Op-Ed: The veto session – a call to Waterbury’s legislators from a voting citizen
June 15, 2024 | By Steven MartinOn Monday, June 17, the legislature will hold their veto session in hopes of overriding many (or all) of Gov. Phil Scott's vetoes. I am publicly calling for all of our Waterbury legislators NOT to override these vetoes, and in particular, do not override:
H.887: Property taxes and education funding. This bill increases average statewide homestead property taxes almost 14%. That is unacceptable to most Vermonters. The bill contains no cost containment measures for education, so we will again be in the same position next year. One example of reducing costs would be to repeal the universal free meals program in schools recently passed and estimated to cost $29 million. There is already a federal program to address meals for low-income students and it is unnecessary to feed all students two meals a day as part of the education budget. Please work with the governor to reach a reasonable compromise.
H.289 Renewable energy. This bill is too expensive and will add even more to the already high energy costs that Vermonters pay. The governor has offered numerous suggestions to move towards cleaner energy without breaking the bank for many Vermont residents. Please consider more reasonable alternatives.
H.687 Act 250 and housing. This bill seems not fully thought out and would make owning the type of rural home many Vermonters desire more difficult and may, or may not, make affordable urban development more feasible. Again, a compromise would be desirable, or delaying in order to get more opinions on the direction in the next session.
H.72 Overdose prevention center. I, and I suspect other Vermonters, do not agree with public support to not only allow individuals to engage in illegal behavior, but to apply resources to support them while they do so. Support for drug addicts should be tailored only to providing resources for individuals who desire to quit and assistance to help them while in recovery. This is a well-meaning, but ill-advised bill that should not be allowed to go forward.
I urge all of Waterbury's legislators NOT to override the bills that the governor has vetoed. You may be in the super-majority, but that does not give you the moral right to steamroll Vermonters with unpopular legislation, in particular when one of the most popular governors in the country has raised legitimate concerns. November elections are coming and many people I have spoken with are more unhappy with this session’s results than I have ever heard. I urge you to reject party politics and listen to the voters.
Other citizens who may wish to express an opinion, please reply to the forum post here or contact your legislators directly at:
Sen. Ann Cummings - acummings@leg.state.vt.us
Sen. Andrew Perchlik - aperchlik@leg.state.vt.us
Rep. Thomas Stevens - tstevens@leg.state.vt.us
Sen. Anne Watson - awatson@leg.state.vt.us
Rep. Theresa Wood - twood@leg.state.vt.us
Please speak up, publicly or directly to your legislators, if you feel we are heading in the wrong direction and need to moderate high taxes and over-burdensome regulations. The legislature begins to consider veto overrides on Monday, June 17.
Steven Martin is a Waterbury resident.