Notes from Montpelier
by Rep. Bill Frank

     The second half of this two-year biennium began last Tuesday, January 3, 2012.  In part, because of Tropical Storm Irene, many committees had meetings in November and December to address problems and to prepare for the session.  The House Human Services Committee, which I serve on, met jointly with the House Natural Resources and Energy committee and the House Ways and Means Committee to understand the impact of the reduced Federal funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).  Vermont is going to receive about $8 million less than last year and we hope to supplement the fund with $5.1 million the Legislature set aside in anticipation of federal cuts, and $1 million from a projected year-end carry-forward in the non-ARRA funded weatherization program.  The state’s $6.1 million will be added to the federal $19.5 million and other available funds, increasing the average annual benefit per household to about $935.

     This year will be challenging, but each year that I have been in the legislature has had its own challenges.  First, of course, the legislature must focus on the recovery efforts after Tropical Storm Irene. Although the state has come far since the storm, there is still much to be done.  Irene has shown us both that we are resilient, and that we must make sure we value our resiliency and work toward policies that keep us strong.  But there are other issues that cannot be ignored – a clean energy future, a strong economy and health care reform.  Last year we took a very important step in health care reform enacting legislation that created the Green Mountain Care Board, created the Health Insurance Exchange and the outlines for Green Mountain Care.  This year we need to pass legislation that finalizes the implementation of Green Mountain Care and other strategic plan issues. 

     I have been working with the Department of Health and the Attorney General’s Office on bills dealing with tobacco issues and changes to the Prescription Drug Monitoring System. I’m also working to get a bill relating to parental rights and responsibilities taken up in committee.  Vermont law does not allow judges to grant joint custody on their own when parents divorce.  If you are interested in learning more about this issue, Jericho resident Chris Weinberg has created a web site jointcustodyvt.org to support the passage of this bill, H.354.

     I will again have a series of evenings at the Deborah Rawson Memorial Library to answer questions and have discussion on anything going on in the legislature.  The first evening will be Tuesday, January 10^th, 6:30-8:00pm.  Please join me and George Till next Tuesday at the library.