By Michael Bielawski
Senate bills under committee review this week include a ban on social media in schools, more government services for New Americans, more school equity, and criminalizing possession of guns without serial numbers. Agendas published weekly on the Legislature’s website are subject to change.
Banning social media/personal electronics in schools – S. 284 (Thursday, Senate Committee on Education) Sponsored by Sen. Terry Williams, R-Rutland, and others.
Lawmakers will discuss this bill that would prohibit “personal digital products and social media” in schools. This includes public schools, independent schools, technical centers, and pre-qualified private prekindergarten programs.
It further states that schools must come up with new non-technology based methods. It will “require the adoption of policies that would allow students to opt out of the use of electronic devices and online products, with schools required to provide alternative instruction methods.”
Government services for New Americans – S. 194 (Thursday, Senate Committee on Government Operations) Sponsored by Sen. Martine Larocque Gulick, D-Chittenden County, and others.
This bill seeks to create an “Office of New Americans” which will work on “the transfer or consolidation of existing governmental services for New Americans that would be more efficiently provided by a new Office of New Americans.”
Education Equity Team Pilot Project and Report – S. 282 (Wednesday, Senate Committee on Education) Sponsored by Sen. Alison Clarkson, D-Windsor.
Lawmakers will hear from Addie Lentzner and Emilie Maikoo, Co-Executive Directors of the Vermont Students’ Anti-Racism Network about their plan for an Education Equity Team Pilot Project to be created by an Equity Team Commission.
The bill states that “Equity teams will focus on antiracism, diversity, equity, and inclusion by reviewing equity related policies and curriculum and will each receive a stipend of $10,000.00 to support their work.”
Allowing online-only public meetings? – S. 55 (Wednesday, Senate Committee on Government Operations) Sponsored by Sen. Alison Clarkson, D-Woodstock, and others.
Lawmakers will look at allowing public meetings “to meet through electronic means without designating a physical meeting location.”
Gov. Phil Scott signed Act 1 in 2023 which extended until July 1 of 2024 that Vermonters could hold public meetings without a physical location.
Serializing all guns? – S. 209 (Wednesday, Senate Committee on Judiciary) Sponsored by Sen. Richard Sears, D-Bennington, and others.
Lawmakers will work on this bill that “would prohibit unserialized firearms and unserialized firearms frames and receivers.”
Last week lawmakers in this committee were told that gun serialization does not produce “any crime-reducing benefits” by Dr John Lott, an international expert on crime prevention. He did say that serialization could lead to future gun confiscations.
More carbon taxes – S. 259 (Thursday, Senate Committee on Judiciary) Sponsored by Sen. Anne Watson, D-Washington, and others.
Lawmakers will continue to hear about what essentially would be a retro-active carbon tax for businesses that use carbon-based energy. Revenue would establish a carbon-reduction Superfund controlled by the State of Vermont.
It states, “Under the Program, an entity or a successor in interest to an entity that was engaged in the trade or business of extracting fossil fuel or refining crude oil between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2019 would be assessed a cost recovery demand for the entity’s share of fossil fuel extraction or refinement contributing to greenhouse gas-related costs in Vermont.”
Bail and Conditions of Release (Tuesday, Senate Committee on Judiciary)
Legislative Counsel Benjamin Novogroski will discuss “Bail and Conditions of Release” according to the agenda. This could be important because there is a growing frustration among some Vermonters that the justice system is being too lenient by letting persons suspected or convicted of crimes back onto the streets.
In December of 2023 a legislative task force was looking into whether to eliminate cash bail.
The author is a writer for the Vermont Daily Chronicle