Statehouse Headliners: Latest bills include voting for 16-year-olds, jail for cops who profile

By Guy Page

The Vermont House of Representatives has introduced 515 bills to date and is on pace to hit the 1,000-bill mark this biennium for the first time this century.

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

The House introduced 928 bills in the 2017-18 session, including 542 during all of 2017, according to the Vermont Legislature website. That’s the most for a biennium during this century. Most bienniums, the House introduces between 800-900 bills. The Senate typically introduces about a third as many.

This biennium the House is introducing bills at a rate to surpass 2017-18. The House – with Crossover still to come on March 15 and adjournment many weeks away  – has already introduced 515 bills. Speaker Mitzi Johnson reportedly asked House members last week to consider how to avoid such a backlog of bills.

Perhaps the most prolific bill-introducer is Rep. Brian Cina (P-Burlington), who has sponsored or co-sponsored 90 bills. Most reflect the Progressive agenda on energy, the environment, prison reform, and women’s rights. However, not all of his bills are agenda-driven. Last year the 1998 Dartmouth grad’s bill H378 was passed into law, establishing the Vermont Artificial Intelligence Task Force to study how Vermont can benefit from this cutting-edge scientific field.

Like Speaker Johnson, Headliners too has struggled with the backlog. This year we’ve tried to read and succinctly describe every bill. But they are just too numerous and other duties call. Some bills introduced since our last listing (H277 and below) appear below. For the rest, see House Bills on the Vermont Legislature website. Hopefully someday we’ll catch up.

H.515 (Rep. Till, Underhill-Jericho) would allow teens 16 and older to receive immunizations without parental consent. Like H238, eliminating the religious exemption for child immunization, H515 limits parental oversight of immunization. Other bills include:

H.502 Give person with suspended license permission to drive to work or school. Rep. Trieber.
H.501 Create state program to distribute fentanyl test strips. Rep. Colburn.
H.500 Establish universal home visiting for families with newborn infants. Rep. Yacavone.
H.496 Amend hate-crime statutes to prohibit behavior motivated by bias, and create civil penalty for repeated harassment and intimidation of a person. Lead sponsor Rep. Carroll (D-Bennington) replaced Rep. Kiah Morris, who resigned due in part to intimidation of her and her family by a white supremacist.
H.492 Establish a homeless bill of rights and prohibit discrimination against people without homes. Rep. Stevens.
H.491 Adds “agreement of the parties” to legal grounds for annulment of marriage. Rep. Chase.
H.490 Gives law enforcement authority to ANR environmental enforcement officers. Rep. Noyes.
H.488 Study creation of single, statewide school district, similar to Hawaii model. Rep. Rachelson.
H.487 Expedite Act 250 permit process. Rep. Fagan.
H.483 Create Vermont Private Attorneys General Act, whereby private citizens and whistleblowers could sue workplaces on behalf of Vermont Dept. of Labor. Rep. Colburn.
H.478 Consider State apology and reparations for the institution of slavery. Rep. Cina.
H.476 Prohibit Department of Motor Vehicles sharing information regarding immigration status. Rep. Colburn.
H.474 Provide legislator compensation for maximum 18 weeks per year. Rep. Burditt.
H.472 Increase from 30 days to one year length of time holder of driver’s license from another country may drive in Vermont. Rep. Burke.
H.470 Require legislative OK for police to use facial recognition software, DNA testing, other advanced ID tech. Rep. Rachelson.
H.468 Create 10% tax rebate on residential solar panels. Rep. Ralph.
H.465 Fine/imprison police for racial profiling. Rep. Cina.
H.447 Impose 1% tax on state retiree allowances to reduce unfunded liability. Rep. Browning.
H.446 Impose 5% tax on health clinic charges to establish Rural Health Commission. Rep. Jickling.
H.444 Require ranked choice voting in all non-federal primary elections. Rep. Sibilia.
H.436 Permit recognition of international wills. Rep. Hashim.
H.418 Allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in municipal elections. Rep. Donovan.
H.382 Eliminate criminal sentence of life without parole. Rep. Cina.
H.381 Require racial impact statements on selected legislation. Rep. Cina.

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

20 thoughts on “Statehouse Headliners: Latest bills include voting for 16-year-olds, jail for cops who profile

    • You’ll note this guy traces them back to our own Bernie Sanders, I have not investigated to verify his claim. Bernie coincidentally went to college in Chicago. Others in Vermont have gone to the New School in NY….another SJW training ground if there ever was one. We’ve got way too many plants in this state. Burlington this year is an epicenter of “progressive” ideas and candidates that miraculously after being here all of one year are entrenched, massively supported and in office….

      Most of the press is involved in making this plan happen. Think about our two major news sources across this state. VT Digger and 7 Days (who shares a life with Pro tem Senator Ashe…..

      This nasty little experiment of ruining perfectly good republics needs the full sunlight and a bit of divine intervention, Lord knows we need the help.

    • My thoughts are we should be very weary of the Saikat Chakrabarti
      dude, who is obviously running the whole AOCrazio show.

      This dude I believe got the founder (Young Turks of Justice Democats ejected off the board so he would have control. He’s a lover of India hench man Subhas Chandra Bose. Not familiar with this former Indian head of state? Here a few facts:

      Bose was an ally of Adolf Hitler and met with him personally in 1942.
      Bose founded the Free India Legion (FIL) made up of troops captured by Nazi Field Marshal Rommel’s Afrika Korps.
      The FIL swore an oath to Hitler and was under SS command.
      Bose teamed up with the Japanese in 1943.
      Bose was an admirer of the USSR and sought to implement its authoritarian practices in India.

      He also worked for the bernardo failed run against Hitlery criminal clinton to get his socialist Credentials. As we are now learning he’s pretty adept in shuffling of monies between the Just us Democrats PAC and the New Congress Critters PAC. He’s not a multi millionaire because he’s stupid….

      Right now the only hurt he will be dealing will be against the Old guard Democrats but his eye’s are on the Big Prize of both houses and White House. Be very afraid of this puke as he’s the most dangerous of the leftist AntiAmericans well maybe after Soros.

      • My bet is He’ll get all the money he needs, he may not be brilliant, but he got results. Look how many people he got into congress, how whacked they are; have to give the man credit there. You can’t be seriously smart if think socialism is good for the citizens and country, but you can be very clever, cunning,manipulative and of course power hungry. My bet is those with money, take soros for example, why wouldn’t he hedge his bets, bring in some competition to his DNC run crowd, then see who comes on top.

        Great insights on your post.

        • Thanks Neil,
          He really is serious smart and knows how to use socialism to gather the herd of new young voters who love socialism until they realize their going to be paying for it. By then it’s to late. Ask Venezuela, who were disarmed then disillusioned and can’t do anything about it. Even Finland now can’t reign in
          their payed for economic socialism (oil for socialism). The peeps love the free bees and don’t want to give them up.
          Any way Saikat knows how to get power and the path is socialism. The 2 radical terrorist muslims , omar talib were part of his plan. Islam and Socialism are pretty close partners. Soros will be bankrolling this oneworldorder puke..

    • Hey Neil,

      Pretty interesting, I knew she was no brain child …… this sums it up pretty good !!

      Wake up people…………..

  1. Listed above are 26 excellent reasons to cast a big fat NO vote for H-474. Eighteen weeks is far too long a time for the legislature to be in session. Now they’ve come up with three new tax schemes. The one on solar panels is particularly amusing. First they entice the folks to install solar panels by providing a subsidy. Once done, they now want to impose a 10% tax on them. Just another con on the folks. Again 18 weeks is far too long..

  2. Observing all the bills introduced (per this article 515) this illustrates the Montpelier mentality. It’s a “look at me and what I’m doing for VT!!!!” They know most will not get out of a committee, but it’s “feel good importance” and perhaps re-election even though they didn’t do anything. But it slogs down the legislative process and about only 10 potential bills will make it thru the process for the year to the Gov signing (doubt Scott will veto anything), and most of them will be anti-Vermont. This Cina guy is a prime example. Would it be Payola if one gives such a guy to introduce any Bill? Money talks in politics.

    Perhaps on the positive side, a 16 year old might run for office and displace these legislators that gave 16 year old’s such “rights.” Can’t be worse, after all Montpelier is a video game. Young minds can be molded if enough “positive light” is constantly presented to orient them to the real world, reality and consequences. Would they want oppression forced onto their families (as the libs are now doing to the rest of us)? Can’t mention Socialist, Communism, Fascism, Bill of Rights, the Constitution, Property Rights, Hitler’s world, Stalin, American Revolution, Civil War etc to them as they most likely don’t know. But if it’s a close problem, they might be schooled.

    Is this the new political wave?

  3. If the voters in this state keep electing these people we have no one to blame but ourselves.

    • So true….we are doomed if the conservatives do not wake up and participate in the government beyond their four walls called home

  4. Isn’t this A–s Backwards/ But that’s the genius in Montpelier. It should be jail time for 16 year old trouble makers and let the cops do their community duties without legal problems.

    A 16 year old is old enough to rationalize, unless they have mental problems like the Fair Haven kid that was caught desirous to shoot up a school and pay for their crimes. A copy cat mental case looking at too much violence in video games and Hollywood movies, most of which is all kumputr generated by warped minds for stupid audiences to enrich themselves.

    Again no parental responsibility. Leave the cops alone, I appreciate them, my father was one and the horror stories, even in the 80’s.

  5. First off thanks to Guy for keeping us updated and our blood boiling over the stupidity of legislation being proposed.
    Second off the next bill we need is one to limit bills so the stupidity would be lessened. Law enforcement for ANR NO, voting 16 NO, apologize for slavery Big F’n NO, the other 2 racial bull crap NO, License should be marked with status so can’t be used for voting, and making Voter ID mandatory. stupid voting scheme NO, legislature compensation Big F’n NO and shorten their time there. Tax health care to create more gov agency’s NO, eliminate Life sentence NO, would these leftist Fascist let the twin towers bombers off on good behavior?? Legislative approval for cop duties NO.

  6. “H.515 (Rep. Till, Underhill-Jericho) would allow teens 16 and older to receive immunizations without parental consent. Like H238, eliminating the religious exemption for child immunization, H515 limits parental oversight of immunization. Other bills include:”

    Let me see if I understand this bill,give 16 year old’s the vote,however just last year unless one was 21 they were stripped of their Article 16/2nd. amendment right because they by most of these same legislators thought not to be adult enough to make a adult decision.

    Just what in the world are these legislators thinking or Not,make up their leftard minds is someone under the age of 21 responsible enough to vote but not exercise their rights or not,which is it,make up your feeble minds.

  7. Why so many bills in such a tiny state?
    Oppressive government regulation is NOT the path to Freedom.
    It is the path to slavery.
    That’s why the Progressives want to remove all mention of “slavery” from the Vermont Constitution…

    • Brian Cina is another genius who moved here from NJ; it’s obvious all these progressives in the Legislature are trying to out-do each other in both volume of bills submitted and sheer lunacy in the content of the bills.

      A good number of my wife’s relatives lived in the former East Germany and she often notices the similarity between some of our more fanatical socialists/progressives and the Stasi that her relatives knew so well (the ones who survived).

  8. Join the 802VT Alliance on Facebook and ban together to find new candidates and vote these people out of office. Enough is enough!!
    40,000 people didn’t vote in the 2018 state election! Time to wake up and wake up fast.
    #802VT Alliance

    • Facebook will totally control who you reach and give you false information diagnostics. You will pay to spread your message and they’ll make sure nobody really sees it. Happened in the last election multiple times. Facebook is nobody’s friend, unless you hang with the NWO types, they’ll show you all kinds of love then.

      Curious to how the 802VTAlliance has for counters to the socialist/progressive/DNC arguments and debate points. Counters that will bring in people from 65-70% of our state that Vote Democratic.

  9. How do Progressive DemocRATs get more votes for there foolish agenda, it’s easy just get H.418 passed this will allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in municipal elections….. What !!.

    These brained wash juveniles are going to vote on Town Budgets (?? ) with most municipalities,
    are already in debt…………..and this is a good plan……Wow.

    Vermonter’s do you see the agenda ( votes) do you think you can afford it ??

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