Statehouse Headliners: House bills address gun suppressors, female genital mutilation, plastic bag bans and more

By Guy Page

New bills introduced in the Vermont House of Representatives would, among other things, increase the state contribution to nursing home residents, prohibit female genital mutilation, oversee dangerous household products, prohibit plastic straws and takeout bags at restaurants, and define “milk.”

H.87 – Requires State to maximize environmental benefits of Volkswagen settlement. Rep. Michael Yantachka.

Guy Page is affiliated with the Vermont Energy Partnership, the Vermont Alliance for Ethical Healthcare, and Physicians, Families & Friends for a Better Vermont.

H.86 – Restricts property transfer tax revenue to Vermont Housing and Conservation Trust Fund.  Rep. Thomas Stevens.

H.85 – Increases by $25 per person per month State’s contribution to personal needs allowance for nursing home residents on Supplemental Security Income or Medicaid, or both. Rep. Sandy Haas.

H.84 – Removes Act 250 jurisdiction over telecommunications facilities and grants permanent jurisdiction to Public Utility Commission. Rep. Laura Sibilia.

H.83 – Prohibits female genital mutilation. Rep. George Till.

H.82 – Exempt from sales and use tax parts and accessories for timber harvesting equipment. Co-Sponsors: Reps. Wood, Stevens, Noyes.

H.81 – Defines of “milk” as “pure lacteal secretion of hooved animals.”  Rep. Partridge.

H.80 – Authorizes gun suppressor while hunting, and provides hearing protection for persons while hunting. Reps. Brennan, Till, Rep. Chase.

H.79 – Provides that organizations administering or assisting development of farm-to-school programs are eligible for funding from the Farm-to-School Program at the Agency of Agriculture. Rep. Partridge.

H.78 – Places moratorium on school district mergers ordered by the State Board of Education until legal issues are adjudicated. Rep. Partridge.

H.77 – Authorizes commercial landlord to retake possession of property upon breach of a lease agreement. Rep. Sibilia.

H.76 – Study creation of sales tax zones on eastern VT border. Rep. Seymour.

H.75 – Requires manufacturers of household products containing hazardous substance to participate in a stewardship organization; implement plan to collect household products containing a hazardous substance free of charge to the public. Rep. Sullivan.

H.74 – Prohibit food service establishments from providing carryout bags, expanded polystyrene food service products, and plastic straws to customers. Rep. Scheu.

H.73 – Approve amendments to charter of the City of Barre. Rep. Walz.

H.72 – Provide free fishing license to residents with developmental disability. Rep. Robin Scheu.

The following bills introduced earlier this month in the House would require in-state sale of renewable energy credits, allow gun suppressors for hunting, require voters to OK school mergers, and ban driving with ice and snow on cars, among other things.

H.52 – Requires at least one member of the Green Mountain Care Board to be a health care professional. Sponsor: Rep. Till.

H.53 – Establishes crime of disturbing the legislature, with punishment of fine and/or jail. Rep. Brennan.

H.54 – Requires solar generation renewable energy credits to be sold to Vermont utilities and applied to Vermont Renewable Energy Standard. Rep. Shaw.

H.55 – Requires consultant study of microplastics in Vermont waters and environment. Rep. Walz.

H.56 – Allows use of gun suppressor for game hunting. Rep. Till.

H.57 – Establishes in state law the unrestricted right to abortion. Reps. Pugh, Grad.

H.58 – Adds gender-inclusive language for town officers to charter of the Town of Barre. Reps. LaClair, McFaun.

H.59 – Codifies charter of Rutland County Solid Waste District. Rep. Harrison.

H.60 – Makes Agency of Human Services sole agency responsible for oversight and regulation of child care and prekindergarten education for children until enrolled in kindergarten. AHS now shares role with Agency of Education. Rep. Rosenquist.

H.61 – Imposes strict liability for damages caused by domestic dogs. Rep. Rosenquist.

H.62 – Prohibits school district from closing school due to consolidation without permission from voters. Rep. Ancel.

H.63 – Extends from three days to 30 the time frame for return of unclaimed beverage container deposits

H.64 – Financing water quality programs with excise taxes on polluters. Rep. Brownell.

H.65 – Requires removal of snow and ice from vehicles operated on public highways. Rep. Browning.

H.66 – Provides same benefit to survivors of firefighters and emergency personnel now available to survivors of law enforcement officers. Rep. Yantachka.

H.67 – Creates exemption from the workers’ compensation requirements for workers engaged in equine care and management for an employer whose annual payroll is less than $10,000. Rep. Shaw.

H.68 – Provide up to two consecutive hours of paid leave so that employees may vote in primary and general elections held in Vermont and on Town Meeting Day. Rep. Hashim.

H.69 – Creates a one-month grace period for a lapse in motor vehicle registration. Rep. Hashim.

H.70 – Postpones enforcement of compliance with child care providers’ educational and experiential requirements. Rep. Rosenquist.

Statehouse Headliners is intended primarily to educate, not advocate. It is e-mailed to an ever-growing list of interested Vermonters, public officials and media. Guy Page is affiliated with the Vermont Energy Partnership; the Vermont Alliance for Ethical Healthcare; and Physicians, Families and Friends for a Better Vermont.

Image courtesy of Bruce Parker/TNR

9 thoughts on “Statehouse Headliners: House bills address gun suppressors, female genital mutilation, plastic bag bans and more

  1. Boy, between these proposed Bills and the Senate Proposed Bills, now knowing that VT has so many problems to correct, it’s scary to set foot in the state.

    These Legislators have so much work ahead of them, they don’t have time to sleep or eat. Don’t look like there’s any moderation here. The proposals seem to me to be “feel good” legislation.

    As I’ve said before:
    Take all the Democrat-Liberals-Socialists brains in Montpelier and squeeze the H out of it and you wouldn’t drip out enough common sense to fill a thimble.

    • “wouldn’t drip out enough common sense to fill a thimble.”

      Got that right Tom, They operate on Commie Sense by the milk pail
      full not common sense. A lot of these bills are same as all leftarded states are doing ie plastics ban, killing baby’s, gender name rules you know all the important stuff….
      And they wonder why vermonters are leaving in droves, sure wish I could…

  2. After reading these bills, I cannot believe that even half of them are being considered,
    my God with all the real problems in the State they are worried about labeling “Milk ”
    and then Plastic Bags …… what about ( Taxes, Debt, Drugs, Housing) ????

    Where do we get these people, H.83 – Prohibits ” female genital mutilation ”
    by Rep. George Till.

    I have never heard of one case in VT, I know this is a practice in ” third world countries “,
    has Vermont become that, because of its immigration population ??

    If so,then we have bigger problems !!

  3. Milk defined as coming from hooved animals. Yes. That would describe Democrat women. The spawn of the Devil. The prohibition of genital mutilation will never fly ; we have allowed too many Muslims in. And we don’t want to embarrass or humiliate their ‘cultural’ practices in any way. And ‘gender inclusive’ language? Oh, that’s important. Just use “It”. Everyone will be happy. This state is insane.

  4. “H.80 – Authorizes gun suppressor while hunting, and provides hearing protection for persons while hunting. Reps. Brennan, Till, Rep. Chase.”

    If the merry Marxists of Montpelier are serious about fostering firearms safety of Vermonters hearing health ,this is a bill they should get behind,will they,No they will fight it tooth and nail.

    • They watch too many movies and believe most of what they see. Also, because hunters and gun owners want this, that’s reason enough for them to table it.

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