As a final installment in my
Legislative Reports, I thought it would be good to highlight some of
the best work the legislature did as well as point out some areas
where we need to do more.
Water Quality
With cooperation and input from
Vermont's agricultural community, we passed legislation that will
help prevent agricultural runoff from small farms by controlling
discharges that could violate our water quality standards. New farmer
education and training requirements have been adopted. Accepted
Agricultural Practices (AAPs) will become Required Agricultural
Practices (RAPs) that all farms must follow. The Agency of
Agriculture will provide technical assistance to help farmers comply
and access financial resources to support necessary alterations.
Public Safety
The Legislature made considerable
progress in fortifying the safety of our citizens this year. We
strengthened the sex offender registry requirements, ensuring that
convicted sex offenders report updated information to the Department
of Public Safety prior to release from a correctional facility. Our
groundbreaking “Revenge Porn” bill made it a crime to disseminate
sexually explicit photographs or videos of individuals without their
consent and with the intent to harm. We helped law enforcement combat
drug trafficking by modifying rules related to the forfeiture of
assets used in perpetrating certain crimes. While we failed to
require background checks for all firearms purchases in Vermont, we
did manage to prohibit under Vermont law violent felons from owning
firearms and we required courts to submit the names of those whom a
judge has deemed to be a danger to themselves or others due to mental
illness to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System
(NICS).
Child Protection
The deaths of two children because of
abuse last year required an effective response by both the
administrative and legislative branches. In the past year,
prosecutors and the judiciary have seen an increase in the number of
petitions filed for both children in need of supervision and
termination of parental rights. No single agency or system can keep
all children safe from harm. Child protection is a community
responsibility requiring collaboration among the various departments
within DCF, families, the courts, treatment providers, other
stakeholders, and the public. Legislation that we passed this
session requires better communication between these stakeholders,
clarifies and strengthens the mandatory child abuse reporting law,
focuses on the best interests of children rather than a rigid
placement hierarchy, and enhances the penalties for those who harm
children with death or serious bodily injury resulting.
Energy Transformation
Over the past decade, Vermont has led
the nation with its energy efficiency programs, lowering both
electricity costs and rates. With this year’s Renewable Energy
Standard law, we will help Vermonters transform their energy use in
the heating and transportation sectors. The law will encourage a
shift in these sectors from fossil fuels to clean electricity, reduce
carbon emissions, and save Vermonters money. As envisioned under
this law, homes will be well insulated and tightly sealed; appliances
and heat sources, such as air source heat pumps, will be highly
efficient; electric vehicles will harness local sources of clean
energy and reduce carbon-emissions in transportation. Solar and other
forms of renewable electricity will provide the clean power to
replace fossil fuel energy and reduce transmission and distribution
costs for all Vermonters.
Education
Vermont’s public schools enrollment
has declined for nearly two decades. Since 1997, public schools in
Vermont are down more than 24,000 pupils, but staffing levels have
remained relatively constant, and education spending and taxes have
continued to climb. The Education System Reform legislation passed
this year attempts to address the problem of student population
decline and rising costs by promoting district consolidation while
improving student access to the education they need to succeed in
tomorrow's economy. Another focus of cost reduction is teacher
health insurance. A working group led by the Director of Health Care
Reform will be formed to consider alternatives available to school
districts, supervisory unions, and their employees to address the
high cost of health care and recommend options that will avoid
triggering the federal tax on high-cost, employer-sponsored insurance
plans (referred to as the “Cadillac Tax”). Among other options,
the Director is required to consider the possibility of transitioning
to plans offered through Vermont Health Connect, the Vermont
Education Health Initiative, and other means. While these moves are
in the positive direction, the property tax burden of funding
education has not changed. Several proposals for alternative funding
are still being considered, but they will have to wait until next
year.
Budget Reform
While the legislature always passes a
balanced budget, the approach the budget committee took this year was
a significant step toward bending the growth in state spending and
creating long-term budget sustainability. This session, we made
significant progress in reducing the rate of increase in Corrections,
Buildings and General Services, and Public Safety budgets.
Continuing reductions in federal support, growing demand for services
and investment in public infrastructure, and slower economic growth
has spurred the Legislature to adopt five new fiscal goals:
1. Reduce reliance on the use of
“onetime” money.
2. Move toward budgeting less than 100%
of projected revenue.3. Include assessment of future year costs as part of assessing programs and budget proposals.
4. Explore moving to a two-year budget process.
5. Expand the use of Results Based Accountability measurements throughout state government.
I can be reached by phone
(802-233-5238) or by email (myantachka.dfa@gmail.com).
