PUC member and wife of Sen. Peter Welch up for reappointment

Senate Committee to take up Legislature-exempt government ethics bill

Public Utilities Commissioner Margaret Cheney (left) is up for Senate reappointment Tuesday. A bill solidifying the role of the Office of the Vermont Health Care Advocate (at right, with HCA Mike Fisher in back row center) also is on the agenda.

By Guy Page

The Vermont Senate will meet Tuesday morning, April 8 at 9:30 AM to consider reappointing top Scott administration appointees, including the wife of Sen. Peter Welch. The upper chamber also will consider legislation about rate hike transparency, the Office of Health Care Advocate and miscellaneous agricultural issues.

According to the Senate Calendar for April 8, One of the key pieces of legislation is H. 80, an act relating to the Office of the Health Care Advocate. The Committee on Health and Welfare, through Sen. Martine Gulick (D-Chittenden), has recommended this bill favorably with a proposed amendment. 

The amendment would require the Green Mountain Care Board to make public all materials in the record of a rate review proceeding after redacting any information or other material that the Board determines to be confidential or otherwise subject to protection from disclosure by law.

The bill aims to solidify the role of the Office of the Health Care Advocate [established in 1998] as an independent voice for Vermonters, dedicated to promoting access to high-quality and affordable health care. Its responsibilities include assisting consumers with health insurance matters, advocating for their rights, and addressing their concerns with entities like the Green Mountain Care Board and the Department of Financial Regulation.

‘The bill states that “The Office of the Health Care Advocate is established as an independent voice for Vermonters that is dedicated to promoting access to high-quality, affordable health care for all” and reaffirms current law that “The Agency of Human Services shall maintain the Office of the Health Care Advocate by contract with any nonprofit organization” – currently Vermont Legal Aid.

The current Health Care Advocate is former Rep. Michael Fisher. 

The Senate will also consider S. 124, an act relating to miscellaneous agricultural subjects. This bill, having been reported favorably with a recommended amendment by Sen. Ruth Hardy (D-Addison) for the Committee on Natural Resources and Energy, focuses on the Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets’ regulation of agricultural water quality. It addresses the coordination between the state’s agriculture and natural resources agencies concerning agricultural pollution, including nonpoint source pollutants and concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). 

The legislation includes provisions regarding farm practices, permits for farm operations, and the establishment of a CAFO program under the Secretary of Natural Resources in accordance with the federal Clean Water Act. A community stakeholder group will also be involved in the implementation of this program.

The Senate is also set to consider several confirmations, including Beth Fastiggi for Commissioner of Human Resources and Wanda Minoli for Commissioner of Building and General Services. 

Notably, Margaret Cheney’s appointment to the Public Utilities Commission will be considered separately. Cheney, a journalist and former member of the Vermont House of Rrepresentatives (Vice-Chair, Natural Resources and Energy), is the wife of Sen. Peter Welch. 

A notice from the Joint Fiscal Committee reveals a land donation to the Agency of Natural Resources to expand the Lord State Forest. The calendar also outlines important crossover deadlines for bills to advance during the legislative session.

A bill that the citizen advocacy group Campaign for Vermont says would allow legislators to exempt themselves from ethics oversight is up for a key vote on Tuesday in the Senate Government Operations Committee. 

The bill, H.1, proposes to exempt the legislature from the requirement to consult with the Executive Director of the State Ethics Commission regarding any complaints referred to them by the Commission. See CFV’s full analysis of the bill…

“We worked last year to increase the Ethics Commission’s oversight of the legislative and judicial branches and lawmakers are already trying to shrug off this oversight! This is exactly the opposite of what we should be doing,” CFV spokesperson Ben Kinsley said. “Vermont needs stronger ethics oversight for all three branches of government, not weaker. We are at a time when trust in government institutions is at an all-time low, the solution is more sunlight, not less.

CFV said that 43 other states have given their Ethics Commissions full enforcement powers (well beyond just consultation). The Coalition for Public Integrity ranks Vermont in the bottom ten states for anti-corruption measures, citing that the oversight authority (Ethics Commission) has “limited or no power.”

Contact your senators:

This story was prepared with assistance from Notebook LM.