SmartTranscript of House Session: 2025-02-26-3:00 p.m.

[Chair Jill Krowinski]: Will the house please come to order and members kindly take their seats? Good afternoon. The devotional today will be led by representative Jed Lipsby Stowe. [Representative Jed Lipsky]: Thank you. And thank you madam speaker. One month ago, I was invited to attend a community conversation called A Pastor, Priest, and a Rabbi Walk Into a Bar. This was serious. The, the, the subject was, quote, must we love our enemies? These three clergymen led a conversation citing multiple scriptures, they knew the answer to. For them, it was both academic and rhetorical. I had a lived experience that changed my life. Fifty two years ago, I do not have to ask the question, rhetorically, I lived it. I was his enemy, and he did not know it. The winter of seventy three was, I was working in the woods, freezing daily. When mud season loomed ahead, I studied a globe in a local library, found the equator, and turned it till I found a mountain near the equator and set off to climb it. That was Mount Kilimanjaro. I got to Europe, made my way to Brindisi, Italy, steamed across the Mediterranean to Alexandria, Egypt, and set off up the Nile. I joined an Arab caravan above the Aswan Dam. First on an old iron deck barge, for a few days, steamed upstream to Wadi Halfa on the Egypt Sudan border. There we set out to travel about five hundred miles across the Sahara slash Nubian desert to Khartoum. By then, my health deteriorated rapidly. As it was, I had contracted cholera, probably drinking the Nile River water and whatever else I was exposed to in the barge. My fever spiked and my body convulsed naturally, trying to expel my deadly amoebas. For three days, I violently expelled everything imaginable from every orifice. Then my guardian angel appeared. He'd observed my condition and approached me. His name was Zem Ibrahim. He spoke some English and calmly said he believed I was dying. And, he brought me to his village. There, he and some friends dragged me to a tiny adobe hut with palm fronds for roof. Had an old bed frame. They made dozens of attempts to spike my arm with a needle to insert a port into my bloodstream and brought bottles of dextrose, some of which I believe were homemade. To keep me alive, I was delirious and dying of dehydration. He returned at least two times a day to replace these bottles, despite my total wretched state. Many days passed. Same loyal care. After a week or more, he said my fever had started to drop from a high of one hundred and seven to one hundred and two. My body weight had probably lost over twenty percent. He would stay, and we talked about life. Both his and mine. One day, while I was feeling hopeful of surviving, I asked him a question. Why can't the people up in the Middle East live in peace with their Jewish neighbors? His answer was alarming and startling. He said, Jed, the Jew is not a human animal. They are born out of the root of the Devil. I question the truth of that, or the wisdom. He says it's like this, Hitler tried to do a good thing, but the rest of the world didn't really understand. I said, Zim, I can't understand this. He said, it's like this, Jed. If the scale of justice was in front of you, and a Jew was a judge, and a man's life was on one side of the scale, and a coin was on the other side, the human head would fall every time as the Jew picked up the coin. I responded that I did not understand or agree with what he told me. He departed. That night, a violent sandstorm erupted, drifting sands into my hut. It was only an old canvas flap for a door. I covered my face with my wretched, sheet, I guess it was. The bottles that were hanging off the iron part of the bed broke as they all collapsed. I awoke some hours later witnessing a silent man shoveling and sweeping the sand off of me. Zem arrived, reattached my dextrose bottles. All right, here's the big risk part. My decision. I decided I would rather die with honor than dishonor my guardian. I had told, I told him I was a Jew. He insisted I was an American. I explained I was an American, but my Ukrainian, Belarussian ancestors immigrated to America in eighteen seventy one. He left not believing. I felt at peace with my honesty and honoring truth to a friend. He returned the next day with a couple of cousins, And he interpreted our conversations to them as they, hug the inside wall of this little hut. In days that followed, villagers came, peering in warily, yet they brought gifts. One, I remember, was an old dry orange. First solid food I'd had in a couple of weeks. The other was an old bottle of Pepsi Cola. So, when someone asks me the question, can you love our enemy? It's neither academic nor rhetorical. The only reason I'm here today to share this with you is because Zem Ibrahim, in nineteen seventy three, loved his enemy. When I think back on this, which I do often, I believe it is because we built a powerful relationship based on nothing more than the humanity associated with working together to save my life. And, to this day, this lived experience has shown me the absolute importance of building genuine relationships and appreciating each person for who they are. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: Members, we have fifty house bills for introduction today. So with that member from Poltenay, can you please offer us a motion to suspend our rules to introduce bills by number only? [Speaker 2 ]: Madam speaker, I make a motion to suspend rules in order to introduce bills by number only. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: The member from Polteni moves that we suspend our rules to introduce bills by number only. Are you ready for the question? If so, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, please say nay. Nay. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it. And you have suspended our rules to introduce bills by number only. Please listen to the first redeem of bills by number only. [Speaker 3 ]: H three fifty one. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To transportation. [Speaker 3 ]: H three fifty two. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To energy and digital infrastructure. [Speaker 3 ]: H three fifty two. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To energy and digital infrastructure. [Speaker 4 ]: H three fifty three. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To energy and digital infrastructure. [Speaker 3 ]: H three fifty four. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To energy and digital infrastructure. [Speaker 3 ]: H three fifty five. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To government operations and military affairs. [Speaker 3 ]: H three fifty six. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To commerce and economic development. [Speaker 3 ]: H three fifty seven. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To government operations and military affairs. [Speaker 3 ]: H three fifty eight. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To transportation. [Speaker 3 ]: H three fifty nine. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To government operations and military affairs. [Speaker 3 ]: H three sixty. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To commerce and economic development. [Speaker 3 ]: H three sixty one. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To government operations and military affairs. [Speaker 3 ]: H three sixty two. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To general and housing. [Speaker 3 ]: H three sixty three. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To government operations and military affairs. [Speaker 3 ]: H three sixty four. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To government operations and military affairs. H three sixty five. To commerce and economic development. [Speaker 3 ]: H three sixty six. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To commerce and economic development. [Speaker 3 ]: H three sixty seven. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To commerce and economic development. [Speaker 3 ]: H three sixty eight. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To judiciary. [Speaker 3 ]: H three sixty nine. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To judiciary. [Speaker 3 ]: H three seventy. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To commerce and economic development. [Speaker 3 ]: H three seventy one. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To agriculture, food resiliency, and forestry. [Speaker 3 ]: H three seventy two. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To agriculture, food resiliency, and forestry. [Speaker 3 ]: H three seventy three. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To government operations and military affairs. [Speaker 3 ]: H three seventy four. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To general and housing. [Speaker 3 ]: H three seventy five. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To government operations and military affairs. [Speaker 3 ]: H three seventy six. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To government operations and military affairs. [Speaker 3 ]: H three seventy seven. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To ways and means. [Speaker 3 ]: H three seventy eight. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To ways and means. [Speaker 3 ]: H three seventy nine. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To corrections and institutions. [Speaker 3 ]: H three eighty. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To corrections and institutions. [Speaker 3 ]: H three eighty one. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To judiciary. [Speaker 3 ]: H three eighty two. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To judiciary. [Speaker 3 ]: H three eighty three. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To judiciary. [Speaker 3 ]: H three eighty four. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To commerce and economic development. H [Speaker 3 ]: three eighty five. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To commerce and economic development. [Speaker 3 ]: H three eighty six. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To agriculture, food resiliency, and forestry. [Speaker 3 ]: H three eighty seven. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To commerce and economic development. [Speaker 3 ]: H three eighty eight. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To commerce and economic development. [Speaker 3 ]: H three eighty nine. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To commerce and economic development. [Speaker 3 ]: H three ninety. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To commerce and economic development. [Speaker 3 ]: H three ninety one. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To commerce and economic development. [Speaker 3 ]: H three ninety two. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To judiciary. [Speaker 3 ]: H three ninety three. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To education. [Speaker 3 ]: H three ninety four. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To energy and digital infrastructure [Speaker 3 ]: h three ninety five. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To government operations and military affairs [Speaker 3 ]: h three ninety six. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To agriculture, food resiliency, and forestry [Speaker 3 ]: h three ninety seven. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To government operations and military affairs [Speaker 3 ]: h three ninety eight. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To commerce and economic development. [Speaker 3 ]: H three ninety nine. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To general and housing. [Speaker 3 ]: And h four hundred. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: To environment. Members, we have a bill on the notice calendar requiring referral to a money committee pursuant to house rule thirty five a house bill ninety six is an act relating to increase the monetary thresholds for certificates of need affecting the revenue of the state, the bill is referred to the committee on ways and means. Members, we will now read a house concurrent resolution that the house and senate adopted pursuant to the consent calendar. HCR thirty is a house concurrent resolution and memory of former representative, House Republican leader, and Milton town manager, Donald h Turner junior. Please listen to the reading of the resolution. [Speaker 5 ]: Whereas, Don Turner graduated from Milton High School and Champlain College and served his hometown and the state of Vermont as an exemplary public official. And whereas, at sixteen years of age, he volunteered for the Milton Fire and Rescue Department, beginning a three decade plus firefighting career. And for many years, he served in the dual roles of fire chief and town forest fire warden. And his and his other civic roles included service on the board of civil authority and more recently as Milton's respected town manager, a position that benefited from his wealth of prior municipal experience. And whereas in early two thousand and six, Governor Jim Douglas appointed Don Turner to represent the town of Milton in the General Assembly, and the voters of his district reaffirmed their support of his legislative tenure at six subsequent elections. And whereas prior to the twenty eleven legislative session, the House Republican caucus elected Don Turner as its leader for the first four consecutive terms. And he ardently advocated on its behalf while also promoting an amicable legislative process. And whereas aside from his public sector duties, Don Turner was a successful realtor, helped oversee his family's construction business and bowling alley, and was an avid fan of Milton High School's girls soccer team. And whereas Don Turner briefly but bravely battled against glioblastoma prior to his death on November thirtieth twenty twenty four at sixty years of age. And he is survived by his loving wife of forty years, Gail, his children, grandchildren, and parents, and the citizens of Milton will miss his friendship and leadership. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives that the General Assembly expresses its sincere condolences to the family of former representative House Republican leader and Milton town manager, Donald h Turner junior. And be it further resolved that the secretary of state be directed to send a copy of this resolution to the members of Don Turner's family, the Milton town clerk, and the Milton fire department. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: Are there any announcements? Member from Milton. [Speaker 4 ]: Thank you, madam speaker. Madam speaker, we just heard a resolution about the life accomplishments of Donald h Turner junior. Anyone that knew Don would easily agree that he did a lot of extraordinary things in his sixty years with us. If you were ever to have asked Don if he considered himself to be extraordinary, he would emphatically have said no. Don is an extremely humble man and would have said he was just an ordinary guy getting stuff done. Getting stuff done was Don's motto for the town of Milton staff that worked with him in his role as town manager. In fact, the words getting stuff done are emblazoned on the wall inside the new Milton public works facility. The Milton select board aptly named the new facility after Don last year as the Donald h Turner junior public works building. His role as Milton town manager is one hat that Don wore in his career of service to his beloved town of Milton and the state of Vermont. At an early age, Don was drawn to service as a rescue and fire department member. Most noteworthy in this arena was his ascension to the role of fire chief where he was literally responsible for ushering in and mentoring many, many young people and new members to serve in these noble organizations. He was recognized many times over with many accolades for his efforts. In the mid two thousands, Don was called into state service with an appointment by governor Jim Douglas to fill behind a Milton house member that had to leave for full time national guard employment. Don served as a member for almost a decade and then for several terms as the house minority leader. He ultimately mentored the current minority leader, the member from Poldney. While serving in the legislature, he was reelected as excuse me, as selected as Milton's town manager and served both roles until twenty eighteen. Don was the epitome of give the hard work to the busy man, he'll get it done, and he did. While serving in his town manager role, it was not uncommon on a snowy Saturday morning to see Don in a uptown pickup truck with a plow moving snow from some of the buildings in order to get the road crew out on the roads quicker for the public safety of keeping our roads safe. And all this time, Don continued to work in real estate and co manage the family development real estate ventures with his dad, Don senior, and mom Nancy. It was not it was not by mistake that he was assigned the moniker of mister Milton by many a townsperson. When the day was done, though, what mattered most to Don was his family, his parents, his siblings, but most of all, his nuclear family headed by whom he I'm sure he'd do to refer to as the real leader of the family, his beloved wife, Gail, whom he'd met while there at Champlain College decades ago. Later came his three wonderful girl wonderful girls and now grandchildren. I know for a fact, and I'm sure much to Gail's chagrin at times, that the family felt Don was pulled away from them, with his many multiple hat roles, but he always found balance and made family time a priority. Madam Speaker, Donald Turner Junior was not a diamond in the rough. He was a gemstone and a gemstone to countless people. At its Remembrance of Life ceremony in early December of last year, there were an excess of a thousand people, yes, a thousand people that attended to pay tribute and respect to a life of service and dedication to an endless list of people in Milton and around the state of Vermont. Again, an ordinary man just getting stuff done. On a side note, generationally myself, representative Leland Morgan and representative Brandon Steady are cousins of his, and I'm sure he would be smiling on the legacy of our continued service in the family. Madam speaker, with us today in the gallery behind me are Don's mother and father, Don senior and Nancy Turner, Don's wife Gail, his daughters Emily and her husband Ben, Hillary and husband Dana, Erin and partner Marie Johns, and Don's sister Lisa Lapid. But most importantly, the apple of Gail and Don's eyes, their precious grandchildren, Lydia, Thea, and Thatcher. On behalf of the five members from Milton and the senator from Milton, excuse me, I'd ask that we give them a hearty and warm welcome to the state house. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: Will the guest member from Milton please rise and be recognized? Are there any further announcements? Member from Williston. [Speaker 6 ]: Madam Speaker, I wanted Thio, welcome to the statehouse. A few fierce advocates from the Vermont Coalition for phone and social media preschools. They've been in the state house today participating in a self organized state house day of advocacy. And I think one of the things that's most noteworthy about this group is that there are many youth among, the coalition members, and, they were all here mingling with legislators and providing public testimony. And I just want to, recognize their dedication and welcome them to the people's house. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: Will the guest of the member from Williston please rise and be recognized? Member from Brattleboro. [Speaker 7 ]: Thank you, Madam Speaker. The Climate Solutions Caucus will meet tomorrow in room ten at noon. We will be hearing from representatives from the Conservation Law Foundation, and there will be pizza for lunch. So come on down. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: Are there any further announcements? Member from Waterbury. [Speaker 8 ]: Thank you, madam speaker. I would like to move that house human services be relieved of h two twenty seven, establishing a residential peer respite facility in Southern Vermont. H two seventy, confidentiality for peer support counseling among emergency service providers. And h three twenty three, mental health programming funded by the mental health innovation special fund. And that the same, be moved to the committee on health care. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: The member from Waterbury moves that the house committee on human, services be relieved of house bill two twenty seven, house bill two seventy, and house bill two twenty three. And the same be referred to the committee on health care. Are you ready for the question? If so, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. All those opposed, please say nay. The eyes appear to have it. The eyes do have it. And you have released, relieved House Human Services Committee of House Bill two twenty seven, two seventy, and three twenty three and committed the same to the Committee on Health Care. Member from Poltenay. [Speaker 2 ]: Madam speaker, I move that the remarks from the member from Milton be journalized. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: The member from Poltenay moves that we journalize the remarks of the member from Milton. 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 generalized the remarks of the member from Milton. Member from Fairfield. [Speaker 9 ]: Thank you, madam speaker. Today, we have Vermont Access Network. They're here hosting an ice cream social in a cafeteria from four to six. Paul Snyder from Franklin County's Northwest Access TV and van president Kurt Brodersen is here are here. Along with several other public access staff from across the state, They have a small request from us in funding based funding to help offset the continued decline in revenue. So if you are so inclined, and I would, it's free ice cream, to go up to the cafeteria, scoop up some ice cream and sprinkles, and have a chat with them about their needs and how, we can support this valuable, resource. And they're in the balcony. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: Will the guest member from Fairfield please rise and be recognized? Are there any further announcements? Member from Brattleboro? [Speaker 10 ]: Madam speaker, the fourth and final in our four part tax workshop series hosted with by the Ways and Means Committee and kindly staffed by legislative council in the joint fiscal office is this Friday at lunchtime in room eleven. We hope you can join us. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: Are there any further announcements? Member from Hartland. [Speaker 11 ]: Madam speaker, this week's farmers night performance is sponsored by the friends of the Vermont State House and marks the midpoint of our twenty twenty five season. Hopefully, all of you saw the email announcement about this, but just to remind you, we'll be featuring the poet based clarinetist and shaman to Saint Negritude. It's right here, at seven thirty. Hope to see you here. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: Are there any further announcements member from Chittenden? [Representative Jed Lipsky]: Madam [Speaker 12 ]: speaker, on the Saturday of thanksgiving weekend, I received a call from the member from Stowe representing that lesser known ski mountain. Let me know as a courtesy, he was in Killington represented by the member from Chittenden, also known as the beast of the east. He was there, madam speaker, to watch Vermont trained skier, Mikaela Shifrin, win her hundredth World Cup victory. Unfortunately, miss Shifrin had an accident that day. Fortunately, she received excellent care at the Rutland Regional Medical Center and was able to return to the Women's World Cup tour after recovering from her injury. And while it didn't happen in Killington, I think we are all proud of her Vermont training at Burke Academy and want to congratulate Mikaela Shifrin on winning her hundredth World Cup victory that took place in Italy last weekend, The first ever to reshape re reach that milestone. Thank you. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: Let's give her a round of applause for you. Are there any further announcements? Member from Hulteany, can you please offer us a motion to suspend our rules to take up for immediate consideration pending its entry on the notice calendar house bill one forty one, which is an act relating to fiscal year twenty twenty five budget adjustments for the purpose of requesting a committee of conference. [Speaker 2 ]: Madam speaker, I make a motion to suspend rules to take up h one forty one for immediate consideration pending its entry on the notice calendar in order to appoint a committee of conference. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: The member from Holtany moves that we suspend our rules to take up house bill one forty one for immediate consideration for the purpose of requesting a committee of conference. 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 our rules to take up house bill one forty one for immediate consideration. House bill one forty one is an act relating to fiscal year twenty twenty five budget adjustments. The senate passed the bill in concurrence with proposal of amendment and messaged the bill forthwith to the house today. And the first assistant clerk emailed the senate proposal of amendment to members at one fifty one today. The proposal of amendment can also be found on the house overview web page and paper copies are available at the main table. Member from Middlebury. [Speaker 13 ]: Madam Speaker, the House Appropriations Committee has reviewed the changes the Senate made to h one forty one, the Budget Adjustment Act. While the Senate agreed with many of the items that we approved in our version of the budget adjustment, there were several areas that are new to us and different from what we did. For example, they eliminated the carry forward for f y twenty five, and they took another six million from the treasurer's bond redemption account. Further, they added some positions in a couple of areas and changed some of our language. As we would like to have further discussions about these differences, your House Appropriations Committee on a straw poll of eleven zero zero voted to not concur with the Senate and to request that a committee of conference be formed to address these issues. Thank you. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: The member from Middlebury moves that the house refused to concur in the Senate proposal of amendment and that a committee of conference be appointed. 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 refused to concur in the senate proposal of amendment and requested a committee of conference. Pursuant to your action, the chair appoints the following members to serve on the part of the house. The member from Middlebury, representative Shy. The member from Burlington, representative Bloomley. And the member from Underhill, representative Squirrel. Member from Poultney, can you please offer us a motion to suspend our rules to message our action on house bill one forty one to the senate forthwith? [Speaker 2 ]: Madam speaker, I make a motion to suspend rules in order to message our actions on h one four one to the senate forthwith. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: The member from Polteni moves that we suspend our rules to message our action on house bill one forty one to the senate forthwith. Are you ready for the 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 you have suspended our rules message or action on House Bill one forty one to the Senate forthwith. Are there any further announcements? Seeing none. Members before we adjourn, the chair has one announcement. The member from Rutland City, representative McGuire, is appointed to the opioid settlement advisory committee. Are there any further announcements? Seeing none. Member from Poltenay, can you please offer us a motion to adjourn until Thursday, February twenty seventh at three PM? [Speaker 2 ]: Madam speaker, I make a motion this body stand in adjournment until Thursday, February twenty seventh two thousand twenty five at three PM. [Chair Jill Krowinski]: 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 eyes appear to have it. The eyes do have it, and this body stands in adjournment till tomorrow at three PM.

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SmartTranscript of House Session: 2025-02-26-3:00 p.m.

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