State official: keeping up with new legislation a problem of “crisis-level proportions”

Guy Page

House Democrats want to ensure the State of Vermont’s executive branch and local government are carrying out what the Legislature intended.

Democrats held a press conference at 9:15 AM Tuesday focusing on “ensuring government accountability and transparency by assessing the effectiveness of state programs, commissions, and initiatives,” according to the press release. As advertised, House Democrats announced today that on Thursday, Government Operations Committee will discuss H.67, Legislative operations and government accountability.

H.67 would create a non-partisan Joint Oversight and Accountability Committee, to ensure better accountability.

Exhibit A of the need for this bill is the Scott administration’s failure (as claimed by House Human Services Chair) Theresa Wood to fully implement the emergency shelter for the homeless program as outlined in law last year. Also, the legislature wants to know more about how well the administration is spending the $120 million raised by the new payroll tax funding child care programs.

“Our responsibility as lawmakers is to ensure that the policies we put in place truly serve Vermonters,” said Rep. Matt Birong, Chair of the House Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs. “That means carefully reviewing whether the programs we fund are achieving their intended goals and making informed decisions about their continuation or reform.”

Another example – in recent years, House Democrats have bemoaned the State’s failure to complete a flood control dam safety checklist as required by state law. State Auditor Doug Hoffer has said, in effect, don’t expect his tiny staff to oversee the effectiveness of every program in state government.

A senior official, speaking off the record, told VDC the problem isn’t a lack of will or skill on the part of the executive branch. The problem is the plethora of promulgated legislation passed in recent years. Almost every bill requires a new or tweaked regulation. Many require extensive state assistance just to write new regulations, such as the Clean Heat Standard and Act 250. Implementation and oversight are costly, too.

In short, state government is “under-resourced and over-obligated” trying to keep up, the official said. It’s a problem of “crisis level proportions,” he said.

When asked by VDC at the press conference if recent legislatures have placed an undue burden on the state’s regulatory capacity, House Democrats Tuesday morning repeated that it’s the Legislature’s job to set policy and provide funds, and the executive branch’s job to deliver what the Legislature wants.

The initiative aims to be objective and non-political, addressing both state agencies and municipal compliance with state directives, House Democrats said. The review is prompted by the substantial funds allocated during the pandemic and the need to ensure effective and efficient use of public funds.

‘The caucus will focus on legislation that requires systematic evaluations of government initiatives to determine their impact and effectiveness. The goal is to ensure that taxpayer money is spent wisely and that efforts are not wasted on ineffective or redundant programs.

“If a commission, committee, or working group isn’t reaching its set policy goals, if a program isn’t fulfilling its statutory objectives, or if a well-meaning initiative lacks clear progress, then it is time to reconsider and make necessary changes,” Birong continued. “Vermonters deserve a government that holds itself accountable and ensures that every dollar and every hour spent delivers real results.”

Guv’s plan funds all students at $13,200/year – Rep. Carolyn Branagan (R-Fairfax/Georgia), member of House Ways & Means, unveils the per-pupil funding proposed in Gov. Scott’s education reform plan:

“A foundation plan would start with schools receiving a base amount  of money for every child. The base amount is a standard amount that the district receives, a floor amount for each student,” Branagan writes. “The Governor proposes $13,200. Then to help children with special needs, a ‘weight’ would be added to their base amount. This would give the district more money to educate the children who need the extra support. Weights  would be for :economically disadvantaged .75% , English language learners 1.5%, career and tech students 1.3% and preschool now counted as 1. Previously the preschoolers were weighted at less than one. So the weights are based on student need, school scale and district scarcity.”

By the way, Birong has introduced a bill to counter Scott’s plan for five mega-school districts. H.122 proposes a less ambitious consolidation of up to 25 school districts. More on this in VDC by tomorrow. 

Judicial retention committee to meet – The legislative joint committee determining which sitting state judges shall be re-appointed upon the expiration of their terms will meet Wednesday afternoon. 

Rather than appoint judges for life or having them stand for election and re-election, Vermont appoints judges to set terms of service in a process overseen by the Legislature. 

One committee comprised of legislators, Bar Association members, and gubernatorial appointees – the Judicial Nominating Committee – selects candidates for state judges, who are then voted on by the Legislature. 

But once appointed, should the judges serve another term? That’s the job of the Legislature’s Judicial Retention Committee, which will meet 4:30 PM February 5 in Room 30 of the Vermont State House. The committee is comprised of five Democrats and four Republicans from both chambers:

• Rep. Angela Arsenault (D-Williston)
• Rep. Thomas Oliver (R-Sheldon)
• Rep. Conor Casey (D-Montpelier)
• Rep. Alicia Malay (R-D Pittsford)
• Sen. Ruth Hardy (D-Addison)
• Sen. Brian Collamore (R-Rutland)
• Sen. Martine Larocque Gulick (D-Chittenden)
• Sen. Terry Williams (R-Rutland)