With Democrats wielding a 22-8 supermajority in the Vermont Senate, opportunities for tie-breaking votes should theoretically be few and far between. But last Friday, Lt. Gov. Phil Scott got his first chance to case a decisive vote when the Senate deadlocked over a proposal to extend property-tax exemptions for non-profit skating rinks.
The proposal, offered by Sen. Bobby Starr as an amendment to the miscellaneous tax bill, extends for one year the three-year exemption lawmakers had previously approved.
“These skating rinks provide for the physical education of Vermont students. Without them, Vermont’s schools would not have the facilities to support their hockey teams,” Scott said in a press release.
The constitutional duties of Scott’s post include presiding over the Senate, and casting tie-breaking votes when necessary.
He nearly had occasion to weigh in on a far more controversial matter last Thursday, when the Senate held its vote on a proposal to increase cigarette taxes by $1 per pack. That vote failed by the slimmest of margins, 14-16.
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