Union critical of latest version of collective bargaining bill

The American Federation of Teachers is unhappy with the latest version of a bill that would allow some child care providers to collectively bargain with the state.

The bill squeaked out of the House Committee on Human Services on Friday with a 6-5 vote.

The bill was scaled back significantly compared to when it was introduced. It now applies to about 1,500 home-based child care providers rather than about 7,000 providers and workers. Child care centers and the workers there are no longer included in the bill. The American Federation of Teachers, the union that has pushed hard for the bill, said excluding the centers is "extremely disappointing."

Here's a statement from Andrew Tripp, the executive director of AFT-Vermont.   

"It is extremely disappointing, and makes little sense, that child care centers were excluded; it leaves too many children, through their providers, without a voice. The voice that appeared to ring the loudest with the legislators was from the large corporate-like centers in Chittenden County, who used their limited resources to hire lobbyists to silence the voices of the smaller centers with fewer resources."

He continued:

 "We hope this silencing is merely temporary as we move through the next steps of the legislative process. Legislators must recognize the expertise of all early educators as a whole and include them in H.97. All providers will remain focused on getting to the table to lend their expertise to the shared efforts of improving the child care delivery system."

Rep. Ann Pugh, who chairs the committee, said yesterday that the other states that have allowed childcare workers to collectively bargain have excluded childcare centers and that's the method that has proven to increase the quality of early education.  

The bill would allow child care workers to bargain with the state to get higher subsidies, which are a crucial source of funding for the industry.

Rules committee gives green light to pot dispensaries bill

A Senate Rules Committee voted 5-0 to let a bill go to the Senate floor that would allow two marijuana dispensaries to set up shop in Vermont.

The committee took a vote Thursday morning that held up the legislation for a few hours, leaving lawmakers and lobbyists who are supportive of the bill working to make sure the legislation kept moving forward.

The initial vote that briefly stalled the bill came about because the bill did not meet a March deadline for coming out of the Senate's money committees.

Bills often do not meet the deadline, but the rules committee decided to take a closer look at the marijuana legislation, because it was a controversial issue that has the potential to delay the session, said Sen. Bill Doyle.

Even some lawmakers who voted to allow the bill to go to the floor don't support marijuana dispensaries.

Sen. Dick Mazza is one of them, but he said the full Senate should be allowed to weigh in.

"In all fairness, I think the Senate is entitled to vote on it one way or another," said Mazza.  

Senate President Pro Tem John Campbell and Sen. Kevin Mullin, both members of the rules committee, also said they do not support the bill.

 

 

 

 

Marijuana dispensaries on the ropes?

Three Senators on a rules committee blocked a marijuana dispensaries bill from going to the Senate floor on Thursday, bringing into question  -- at least for now -- the fate of legislation that some people thought would cruise through the Senate.

The five-member Senate Rules Committee voted 3-2 in favor of holding up the progress of the bill.

But it doesn't mean the pot bill is extinguished.

According to Senate President Pro Tem John Campbell, the committee is expected to meet again this afternoon at 4 p.m. to hear from Sen. Jeanette White, a sponsor of the bill and the chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Government Operations.

Campbell and other senators on the rules committee think the legislation has a good chance of passing through the committee this afternoon.

If not, the bill could be in danger of failing this year.

"If we have a similar vote at 4 o'clock today the bill may be in trouble," said Campbell.

Senators Dick Mazza, Bill Doyle and Kevin Mullin voted against allowing the bill to immediately go to the Senate floor.

The reason they were faced with the decision is that the marijuana bill failed to pass out of committees soon enough. It's common for bills to not meet the "crossover" deadline, and the Senate Rules Committee allowed other legisalation that did not meet crossover to go to the floor Thursday.

The marijuna dispensaries legislation would allow Vermont to have two nonprofit dispensaries where people with medical marijuana cards would buy the drug.

Dollars for Dems

Election Day 2012 is still 19 months away. But the Vermont Democratic House Campaign is starting to money up for the next cycle.  

On Thursday, House Speaker Shap Smith headlines a fundraiser for the political-action committee at The Chef’s Table on Main Street. For $1,000, donors get to enjoy “an evening of discussion” with Smith and the rest of the Democratic caucus’ leadership team.

The $1,000 package is limited to 15 people and includes a 60-minute reception before dinner. Those unable to afford the four-figure cocktail hour can attend the dinner portion of the event only for $500.

“It’s a chance for our supporters to express their support and it’s open to whoever wants to pay the suggested donation,” said Nick Charyk, head of the Vermont Democratic House Campaign.

Thursday’s soiree is an annual event, and will be attended by at least a few Statehouse lobbyists.  

Charyk said his group is “working on a series of house parties across the state” after legislators adjourn.

“Those are much lower-dollar events,” he said.

The group is independent of the Vermont Democratic Party and raises money to support Democrats in House races across the state.

“I’m planning on starting to spend resources at the end of the session with informational mailings on issues legislators have been working on, particularly on exactly what the health-care bill does,” Charyk said. “Also we’ll hold some workshops at the end of the session to help candidates with constituent outreach.”

Anti-single-payer group takes message to masses

Opponents of the Legislature’s health-care bill hit the airwaves today with a radio ad that urges lawmakers to “slow down” their reform efforts.

The 60-second spot, paid for by the newly formed group Vermonters for Health Care Freedom, features both the high production value and cautionary tone of the negative campaign ads heard during last summer’s gubernatorial race.

“Ever heard the saying measure twice and cut once? You don’t make a rash decision until you have all the facts. But that’s what the Vermont Legislature wants to do.”

The female narrator – an ominous music track playing in the background – goes on to say the health-care bill could “destroy the private insurance market” and “destroy jobs.”

According to Vermonters for Health Care Freedom founder Darcie Johnston, the spot was produced by On Message, Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based marketing firm.

“The intent is to educate Vermonters and get them involved, get them to contact their legislators,” Johnston says.

Johnston’s nonprofit has a 501c4 designation, which allows it to collect financial contributions while keeping the identity of the donors secret. Johnston says the group has raised about $15,000 so far. Though she won’t identify the group’s patrons, she says all the money has come from inside Vermont’s borders.

Anya Rader Wallack, special assistant to the governor on health care, says Vermonters ought to know who’s funding the effort.

“The frontline issue is who are these people? Is this evidence of out of state interests coming in here to influence what’s going on? Is it evidence of people who are making money off the current system and want to maintain the status quo,” Rader Wallack says. “We should know something about who’s trying to influence this process.”

As to the heart of the ad’s claims – that the health-care reform bill will compel doctors, businesses and jobs to flee the state – Rader Wallack says the charges are based on a “combination of misunderstanding, misrepresentation and distrust.”

Many of the concerns she’s heard from businesses, Rader Wallack says, center around new ground rules for insurance benefits in the health-care exchange being set up by the reform bill. In fact most of those new ground rules, she says, are enacted not by the state bill but by the federal Affordable Care Act signed into law last.

“Rules change for all employers under the federal law, whether they’re inside the exchange or outside the exchange,” she says.

The radio spot also hits on unanswered questions about the cost and financing of the single-payer system envisioned in the reform bill.

Rader Wallack says those questions will be answered as the reform effort moves through a multi-year process.

“We are going to in a responsible and timely manner provide answers to all the questions that have been raised,” Rader Wallack says. “Before the Legislature has to actually adopt a single-payer plan, they will understand the costs, the likely savings, the source of financing, the impact on businesses large and small, and the impact on the provider market.”

Given the skyrocketing cost of health-insurance premiums, Rader Wallack says, Vermont can’t afford to “slow down” reform efforts.

“We say, ‘are you kidding? Slow down?’” Rader Wallack says. “We’ve got to start working on this right away.”

Johnston says the radio ad will run on several stations and reach a statewide audience. Johnston doesn’t have an exact membership figure for Vermonters for Health Care Freedom but says the group “is growing every day.”

Unexpected drama at Democratic caucus

Legislators tend to keep overt displays of hostility well-hidden from public view. But at the House Democratic caucus this morning, reporters witnessed an unexpected break in Statehouse decorum.

Tensions boiled over after Rep. Paul Poirier, the Democrat-turned-Independent from Barre City, learned that Rep. Tony Klein, an East Montpelier Democrat, would not be supporting his amendment to the energy bill. Concerned about the impact of a 55-cent monthly surcharge on the electricity bills of low-income Vermonters, Poirier suggested exempting poorer residents from the assessment. The surcharge is designed to raise money for the Clean Energy Development Fund, which helps subsidize renewable-energy projects.

Poirier said Klein told him in a phone call Monday evening that he’d support the amendment. When Klein said he would not support it at Tuesday’s caucus, Poirier let loose.

“You told me last night that you’d support my amendment,” Poirier said in a meeting room packed with about 80 House democrats and at least five reporters.

Klein began to respond, but he didn’t get too far before Poirer loudly interrupted.

“Tony, Tony, Tony,” Poirier bellowed. “You lied last year on the floor and you’re lying again.”

Poirier stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him. Audible gasps emanated from the shocked crowd.

“He only hears what he wants to hear,” Klein said.

House Majority Leader Lucy Leriche chimed in with a plea for calm.

“Hopefully we can all be more civil in this room,” she said.

We caught up with Poirier outside the room as he made a Statehouse exit.

Poirier said he’s upset with Democrats, who two weeks ago defeated his tax-bill amendment that would have minimized cuts to human services by increasing taxes on wealthy Vermonters.

“They say they can’t raise taxes on wealthier residents to protect vulnerable Vermonters from cuts, yet they are willing to raise taxes on low-income people to create a fund that subsidizes well-to-do people who want to put up solar panels on their houses,” Poirier said.

Klein said he never vowed support for Poirier’s amendment. While doesn’t disagree with principle behind it, Klein said, he doesn’t know whether the proposal raises the money needed for the Clean Energy Development Fund.

Poirier originally crafted an amendment that sought to do away with the 55-cent charge altogether. Klein said he suggested Poirier come back with language that kept the charge in place but exempted poor people. He said he never promised though that he’d support the new proposal.

“I don’t oppose the amendment,” said Klein, chairman of the House Energy Committee. “But I can’t support something unless I know that it works.”

Poirier stood by his allegations.

“I just can’t put up with that kind of behavior,” Poirier said. “It’s not the heat of the battle – I stand by what I said.”

April Fools hits the Vermont blogosphere - GMD vs. Vermont Tiger

The liberal blog Green Mountain Daily is pulling a prank on their conservative friends at Vermont Tiger. They've created a redirect page that takes you to "Vermont Tigger", a site "Where the Green Mountain State meets the 21st Century B.C." The fake blog is populated with satiric posts on the health benefits of tritiated water, Bernie Sanders, and tax policy...