House passes passes S.5 by 98-46 vote — Who broke with their party?

/ April 22, 2023

By Rob Roper

The Vermont House of Representatives on Thursday passed S.5, the clean heat standard bill, by a vote of 98-46.

Five members were absent for the vote, so although it takes 51 votes to sustain a gubernatorial veto (Gov. Phil Scott vetoed a similar bill last year, which was sustained by exactly 51 votes), the makeup of the missing members indicates what would likely be a 47-102 with the House speaker presiding if the vote were taken today.

Every Republican present voted no. But despite multiple thousands of calls, emails and letters to representatives almost universally opposed to putting Vermont on a path to higher prices for home heating fuels, only seven members listened to their constituents and broke with their parties to vote “no,” six Democrats and one Progressive.

The six Democrats who broke ranks were:

John Andriano of the Rutland-Addison district comprised of Orwell, Shoreham, Whiting, Sudbury, and Hubbardton. Adriano spoke eloquently in the floor debate about respecting the wishes of his constituents as well as pointing out technical flaws with the bill.

Nelson Brownell of Bennington 1 comprised of Pownal, Woodford, Searsburg, Readsboro, and Stamford. It is worth noting that Brownell won his last election by a mere 26 votes to a late-comer write-in candidate, Bruce Busa.

Kristi Morris of Windsor 3, a two member district covering Springfield. Morris is on the Energy & Environment Committee that vetted S.5 where he was highly critical of the bill and voted against it there as well. His seatmate, Democrat Alice Emmons voted yes.

John O’Brien of Windsor-Orange 1 comprised of Royalton and Tunbridge. O’Brien ran unopposed in 2022, didn’t take part in the floor debate and did not explain his vote.

David Templeman of Orleans 3 comprised of Brownington, Barton, and Westmore. Templeman ran unopposed as a first time candidate in 2022 in a newly created district following the 2020 redistricting process.

And Dennis LaBounty of Caledonia 3, a two member district comprised of Lyndon, Wheelock, Sheffield, Sutton, and Newark. LaBounty finished ten votes behind Republican Charles Wilson in 2022, beating out his Democrat running mate, Eileen Boland by 349 votes. Wilson, who was the lone Republican running in the district in 2022, voted no.

The Progressive who voted no was Taylor Small of Winooski, who is known for being the first transgender person to serve in the House. Small’s seatmate in the two-member district, Democrat Daisy Berbeco, a first time legislators, voted yes.

Of the three Independents serving in the House, two voted in favor of the bill and one, Jed Lipsky of Stowe, voted no.

The two independents who voted yes are Laura Sibilia from Windham 2, comprised of Dover, Somerset, Wardsboro, Stratton and Jamacia, and Kelly Pajala of the Windahm-Windsor-Bennington district comprised of Weston, Andover, Londonderry, and Winhall.

Sibilia was and is the point person in the House pushing for this “Rube Goldberg” carbon tax on home heating fuels. She was opposed by another Independent in 2022, George Wilson, and defeated him 1,068 to 454.

Asked what he thought about the lack of response to constituent pleas to vote no on S.5. by the other 96 Democrats and Progressives, Vermont Republican Party Chairman Paul Dame, said, “The amount of constituent contact that was made regarding this bill was incredible. But, if the overwhelming contact from voters will not encourage legislators to think and act independently of from party leaders and lobbyists, is there anything than can change their minds? If nothing will get these elected officials to listen to the people they represent then we must find new representatives who will listen to the voice of the people.”

Rob Roper is a freelance writer who has been involved with Vermont politics and policy for over 20 years. © Copyright True North Reports 2023. All rights reserved.

This map below shows in blue the districts where Democrats, and in red where the Independent, voted with Republicans to oppose S.5.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Tony Webster

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21 thoughts on “House passes passes S.5 by 98-46 vote — Who broke with their party?”

  1. I hope some of these Democrats might re-think which political party they really wish to belong to.

  3. We can only hope that those who broke ranks are enough to avoid the governor’s expected veto from being overridden.

  4. It’s time to make those who pushed this through to be made piblic so we can remove them this next November. YES, FOLKS THAT’S JUST WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO GET VERMONT BACK ON TRACK TO RESONABLE GOVERNANCE.

  5. Well, you vote for these liberal clowns into office year after year, you reap what you sow,
    when you Vermonters wake up, they don’t care as this boondoggle proves it, it’s all about
    an agenda so follow the money……………………………

    Vermont has cancer, it’s called Montpelier’s Golden Doom, yes doom !!

  6. The journalists at True North Reports and Vermont Chronicle certainly did their part in alerting us to the danger of this misnamed bill. They provided lots of detailed analysis that helped me sort through the smoke and mirrors surrounding S.5. Thank you, folks. Pretty much silence from other VT “news” organizations, which is a real and continuing problem.

    • Just show’s you VT snooze is as leftist slanted as the national new…They are the enemy along with 92% of D’s and 100% of P’s.

  7. Stop the madness, you are already sucking us dry from supporting the people who move here for free living. Who came up with this assinign idea?

  9. How are we going to continue to live in this state? When the people sent to represent the public chose to serve their self interest something needs to be done. Can these people vote these representatives out for not doing their job (impeachment?) ? If at all possible it needs to be done ASAP!

  10. When you have people in government who listen only to the ones pushing for this agenda, and have the influence and money to do so, you have a corrupted government that cares not what the people want. Unfortunately our house and senate have the majority!

  11. Our VT legislators are worthless if they cannot vote the wishes of the majority of the people in VT. I wonder if they sleep well at night?

  12. This is why our founding fathers abhorred the thought or smell of democracy. You will find that in every state and federal document of our founding the word democracy can NEVER be found, on purpose.

    A Republic protects the smallest minority. It matters not how much oppression or intersectionality, how small or young one may be. This is the intent. The underlining assumption is that we have a morally guided society, that know how the world works, how it doesn’t.

    Our country, believe it or not got its moral compass from those pilgrim ancestors, along with an entire nation of people with their heads in a bible. That was and still is the underpinning of any great nation. How could Israel stand the onslaught of assaults for thousands of years? The Hebrew Bible, our Old Testament. The Jews are all well educated in scripture, setting their youth well ahead in wisdom, Proverbs book of wisdom from the wealthiest, wisest man on earth, also writing Ecclesiastes.

    Do any of our youth know this wisdom? Will they allow this to even enter a school? No!

    Yet every type of pornography, any other religion, shamanism, new age, marxist, is tolerated, but more often respected, protected and revered.

    Why is that?

    We think we are in control. We are not.

    When a country puts first things first. We are protected, by grace, we are not given over to a reprobate mind.

    For many looking at what is being passed and forced onto our country, we wonder, how could people be so stupid? How could people be so evil? How could people be so greedy? How could people be so sexually confused?mhow could people be so crazy to think these ideas make sense?????

    These are minds given over to pride ( I’m right, I know everything, and I’m essentially God) of a reprobate mind.

    This has happened to many nations, many times over. It is not new. The solution is not new. The answer is easy, we only need to change our direction, humble ourselves to understand we don’t have the answers without an education, and we are not in control, thankfully, gratefully. Otherwise our nation would have collapsed a hundred years ago.

    TGBTG

  14. I’ll just be my oil man and get from Ma or NY. People need to set up a co-op that does not sell oil. Just shares and delivers it from MA, NH and NY.

    • Sorry Ed, et al. The way the law is written whoever brings the fuel across the border for consumption in Vermont is obligated to buy the Carbon Credits. You may get away with it, but you’ll be criminals in the eyes of the Green Police State.

      • Yup, but I don’t care. I’m done complying with any laws coming from the communist led government here.

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