Hunting/trapping supporters showed up at the State House. Bill supporters, not so much
By Guy Page
The long-predicted demise of the latest legislative effort to wrest control of the Fish & Wildlife Board out of the hands of hunters finally happened Thursday, when the House Environment & Energy Committee decided to not vote out to the House floor the controversial hunting bill, S.258.
The bill would have taken hunting, fishing and trapping rulemaking authority away from the appointed Fish & Wildlife Board and given it to the Department of Fish & Wildlife. It was the brainchild of Sen. Chris Bray (D-Addison), written after a legislative rules committee last year lost its battle to get the Fish & Wildlife Board to impose stricter trapping regulations.
In addition to the rule-making switch, the bill would have banned coyote hunting with dogs and live bait.
S.258 has “passed away,” committee member Rep. Brian Smith, R-Orleans-1, told the Caledonian-Record. The end came after the committee took days of testimony on the bill.
Legislators opposing S.258 said that with the Supermajority under fire over school spending, renewable power bills adding to homeowner energy costs, and and its half-hearted efforts to solve the housing shortage crisis, many lawmakers didn’t want “to make S.258 their hill to die on,” in the words of one Republican state senator.
S.258 supporters say non-hunting wildlife lovers are on the rise, especially with the Covid-19-related influx of urban northeasterners to Vermont. If so, it didn’t translate into large numbers of people showing up at the State House. Their press conferences were thinly attended. On the other hand, powerful in-person advocacy by sportsmen – including repeated visits by large groups of camo-clad Vermonters to the State House cafeteria – played a large role in defeating S.258, Smith said.
“I think the majority (of Democrats) didn’t want to take it up in an election year with all the sportsmen voters out there defending Vermont traditions,” said Rep. Smith, of Derby. The lifelong hunter didn’t support the bill.
S.258 passed the Senate with a veto-proof majority, but only after last-minute amendments by Bray diluted its two main goals: taking rule-making power from the governor and the Fish & Wildlife Board, and banning or severely restricting trapping.
It’ll be back next year – Advocates for S.258 will try again next year, said one of its supporters and a frequent VDC commenter, Kathleen Gaffney. “As I’m sure you already know, and it will eventually be reworked & introduced again,” she emailed VDC yesterday.
Discover more from Vermont Daily Chronicle
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Categories: Legislation, Outdoors
will the coy drama ever end///
“.. powerful in-person advocacy … – including repeated visits by large groups of …. Vermonters to the State House cafeteria – played a large role in defeating” this bill.
See what works! Let us learn from this victory and repeat it again and again. We need to show up in person – in the thousands if the people will – to keep the pressure on the legislature, and not only in regards to this issue but in regards to ALL of the other destructive legislation the super majority is shoving down our throats. They’re destroying Vermont and they need to know we’re not taking it lying down!
Where Vermonters concerned about rights and traditions really need to show up to is the polls this November…
Why can’t we just replace all those out of touch democrats with REAL republicans so we can not worry about what new pain and stupidity they will inflict next session.
As Yogi Berra said “it ain’t over till it’s over” and these disingenuous dirt bags will be back next year, like the creepin’ crud that they are. The leaders (like Chris Bray) of this attempt to do away with a Vermont citizen’s rights to “hunt and fowl” as stated in the state constitution, need to be voted out of office. Ahh for the good ole days when Addison Co. (and pretty much the rest of the state) was populated by native Vermont farmers who ran for public office, and upon winning a seat in legislature did their duty, and went to Montpelier every other year for 6 weeks, and then went home, back to the farm where they were to busy to allow their time to be impinged on by lobbyists, and other special interest influencers. They talked to their family, friends, and neighbors, and met with the rest of the people in their town once a year at Town Meetings. They respected the Constitutions, both state, and federal. They voted their constituents’ concerns, and did not assume the lofty position of benevolent overseer of the plebs, as present day “representatives” do. As I said, Ahh for the good ole days !
Very well stated Pat, and I SO agree. I remember those days-when Vermont was still Vt. My Grandfather G was one of those farmers.
Totally agree, including with the call by other commenters for voters to replace these commies. But therein lies the rub. How can we vote to replace them if our elections are not secure from fraud (mail-in) and tampering electronically by the organizations (ERIC) and the machines (Diebold, Dominion, Smartmatic, etc.) that are connected to the internet and outside special interests given access by our partisan election officials. Note how our secretary of state is currently giving talks throughout the state promoting rank choice voting. This is unconstitutional and should be cause for impeachment/recall.
take back vermont has more signs in a warehouse/// repeated groups at the state house costs a lot of money and time which is not being paid back/// most people can not afford to do this and the crooks in the state house know this//// vote these ba..ards out///
That makes the most sense. I remember how much I loved living here until sometime after the ’70’s when the dems started taking over. We went from beautiful farm and wooded scenery to vast fields of solar panels to replace a very efficient nuclear plant.
Well, Vermont Sportsmen & Sportswomen this kind of legislation and policy nonsense that happens when you vote in carpetbaggers, or you don’t voice your opinion by voting they hate your way of life and traditions, you don’t have to believe
me, check their BIO’s…………………………….
If you want to stop this kind of nonsense, let your voice be heard, and vote these clowns out and send them back from where they came from !! So pack up all your freedom-loving friends & relatives and VOTE !!
This may end this year, but they’ll be back as soon as they think they are safe to promote this kind of nonsense.
My take…Sen Chris Bray, Dem from Addison, whose actions resulted in wasted days of testimony, days that could have been spent on more serious issues, that benefited the citizens of Vermont, and not some leftist personal agenda, thereby costing the taxpayers a lot of money, so why doesn’t the Republican State Committee find a good candidate to run for Sen Chris Bray’s seat, targeting him for removal?
That issue can be used as a fundraiser to target other activist leftists seats, and to raise interest in possible candidates to take them out in the polling both?
People have had enough so the State Committee needs to strike while the iron is hot.
Have they been cowed so much by the left that they dare not poke their head out of the bunker?
What do these people on the GOP State Committee do to suppress this opposition…roll over and pass the Vaseline around?
Inquiring minds want to know!
Sen Chris Bray, Dem from Addison? How about Chris Bray, from New Britain, Connecticut ? An interesting foot note I found in WIKIPEDIA pertaining to Sen. Bray,
“Among the projects on which Bray worked was editing and publishing the autobiography of former governor Jim Douglas, 2014’s The Vermont Way.” What would this disingenuous politition know about “The Vermont Way” ? That, is laughable !
Interesting…Gentleman Jim Douglas (R) book deal is connected to Chris Bray (D) from Connecticut, who is now a Senator in Addison County – Jim’s stomping grounds? Collaborators and co-conspirators – uniparty.
It’s sad that Vermonters have to count the failure of an outrageous, unconstitutional power-grab as a victory. Especially as the citizens of this great state have been abused so badly in other areas (schools, gun control, health “care” to name a few).
I really wish there were candidates I could support this November. The sorry state of the tweedledee party makes it impossible to fight the insanity of the tweedledums.
It’s important to scrutinize every candidate…
I’m sure people are sick of me saying this but at some point we are going to wake up and realize just because people are running for office doesn’t qualify them to be an office..
As if S.258 is the straw on the backs of Vermonters that will make us want to vote them out when so much damage has been done during this election year.
Whatever it takes Renee. If this is the straw which breaks your camel’s back, so be it . Welcome aboard !
Different backs break under different straws. Broken Back Brotherhood, unite!
S I M P L E , vote red all the time!
God bless🙏🙏 The one’s that spoke out against S.258 and please vote out the one’s that Supported it !! PLEASE remember in November on or before!!
Get your family, friends and neighbors registered and get out and VOTE Red,Red, Red, Red vote Red period folks Get-R-Done Patriots Get-R-Done 👍🇺🇸🗽🇺🇸👍