MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Vermont lawmakers have passed a key milepost in their 2014 session, and are tallying up progress to date and work still to do in the remaining weeks on the legislative calendar.
Friday was crossover day in the Legislature, when most bills were expected to have emerged from their initial committees if their backers want to see them pass this year.
Bills to combat a crisis of opiate drug abuse in Vermont, to promote the development of new homegrown renewable energy through “net metering,” and to ban hand-held electronics like cell phones while driving already have passed at least one chamber - in the case of net metering, both the House and Senate.
The House still must concur with Senate changes on the net metering bill, but lawmakers said that shouldn’t be a problem.
“I think we’re going to put a bill on the governor’s desk that promotes renewable energy and deals with climate change,” said House Speaker Shap Smith.
Among items still to be worked out are adjustments to Vermont’s school funding system. The House Ways and Means Committee is expected to complete work on a bill this coming week setting statewide property tax rates at 99 cents per $100 of value for residential properties and $1.52 for commercial and vacation properties.
Ways and Means and other money committees are exempted from the crossover deadline.
One challenge faced by lawmakers in the coming weeks will be crafting a budget without the $14 million in increases sought by Gov. Peter Shumlin in January. The Ways and Means Committee has been balking at passing the increase in a tax on health insurance claims that Shumlin wanted to use to pay for the increases.
Smith called the ban on hand-held devices, which is currently in the Senate, and a separate measure to crack down on driving while under the influence of drugs “pretty important public safety bills.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.