SmartTranscript of House Session: 2025-02-18-10:00 a.m.

[Madam Speaker]: Will the house please come to order? Members kindly take their seats. Good morning. Good morning. The devotional today will be led by representative Phil Pouch of Heinzburg. [Representative Phil Pouch]: My son, Ezra, was killed one year ago. Protecting his girlfriend during a domestic violence incident. As we were gathering his things in his apartment, we discovered a poem by Mary Oliver, prominently displayed in his room. This poem clearly reflects his personality and life beliefs. I hope it resonates with all of us as we live our daily lives. Don't hesitate If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don't hesitate. Give into it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps, this is its way of fighting back that sometimes something happens better than all the riches and power in the world. It could be anything. But very likely, you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that's often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don't be afraid of its plenty. Joy is not meant to be a crumb. [Madam Speaker]: Members, will you please rise as pages Cecilia, howling of Thetford and Mary Rogerson of Cabot leave lead us with the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of [Member from Manchester]: the United States of America, and to your republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. [15 seconds of silence] [Madam Speaker]: Members, we have thirty house bills for introduction today. With that, member from Poltenay, can you please offer us a motion to suspend rules to introduce bills by number only? [Member from Poultney]: Sure. I make a motion to suspend rules in order to introduce bills by number only. [Madam Speaker]: You have heard the motion. Are you ready for the question? If so, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, please say nay. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it and you have suspended rules to introduce bills by number only. Please listen to the first reading of bills by number only. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two two seven. [Madam Speaker]: To human services. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two two eight. [Madam Speaker]: To health care. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two two nine. [Madam Speaker]: To agriculture, food resiliency, and forestry. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two thirty. [Madam Speaker]: To environment. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two thirty one. [Madam Speaker]: To environment. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two thirty two. [Madam Speaker]: To government operations and military affairs. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two thirty three. [Madam Speaker]: To government operations and military affairs. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two thirty four. [Madam Speaker]: To general and housing. H two thirty five. To commerce and economic development. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two thirty six. [Madam Speaker]: To environment. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two thirty seven. [Madam Speaker]: To health care. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two thirty eight. [Madam Speaker]: To environment. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two thirty nine. [Madam Speaker]: To government operations and military affairs. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two forty. [Madam Speaker]: To government operations and military affairs. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two forty one. [Madam Speaker]: To government operations and military affairs. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two forty two. [Madam Speaker]: To general and housing. H two forty three. To commerce and economic development. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two forty four. [Madam Speaker]: To government operations and military affairs. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two forty five. [Madam Speaker]: To health care. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two forty six. [Madam Speaker]: To education. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two forty seven. [Madam Speaker]: To education. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two forty eight. [Madam Speaker]: To human services. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two forty nine. [Madam Speaker]: Two ways and means. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two fifty. [Madam Speaker]: To human services. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two fifty one. [Madam Speaker]: To a judiciary. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two fifty two. [Madam Speaker]: To corrections and institutions. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two fifty three. [Madam Speaker]: To general and housing. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two fifty four. [Madam Speaker]: To judiciary. [Clerk/Staff Member]: H two fifty five. [Madam Speaker]: To judiciary. [Clerk/Staff Member]: And h two fifty six. [Madam Speaker]: To general and housing. Members, we have received a a request to read a house concurrent resolution that the house and senate adopted pursuant to the consent calendar. HCR eleven is a house concurrent resolution in memory of the extraordinary Bennington k nine office police officer Gracie. Please listen to the reading of the resolution. [Reader of Resolution]: Whereas canine police officers serve a unique and essential law enforcement role. And this fact has been especially reflected in the operations of the Bennington Police Department where K9 Gracie was a star of much renowned serving in a program that Bennington Police Chief Paul J. Doucette Jr. And Lieutenant Camilo A. Grande established. And whereas the achievements of this dedicated police officer were undeniably impressive as enumerated in her over five hundred deployments and location of more than seventy persons, And she mightily contributed to the recovery of drugs and currency valued in excess of one point six [Support Staff/Reader]: million dollars And whereas her service in on [Member from Manchester]: behalf of the Bennington citizenry was widely respected, and this stalwart police officer was [Reader of Resolution]: a welcomed visitor at local schools and this stalwart police officer was a welcomed visitor at local schools and was present at many community events. And whereas her sudden death on Thanksgiving Day, November twenty eight, twenty twenty four, was shocked and saddened Benantonians. And whereas her memorial service with more than five hundred persons in attendance served as a dignified and emotional farewell featuring the participation of many fans and admirers, a choral musical performance, the presentation of a tribute American flag to Gracie's human caretaker, officer Robert Morawski, and concluded with a much befitting twenty one gun salute. And whereas a new canine training yard to be Bennington will be dedicated in canine Gracie's honor. Now therefore be it resolved by the senate and house of representatives that the general assembly extends its condolences to the Bennington police Department and the many admirers of canine Gracie on the death of this outstanding police officer. And be it further resolved that the secretary of state be directed to send a copy of this resolution to the Bennington Police Department, police chief Paul j Doucet junior, Lieutenant Camilo a Grande, and officer Robert Morawski. [Madam Speaker]: Are there any announcements? Member from Bennington. [Member from Bennington]: Thank you, madam speaker, and good morning. We just heard the reading of house concurrent resolution eleven in memory and in honor of Bennington k nine police officer, Gracie, who suddenly passed away on thanksgiving day twenty twenty four. K nine Gracie's many years of outstanding dedicated service to Bennington and our surrounding region. Alongside her fellow police partner, handler, best friend, and dad, officer Robert Morawski. We're a team like no other. Their successful police work is well documented and most impressive. In a different light from their more serious police work, it was always a pleasure to see Gracie and Office Morisky in our community. Whether it be at a school, a nursing home, the Vermont veterans home, our adult daycare, or a Bennington community event. This amazing team brought joy and smiles partner, Officer Robert Morawski, police chief Paul Doucette, and our Bennington Police Department, and their families for their dedicated service and the sacrifice to our community and region every single day. With us today is canine Gracie's handler and partner, officer Robert Moreski and his wife, Abby Dickey, Bennington Police Chief Paul Doucette, Lieutenant Steve Cote of the Vermont State Police from Shaftesbury, and Michael Albans from the Bennington banner. Others had planned to attend, but unfortunately due to the weather conditions, they could not. We know they are here in spirit with all of us today. Madam speaker, please join me in extending a warm welcome to our guests today. They are seated in the back of the gall gallery, and we are honored that they're here today. Thank you. [Madam Speaker]: Will the guest of the member from Bennington please rise and be recognized? Member from Cambridge. [Member from Cambridge]: Thank you, madam speaker. Tomorrow is Wednesday, and the royal caucus will be meeting from eight to eight forty five in room ten and on Zoom. We'll be hearing about the current use program in the act two fifty land use review board. Wednesday evening, the caucus will be hosting a public forum to listen to the concerns of rural Vermonters. This will be taking place from five thirty to seven PM in room ten and on Zoom. All are welcome to both meetings. [Madam Speaker]: Member from Manchester. [Member from Manchester]: Madam speaker, we are joined at the state house today by more than fifty Vermonters from communities across the Green Mountain State. They are members of Third Act, a national nonprofit group with more than seventy thousand members over the age of sixty who want to change the world for the better. The group in the chamber today speaks for the Vermont chapter, seven hundred members and counting, who are working to protect our planet from climate change and to safeguard our democracy. They are joined by UVM students in a display of generational unity. Please help me please join me in welcoming these leaders of all ages to the People's House. [Madam Speaker]: Will the guest member from Manchester please rise and be recognized? Member from Linden. [Member from Lyndon]: Thank you, madam speaker. It is my honor today to ask us all to welcome visitors we have from the Vermont Independent Schools Association. They will be in the card room most of the day and I would encourage everyone to stop by and have a chat. I think it's very important especially for those who do not have independent schools in their regions to stop and visit with them, find out about their activities and how the independent schools fit within our total educational landscape. They are seated in the balcony. [Madam Speaker]: Will the guest of the member from Linden please rise and be recognized? Member from Putney. [Member from Putney]: Thank you, madam speaker. Living two hours away, it's it's not often I get visitors here. And, today, I have some very special visitors with some family visiting. And I'd like to introduce to the body, my daughter Grace, my granddaughter Lillian, and my wife Amelia. [Madam Speaker]: Will the family of the member from Putney please rise and be recognized? Member from Fairfax. [Member from Fairfax]: Thank you, madam speaker. Today, I'm asking the body to help me welcome a junior from CVU. So a little outside of my region, but was one of the first applicants I got for my legislator of the day program. Quinlan Shea is very interested in democracy and politics and has asked some of the best questions that I don't necessarily have the answers for. So if you see him today and he asks new question, hopefully, you have better answers than [Madam Speaker]: me. Will the guest of the member from Fairfax please rise and be recognized? Member from Mount Hilaire. [Member from Montpelier]: Madam speaker, the working Vermonters caucus will be held at noon tomorrow in room ten in the state house. We're very excited. Everybody looked like they were in that movie, doctor's your Vargo last week walking over the pavilion. So it can be right here in the building, come for the pizza, and stay for the labor. [Madam Speaker]: Are there any further announcements? Seeing none. Orders of the day. Members, we will begin with house bill ninety eight, which is an act relating to confirmatory adoptions member from South Burlington. [Member from South Burlington]: Madam speaker, I move that we postpone action on h ninety eight and act relating to confirmatory adoptions. One legislative day. [Madam Speaker]: A member from South Burlington moves that we postpone action on house bill ninety eight for one legislative day. Are you ready for the question? If so, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, please say nay. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it and you have postponed action on house bill ninety eight for one legislative day. Next is house bill thirteen, which is an act relating to Medicaid payment rates for home and community based service providers and designated and specialized service agencies. The bill was referred to the Committee on Human Services, which recommends that the bill be amended as printed in today's calendar. The member from Wilkett, representative Noyes, will speak for the committee. In carrying an appropriation, the bill was then referred to the Committee on Appropriations, which recommends that the bill ought to pass when amended as recommended by the committee on human services. The member from Morristown, representative Yacoboni will speak for that committee. Please listen to the second reading of the bill. [Clerk/Reader]: H thirteen, an act relating to Medicaid payment rates for home and community based service providers and designated and specialized service agencies. [Madam Speaker]: Member from Mulcaht. [Member from Wolcott]: Thank you, madam speaker. H thirteen requires the secretary of human services to determine reasonable and adequate rates for home and community based providers, designated agencies, and specialized service agencies. In essence, a rate study to determine what it cost to provide Medicaid services and supports to older Vermonters and individuals with disabilities are most vulnerable. Let me back up. Home and community based service providers are home health agencies, residential care, enhanced residential care, adult day providers, assisted community care services. These are the agencies to provide in home non institutionalized care up to nursing home level. These services allow Medicaid eligible people to age in their homes and communities also known as choices for care. H thirteen also asked the agency of human services to determine how much designated agencies and specialized service agencies need to provide mental health services and supports to individuals with developmental intellectual disabilities and brain injuries. There are eleven designated agencies in Vermont, each serving a specific geographical region. These agencies provide mental health services and supports for individuals, including Vermonters with developmental disabilities. Examples include Lamoille County Mental Health, Rutland Mental Health Services, and the Howard Center. Vermont has seven specialized service agencies that provides statewide supports for individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities and mental health services. These agencies offer personalized services, including individualized care, shared and independent living support, respites, and crisis interventions. Examples include Green Mountain Support Services, Champlain Community Services, and Family First of Southern Vermont. H thirteen acknowledges that there isn't enough revenue to fully fund these providers each year. I'm sorry. Providers. Each year, we must make strategic informed decisions about resource allocation. To do this effectively, we need clear understanding of service delivery cost. For example, in twenty twenty three, a rate study found that assistive community care services were underfunded by seventy nine percent, causing many providers to go out of business. While other needs were identified, the study helped prioritize limited funds to prevent further loss of these essential services. Your human service committee heard from numerous agencies and individuals about unmet needs resulting from level funding, rising cost due to federal requirements, workforce shortages, and inflationary pressures. Individuals and families in need of services reported not being able to receive them due to staffing shortages. For example, a report from developmental disabilities housing initiative found that eighteen percent of individuals approved for services received no support. Additionally, the home health agency in Franklin County closed. Five adult day providers shut down and have not reopened due to unsustainable reimbursement rates. Since twenty twenty, Vermont has seen a net loss of three hundred and twenty one residential care home beds and twenty three facilities closing. Only five have only five new ones opened. Older Vermonters eligible for choices for care programs who are living in hotels are unable to access sustainable housing. We need to develop a path to address this inadequate funding. In the budget adjustment, this body appropriated twenty four point five million to skilled nursing facilities to cover increased utilization and another twenty one for emergency financial relief. Nursing homes provide an important service to Vermonters in need of the highest level of care. They are dealing with inflation, workforce shortages, and are the most expensive system of care. H thirteen will give us the information to support human community based providers and take some of the burden off our skilled nursing care, reducing costs. H thirteen also asked the secretary of human services to establish a process to provide extraordinary financial relief to providers who are in imminent risk of closure. Let me walk through the bill highlights. I'm sorry. Let me walk through some of the highlights of the bill that can be found on page eighty seven of today's calendar. Section one provides definition of home and community based service providers where the funding comes from and who is eligible to receive these services. Section two directs the secretary of human services to determine reasonable and adequate reimbursement rates to achieve the required outcomes. These rates must account for state and federal mandates, the cost of goods and services, inflation, and labor market pressures. The secretary may also consider geographic differences in wages, benefits, and housing costs. The methodology must also include a schedule for reviewing rates at least once every five years, a process for determining an annual inflationary rate adjustments, and a system to support providers whose reimbursement rates are negatively impacted by client absences. Additionally, the secretary must establish a process for providing an imminent risk of closure to seek emergency financial relief, aligning them with nursing homes to ensure continued care for Vermont's most vulnerable population. Section three requires the same methodology and the same time frame for determining rates for designated and specialized service agencies as I laid out in section two. Section four is the report back to the legislature, which is due on January fifteenth on rates and where the agency of human services is in the process of establishing the schedule for performing the rate reviews. Section five states the bill shall take effect on passage. Our voting committee was eleven zero zero. Understanding the reasonable and adequate rates associated with providing these service does not require the agency to increase the rates. It helps this body make informed decisions on how best to allocate allocate limited funds while protecting and providing care to our most vulnerable. I have a copy of the fiscal note stating that there is no fiscal impact on my desk should anyone like to take a look at it. The committee heard from the following witnesses. Outreach director, Green Mountain, self advocates, administrative director, Green Mountain, self advocates, parent development disabilities housing initiative, a participant, care partners, adult day centers, a parent of Champlain Community Services, a parent developmental disabilities housing initiative, the commissioner of the Department of Disabilities Aging and Independent Living, the director of managed care operations, Department of health access, director of communications and legislative affairs, department of health access, Medicaid director at the agency of human services, president of the Vermont Association of Adult Day Services, executive director of Care Partner Adult Day Centers, executive director of Washington County Mental Health Services, CFO of the Washington County Mental Health Services, CFO of the Howard Center, executive director of Northeast Kingdom Services, executive director of Upper Valley Services, director of policy and strategic initiatives, Cathedral Square, executive director, Vermont Association of Area Agencies on Aging, government affairs, and Communication Director, Vermont Care Partners, Executive Director of Vermont Health Care Association, Executive Director of the Vermont Developmental Disabilities Council, Health Equity and Advisory Commission, executive director of VNA's of Vermont, state long term care ombudsman, Vermont Legal Aid, staff attorney with the Vermont Legal Aid Law Project, principal financial analyst, joint fiscal office, and the deputy chief Council Office of Legislative Council. We ask for your support. [Madam Speaker]: And now speaking for the committee on Appropriations member from Morristown. [Member from Morristown]: Thank you, Madam Speaker. For those who might be following today in the house in the calendar on page eighty nine secondtion two letter E is language which our committee was particularly interested in. It states that a report will come to us indicating what the cost is for reasonable and adequate rates. Your committee on appropriation strongly supports h thirteen. It will give us the critical information needed to move forward to help the vulnerable that the member from Wolcott speaks of so well. The committee voted on in favor of this bill on a vote of ten zero one and asked for your support. Thank you. [Madam Speaker]: The question is shall the bill be amended as recommended by the committee on human services? Are you ready for the question? If so, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, please say nay. Aye's appear to have it. The ayes do have it and you have amended the bill. Now the question is, shall the bill be read a third time? Are you ready for that question? If so, all those in favor, please say aye. All those opposed, please say nay. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it and third reading is ordered. Members, the final bill on our action calendar today is House Bill forty four, which is an act relating to miscellaneous amendments to the laws governing impaired driving. The bill was referred to the committee on judiciary, which recommends that the bill be amended as printed in today's calendar. The member from Brattleboro, representative Goodnow, will speak for the committee. And carrying an appropriation, the bill was then referred to the committee on appropriations, which recommends that the report of the committee on judiciary be amended as printed in today's calendar. The member from Underhill, representative Squirrel, will speak for that committee. Please listen to the second reading of the bill. [Clerk/Reader]: H forty four, an act relating to miscellaneous amendments to the laws governing impaired driving. [Madam Speaker]: Member from Brattleboro. [Member from Brattleboro]: Madam speaker, before the chamber is the house judiciary committee's strike all amendment to h forty four entitled an act relating to miscellaneous amendments to the laws governing impaired driving. This bill proposes to make a variety of changes to the impaired driving laws, including technical corrections, closing loopholes to ensure that the Department of Motor Vehicles is notified of license suspensions, and creating proportionate accountability for noncompliance to warrant based blood draws among others. Madam speaker, this bill is broken down into six sections, and I will discuss each of them briefly. Beginning with section one found on page ninety one of today's calendar, this section amends four VSA thirty three a concerning the jurisdiction of the family division of the superior court. Specifically, this section makes technical corrections. It strikes the term juvenile and adds reference to thirty three VSA chapter fifty two a. The youthful offender chapter, two proceedings within the jurisdiction of the family court. These technical changes are important because they reflect the realities of the family division to hear delinquency cases involving juveniles and youthful offender cases related to DUI violations. The term juvenile is not a precise legal term as it addresses those in delinquency proceedings and not youthful offenders. Additionally, four VSA thirty three b is amended to also make technical changes by clarifying terms ensuring that a felony as well as misdemeanor motor vehicle offenses can be heard in the family division and to ensure that the family division court decisions are reported to the commissioner of motor vehicles. Section two is really the meat of the bill, madam speaker. This section amends various parts of twenty three VSA chapter thirteen, sub chapter thirteen. This first amendment is the addition of serious bodily injury to the definition section of sub of the sub chapter. As you will see later in the bill, this is a cleanup of the various cross references to the term in twenty three VSA twenty ten. Moving to the amendments to twenty three VSA, twelve o one that can be found on page ninety three of today's calendar, a new subsection, subsection j is added, mandating compliance with the collection of an evidentiary blood sample issued through a warrant. Thus, a refusal to submit to the collection of the blood sample could result in a charge of criminal refusal to an evidentiary test. A proposed amendment to the subsection f of section twelve o one provides that a person cannot be convicted of a DUI violation and a criminal refusal. The prosecutor is gonna have to choose one or the other. With these proposed changes, it is important to understand the situations in which a police officer can obtain a blood sample in the DUI context here in the Green Mountain State. Under our implied consent law, twenty three VSA twelve o two, a person has provided implied consent to a blood test if one, breath testing equipment is not available at the time of arrest, two, the person cannot give a sufficient breath sample to the breath testing equipment, or three, when the police officer has reasonable grounds to believe that the suspect is under the influence of a drug or other other than alcohol. However, in all of these circumstances, one, two, and three, the police officer must obtain a warrant due to the intrusive nature of a blood draw. That warrant requirement is embodied in twelve o two subsection f of the chapter. To ensure a person's understanding of [Member from Manchester]: the [Member from Brattleboro]: consequences, DUI suspects are informed by a police officer of certain statutory information under twelve o two d six. That can be found on page ninety six of today's calendar. Age forty four further amends this portion of the law to ensure that a DUI suspect is aware that they could be charged with a criminal refusal for failing to submit to a blood test issued through a warrant. Moving on to twenty three VSA twelve o five starting on page ninety six of today's calendar, concerns the civil license suspension procedure related to DUI charges in Vermont. H forty four resolves a fascinating unintentional gap in the law between twelve o one and twelve o five. Section twelve o one creates the criminal offense. If someone possesses a blood alcohol content or BAC at or above point zero eight. However, section twelve o five creates a civil violation if a person possesses a BAC only over point zero eight. H forty four amends twelve o five so that is consistent with twelve o one by reading that the violation occurs at or above the legal limit. On page ninety seven of the calendar, twelve o five c is amended to ensure that the commissioner of motor vehicles receives the police officer's affidavit of probable cause when someone is provided a notice of violation. This ensures that the DMV has the information necessary to suspend someone's license if adjudicated accordingly. Next, as I mentioned previously, provisions related to DUI penalties involving serious bodily injury in twenty three VSA twenty ten are also amended. These amendments can be found starting at the bottom of page ninety nine of today's calendar. These amendments ensure that separate DUI violation can be charged for each person who dies and each person who is seriously injured in the same DUI related crash. Previously, the statute restricted such enhancements to crashes that only resulted in death or crashes that only resulted in serious bodily injury, not both. This led to unnecessary restrictions with it, for prosecutors when they charged. H forty four seeks to amend that. Sections three and four of the bill, madam speaker, starting on page one zero one of the calendar, amend thirty three VSA fifty two zero two and fifty two twenty nine to ensure that the commissioner motor vehicles receives any merits adjudication orders considering the potential license suspensions of someone in the family court proceeding in a family court proceeding. This is one of the reporting loophole closing measures in h forty four that I've mentioned before. Section five of the bill creates the impaired driving processing task force. The task force is created to study the concept of implied consent during a DUI investigation with a goal to recommend constitutional approaches to both minimize the length of a law enforcement encounter for a suspect and to minimize the processing and paperwork requirements for the law enforcement officer. The task force is composed of the chief judge of the spirit court, the commissioner of public safety and motor vehicles, the defender general, the director of the department of state's attorneys and sheriffs, and a representative from the Vermont Police Association. A report in a form of proposed legislation is due to the house and senate committees on judiciary by November fifteenth of twenty twenty five. And finally, madam speaker, section six of the bill states that the bill goes into effect on July first of this year. We heard from the following witnesses, the director of enforcement and safety from the Department of Motor Vehicles, legislative counsel from the office of legislative counsel, the deputy defender general and chief juvenile defender, the traffic resource prosecutor from the Department of State's attorneys and sheriffs, and the chief superior judge from the Vermont judiciary. All of these witness mad witnesses, madam speaker, were in favor of the clarifications that h forty four provides. The committee vote was eleven zero zero, and we ask for your support. [Madam Speaker]: And now speaking for the committee on appropriations member from Underhill. [Support Staff/Reader]: Thank you, madam speaker. Age forty four was referred to the Appropriations Committee because a new task force is established. Our committee determined that any financial impact would be de minimis. As a result of our discussion of H forty four, house appropriations also offers one instance of amendment in section five. The amendment can be found on page one hundred and three of today's calendar. In the one instance of amendment, subsection B of section five is struck and new language inserted. Section five in part establishes a task force and subsection B defines the membership of the task force. The Appropriations Committee added one additional member to the task force in B sub six, the president of the Vermont Sheriffs Association or designee. House Committee on Appropriations favorably recommends age forty four as amended by the House Judiciary Committee and further amended by the House Committee on Appropriations on a vote of eleven zero zero. We ask for the body's support. Thank you. [Madam Speaker]: The first question is on the report of the Committee on Appropriations. The question is, shall the report of the Committee on Judiciary be amended as recommended by the Committee on Appropriations? Member from South Burlington. [Member from South Burlington]: Madam speaker, the government operations and military affairs committee heard the recommendation by from the appropriations committee and found it favorable on a straw poll of ten zero one. [Madam Speaker]: Move over from Brattleboro. [Member from Brattleboro]: Thank you, madam speaker. House your committee on house judiciary, took a straw poll on the amendment this morning, at a vote of ten zero one, and we, support it. [Madam Speaker]: The question is, shall the report of the committee on judiciary be amended as recommended by the committee on appropriations? Are you ready for the question? If so, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, please say nay. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it, and you have amended the report of the committee on judiciary. Now the question is shall the bill be amended as recommended by the committee on judiciary as amended? Are you ready for the question? [Support Staff/Reader]: If [Madam Speaker]: so, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, please say nay. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it and you have amended the bill. Now the question is, shall the bill be read a third time? Are you ready for that question? If so, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, please say nay. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it and third reading is ordered. Members, that completes the orders of the day. Member as, the chair has one announcement, the following members are appointed to the Vermont Citizens Advisory Committee on Lake Champlain's future. The member from Burlington, representative Odey, and the member from Georgia, representative Brannigan. Are there any further announcements? Member from Burlington. [Member from Manchester]: Madam speaker, political science, that which we practice in this chamber on a daily basis is at its core a science. Like any discipline, it follows a method. We ask the questions, we gather the evidence, and we make informed decisions. This process also requires that we continue asking the questions and remain open to new information as it emerges. I'd like to remind the body that tomorrow at four thirty PM, we will rec we will welcome members from the Abenaki Odnak First Nation along with researchers and historians from the University of Ottawa and the University of Vermont. And I ask this body to please consider attending tomorrow's workshop with that spirit of continued inquiry in mind. I have asked the sergeant at arms to block a section of chairs for legislators and our guests from the Odenac First Nation. We do anticipate that the room is gonna fill fairly quickly, so we'll reassign those seats if they remain empty. I would love to see you all there. Thank you. Mhmm. Are [Madam Speaker]: there any further announcements? Member from Wilkett. [Member from Wolcott]: Thank you, madam speaker. The older Vermonters caucus will meet tomorrow at noon. However, I'm not really sure where because the member from Montpelier said that the workers' caucus was in room ten. So I will send out an email with the location, but we were meeting at noon tomorrow, and we'll have an update on the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act. Thank you. [Madam Speaker]: Are there any further announcements? Member from Colchester. [Clerk/Staff Member]: Thank you, madam speaker. I would just like to welcome back the minority leader and let her know how much she was missed. [Madam Speaker]: Welcome back. Are there any further announcements? Member from Georgia. [Member from Georgia]: Thanks, madam speaker. Madam speaker, the building we work in is a beauty, isn't it? It takes my mind off the work that we do often times when I walk through here. It's a beautiful place. And we have beautiful paintings all over the state house. Our members should take time to study them. They are a history lesson in themselves. I wanna draw members attention to the large painting downstairs in the entryway by the sergeant at arms office. It's the painting of the USS Maine. It's harbored or anchored in the in the harbor in Havana, Cuba and shows several American sailors on board. Here in Vermont It's a picture of American sailors on the USS Maine in in the harbor in in Havana. The Spanish American war began with the mysterious explosion of the US battleship Maine. Here in Vermont, we remember the Spanish American War otherwise known as the most boring war in US history because of Commodore George Dewey. He was born in Montpelier eighteen thirty six. He was a soldier in the civil war and also in the Spanish American war. The Maine had been sent to Cuba to protect the interest of American business. And soon there there was a rebellion that began against Spanish rule. Much of congress and the majority of the American public expressed little doubt that Spain was responsible for blowing up the Maine and they all called for a declaration of war. This, battleship was one of the first built as a battleship here in the United States. I think the the cost was something like two million dollars, a great deal of money back then. And to lose that battleship all at once in such a huge explosion was was was a big loss. Within three months, the United States had decisively defeated Spanish forces on land and sea there in the Caribbean. And in August, an armistice halted the fighting and in December, the Treaty of Paris was signed between the United States and Spain officially ending the Spanish American war and granting the United States possession of Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines. So there was a question for a long time, what caused this explosion on the on the battleship? People were were convinced of course it was a mine and the the Spanish had done it to scare the Americans away. But in nineteen seventy six, a team of American naval investigators concluded that the main explosion was very likely caused by a fire that had ignited the ammunition stocks not by a Spanish mine or any act of sabotage at all. So madam speaker, I wanna remind us here as we do our work and sometimes are distracted by whatever. Sometimes government makes mistakes. We need to be willing to admit that and go on and correct them. Thank you. [Madam Speaker]: Are there any further announcements? Member from Swan? [Member from Swanton]: Thank you, madam Speaker in sharing in the love of the building that we work in tomorrow, there is a fundraiser for the friends of the State House where you'll be able to purchase Vermont House, Vermont Senate or Vermont State House logoed merchandise and a percentage of all the proceeds of the event run by the sergeant arms in the cafeteria will go directly to the friends of the State House. Thank you. [Madam Speaker]: Are there any further announcements? Member from Essex Junction. [Member from Poultney]: Madam speaker, the democratic caucus will meet fifteen minutes following adjournment in room eleven. I promise. [Madam Speaker]: Member from Fulton. [Member from Poultney]: Madam speaker, house Republicans will meet ten minutes after. German in room ten. [Madam Speaker]: And member from Winooski. [Member from Manchester]: Madam speaker, today's house progressive caucus meeting has been canceled. Thank you. [Madam Speaker]: Are there any further announcements? Seeing none. Member from Hulte, can you please offer us a motion to adjourn until Wednesday, February nineteenth at three PM? [Member from Poultney]: Madam speaker, I make a motion to spot a stand and adjournment until Wednesday, February nineteenth two thousand twenty five at three PM. [Madam Speaker]: You have heard the motion. Are you ready for the question? If so, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, please say nay. The ayes appear to have it. The

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