Regular working people deserve a place at the legislature
The complex issues facing our state require a diverse legislature from all walks of life, including low to moderate income Vermonters who know the challenges facing working people. Vermonters deserve to be able serve in public office without risking economic insecurity for themselves and their families. Currently, Vermont legislators are paid approximately $14,000 during the session, receive no health insurance and receive a minimal stipend for meals, housing and/or mileage. Vermont is in the bottom quarter of states in the country for total legislator compensation. Our democracy should be accessible to all Vermonters and not only those who are wealthy or retired.
Serving as a legislator is a full year commitment between constituent services, community engagement, and tracking and preparing policy for the next session. The solution is clear. The state needs to increase legislator compensation and ensure legislators receive the resources necessary to do their critical work. S.39, the Legislator Compensation Bill, is in the House Government Operations Committee. It is unclear if the bill will move this session. We need your help to make sure it is a priority and is acted upon this session.
Our Progressive legislators all hold other jobs during and outside the session. 3 of the 11 renters in the entire Vermont General Assembly are Progressives — making up nearly half of our members in the House and Senate. An estimated 35 legislators — including ⅓ of the Senate — are or have been landlords, realtors, or work for property management companies. This is compared to 30% of the Vermont population who rents. Half of our Progressive caucus have children. Approximately, 25 legislators have children under the age of 18 between the House and Senate.
With the housing and child care crisis front and center in working people’s lives, we need legislators who share real life experience with their constituents who understand the urgency to act. Legislators with children, especially single parents, are struggling to keep up.
There have been many iterations of the legislative compensation bill, between Rep. Emma Mulvaney-Stanak’s H.281, and multiple iterations of S.39. An amended version of S.39 passed the Senate Appropriations Committee last week.
The compensation proposal within S.39 is still a critical start. If passed, S.39 would move Vermont to be little less than average compared to other state legislator compensation rates. Below is a breakdown of what’s included in the bill and what was taken out by amendment from the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Some of the benefits of S.39 include:
Wage increase from roughly $14,616 per session to $21,780 by 2027. The amount would be set to Vermont's annual average wage. Members would also receive ⅕ of the session compensation for every week off session.
Eligibility for childcare and healthcare Federal Spending Account (FSA).
Eligibility for the same health insurance plan offered to state employees with the same cost sharing split between employee and employer.
Some pieces that were removed/changed by the Senate Appropriations Committee include:
Reimbursement for child care and dependent costs.
Reimbursement for parking for legislators with physical limitations needing overnight parking.
Compensation timeline was lengthened to phase in wage increases over the next two bienniums as opposed to fully raising wages by the next biennium.
Public caucus
Last week’s public caucus was postponed, so tomorrow’s public caucus will continue our conversation about child care, with Sarah Kenney from Let’s Grow Kids, Michelle Fay from Voices for Vermont’s Children, and Roxanne Vought from Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility. Join us tomorrow at noon at Pavilion 270 next to the State House, or on YouTube at the Legislative Caucus YouTube channel. You can watch in real time or stream it after the caucus is over. Read last week’s newsletter on child care at our Legislative Updates page.
Senate update
H.230, a gun violence prevention bill, is being considered in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill for Universal School Meals (H.156) passed the Senate Education Committee, which is critical policy for children and working families across the State.
Action alert
Contact members of the House Committee on Government Operations to urge them to act on S.39 this session to get legislative compensation enacted as soon as possible, and expand the potential for people of all backgrounds to serve in the legislature.
Progs in the Press
VTDigger: The ‘people’s house’ or the ‘house of landlords’?
VTDigger sheds light on the lack of representation in the Vermont General Assembly amid our Housing Crisis. The article highlights several Progressives. Rep. Emma Mulvaney Stanak, who is sponsoring the Burlington Just Cause Eviction charter change this year, highlighted the urgency of passing this long-awaited charter change. Rep. Small, a Winooski renter and Progressive, mentions the importance of keeping Vermonters housed as a critical piece of addressing the crisis of homelessness.
Sen. Vyhovsky has frequently found herself being a sole voice of renters, when their voices are seldom heard during testimony. “I was like: ‘Is anybody gonna stand up and talk about the rental experience?’ And so finally I was like, ‘I guess I have to (. . .) Investments come with risks. You have a choice to have passive income or to choose a different income source,” she said. “Renters don’t have a choice. The choice is ‘rent here or be homeless.’”
Seven Days: Vermont Wants an Equitable Cannabis Industry. Will the State Pony Up?
With the recent legalization of recreational marijuana, there has yet to be meaningful legislation passed to address the exorbitant financial prerequisites to start a cannabis business, which disproportionately affects BIPOC entrepreneurs. The article reads,
“Last month, Sen. Tanya Vyhovsky (P/D-Chittenden-Central) introduced S.127, a bill that would direct 20 percent of the excise tax revenue for that purpose. The state has an ethical imperative, she said, to use legal sales of cannabis to help those who were harmed disproportionately by its earlier prohibition.
‘I think it's really important to actually put money behind our words,’ she said.”
