Rep. Wood: Navigating a busy Human Services Committee docket

Feb. 22, 2023  |  By Rep. Theresa Wood 

The new session is off and running. As the new chair of the House Human Services Committee, I’ve been learning the role of a committee chair. 

In committee, we have been working on a rewrite of the Adult Protective Services statute, H.171. This law provides protections for “vulnerable adults” who have experienced abuse, neglect or exploitation. In addition to physical care or neglect, the bill addresses financial exploitation. It also has provisions that govern when and if an alleged perpetrator is placed on the Adult Abuse Registry. If a person is placed on such a registry, it prohibits that person from working with vulnerable adults whose services are paid with Medicaid funds. 

The rewrite of the law has a greater focus on the rights of the survivor and restitution for that individual. There are provisions for defining a “mandatory reporter.”  At this point, the bill is still being revised and will see action for the full House later in February.

This session will also see dedicated work on childcare and early learning. The House recently released its version of the childcare bill that is currently under review in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee. The bill, H.208, is similar however with a significant difference. Both bills look to provide more equitable access to pre-K for 4-year-olds. The Senate bill is exclusively through the public education system, while the House bill enables a modified mixed delivery system that includes private providers. 

The main goals of both bills are to provide quality, affordable and accessible early learning experiences for the youngest Vermonters, while increasing the pay and benefits of staff providing these services. It will take a sizable investment to do so, however. The governor's budget includes an additional $56 million for childcare and both the House and Senate versions would likely cost more than what the governor currently recommends.

In other work of the House Human Services Committee, we will be taking up H.222, a bill that seeks to increase our state’s response to the record-breaking drug overdose deaths in Vermont. It is a multi-faceted approach that includes increased access to opioid response medication, expanding drug disposal programs, access to certain medications without prior authorization, and expanded access to recovery programs. Our goal is to ensure passage of this bill through the House prior to cross-over – the mid-session deadline by which a bill must pass from the House to the Senate (or vice versa), in order to be considered this year by the other body.

Finally, we are working on next fiscal year’s budget, which begins on July 1. The House Appropriations Committee relies on recommendations from the policy committees in making its decisions regarding priorities in the budget. In my committee, we will make recommendations on everything from prenatal care for low-income families to services and supports for older Vermonters to live with dignity and respect in settings they prefer.

Earlier this month the House passed the budget adjustment act for the fiscal year we are currently in. Again my committee made recommendations impacting the health and safety of vulnerable Vermonters, including increases to the emergency housing programs, programs impacting justice-involved youth, and budget adjustments for nursing homes, among others.

There’s a significant body of work to accomplish before mid-May, and as always, I appreciate hearing from residents in this district to help inform my work.

Chair of the House Human Services Committee, Rep. Theresa Wood, D-Waterbury, represents the Washington-Chittenden legislative district that covers Waterbury, Bolton, Huntington and Buel’s Gore. Email: twood@leg.state.vt.us.