By Michael Bielawski

The Crossover deadline for bills that include money appropriations is March 22, this Friday. That means lawmakers must get those bills voted out of their original committee of jurisdiction by then or they will likely see no more action this year.

Committees this week will look at handing power over the State Education Board from the governor to the legislature, allowing a publicly created commission to discuss policy in private, overhauling penalties for using illicit drugs, and more. Agendas published weekly on the Legislature’s website are subject to change. The agenda for all the committees can be seen here.

Redistribution of power over education policy – S. 203 (Thursday, Senate Committee on Education) Sponsored by Sen. Martine Larocque Gulick, D-Chittenden Central, and others.

Professor Peter Teachout from Vermont Law School and Legislative Counsel Beth St. James, will speak. This bill “proposes to create a new appointment process for State Board of Education members by allowing the Governor four appointments, the Senate Committee on Committees three appointments, and the Speaker of the House three appointments.”

This is a shift from the current policy to let the governor choose all the board members. That could mean changes in policy as the legislature and governor are publicly at odds over the extent of education spending.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission to meet in private? – H. 649 (Tuesday, Senate Committee on Government Operations) Sponsored by Rep. Elizabeth Burrows, D/P-West Windsor.

This bill would allow for members on a publicly created commission to meet in private and it would allow initiatives discussed in affinity groups – groups segregated based on race – to keep private as well.

Its text says it would “create certain exemptions from the Open Meeting Law for meetings of the Commission and to permit commissioners to confer with each other; and to create a duty of confidentiality for participants in affinity groups organized by the Commission.”

Rep. Mike McCarthy, D-St. Albans, who is reporter for the House Committee On Government Operations and Military Affairs, and legislative counsel Damien Leonard will speak.

Office of Health Equity (Tuesday, Senate Committee on Health and Welfare)

There will be a “Continued discussion on the location of OHE.”

According to the state Department of Health, health equity “exists when all people have a fair and just opportunity to be healthy, especially those who have experienced socioeconomic disadvantage, historical injustice, and other avoidable systemic inequalities that are often associated with social categories of race, gender, ethnicity, social position, sexual orientation and disability.”

Banning flavored tobacco products and e-liquids – S.18 (Wednesday, Senate Committee on Health and Welfare) Sponsored by Sen. Virginia “Ginny” Lyons (D) Chittenden, and others.

VDC recently reported on the bill, stating “supporters say it promotes healthy Vermonters, saves millions in health care spending over the long run, and restricts targeting minorities and youth with unhealthy products. Critics say it unfairly targets a recreational product that is especially popular among minorities, and will cost the State of Vermont up to $14 million in lost tax revenue.”

Director and Chief Counsel Jennifer Carbee will speak.

Massive drug policy overhaul – H. 72 (Thursday, Senate Committee on Health and Welfare) Sponsored by Rep. Taylor Small, P/D-Winooski, and others.

This “act relating to a harm-reduction criminal justice response to drug use” proposes a number of major changes to the penalties that people face for using or dealing hard drugs.

The overhauls include getting rid of criminal and civil penalties for operating a “safer drug consumption program.” It also calls to repeal the “crack statute” and repeal the sunset for decriminalization of small amounts of buprenorphine.

It would also create a Drug Use Standards Advisory Board within the Vermont Sentencing Commission to determine limits for “personal use dosage and personal use supply for regulated drugs.”

It would have “the Sentencing Commission to use benchmark recommendations from the Drug Use Standards Advisory Board to make recommendations regarding adjustments in the amounts for possession, dispensing, and sale of regulated drugs.”

Transgender rights in the state Constitution? – Prop 4 (Tuesday, Senate Committee on Judiciary) Sponsored by Sen. Virginia “Ginny” Lyons, D-Chittenden, and others.

This is a “Declaration of rights; government for the people; equality of rights.” Its text includes, “the government must not deny equal treatment and respect under the law on account of a person’s race, ethnicity, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or national origin.”

Basic Needs and Livable Wage (Wednesday, Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs)

Julie Lowell who is a policy analyst for the Public Assets Institute will talk about what constitutes a livable wage.

According to Anika Heilweil of Burlington who works for PAI, she wrote in a recent commentary that Vermonters currently do not have adequate wages. She wrote for VtDigger, “In recent decades, wages for many Vermont residents have not kept up with the costs of living. Meanwhile, elected officials tell us that Vermont doesn’t have the money to make crucial public investments to take care of families, infrastructure and the environment.”

Right to Collectively Bargain – PR. 3 (Tuesday, Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing, and General Affairs) Sponsored by Sen. Nader Hashim, D-Windham, and others.

“This proposal would amend the Constitution of the State of Vermont to provide that the citizens of the State have a right to collectively bargain,” it states.

It continues, “That employees have a right to organize or join a labor organization for the purpose of collectively bargaining with their employer through an exclusive representative of their choosing for the purpose of negotiating wages, hours, and working conditions and to protect their economic welfare and safety in the workplace, and that a labor organization chosen to represent a group of employees shall have the right to collect dues from its members.”

Book policy for public libraries – S. 220 (Tuesday, Senate Committee on Education) Sponsored by Sen. Ruth Hardy, D-Addison, and others.

The bill intends to create “unenforceable contract provisions” for licensing “electronic literary products”. It would also force public libraries to “adopt policies governing the selection and reconsideration of library materials.”

There are several other initiatives including to apply “public safety statutes governing schools and school property” to public libraries and to “amend the governance structures and funding of public libraries.”

Legislative Counsel Beth St. James and State Librarian Catherine Delneo will speak.

Social Work Licensure Compact – H. 543 (Wednesday, Senate Committee on Health and Welfare) Sponsored by Rep. Brian Cina, P/D-Burlington, and others.

Legislative Counsel Katie McLinn and others will speak and Cina is invited. The bill states, “The purpose of this Compact is to facilitate interstate practice of regulated social workers by improving public access to competent social work services. The Compact preserves the regulatory authority of states to protect public health and safety through the current system of state licensure.”

Its text continues that it’s to achieve new efficiencies as different state’s social workers collaborate.

The author is a writer for the Vermont Daily Chronicle