Video: EAI President Myers Mermel testifies on Affordable Heating Act
On Wednesday, Ethan Allen Institute President Myers Mermel testified before the Senate Natural Resources and Energy committee regarding S.5, the Affordable Heat Act.
Roll Call: How your state representative voted on gender-affirming care bill H.89
On Friday, Feb. 10, the Vermont House of Representatives approved H.89, a bill that aims to shield patients and providers from prosecution in states where abortion or gender-related procedures are illegal. Just 13 state representatives voted no to the bill.
Senators don’t understand their own clean heat standard bill
This week the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee may vote on its clean heat standard bill, but discussion of the bill at the end of last week’s hearings demonstrated that committee members still don’t understand how key elements of the bill they been crafting work.
Senator calls clean heat standard a ‘Rube Goldberg’ contraption
“I get it that what we’re essentially doing is directing the PUC (Public Utilities Commission) to put together a kind of a ‘Rube Goldberg,'” Sen. Dick McCormack said. “I don’t see how this works.”
Paul Dame: Friday’s unaffordable carbon tax
The fact is that the Unaffordable Heat Act will be twice as expensive for Vermonters as the failed Clean Heat Standard. First of all, it will pressure Vermonters to buy a brand new heating system, which could cost Vermonters an out-of-pocket expense of upwards of $20,000.
McClaughry: Exterminating parental choice in Vermont
Vermont’s long history of parental choice in education will come to a crashing end in 2028 if a bill designed and backed by the “Educational Equity Alliance” makes it through the Legislature.
Roper: Partisan legislators are going after the wrong schools
A majority in the Vermont Legislature cling to the myth that putting all students together in the same building and giving them all the same educational environment somehow constitutes equity. Nothing is further from the truth. One-size-fits-all in reality only fits a few.
Rep. Charles Wilson: Socialism is the first step to state-controlled communism
There seems to be some praise and some criticism of my reports. I seek to criticize no one, but report on the actions of the state of Vermont and its agenda.
Senators get testy with witnesses who disagree on clean heat standard bill
Sen. Chris Bray wants to have the clean heat standard bill out of his committee by the middle of this month. Committee members are getting push back from some unexpected quarters, which has led to some testy exchanges between lawmakers and witnesses.
Supreme Court work-around on religious school tuition introduced in Senate
The Vermont Senate has introduced its long-promised work-around of a U.S. Supreme Court decision requiring towns with no high schools to provide tuition to approved, independent religious schools.
John Klar: Who’s behind the push for universal free lunches in Vermont?
Hunger Free Vermont has led the charge for universal school lunches, supported by Solving Hunger, a national organization created by multi-millionaire Bradley Tusk. Tusk’s interest in Vermont is curious.
Initiatives target a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
Initiatives targeting a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions would be funded if the Vermont Office of Climate Action gets an additional $200,000 in the state’s upcoming fiscal year 2024 budget.