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Legislative Forum 4/17/23
Producer:
- 152 reads
Description:
- The Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce started its annual legislative breakfast Monday morning with a moment of silence for Sarah Edwards, a former legislator who recently died of cancer.
- The purpose of the breakfast was for local legislators to check in with their constituents and talk about legislation of interest to the business community and to the private sector.
- Later in the breakfast, Mollie Burke, D-Windham 8, a member of the House Committee on Transportation, who is starting her 15th term in the Legislature, gave credit to Edwards for recruiting her to run for the Legislature.
- Legislators in attendance included Laura Sibilia, I-Windham 2 and vice-chairwoman of the newly formed House Committee on Environment and Energy. She said the Legislature worked very hard with the administration to ensure towns “had the greatest chance possible to seize this moment with the tremendous amount of federal funds in the state.”
- Rep. Emily Long, D-Windham 5, majority leader in the House, said its her job to keep legislators focused on their “very important issues” for Vermonters such as housing, child care, and climate.
- Sen. Wendy Harrison, one of two new senators representing the county, mentioned an omnibus housing bill that passed the Senate and is now in the House that would allow more room to develop housing in Vermont.
- Rep. Tristan Toleno, D-Windham 9, said the state could make it easier for out of state college students, who make up 75 percent of UVM’s enrollment, to stay in Vermont after they graduate. He also noted that like everybody, the state can’t get enough workers, with a 12 percent vacancy rate.
- Emilie Kornheiser, D-Windham 7, reminded the attendees that Vermont’s legislators are part-timers, most of whom have “other jobs so we can make this one work.”
- Sara Coffey, D-Windham 1, chairwoman of the House Committee on Transportation, said she wanted to help the state move to “Complete Streets,” a model for planning, designing, building, operating, and maintaining streets that enables safe access for all people who use them.
- Michelle Bos-Lun, D-Windham 3, a member of the House Committee on Corrections and Institutions, said they are looking at the women’s correctional facility in Burlington “and the dire need to replace it with something better” that is more effective “at helping prepare women as they exit incarceration to more successfully reintegrate into the community.”
- Sen. Nader Hashim, serving his first term as a senator and vice chairman of the Judiciary Committee, also wants to focus on “the intersection of mental health and our criminal justice system.”
- Rep. Mike Mrowicki, D-Windham 4, thanked recently retired Sen. Jeanette White for advising him to “stand up to be seen, be clear to be understood, and then sit down quickly because we appreciate it.”
Production Date:
Monday, April 17, 2023 - 08:30
