Disputed House race, Budget Adjustment Act, delinquency age, and judicial nominees also on committee agendas

By Guy Page

The State House pomp and circumstance, such as it was, happened last week. As the first full week of the Vermont Legislature gets underway, don’t expect the weekly committee schedule to include many (if any) Big Bills. This week, committees will be meeting the leaders of the state government agencies they oversee. 

For example, House Agriculture will meet farmer, former WCAX news anchor, and Secretary Anson Tebbets of the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets – and eight of his most senior leaders. 

In a scenario that will play out across the Legislature’s committees, the administration leaders will offer a brief education on their agencies and departments under committee jurisdiction.  Lawmakers will listen and ask questions. Both will put names to faces and build rapport, the better to get their work done.

Exceptions to this ‘getting to know you’ phase this week include:

Unresolved House race: At 1 PM tomorrow, House General will hear from state officials about the Bennington-1 House election, which Republican Bruce Busa lost by 23 votes, only to learn that local officials had mistakenly assigned 56 voters to an adjacent district. Busa and Bennington GOP Chair Joe Gervais want a re-election for the 56 voters, whereas the Secretary of State wants the whole district to vote again. 

It’s up to the House to decide how to proceed. The House could simply vote on who it thinks is the winner. Right now it’s unclear what the committee will do other than listen. 

Budget Adjustment Act: House Appropriations will discuss the Budget Adjustment Act Tuesday afternoon. The BAA is a mid-year tweak to the year’s budget to address unforeseen needs. 

Affordable Heat Act review – The House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee will review the progress of the 2023 Affordable Heat Act. 

Overdose prevention site update – Burlington city official Joe Magee will provide an update on the so-called ‘safe injection site’ pilot project Tuesday afternoon in House Human Services. 

H.2, increasing minimum age for delinquency – H.2, introduced on the first day of the Legislature would increase the minimum age, from 10 years old to 12, for a person to be found a juvenile delinquent. House Judiciary will discuss Thursday afternoon. 

Judicial nomination hearings – Friday, Jan. 17 Senate Judiciary will hold nomination hearings for the following judge nominees:

• Judge Joseph McLean, Superior Court Judge

• Judge Jessica Seman, Family Magistrate

• Judge Laura Rowntree, Superior Court Judge

• Judge Dana DiSano, Superior Court Judge

• Judge Bonnie Badgewick, Superior Court Judge,

• Judge Timothy Doherty, Superior Court Judge.

All committee schedules can be ready on the Vermont Legislature website.