Statehouse Headliners: Lawmakers move on ‘domestic terrorism’ bill, systemic racism, pot and gender-free restrooms

By Guy Page

The Vermont Senate this week removed two controversial sections of H.25, the “domestic terrorism” bill, then approved it and sent it to the House.

An early version of the bill defined any firearm as a potential “weapon of mass destruction” and permitted a 20-year prison sentence for “threatening to engage in” the death or injury of multiple persons.

However, the Senate removed both phrases in its final bill passed in response to the planned mass shooting at Fair Haven High School. It allows a two-year sentence for deadly weapon (including gun) possession with intent to injure one person, and a 10-year sentence for possession with intent to injure multiple persons. It also defines domestic terrorism as “taking substantial steps” to undertaking a mass killing, rather than merely “threatening to engage.” The entire section on “weapons of mass destruction” was removed.

House Judiciary is discussing similar legislation with even stiffer penalties, much to the concern of a committee member who said in an informal conversation Wednesday, “We’re going to throw people in jail for life for having a bad thought.”

Medical Marijuana “cure all” bill gets hearing – the House Human Services Committee will hold a hearing Thursday, April 25 on a Senate-approved S.216, allowing the prescription of marijuana for any medical condition. Current law allows prescription for a limited number of conditions. The Senate-approved bill also struck from an earlier version the “local option” allowing towns to refuse a medical marijuana dispensary. Current medical marijuana law does provide the “local option.”

Researchers show that teen consumption of marijuana grew 50 percent in Colorado during its “medical marijuana” era from 2006-2011, thanks in part to youth-oriented advertising.

Interested Vermonters may contact Human Services Committee legislators:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Commission approved – the Senate gave preliminary approval Tuesday to H.378, creation of an Artificial Intelligence Commission, a 12-member body to “make recommendations on the responsible growth of Vermont’s emerging technology markets, the use of artificial intelligence in state government, and state regulation of the artificial intelligence field.” H.378 will likely receive final approval and go to Gov. Phil Scott for approval.

Systemic racism bill needs $$ from AppropriationsS.281, mitigating systemic racism, was sent Tuesday, April 24 to the House Appropriations Committee. S.281 establishes the office of an independent, state-supported Chief Civil Rights Officer and Civil Rights Advisory Panel to identify and work to eradicate systemic racism within government. The Senate-approved bill requires that “at least three members of the commission shall be of color” – in effect a “racial quota” that was initially protested by some senators. It also calls for $75,000 funding, which must be reviewed by House Appropriations.

Gender-free single-toilet public restroom bill approvedH.333, requiring single-occupant rest-rooms with locks on the outer door to be designated as “gender-free” has been approved by the Legislature. According to a news reporter who attended hearings, the law will not require gender-free designations for restrooms to be used by more than one person at a time.

Click here for a complete list of all bills approved by the 2018 Legislature.

Superior Court judge named – the Senate April 24 confirmed the appointment of former VT Attorney General’s office lawyer Scott Kline of Essex as a Superior Court judge.

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, Divestment Facts, the Vermont Alliance for Ethical Healthcare and the Church at Prison.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Jared C. Benedict

10 thoughts on “Statehouse Headliners: Lawmakers move on ‘domestic terrorism’ bill, systemic racism, pot and gender-free restrooms

  1. Hey, wait just one minute, I identify as a K9 on Tuesdays and Thursdays so I’ll need a species free fire hydrant at public locations and pooper scoopers at every public building lawn locations. The rest of the week is up in the air. Up In The Air, I got it, the rest of the week I’ll be an ostrich and bury my head in the sand with the rest of the progressive liberals. On a different note, do not make threats of not voting for our liberal legislators because they will add that to a domestic terrorism bill and throw you butt in jail forever.

  2. Yea let’s waste more money and time into thi gs that make no sense what so ever. Don’t worry about jobs or taxes or anything meaningful. Let’s work on making sure pot is legal guns are out of the hands of citazens and people can use whatever bathroom they want. Thanks Burnie you’ve been such a great inspiration to this state. What would we ever do without you. You old stinky hippie!!!

  3. How about establishing a commission to determine how the legislature can come up with more costly hair brained projects? These idiots would consider that would be a grand idea.

  4. This just goes to show how sad our state legislators are , we have major debt , major opioid
    problem and what is on the minds of Montpelier :
    * Domestic terrorism – what one kid from Fair Haven , now they are mind readers.
    * Systemic racism – because We don’t follow BLM or is the laws they write
    * Pot – I have a head ache , so where’s my Card , it legal ??
    * Gender-free restrooms – Other’s ??

    Where do we get these useless clowns ?? Vermont I hope before I die, I can see the State
    I grew up in back to some sense of Normal , times they are a changing but not for the
    Good !!

    • Not to mention the Artificial Intelligence Committee. The entire Vermont legislative body is comprised of artificial intelligence. Phony intelligence to be succinct. They pretend to be intelligent; and dumb people believe them.

  5. Thought is a crime,Future crime police,gee wasn’t that a bad B movie brought to you by the Leftist and RINO’s of the Vermont legislature.

  6. Sounds like Vermont is going the same way the rest of the Democrat Party and the media has gone in this county – far left with a planned total denial of free speech, destruction of independent thought, and alternative ideas – no disagreement allowed or else you’re targeted and destroyed. Joe McCarthy did the same stuff back in the 1950’s. Oh, for those long ago days when Town meetings actually let local people run things and people could discuss and think through problems without being ‘instructed’ on what to think and do. It’s Bernie Sanders’ final gift to Vermont – socialism and worse. Sad.

  7. Wonder if there will be unisex bathrooms in the State’s buildings, Capitol, Supreme Court, SOS, Tax Dept, etc etc.

    Transgender is in, common sense is out.

    • That they actually wasted time on bathrooms shows the level of incompetence we are dealing with. Go to ANY gas station and get THE key to THE bathroom. It’s NOT specified for either sex; it’s just a bathroom. And the ONLY bathroom. It’s when any freak can walk into a women’s bathroom that is the problem. And these idiots think that is just fine.

  8. Oh goody, Now we can go to whichever bathroom we identify with. My only problem is that I identify as a woman on Thursdays. On Fridays, any SOB walking into a bathroom that my wife or daughter is in will have a tough time ever using any bathroom again.

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