The first half of the biennium is quickly coming to an end and there are only two legislative weeks until our tentative adjournment on May 12. We have made much progress on the priorities which we set out in the beginning of the session. Two big bills are still working their way through the legislative process and necessary multiple committee stops – S.100 (Housing) and S.56 (Childcare). I am hopeful that we can make progress on these important issues.
S.5 Affordable Heat Act:
There has been much disinformation provided about the Affordable Heat Act (AHA), and I want you to have the best information about this bill. The goal of the AHA is to help Vermonters transition away from fossil fuels — and save money on heating bills — by making options like weatherization and heat pumps more affordable for more people. The bill prioritizes Vermonters at risk of being left behind in the transition to clean energy, including rural Vermonters, older Vermonters living on fixed incomes, Vermonters living in mobile homes, and Vermonters of low and moderate income. These community members are the most impacted by rising and volatile fuel prices ($2 a gallon in the last year alone) folks who right now are least able to afford to make the switch.
The bill lays out a careful two-year process for research and public input. This includes reports on the estimated impact of the AHA on fuel prices, the potential savings to Vermonters across the state, and the nuts and bolts of how the program will be implemented gradually over time. In 2025, the proposed rules will return to the legislature, with this detailed information, with the option for the House and Senate to approve the program, revise it, or even to stop it. The program cannot take effect in 2026 without full legislative review and approval. The bill has now passed both the Senate and the House, and the Senate will consider the changes made by the House. A helpful resource for questions about S.5 can be found at: https://www.eanvt.org/featured-news/affordable-heat-act-faq/
In my Commerce and Economic Development Committee, we have worked on consumer-protection bills that directly benefit our friends and neighbors. Some of the recent bills include the following:
S.48 An act relating to the regulation of the sale of catalytic converters:
This bill helps to make catalytic-converter theft a little bit more difficult. This criminal activity is on the rise in Vermont and in surrounding states, and this bill seeks to reduce it through a few key provisions. The bill requires that catalytic converters be labeled with their VIN numbers (via a marker or engraving) when they are being transported and sold, that scrap metal processors/salvage yards maintain good records of the sale and purchase of these items, that model documentation be provided by the state for the recording, sale, and transfer of catalytic converters. Additionally, scrap-metal processors/salvage yards will be subject to a surprise visit every few years by the state to ensure that their records are well maintained, for the benefit of law enforcement agencies.
H.81 An act relating to fair repair of agricultural equipment:
This Right to Repair bill has passed out of the Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency, and Forestry and was sent to the Commerce Committee for further review. The Commerce Committee worked closely with farmers/growers, licensed dealers, consumer advocates, independent repair shops, and manufacturers to create a bill that ensures that farmers can repair their own equipment. The purpose of this bill is to ensure equitable access to the parts, tools, and documentation that are necessary for independent repair providers and owners to perform timely repair of agricultural and forestry equipment in a safe, secure, reliable, and sustainable manner. I am pleased that owners of large farm and forest equipment can now repair the equipment they have purchased on their own terms!
S. 73 – An act relating to workers’ compensation coverage for firefighters with cancer:
I was happy to work on this bill to help our local firefighters. The important legislation expands workers’ compensation benefits for professional volunteer and career firefighters, including reproductive cancers. Firefighters are at a higher risk of developing certain types of cancers and it is important that we do everything we can to support them.
As always, I appreciate your input on the bills moving through the legislature. I continue to help my constituents with issues that they are having with state government.
Take care,
Rep. Stephanie Zak Jerome
Vice-Chair, Committee on Commerce and Economic Development
802-683-829, sjerome@leg.state.vt.us
