From the State House: Town Meeting report
March 4, 2022 | By Reps. Theresa Wood and Tom Stevens 
State Reps. Theresa Wood and Tom Stevens, both Waterbury Democrats, represent Waterbury, Bolton, Huntington and Buel's Gore in the Washington-Chittenden 1 district. Courtesy photo
We’ve reached the halfway point of the 2022 legislative session!
After nearly two years away from the State House due to the pandemic, we returned in January and continue to adjust our work methods to recognize the continuing health crisis and balance it with our desire to come back together to work on your behalf. The Omicron surge forced us to delay our in-person work, and we expect that when we return from the Town Meeting break that we will be joined by the Senate, and will represent another step toward “normal.”
Remote and hybrid methods will remain, and offer Vermonters a more accessible way to follow our work via Zoom and YouTube.
We’ve passed some significant legislation in these first two months, and this report provides highlights. It remains an honor to serve as your state representatives. Please reach out anytime with ideas, questions and concerns.
2022 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
The Legislature is tackling a wide range of issues in 2022. Given the way we have worked over the last two years, it is clear that the pandemic has sharpened our vision on the important needs of Vermonters, both in response to the pandemic and for our immediate future.
We are investing Vermont's federal stimulus funds to boost recovery and set the stage for a strong future, while building a balanced budget that reflects our values;
We are tackling the complex and interconnected challenges of housing, workforce and childcare;
We are enacting forward-looking, inclusive strategies to combat climate change and transition to a sustainable way of life, as we prepare for shifting and severe weather patterns;
We are addressing our unfunded pension liability in a way that's fair to teachers, state employees and taxpayers; and
We are working on a redistricting plan that takes into account the shifting population in Vermont, where some areas are seeing population growth and some are shrinking.
This is far from a comprehensive list. The House will accomplish a lot during our time in Montpelier. And in all of this work, we’ll center equity — thinking deeply and looking toward the future to enact legislation that protects the most vulnerable, boosts recovery in all 14 counties, and leaves no Vermonter behind.
Making progress on Vermont’s housing shortage
There’s no argument that Vermont is facing a statewide housing crisis. Part of the problem lies in a significant drop in the rate at which housing has been built over the past four decades. In 1980, housing stock grew at an annual rate of 1.8%. By 2019, the rate at which we were producing housing had dropped by 87%, to 0.2% per year. This translates into a reduction in housing units from 3,200 units per year to about 400. The result of this reduction? More demand than supply, which has resulted in driving real estate prices and rents skyhigh.
The pandemic exacerbated the shortage and has also provided us with access to federal relief funding. The General Assembly has responded with initiatives to address the needs of houseless Vermonters, renters, landlords, and to speed the production of new or rehabilitated housing.
Federal relief and General Fund dollars have enabled the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board to oversee the development of 475 new units of rental housing and to bring a number of projects online that will result in over 1,100 new rental units by 2023. Federal dollars allowed 1,300 households to exit homelessness in 2021, with continued work to be appropriated in the months ahead.
Between now and the end of the session, we expect to allocate up to $25 million to rehabilitate 400 existing units that are offline because of code violations, as well as a pilot for middle-income buyers.
Racial justice in Vermont’s Constitution
Proposal 2 clarifies language in the anti-slavery clause of the Vermont Constitution. Although Vermont was the first state to ban slavery and indentured servitude, it did not prohibit those practices for individuals under 21 years old. Proposal 2 would amend Article 1 of the Constitution to provide that “slavery and indentured servitude in any form are prohibited.” The proposal recognizes and respects the reality of descendants of enslaved Africans brought to this country, and this state, against their will.
Changing the Vermont Constitution is a four-year process. The General Assembly has done its work in passing this language in two successive biennia. Now it is your turn! The amendment goes to the voters in November.
Redrawing Vermont’s legislative districts
Every 10 years, after the U.S. Census is taken, Vermont must adjust legislative districts to accurately reflect any changes in population. Our state Constitution spells out the criteria for reapportionment: Districts must maintain equality of representation, have one or two representatives, and make sense geographically.
This year, the complex and lengthy process was delayed by months because the Census was unable to deliver population numbers on time. This put our work behind schedule. The Census reported that Vermont’s population grew a little, with population declining in some areas (especially in Southern and Northeast Vermont) and increasing in others (primarily in Northwest Vermont).
The Census information guided the independent Legislative Apportionment Board’s work in providing recommendations for redistricting. Based on these recommendations and those of local Boards of Civil Authority, the House Government Operations Committee has been preparing a final redistricting plan to present to the full House. District boundaries should be finalized sometime in April.
Proposal 5: Reproductive liberty amendment
The decision of whether or when to become a parent is deeply personal and central to our lives. For many decades, Vermont has recognized these reproductive choices as a fundamental right that should be free from government restrictions. Proposal 5 would enshrine reproductive autonomy and liberty into our state’s constitution, ensuring that this right is preserved for future generations.
The passage of Proposal 5 has been deliberate and inclusive, including a four-year legislative process, and two public hearings in which we received testimony from groups both supporting and opposing the amendment. After hearing from these diverse voices, the House has passed Prop 5 with an overwhelming majority, now sending the constitutional to the voters during the November 2022 election.
Reproductive choices affect both men and women in their freedom to become a parent, to choose or refuse sterilization, or to receive contraceptive birth control. However, we have witnessed the U.S. Supreme Court threaten to overturn protections provided by Roe vs. Wade, as well as states across the country impose harsher laws restricting abortion. The passage of Proposal 5 is a historic opportunity at a critical time for our nation.
Do you need financial help with your rent or mortgage due to financial challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic?
With the help of federal funding, Vermont is able to help residents who have faced financial challenges due to the pandemic. The Vermont Emergency Rental Assistance Program was created to help renters, and the Homeowner Assistance Program can help homeowners with their mortgage and their property taxes.
Both programs have an application process and income restrictions, and the renter program requires landlords and tenants to work together to take advantage of the program. The emergency rental assistance program helps tenant households with paying rent, past-due rent balances (also known as arrears), utility and home energy costs, utility and home energy cost arrears, and other expenses related to housing. Rent expenses include rent, rent arrears. Utilities include separately stated electricity, gas, water, sewer, trash removal and energy costs, such as fuel oil.
More information about renter assistance is online at erap.vsha.org.
The Homeowner Assistance Program is available for the purpose of preventing home foreclosure and homeowner displacement. This can include assistance with overdue mortgage payments on your primary residence, located in Vermont, homeowners association fees, property taxes, and/or utilities. Homeowners must have an income equal to or less than 150% of the area median income, and they must have experienced a financial hardship associated with the coronavirus pandemic after January 21, 2020. Financial hardships can include: job loss, a reduction in income, or increased costs due to illness or the need to care for a family member.
More information on the homeowner assistance program is online at vermonthap.vhfa.org.
COVID-19 Resilience
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact Vermont’s communities. The House has taken actions to extend emergency COVID-19 policies for healthcare providers, including flexible access to telehealth for substance use and mental health counseling. Even before reconvening in January, House leadership worked to secure stronger mask policies and support for Vermonters experiencing homelessness.
After enduring the stress of the pandemic, we know many community-based human-services providers need more support. This means ensuring that compensation keeps pace with a liveable wage and reflects the value of the essential services they provide to Vermont’s most vulnerable.
Meanwhile, the House Human Services Committee has taken expert testimony to understand the latest COVID-19 guidance. We’ve confirmed that approved vaccinations for children are not only safe, but one of the single most important measures to reduce child hospitalizations nationwide. Since the fast-spreading Omicron variant has demanded rapid testing and high-quality masking, we’ve pushed for clear and practical guidance, especially for Vermont’s childcare providers.
Vermont welcomes refugees
Vermont continues to welcome refugees fleeing violence in other nations. We want to ensure that our tax system supports Vermonters who step up to host refugees in their homes. H.461 would exclude the income of new refugees from the calculation of household income for the purpose of property tax relief.
State Reps. Theresa Wood and Tom Stevens, both Waterbury Democrats, represent the Washington-Chittenden-1 district covering the communities of Waterbury, Bolton, Huntington and Buel’s Gore. Email them at twood@leg.state.vt.us and tstevens@leg.state.vt.us.