The unofficial slogan of the U.S. Marine Corps is “Improvise,
Adapt, Overcome.” When faced with the unexpected,
the success of a mission requires the ability to change tactics quickly. The
COVID-19 crisis has certainly been unexpected and has forced us to adapt our
lifestyle quickly. The last two weeks also marked a significant shift in the
work of the Vermont legislature. The leadership of all three parties - Democrat,
Republican and Progressive - worked hard to keep abreast of the state's efforts
to manage the Coronavirus (COVID-19) emergency and figure out a way to keep the
legislature working. Daily meetings of
the Joint Rules Committee, chaired by Senator Tim Ashe, got updates from the
heads of departments and agencies via conference calls that were open to the
public. These calls were regularly attended by other legislators and were the
source of my communications with you on Front Porch Forum. Last Wednesday the
House, by a quorum of legislators who made a special trip to Montpelier being
careful to maintain "social distancing", changed its rules to allow
remote voting both in committee and on the floor, matching what the Senate had
approved the week before. Following that vote House committees began meeting
online to conduct the business of taking testimony on bills.
As we all settle in to maintain Governor Scott's "Stay
home, stay safe" directive, we all have questions about how long this will
last, how our incomes will be affected, when the kids will go back to school,
how our small businesses will stay afloat, and so forth. There is no definite
answer to these questions, but recent actions taken by the state and by the
federal government have provided some certainty to some of them. During the
brief session last Wednesday, the House also approved two bills in concurrence
with the Senate amendments to support both working Vermonters who are forced to
stay home and our health care system and workers who are on the front lines of
defense against COVID-19.
Employees are immediately eligible for unemployment benefits
and their employers are held harmless from Unemployment Insurance (UI) rate
increases. While childcare centers have
been ordered closed, a certain number will remain open to serve families where
both parents are essential workers, a designation determined by the
administration. The provider tax on medical providers, including hospitals, is
being abated during the emergency, and emergency authority is given to the
Departments of Financial Regulation and the to react to evolving needs,
including considering requiring insurance companies to eliminate copays for any
prescriptions during the crisis. Testing for COVID-19 according to Department
of Health guidelines will be free. The healthcare workforce will be boosted by
temporarily relaxing licensing rules, and delivery of health care services by
telemedicine will be reimbursable by insurance companies.
Because self-employed persons do not pay into the UI Fund,
they are not currently eligible for unemployment benefits. However, the COVID-19 relief legislation
passed by Congress will extend benefits to self-employed and "gig-economy"
workers as well as boost the maximum UI benefit by $600. Each adult will also
receive a $1200 federal check and $500 per dependent child. The legislation
provides $2 Trillion that will include aid for businesses, hospitals and
states. Vermont will receive $1.25B for
COVIID-19 expenditures. The aid is not
intended for revenue replacement, however, and can only be used for
expenditures not in the most recent budget.
This still leaves Vermont and other states in a precarious position
since expected revenues will be impacted due to the economic shutdown
jeopardizing existing programs.
While individuals will be receiving some income from the
state and federal government depending on their situation, it may not be enough
to continue meeting monthly payments for rent, mortgage, utilities, etc. Federal legislation has put a moratorium on
foreclosures of federally backed mortgages and on evictions. In Vermont the
Judicial system has made it clear that during the COVID-19 emergency, when
everyone must stay at home, evictions will not be processed. Vermont banks have
also agreed not to proceed with foreclosures for delinquent mortgage payments
for the next 90 days. To be clear, however, this does not mean that rents or
mortgages are forgiven. They will still
have to be paid in full after the emergency ends. Furthermore, if homeowners or renters can
afford to pay, they are encouraged to do so in order to make future payment
easier on themselves and provide cash flow to help landlords meet their
obligations.
This will be a trying time for all of us. As I told my granddaughter, by keeping
ourselves and each other safe with social distancing and willingness to help
when needed and able, we will come out stronger in the end. Be well and stay
safe.
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