The director of policy for The Regulatory Assistance Project on Tuesday told the House Energy and Technology Committee that any carbon mitigation programs are going to come with a big cost to taxpayers.
This $60 million in required 2020 spending is made necessary because previous legislatures incurred debt or committed future legislatures to pay for mandated programs.
The Vermont Racial Justice Alliance is urging legislators to advance a bill before crossover that would give more power to the new executive director of racial equity in the state.
H.418 would give all 16- and 17-year-olds who register to vote in their towns and cities the right to vote in all municipal elections.
Some Statehouse insiders say S.54 will go first to the Government Operations Committee, because ‘tax and regulate’ would require extensive an “government operation” to oversee marijuana cultivation and sale.
Bills at the Statehouse include voting for 16-year-olds, jail for cops who profile, one statewide school district, slavery reparations and state home visits to every newborn child.
Vermont continues to rank behind most other states when it comes to tax burden, according to a report by 24/7 Wall Street.
Middlesex Town Meeting voters joined 15 other towns in approving a climate change referendum, and allocated $250 of town money to support a lobbying group affiliated with climate change organization 350VT.org.
The Southern Vermont College trustees have determined there is “no way forward” for the college because of enrollment decline and related debt issues; they plan to close the institution at the conclusion of the spring semester.
Town Meeting Day at the Middlebury Union High School auditorium will likely be remembered by residents as a day for a changing of the guard.
Republican David Allaire was re-elected for a second term on Town Meeting Day, with voters approving his disciplined city budget of $21 million, a school budget of $54 million and bonds of $10 million.
The Vermont Legislature will now need to decide whether to amend the town charter to allow anyone 16 or older to serve as a Town Meeting member or as a member of the Brattleboro Town School Board and Brattleboro Union High School #6 Board, and to vote on local issues.