Week 14 Legislative Update

Please join us for our next community conversation June 1st from 8:30am to 10:00 am at The Nest located at 17 Main St in the Village.  We will provide a wrap up of the session (hopefully!) and answer questions.  Come early, come late – stay for 10 minutes, stay for the whole time. Hope to see you there!

A few of the bills we passed last week (there were 6 total) include:

H207 an act relating to approving an amendment to the charter of the City of Montpelier regarding non-citizen voting in City elections.  This approval, if passed by the Senate, will allow legal non-citizens to vote in city elections. 

S.49 a bill that regulates PFAS in drinking water and surface waters in Vermont on a vote of 135-1.  This bill establishes regulatory monitoring of drinking waters to ensure that Vermonters remain safe and manufacturers are held accountable for their waste.   On or before December 1, 2019 all public water systems in Vermont will be required to conduct monitoring for PFAS. 

S.68 which changes the name of the legal holiday from Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day.

This week:
We will take up on the House floor S.86 which proposes to raise the legal age for buying and using cigarettes, electronic cigarettes and other tobacco products from 18 to 21 years of age.  The goal of S.86 is to reduce tobacco use by youth and protect developing brains, uniquely vulnerable to the effects of nicotine and nicotine addiction.  The Surgeon General predicts that 10,000 Vermont youth alive today will die prematurely of tobacco-related illnesses if we fail to change course. 

In the House Health Care Committee we will continue our discussion on a bill to license ambulatory surgical centers in Vermont and hear testimony on electronic medical records.
 
As I’m sure all have heard the Senate passed out a bill to tax and regulate marijuana which is now working its way through the appropriate committees in the House.  I welcome feedback on this measure – should it pass? With certain restrictions? With specific prevention or safety measures?   Please email me at lhoughton@leg.state.vt.us.

Thank you for the continued opportunity to serve Essex Junction. 
Lori Houghton