by Guy Page

At a January 14 Vermont House GOP caucus press conference at the Vermont State House, lawmakers stood at the podium to support incarceration when necessary, repealing the Superfund climate law and spending the savings on recreational use of state lands, and building on Act 73, the 2025 school funding and reorganization law.

Rep. Tom Burditt (R-West Rutland) and vice-chair of House Judiciary, argued incarceration is compassionate – especially to victims of crime.

“There’s a lot of people in the [State House] building that don’t like to arrest and incarcerate people,” Burditt said. “There’s a lot of people in the building who would just as soon close prisons, because they don’t look at them as being compassionate.”

“I disagree,” Burditt said.

In Rutland a relatively small number of repeat criminals are responsible for much of the crime plaguing citizens and businesses.

In comments made moments after this video, he said incarceration isn’t just compassionate towards crime victims, it also can help the perpetrators get sober and get help.

Burditt helps lead the House committee that oversees criminal justice legislation. Last Friday, the Committee advanced a bill that gives prosecutors a clear path to appealing a judge’s decision to deny prosecutor’s request that a suspected criminal be held without bail pending trial.

The bill, which was approved unanimously by the Vermont House on a voice vote, sets out a clear path of appeal to the Vermont Supreme Court.

Repeal Superfund law and spend savings on recreational use of state land, Corinth legislator says

Vermont Fish and Wildlife is considering a new rule to charge fees for recreational activities like hiking, birdwatching, and kayaking on designated state lands. This proposal aims to generate revenue amid rising property taxes and other financial pressures on the state.

A Republican member of the Vermont House Environment committee said of the proposal, “I am not a fan.”

In response to a reporter’s question, Rep. Mike Tagliavia (R-Corinth) said he started receiving text messages opposing the proposed regulation started blowing up his cellphone immediately after a news story reported about it. He said he would prefer H.518, to repeal the Climate Superfund law and invest the savings in state lands, making such a fee unnecessary.

“We have people who have expecte they could get out onto state land, and still be able to use it,” Tagliavia said. “That’s what I would do.”

Vermont’s Climate Superfund Law, enacted in 2024 when Democrats in both chambers still held a supermajority to overcome Gov. Phil Scott’s veto, requires fossil fuel companies to pay for damages caused by climate change, specifically targeting emissions from 1995 to 2024. This law aims to hold major polluters accountable and fund climate adaptation projects in the state.

Minority Leader says stay the course on Act 73

At the press conference, Minority Leader Rep. Pattie McCoy urged the Legislature to back Gov. Phil Scott’s State of the State address message: press on and pass school funding reform as contained in Act 73.

McCoy was asked by VDC if she supports Rep. Gina Galfetti’s proposed bill to cap property taxes for three years. She also was asked to respond to criticisms of Act 73, leveled by Ben Kinsley of the Campaign for Vermont and Behind the Lines columnist Rob Roper, who say if enacted it may not significantly reduce school spending.

McCoy recalled the words of former Rep. Larry Cupoli (R-Rutland) – that Vermont could benefit from having a single school district, not unlike Hawaii where the state, though comprised of islands separated from each other by ocean, still manages to operate with a single school district. She also said that regardless of a property tax freeze, the school funding system needs fixing.

Also speaking at the press conference was House Transportation Committee Chair Matthew Walker (R-Swanton), who said that a road use fee for EVs will take effect next year. EVs currently pay a fee, similar to the gas tax, but revenue is allocated to building charging stations. Next year that revenue will, like the gas tax, go to building and repair Vermont bridges and roads.