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Senator Peter Welch: Listening Session on Expanding Rural Opportunity 05/28/2024

From the Office of Senator Welch:

Senator Peter Welch hosts a Listening Session in Winooski with community members and local leaders to discuss the progress Congress and the Biden-Harris Administration has made in advancing economic opportunity in rural America, and what more needs to be done to make our communities more affordable, our businesses more successful, and our families healthier and safer.

Senator Welch, Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy, is working to advance efforts to expand access to affordable housing, combat the overdose crisis, build out broadband, and lower health care and energy costs. The Senate’s recently unveiled Farm Bill, the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act, includes several priorities for rural communities championed by Senator Welch that strengthen Vermont’s farms, rural communities, and families.   

Under the Dome: Public Safety & Criminal Justice - Gun Control, Retail Theft, Drug Use Prosecution, and 'Raise the Age' 05/20/2024

Host Bobby Lussier, CCTV's Development Director, speaks with Representative Martin LaLonde and Representative Angela Arsenault about public safety.

To contact your local representative, you can find their contact information on the State's website. 

Senator Peter Welch: Roundtable on Rising Costs of Health Care and Prescription Drugs Ahead of Senate Hearing 05/17/2024

From the Office of Senator Welch:

On Friday, Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) convenes Vermont business owners and employers to discuss the rising costs of health care and prescription drugs. The roundtable comes ahead of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing examining prescription drug prices, competition, and innovation, and how to ensure medications are accessible and affordable for Americans.

Senator Welch has championed initiatives to lower prescription drug prices for Vermonters. This year, Senator Welch led the introduction of new bipartisan, bicameral legislation to streamline prescription drug patent litigation, encourage fair market competition, and lower prescription drug prices.

Senator Bernie Sanders: HELP Committee in Hearing on Dental Crisis in America 05/16/2024

From the Office of Senator Bernie Sanders:

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today at 10:00 a.m. ET, will lead the committee in a hearing titled, “Examining the Dental Care Crisis in America: How Can We Make Dental Care More Affordable and More Available?”.

Today in America, nearly 70 million adults and nearly 8 million children have no dental insurance and many of those who do have dental insurance find that coverage to be totally inadequate. More than 40 percent of children in America have tooth decay by the time they reach kindergarten, and about half of our nation’s seniors have no dental insurance. One out of five seniors are missing all their natural teeth and cannot afford a full set of dentures, which can cost many thousands of dollars. Estimates show 70 percent of older Americans have some sort of periodontal disease which can lead to rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular disease.

This crisis affects Americans of all ages and is only getting worse, hitting rural communities and low-income families the hardest. According to the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, there were 1.8 million visits to emergency rooms across the country for preventative dental conditions in 2019 – a 62% increase from 2014.

Speakers include:

  • Lisa Simon, MD, DMD, Associate Physician, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Member of the Faculty, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
  • Myechia Minter-Jordan, MD, MBA, President and CEO, CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, Boston, MA
  • Brian Jeffrey Swann, DMD, MPH, Board of Directors, Remote Area Medical (RAM), Co-Chair, Global Oral Health Outreach, National Dental Association, Rockford, TN
  • Gordon Roswell Isbell, III, DMD, MAGD, Past Trustee, Academy of General Dentistry, Gadsden, AL
  • Debra Sacco, DMD, MD, District III Trustee, American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, Chapel Hill, NC

Under the Dome: Healthcare: Expansion of Medicaid & Dr. Dynosaur, Addiction Recovery, Mental Health Resources, Flavored Tobacco (Senate) 05/13/2024

Host Bobby Lussier, CCTV's Development Director, speaks with Senator Virginia "Ginny" Lyons and Senator Martine Gulick about healthcare.

To contact your local representative, you can find their contact information on the State's website. 

Under the Dome: Healthcare: Expansion of Medicaid & Dr. Dynosaur, Addiction Recovery, Mental Health Resources, Flavored Tobacco (House) 05/13/2024

Host Bobby Lussier, CCTV's Development Director, speaks with Representative Daisy Berbeco, Representative Rey Garofano, and Representative Alyssa Black about healthcare.

To contact your local representative, you can find their contact information on the State's website. 

Community Media Public Benefit Bill: H.575 and S.181: Vermont Senate Committee on Government Operations - Discussion of S.55 Update to Open Meeting Law 05/10/2024

Discussion of S.55 Update to Open Meeting Law at the Senate Committee on Government Operations.

On Thursday, the Senate Government Operations Committee was scheduled to meet to go over the bill, but they could not get a quorum because most of the members were on conference committees that were meeting at the same time. However, Chair Ruth Hardy and Senator Tanya Vyhovsky met unofficially (and thus, not streamed) to get a walkthrough of the House changes to the bill. Senator Vyhovsky was very upset with a few of the changes and asked if they could have a conference committee. However, they did not want the bill to die because of there not being enough time. Senator Hardy agreed to find out if a conference committee was possible, with the back-up plan of accepting the House changes in order to get the bill all the way through to final passage. On FRIDAY, the Senate concurred officially with the House proposal of amendment, so this bill will be headed to the Governor’s desk sometime soon.

S.55 as Passed by the Senate:
https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2024/Docs/BILLS/S-0055/S-0055%20As%20Passed%20by%20the%20Senate%20Unofficial.pdf

Community Media Public Benefit Bill: H.575 and S.181: Vermont House Committee on Ways and Means - Discussion of H.657 Modernize Vermont’s Communications Taxes and Fees 05/09/2024

Discussion of H.657 a bill meant to modernize Vermont's communications taxes and fees at the House Committee on Ways and Means.

On Thursday, the House Ways & Means Committee reviewed the Senate’s proposal of amendment, and voted unanimously to concur.

Then also on THURSDAY, the House Floor voted to concur with the Senate’s proposal of amendment, sending the bill to the Governor. 

H.657 Amendment:
https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2024/WorkGroups/House%20Ways%20and%20Means/Bills/H.657/H.657~Gabrielle%20Stebbins~Stebbins%20Amendment~3-26-2024.pdf

Community Media Public Benefit Bill: H.575 and S.181: Vermont Senate Committee on Appropriations - Discussion of H.657 Modernize Vermont’s Communications Taxes and Fees 05/08/2024

Discussion of H.657 a bill meant to modernize Vermont's communications taxes and fees at the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

On Wednesday, the bill had second reading on the Senate floor - Senators Chittenden and Wrenner offered amendments. Senator Chittenden’s amendment was adopted and third reading was ordered on a voice vote. The bill now includes an inventory for the right-of-way in Vermont, but scaled back dramatically from the level of thoroughness and detail the Finance Committee had been considering, due to cost and cybersecurity concerns. The updates to the USF fund and the per line charge remain intact.

H.657: Senator Chittenden Amendment Draft 1.1, 5-6-2024:
https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2024/WorkGroups/Senate%20Finance/Bills/H.657/Drafts,%20Amendments,%20Other%20Legal%20Documents/H.657~Maria%20Royle~%20Senator%20Chittenden%20Amendment%20Draft%201.1,%205-6-2024~5-7-2024.pdf

On THURSDAY, the Senate passed the 3rd reading of H.657 on a voice vote, sending the bill back to the House as amended.

Side-by-Side of House/Senate versions:
https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2024/WorkGroups/House%20Ways%20and%20Means/Bills/H.657/W~Maria%20Royle~H.657%20House%20Senate%20Comparison~5-9-2024.pdf

Community Media Public Benefit Bill: H.575 and S.181: Vermont House Caucus of the Whole - Discussion of VAN FY25 Request 05/08/2024

Discussion of VAN FY25 Request at the House Caucus of the Whole.

On Wednesday, during the House Caucus of the Whole, Representative Burrows asked whether $1million for VAN is new money or if it was funded by the general fund previously. Representative Lanpher said the House had it as a one time investment via the Secretary of State but that the Senate found $1million more in base moving forward - she said it was a very good thing.

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