(Editor’s note: H133 was approved with a veto-proof majority March 12 in the Vermont House of Representatives. It’s now in the Senate. Here’s how your local representative voted. To see a media/legislator contact list for your town and county, click here.)
By Rob Roper
H.133 – AN ACT RELATING TO EMERGENCY RELIEF FROM ABUSE ORDERS AND RELINQUISHMENT OF FIREARMS
PASSED
in the State House of Representatives
on March 12, 2021, by a vote of
102-44
Purpose: To outline measures that can be legally taken to protect an alleged victim of abuse, “Upon a finding that there is an immediate danger of further abuse.” The most controversial part of the bill is section (E), which would require the accused “to immediately relinquish, until the expiration of the order, all firearms that are in the defendant’s possession, ownership, or control, and to refrain from acquiring or possessing any firearms while the order is in effect.”
Analysis: Those voting YES believe this is a reasonable protection for victims of domestic abuse.
Those voting NO believe this is a violation of the Second Amendment the US and Article 16 of the Vermont Constitutions, by taking away rights to bear arms without due process of law, noting that the subject of the order is not required to be informed of the hearing and the order can be granted without the defendant having an opportunity to be present, present evidence or have any representation.
As Recorded in the House Journal, Friday, March 12, 2021: “Shall the bill pass? Rep. Morrissey of Bennington demanded the Yeas and Nays, which demand was sustained by the Constitutional number. The Clerk proceeded to call the roll and the question, Shall the bill pass? was decided in the affirmative. Yeas, 102. Nays, 44.” (Read the Journal, p. 2 -4). Watch the floor debate on YouTube.
How They Voted
(Click on your Rep’s name to send an email)
| Sally Achey (R – Middletown Springs) – NO Janet Ancel (D – Calais) – YES Peter Anthony (D – Barre) – YES Norman Arrison (D – Weathersfield) – YES Sarita Austin (D – Colchester) – YES John Bartholomew (D – Hartland) – YES Lynn Batchelor (R – Derby) – NO Scott Beck (R – St. Johnsbury) – YES Matthew Birong (D – Vergennes) – YES Alyssa Black (D – Essex) – YES Tiffany Bluemle (D – Burlington) – YES Thomas Bock (D – Chester) – YES Seth Bongartz (D – Manchester) – YES Michelle Bos-Lun (D – Westminster) – YES Erin Brady (D – Williston) – YES Patrick Brennan (R – Colchester) – NO Timothy Briglin (D – Thetford) – YES Jana Brown (D – Richmond) –YES Nelson Brownell (D – Pownal) – NO Jessica Brumsted (D – Shelburne) – YES Thomas Burditt (R – West Rutland) – NO Mollie Burke (P/D – Brattleboro) – YES Elizabeth Burrows (P/D – West Windsor) –YES Scott Campbell (D – St. Johnsbury) – YES Bill Canfield (R – Fair Haven) – NO Seth Chase (D – Colchester) – YES Kevin “Coach” Christie (D – Hartford) – ABSENT Brian Cina (P/D – Burlington) – YES Sara Coffey (D – Guilford) – YES Selene Colburn (P/D – Burlington) – YES Hal Colston (D – Winooski) – YES Peter Conlon (D – Cornwall) – YES Sarah Copeland-Hanzas (D – Bradford) – YES Timothy Corcoran (D – Bennington) – YES Mari Cordes (D/P – Lincoln) – YES Lawrence Cupoli (R – Rutland) – NO Lynn Dickinson (R – St. Albans) – NO Karen Dolan (D – Essex)– YES Kari Dolan (D – Waitsfield) – YES Kate Donnally (D – Hyde Park) – YES Anne Donahue (R – Northfield) – YES David Durfee (D – Shaftsbury) – YES Caleb Elder (D – Starksboro) – YES Alice Emmons (D – Springfield) – YES Peter Fagan (R – Rutland) – NO Martha Feltus (R – Lyndon) – NO John Gannon (D – Wilmington) – YES Leslie Goldman (D – Bellows Falls) – YES Kenneth Goslant (R – Northfield) – NO Maxine Grad (D – Moretown) – YES Rodney Graham (R – Williamstown) – NO James Gregoire (R – Fairfield) – NO Lisa Hango (R – Birkshire) – NO James Harrison (R – Chittenden) – NO Robert Helm (R – Fair Haven) – NO Mark Higley (R – Lowell) – NO Robert Hooper (D – Burlington) – YES Mary Hooper (D – Montpelier) – YES Philip Hooper (D – Randolph) – ABSENT Lori Houghton (D – Essex) – YES Mary Howard (D – Rutland) – YES Kathleen James (D – Manchester) – YES Stephanie Jerome (D – Brandon) – YES Kimberly Jessup (D – Middlesex) – YES John Killacky (D – S. Burlington) – YES Charles Kimbell (D – Woodstock) – YES Warren Kitzmiller (D – Montpelier) – YES Emilie Kornheiser (D – Brattleboro) – YES Jill Krowinski (D – Burlington) – PRESIDING Robert LaClair (R – Barre) – NO Martin LaLonde (D – S. Burlington) – YES Diane Lanpher (D – Vergennes) – YES Paul Lefebvre (R – Newark) – YES Samantha Lefebvre (R – Orange) – NO Felisha Leffler (R – Esburgh) – NO | William Lippert (D – Hinesburg) – YES Emily Long (D – Newfane) – YES Michael Marcotte (R – Coventry) – NO Marcia Martel (R – Waterford) – NO Paul Martin (R – Franklin) – NO James Masland (D – Thetford) – YES Christopher Mattos (R – Milton) – NO Michael McCarthy (D – St. Albans) – YES Curtis McCormack (D – Burlington) – YES Patricia McCoy (R – Poultney) – NO James McCullough (D – Williston) – YES Francis McFaun (R – Barre) – NO Leland Morgan (R – Milton) – NO Michael Morgan (R – Milton) – NO Kristi Morris (D – Springfield) – YES Mary Morrissey (R – Bennington) – NO Michael Mrowicki (D – Putney) – YES Emma Mulvaney-Stanak (D – Burlington) – YES Barbara Murphy (I – Fairfax) – YES Logan Nicoll (D – Ludlow) – YES Michael Nigro (D – Bennington) –YES Robert Norris (R – Sheldon) – NO Terry Norris (I – Shoreham) – NO William Notte (D – Rutland) – YES Daniel Noyes (D – Wolcott) – YES John O’Brien (D – Tunbridge) – YES Carol Ode (D – Burlington) – YES “Woody” Page (R – Newport) – NO Kelly Pajala (I – Londonderry) – YES John Palasik (R – Milton) –NO Joseph Parsons (R – Newbury) – NO Carolyn Partridge (D – Windham) – YES Avram Patt (D – Worcester) – YES Henry Pearl (D – Danville) –YES Arthur Peterson (R – Clarendon) – NO Ann Pugh (D – S. Burlington) – YES Barbara Rachelson (D/P – Burlington) – YES Marybeth Redmond (D – Essex) – YES Lucy Rogers (D – Waterville) – YES Carl Rosenquist (R – Georgia) – NO Larry Satcowitz (D – Randolph) – YES Brian Savage (R – Swanton) – NO Robin Scheu (D – Middlebury) – YES Heidi Scheuermann (R – Stowe) – YES Patrick Seymour (R – Sutton) – NO Charles “Butch” Shaw (R – Pittsford) – NO Amy Sheldon (D – Middlebury) – YES Laura Sibilia (I – Dover) – YES Katherine Sims (D – Craftsbury) – YES Taylor Small (P/D – Winooski) – YES Brian Smith (R – Derby) – NO Harvey Smith (R – New Haven) – NO Trevor Squirrell (D – Underhill) – YES Gabrielle Stebbins (D – Burlington) – YES Thomas Stevens (D – Waterbury) – YES Vicki Strong (R – Albany) – NO Linda Joy Sullivan (D – Dorset) – YES Heather Suprenant (D – Barnard) – YES Curt Taylor (D – Colchester) – YES Thomas Terenzini (R – Rutland) –NO George Till (D – Jericho) – YES Tristan Toleno (D – Brattleboro) – ABSENT Casey Toof (R – St. Albans) – NO Maida Townsend (D – South) – YES Joseph “Chip” Troiano (D – Stannard) – YES Tanya Vyhovsky (P/D – Essex) – YES Tommy Walz (D – Barre) – YESKathryn Webb (D – Shelburne) – YES Kirk White (P/D – Bethel) – YES Rebecca White (D – Hartford) – YES Dane Whitman (D – Bennington) – YES Terri Lynn Williams (R – Granby) – YES Theresa Wood (D – Waterbury) – YES David Yacovone (D – Morristown) – YES Michael Yantachka (D – Charlotte) – YES |