by Don Keelan
As if the State of Vermont does not have enough legislature-sponsored “studies” underway, there is another one I did not know existed: the Vermont Truth and Reconciliation Commission. I will discuss the VTRC later.
On July 24th, the State Treasurer’s office placed the following RFI: “The State seeks input on the process and contractual services available to advise and assist the Agency (ANR) with Act 122 in establishing the Climate Superfund Cost Recovery.” This request is related to going after the big oil companies for causing climate damage to Vermont over the last 30 years.
Meanwhile, under Act 16, The Affordable Heat Act studies continue. Noted in the Manchester Journal on July 26th, “The Affordable Heat Act is an important step in ensuring that all Vermonters have access to low-cost, reliable heat and relief from the dramatic increases in heating fuel that we see year over year.”
In the same issue of the MJ, another study noted, “Our legislature has now set up the Commission on the Future of Public Education. Their work is already underway with a true sense of urgency. The examination of education spending and how we generate revenue for public schools is a top priority.”
Of course, we must not forget the ‘elephant in the room’ has its own study, better known as Act 167. In a release on July 8th, the Green Mountain Care Board noted: “Section 2 of Act 167(2022) requires that the GMCB, in collaboration with the Director of Health Care Reform in the Agency of Human Services, ‘develop and conduct a data-informed, patient-focused, community-inclusive engagement process for Vermont’s hospitals.”’
Well, underway since its adoption in 2022, under Act 128, the VTRC states in Section I of the Act, “examine and begin the process of dismantling institutional, structural, and systemic discrimination in Vermont, both past and present that has been caused by State laws and policies.”
The three VTRC-appointed commissioners, all full-time State employees, paid at one-half the salary of a Vermont Superior Court judge, or approximately $90,000 per year, have an inviting task.
The commissioners, along with their staff, must assess, through research, the damage done to “individuals who identify as Native American or Indigenous, and those with a physical, psychiatric or mental condition or disability.”
The study also covers “Black individuals and other individuals of color.” In addition, it covers our French Canadian, French-Indian.
According to the VTRC website, the make-up of the commissioners is a mixed-race black woman and a citizen of the Elnu Abenaki band. The third member has since resigned and the Commission is waiting for the approval of a new member.
This year’s Legislature adopted a $1.1 million budget for the Commission to cover the cost of the Commissioners, its executive director, legal counsel, researcher, and administrative assistant.
Unlike the other studies noted above, the work of this Commission is going back in time, centuries. According to one of its members, if it finds harm has been done, it will make recommendations for reparations, not solely financial. I have my doubts about this if Rep. Brian Cina, P/D Burlington and sponsor of the H.432 study, gains traction in the next legislative session. The bill addresses financial damage.
What exactly is going on in Vermont with all of these studies? One is to help us save on heating costs, another to save us from a double-digit education real estate tax increase, and another to help us with medical costs. One more will find out how to create a dollar figure to charge the big oil companies so the State will have funds to fix its years of neglected, crumbling infrastructure.
The above-noted studies come with sizable costs. In a report by the Joint Fiscal Office in March 2022, it was noted that the VTRC might cost $4,500,000 over its three-and-a-half-year life. One can only fathom what the other studies will cost.
I know I must disclose to a potential buyer of my home if there are any water issues (flooding). I assume that this is for full disclosure. Should I also inform my potential buyer that the State has crises in housing, out-of-control education taxes and medical costs, illegal drugs, homelessness, mental health, crime, and the possibility that the buyer may be asked to make reparations for actions taken generations ago?
I will stay positive and inform the buyer that the State is conducting ongoing studies.