By Guy Page
Following a 2022 report that found emergency rooms overflowing with youth in mental health crisis, the Scott administration has called an audible to move $9.25 million from this year’s budget to quickly build an inpatient youth psychiatric facility in Bennington.
The proposed mid-year adjustment to this year’s budget will be among many reviewed at a public hearing of Vermont House Committee on Appropriations today at 1 pm in Room 11 of the State House) or videoconference (Zoom). The Governor’s proposal may be found here.
Press pushes back against committee room exclusion – because Room 11 is the largest meeting room outside of the Senate and House of Representatives, the State House press corps probably will be able to cover today’s Approps hearing in person. But in many smaller committee rooms, pandemic-related room capacity limits have forced committee chairs to expel some in-person watchers, including the press, as reported in VDC Jan. 13 (“As lawmakers discuss gun control and climate bills, press must wait outside”).
VT Digger editor Paul Heintz and six other Vermont news leaders complained in a Jan. 17 letter to Senate President Phil Baruth and House Speaker Jill Krowinski about the unprecedented in-person exclusion of the press in the People’s House. (VDC was not asked to sign the letter but shares its concerns.)
Heintz panned Baruth’s new ‘one room, one reporter policy’:
“Under your leadership, the Senate has apparently taken the position that the press is guaranteed asingle seat in each committee room. When we objected to this, Sen. Baruth, you chose to double down, rather than seek a solution that would work for all. Your chief of staff wrote, “If you have case law supporting your position we would be happy to review it.”
“In a subsequent phone conversation, you then suggested that Vermont could learn a thing or two from Washington, D.C., where it is common to restrict access to a small pool of journalists, who then provide reporting to others.
“Sen. Baruth, we would argue that, if anything, Washington could learn a thing or two from Vermont, where journalists have historically had open access to the deliberations of those writing our laws. This has contributed to a more informed, accountable and civil discourse, and we ought not abandon it.”
Corey Parent, a former Republican legislator who served two terms in both the Vermont House of Representatives and Vermont Senate, has joined Leonine Public Affairs in Montpelier as director of business and municipal affairs. Parent’s consulting firm, Forty-Four Seven Strategies, has merged with LPA, expanding their scope of services to include municipal and business consulting.
Parent will lead the expansion of LPA’s municipal services practice and expand the scope of the firm’s business services practice.
Parent represented St Albans City and Southeastern St Albans Town in the House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019, and Franklin County in the State Senate from 2019 to 2023. Before his consulting work with Forty-Four Seven Strategies, he was director of operations for the town of St Albans. He is a graduate of St Lawrence University and is pursuing an MBA from Clarkson University.
Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark is one of 18 state attorneys general backing the State of New York’s liability lawsuit against the gun industry, the Center Square reports.
Categories: SHORTS
In 2005 the U.S. passed the ” Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA)” which protects gun manufactures from frivolous law suits. Gun manufacturers are still responsible for, and can be sued for liability resulting from faulty, or poorly manufactured firearms, but not for the misuse of a soundly engineered, properly functioning firearm. Can you imagine if automobile manufacturers could be sued every time an automobile was used by a mentally unstable commit suicide, or to run someone down ? Would the Louisville Slugger baseball bat company still be in business ? Should drug companies be responsible for suicides committed with their products ? Of course not ! Our A.G. is a lefty wingnut, still wet behind her ears, out to make a name for herself. Everybody has to start somewhere, but how many start out as a state A.G. ? This is what you get when Republicans can not field a serious contender for state office, a Democrat that is barely out of diapers . Sad !
It not very different from our current alcohol laws, if you overserve someone, YOU [and the establishment] are liable, not the beer manufacturer. IF there is to be someone [or thing] to blame besides the directly responsible party, maybe the gun dealer is the one who will end up with some responsibiliy.
I don’t remember alcohol as being a right in the bill of rights. Or the rights of bartender to not be sued. How about returning to personal responsibility for illegal actions. This is a law fare law to bankrupt firearms manufacturers by allowing the misuse of the firearm to be removed from the perpetrator to the manufacturer. How about using your head. Think of all the objects, machines, tools and implements that can be used to harm others. Are those manufacturers also responsible for those products. I find it hard to believe that people only want to ban the items they don’t use or enjoy. Be careful what you wish for.
If a gun manufacturer is held liable, in a court of law, for a person willingly using a firearm to cause death, disability or “emotional damage,” that could be a precendent to hold fast food chains and big pharma liable for death, disability, and long-term health issues. Any manufactured product that a person willingly utilized to their own detriment and consequence is the manufacturer’s fault per the lawfare group.
This AG is coming after our firearms and our Constitutional rights to own, carry, and possess them. She is going to be as anti- rights as the former AG, the Little third grader TJ.
#WeThePeople
#GunRights
The military industrial complex has made the 2nd amendment useless. The right to bear arms was meant for the people to be able to overthrow their gov’t if they became tyrannical. Well it doesnt matter now, with a yearly budget of 800 billion, I don’t see anybody or anything overthrowing the federal govt through use of firearms. And I can’t even own a firearm now, unless its a muzzle loader! So much for my 2A rights…..
I respectfully disagree. Today, as has been the case many times in past U.S. history, the 2nd amendment emphasis is also on our ability as individuals living in our own homes, if not walking the streets, to protect ourselves from various cartels, gangs, drug dealers and drug addicts, not to mention others living in quiet desperation, who, more and more, are trying to infringe on our individual rights, if for no other reason than to take what we have to sustain their less than honorable lifestyle.
The last guy I worry about is the F-35 pilot who might blow up my house. It’s the guy peddling fentanyl that scares me. With the demise of prosecutorial discretion, not to mention the diminished capacity of law enforcement, our 2nd amendment rights are as important as they have ever been.
The US military with all it’s might is comprised of soldiers who are also Americans and take an oath to defend the constitution. They also have families at home to worry about as do law enforcement officers. If all hell breaks lose in this country 25% of the citizens armed with 400 million firearms and billions of rounds of ammo will be able to put up one hell of a fight. Certain military groups would break away from the command thus bringing their knowledge and weapons systems with them. Would the military carpet bomb cities with American citizen who are not fighting. This scenario would not be as easy for the military as you believe. The Afghans drove the Russians and Americans out of their country and the Vietnamese drove the French and the Americans out of their country. When people are fighting for their homeland anything goes. America also has thousands of veterans who are trained by the military. We hope this never happens and the 2nd amendment was included in the bill of right specifically for this as the first reason and personal defense as the second reason so a militia of citizens could be prepared. Why do you think that the united Nations, the WEF and others want Americans disarmed? We will not go down without a fight as long as we as citizens are armed.
I think you should change the name over your post. You obviously did something that caused you to lose your right to own or possess a firearm, so you come here with a statement that infers that the 2nd amendment is worthless not withstanding the reason that it was placed 2nd in the Bill of Rights. The land mass of the United States could not be controlled by any military force. The country is two large and as a Japanese Admiral stated that his country could not invade America from the pacific coast because in America there is a gun behind every blade of grass. This is exactly why we have the 2nd Amendment, “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. So how is the militia? All able bodied citizens. And what is well regulated? The same weapons in common use and suited for military action. The 2nd Amendment is just as valid if not more so then it was when written. Those who violate these rights are traitors to the constitution. As long as we are armed, we will be free and the government knows this.
We the people need full access to our golden dome state house period!
This is our house period folks!!
Enough of liberal bullcrap period!!telling WE THE PEOPLE of Vermont what we can do and not do period folks!! Remember they work for use period folks!!??
Stand up and speak out against the Cronies WOKEISM Period ! YOU SNOOZE YOU LOSE PERIOD FOLKS 😴!!
THE VERMONTER FROM THE RIGHT SIDE PERIOD!