By Rob Roper
S.53 failed in the State House of Representatives on April 15, 2021, by a vote of 55-79. The bill would exempt the first $10,000 of military pensions from the state income tax. The Sibilia Amendment attempted to increase the exempt amount to $30,000.
Analysis: Only three states currently tax fully military pensions, and Vermont is one of them. Nine states don’t tax military pensions at all. The $10,000 exemption level would provide retirees with approximately $100 annual tax benefit. The $30,000 level would provide the most fully vested retired enlisted soldiers (22 years/Master Sergeant) with an approximate annual tax benefit of $395. Officers could receive up to approximately $1000 annual benefit.
Those voting YES supported the higher ($30,000) exemption for military pensions to show respect for those who have served and to bring Vermont tax policy more in line with other states.
Those voting NO, opposed the higher ($30,000) exemption for military pensions citing other priorities for the revenue which would otherwise not be collected, and a desire to maintain “progressive” tax policy.
As Recorded in the House Journal, Thursday, April 15, 2021: “Shall the report of the Committee on Ways and Means be amended as offered by Rep. Sibilia of Dover and others?, was decided in the negative. Yeas, 55. Nays, 79.” (Read the Journal, p.642 – 645). Watch the floor debate on YouTube.
How They Voted
Sally Achey (R – Middletown Springs) – YES
Janet Ancel (D – Calais) – NO
Peter Anthony (D – Barre) – NO
Norman Arrison (D – Weathersfield) – NO
Sarita Austin (D – Colchester) – YES
John Bartholomew (D – Hartland) – NO
Lynn Batchelor (R – Derby) – YES
Scott Beck (R – St. Johnsbury) – NO
Matthew Birong (D – Vergennes) – YES
Alyssa Black (D – Essex) – NO
Tiffany Bluemle (D – Burlington) – NO
Thomas Bock (D – Chester) – ABSENT
Seth Bongartz (D – Manchester) – NO
Michelle Bos-Lun (D – Westminster) – NO
Erin Brady (D – Williston) – NO
Patrick Brennan (R – Colchester) – YES
Timothy Briglin (D – Thetford) – NO
Jana Brown (D – Richmond) – NO
Nelson Brownell (D – Pownal) – NO
Jessica Brumsted (D – Shelburne) – YES
Thomas Burditt (R – West Rutland) – YES
Mollie Burke (P/D – Brattleboro) – NO
Elizabeth Burrows (P/D – West Windsor) – NO
Scott Campbell (D – St. Johnsbury) – NO
Bill Canfield (R – Fair Haven) – YES
Seth Chase (D – Colchester) – ABSENT
Kevin “Coach” Christie (D – Hartford) – YES
Brian Cina (P/D – Burlington) – YES
Sara Coffey (D – Guilford) – NO
Selene Colburn (P/D – Burlington) – NO
Hal Colston (D – Winooski) – NO
Peter Conlon (D – Cornwall) – NO
Sarah Copeland-Hanzas (D – Bradford) – NO
Timothy Corcoran (D – Bennington) – YES
Mari Cordes (D/P – Lincoln) – NO
Lawrence Cupoli (R – Rutland) – ABSENT
Lynn Dickinson (R – St. Albans) – YES
Karen Dolan (D – Essex) – NO
Kari Dolan (D – Waitsfield) – NO
Kate Donnally (D – Hyde Park) – YES
Anne Donahue (R – Northfield) – NO
David Durfee (D – Shaftsbury) – NO
Caleb Elder (D – Starksboro) – NO
Alice Emmons (D – Springfield) – NO
Peter Fagan (R – Rutland) – YES
Martha Feltus (R – Lyndon) – NO
John Gannon (D – Wilmington) – NO
Leslie Goldman (D – Bellows Falls) – NO
Kenneth Goslant (R – Northfield) – YES
Maxine Grad (D – Moretown) – ABSENT
Rodney Graham (R – Williamstown) – YES
James Gregoire (R – Fairfield) – YES
Lisa Hango (R – Birkshire) – YES
James Harrison (R – Chittenden) –YES
Robert Helm (R – Fair Haven) – ABSTAIN
Mark Higley (R – Lowell) – YES
Robert Hooper (D – Burlington) – NO
Mary Hooper (D – Montpelier) – NO
Philip Hooper (D – Randolph) – YES
Lori Houghton (D – Essex) – NO
Mary Howard (D – Rutland) – ABSENT
Kathleen James (D – Manchester) – NO
Stephanie Jerome (D – Brandon) – NO
Kimberly Jessup (D – Middlesex) – NO
John Killacky (D – S. Burlington) – NO
Charles Kimbell (D – Woodstock) – NO
Warren Kitzmiller (D – Montpelier) – ABSENT
Emilie Kornheiser (D – Brattleboro) – NO
Jill Krowinski (D – Burlington) – PRESIDING
Robert LaClair (R – Barre) – YES
Martin LaLonde (D – S. Burlington) – NO
Diane Lanpher (D – Vergennes) – ABSTAIN
Paul Lefebvre (R – Newark) – NO
Samantha Lefebvre (R – Orange) – YES
Felisha Leffler (R – Esburgh) – YES
William Lippert (D – Hinesburg) – NO
Emily Long (D – Newfane) – NO
Michael Marcotte (R – Coventry) – YES
Marcia Martel (R – Waterford) – YES
Paul Martin (R – Franklin) – ABSENT
James Masland (D – Thetford) – NO
Christopher Mattos (R – Milton) – YES
Michael McCarthy (D – St. Albans) – NO
Curtis McCormack (D – Burlington) – NO
Patricia McCoy (R – Poultney) – ABSTAIN
James McCullough (D – Williston) – NO
Francis McFaun (R – Barre) – YES
Leland Morgan (R – Milton) – YES
Michael Morgan (R – Milton) – YES
Kristi Morris (D – Springfield) – NO
Mary Morrissey (R – Bennington) – YES
Michael Mrowicki (D – Putney) – NO
Emma Mulvaney-Stanak (D – Burlington) – NO
Barbara Murphy (I – Fairfax) – YES
Logan Nicoll (D – Ludlow) – NO
Michael Nigro (D – Bennington) –NO
Robert Norris (R – Sheldon) – YES
Terry Norris (I – Shoreham) – ABSENT
William Notte (D – Rutland) – NO
Daniel Noyes (D – Wolcott) – YES
John O’Brien (D – Tunbridge) – NO
Carol Ode (D – Burlington) – NO
“Woody” Page (R – Newport) – YES
Kelly Pajala (I – Londonderry) – YES
John Palasik (R – Milton) – YES
Joseph Parsons (R – Newbury) – YES
Carolyn Partridge (D – Windham) – NO
Avram Patt (D – Worcester) – NO
Henry Pearl (D – Danville) –ABSENT
Arthur Peterson (R – Clarendon) – YES
Ann Pugh (D – S. Burlington) – NO
Barbara Rachelson (D/P – Burlington) – NO
Marybeth Redmond (D – Essex) – NO
Lucy Rogers (D – Waterville) – NO
Carl Rosenquist (R – Georgia) – ABSTAIN
Larry Satcowitz (D – Randolph) – NO
Brian Savage (R – Swanton) – ABSENT
Robin Scheu (D – Middlebury) – NO
Heidi Scheuermann (R – Stowe) – YES
Patrick Seymour (R – Sutton) – ABSENT
Charles “Butch” Shaw (R – Pittsford) – YES
Amy Sheldon (D – Middlebury) – NO
Laura Sibilia (I – Dover) – YES
Katherine Sims (D – Craftsbury) – YES
Taylor Small (P/D – Winooski) – YES
Brian Smith (R – Derby) – YES
Harvey Smith (R – New Haven) – YES
Trevor Squirrell (D – Underhill) – NO
Gabrielle Stebbins (D – Burlington) – YES
Thomas Stevens (D – Waterbury) – NO
Vicki Strong (R – Albany) – YES
Linda Joy Sullivan (D – Dorset) – NO
Heather Suprenant (D – Barnard) – YES
Curt Taylor (D – Colchester) – YES
Thomas Terenzini (R – Rutland) – YES
George Till (D – Jericho) – NO
Tristan Toleno (D – Brattleboro) – NO
Casey Toof (R – St. Albans) – YES
Maida Townsend (D – South) – NO
Joseph “Chip” Troiano (D – Stannard) – YES
Tanya Vyhovsky (P/D – Essex) – YES
Tommy Walz (D – Barre) – NO
Kathryn Webb (D – Shelburne) – NO
Kirk White (P/D – Bethel) – NO
Rebecca White (D – Hartford) – NO
Dane Whitman (D – Bennington) – NO
Terri Lynn Williams (R – Granby) – YES
Theresa Wood (D – Waterbury) – NO
David Yacovone (D – Morristown) – NO
Michael Yantachka (D – Charlotte) – NO
Vermonter’s read the attached list of ” no votes ” and if they are your representative then
ask them, this question, have you ever served in the military ?? even though you already
know the answer.
Now you know why these gutless people don’t want you to receive any extra tax relief for
your service to the country, and your oath to defend from all enemies foreign or domestic.
These are the same fools that want to defund the police, hate the military but will fly a flag
for anarchist ” BLM “, you fought for your country, now fight for the state, vote these fools out !!
Thanks for your service, God bless you made it home !!
I too am a recipient of the retirement system, that VT has successfully put the skewers to those of us who served.
The people who voted no are the sorriest bunch of losers that I have ever seen listed on one page, all, mostly, working up the next plan to sewer us some more.
If those who voted no, want some one on one instruction in these areas I will gladly explain to them what it is like to walk in the shoes and boots I did for 28 1/2 years. I know there were many who had it much, much tougher than I did, and many just do not want to bother with it for various reasons, and I respect that. But certain voters here are losers, and most have been from the get go. A physical good slap in the face would not hurt any more than this has. Out Here.
I’m a Veteran, and receive a small retirement pension. For years I’ve been contacting, via email, voice messages and the USPS, the State representatives from Windham country, urging them to seriously support legislation that would eliminate the state income tax on those retirement payments for Vermont Veterans. It would actually be a low cost gesture when one considers the state benefits available to Vermont’s more than 35,000 Veterans are pretty abysmal. As anyone who has ever tried to get in touch with one of their state representatives or senators knows, the response is just as lacking. On the list above provided by Mr. Roper were the names of all the Windham county representatives. 10 of the 11 representatives are progressive / democrat, and they voted ‘No.’ Ms. Sibilia, an Independent, voted ‘Yes’. Again, I’ll try to contact them and ask why they voted in the negative on S.53, but since I won’t be blowing sunshine up their pants legs, I do not expect any replies.
This should come as no surprise to most Vermonters. These people are a miserable, self-serving, self indulgent bunch of clowns who could care less for the Veterans of Vermont, because Veterans do not fit neatly into their outrageous liberal agendas. Military service to our country taught us to think and reason, something the progressive / democrat representatives would rather we didn’t…
The legislators who voted “no” on this are a bunch money grabbing poop heads. The very reason we are even able to have a legislature is due to the readiness and dedication military women and men have fought for and are ready for each day. The naysayers are again bitching at not having enough money to spend. So they NEED the few hundred bucks from the few people who have put it all on the line. Give our solders a break!!