By Guy Page
The worker bees of the State House advocacy world are hard at working on solving the housing crisis – or, in some cases, helping their own cause while solving the housing crisis.
For example, the newly-formed Let’s Build Homes held a press conference Tuesday in the Cedar Creek Room to announce support for building 30,000 new homes by 2029. Organizer and press event headliner Miro Weinberger, developer and former mayor of Burlington (where he was fairly successful building new housing, compared to elsewhere) leads a coalition of the willing. But some reporters were wondering, how will they?
One answer: LBH advocates already working in the State House for coalition members plan to advise the Act 250 reform-created Land Use Review Board where and how to open up Vermont to Act 250 exemptions. Among the new Land Use Review Board responsibilities is transitioning Act 250 to location-based jurisdiction and creating new areas of Act 250 permit exemption.
Other advocates – for example, public transportation supporters – would link permitting to access to public transportation. Bad idea, says an advocate for builders: requiring access to bus routes (already in decline, even in suburban Chittenden County) would severely limit housing construction locations.
Overheard: Vermonters drinking less
Through the wonder of tech inventor Tom Evslin’s fabulous new website Goldendomevt.com, anyone can now poke their virtual noses into committee meetings and listen and read at will. This morning Wendy Knight, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery, told Senate Economic Development Committee that Vermonters are drinking less alcohol – but smoking more pot.
“We are actually projecting for FY ‘25 a one percent decline. Some of the reasons why people are consuming less alcohol, inflation is part of it, legalized cannabis, states that have legalized cannabis. People are choosing to avail themselves of legal cannabis products and not alcohol,” Knight said.
Those darn young folks are drinking less and toking/gummying more, Knight said.
“The younger demographic is choosing not to drink, not to drink as much. And so those are some trends that are impacting the consumption and the sale of alcohol.”
New bills: school consolidation, safe injection site repeal, and Human Rights Commission bills
The latest three bills to be introduced into the Vermont House are:
H.39, repeal of authorization of overdose prevention centers – sponsored by Rep. Eric Maguire (R-Rutland) and many other Republicans.
H.38, adding new positions to the Human Rights Commission – Rep. Kevin Christie (D-Hartford) and about two dozen other Democrat and/or Progressive legislators.
H.37, consolidation of Vermont’s school districts to align with career and technical education service regions – Rep. Jim Harrison (R-Chittenden).
Click here for all bills introduced in both House and Senate so far this year.