorrence in continuously creating & passing such abominable & irresponsible legislation aimed at buying votes, just as your unconstitutionally adept POTUS does at every turn, whenever he’s not falling up a flight of stairs or blabbering unintelligently in front of a teleprompter whilst you & yours applaud him.
Your attempts at Communism/socialism/Marxism will ultimately FAIL, Houghton, just as it has all failed miserably over the eras within each and every nation it has thus been attempted. And your attempts to retain your sense of power shall also ultimately fail the split second you eventually face your maker and all the acts/deeds/exploits which you inflicted upon innocents in order to derive benefit for yourself and your cohorts are then at hand. In the interim, enjoy your Amerika with abandon!
the state and the medical mafia own your child/// public private partners/// covid scam demic proved that/// and they owned you adults that went along with it/// hope this does not offend the posters///
26? Why not 46?
Yes, echoing other commentators here; rather than encouraging a 26 year old to work, live responsibly and independently, Houghton et. al. prefer to foster people’s reliance on the state for all of life’s necessities. Before you know it we’ll live in a state that acts like a company store and all will be beholden to the company store. I suspect Houghton and the cosponsors feel very virtuous. However, the Vermont Constitution outlawed slavery and indentured servitude and more and more of the bills proposed by this supermajority fail to understand the ultimate effect of H.721; creating more dependency on the state makes citizens slaves to the state. We are meant to be free and independent. Self reliance may be an old fashioned virtue but still a valid one.
The Apostle Paul addressed this in his second letter to the Thessalonians, in particular verses 10-12.
“For even when we were with you, this we commanded you: that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
For we hear that there are some among you who walk disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.
Now those who are such, we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ that they work with quietness and eat their own bread.”
Even those who aren’t believers can recognize the wisdom in this usually unspoken aspect of the social contract. True charity helps those in need and helps them help themselves. It doesn’t make them slaves.
To age 26…twenty-six…TWENTY-SIX??
What???
Well, don’t expect logic and reasoning from any left/prog/dem/Marxist. They think you can vote and be on the Selectboard at 16 years old, but you are too immature to get married until you are 18, nor can you smoke, legally obtain a firearm amongst other things until you are 21 years old.
The Vermont legislature has very much justified its existence this year with all the proposals and more that they have tossed on the wall (800 bills this year). Think about that. How is it possible that little old Vermont with an aging population comes up with 800 wonderful new taxing schemes or ideas that would become law in the authors dreams. We are drowning in our own swill of new proposed laws. Every legislator wants to bring forth something new and exciting all in the name of “look at me go” to their voters.
Every new bill brings more government strings (more like ropes and chains) to rule and regulate its citizens. Give me a break!
Our roads are in disrepair, our schools are in trouble, our taxes are unaffordable,
we continue to enlarge the number of employees in Vermont government and there is no end in site. Which brings me to another expense being requested from our
legislative body. They have asked for a 100% pay increase and a golden benefits package (benefits they do not have today) for all their hard work putting those 800 bills on the wall. They are looking to make what has been historically a citizens legislature into a paid career with benefits. This request should be put to the voters and not approved by the very people who are seeking it (pretty self-serving).
We are now entering a new day when our legislators believe they should be full time
employees because they are working so hard. Did they no know the job before they ran for it? You can take any job and put as much time as you want into it… we have
people treating a part time job as a full-time experience now. However, we also have some people who hold full time jobs or are self-employed who also do their legislative duties on top of their careers. Some people do not see the taxpayers as hardworking, tax paying families or individuals but rather they see us as nothing more than a funding stream for those 800 bills on the wall and an enlarged paycheck.
Texas meets every other year for 4 months, pays legislators a fee of $600 for the session and gets the job done. Texas has a population of 30 million with a budget of $321 Billion. Vermont has 645 thousand with a budget of $8 Billion. What am I missing here?
Dr. Dynasaur is a program for children. 18-year-olds are not children.
How about one age? One age when you can drink, smoke, enlist, sign contracts, get a tattoo, vote, and be considered by the state an adult. One age. I’d vote for 18.
How backwards are these people?!
– 16 year olds are mature enough to vote
– 26 year olds are not mature enough to get their own health insurance
Wut the?
On the other hand, I like H.690, bringing back Correction Crews. Everyone has to earn their way. And criminals have to pay back to society what they have taken. It has been the basis of the criminal justice system for centuries.