By REP. BUTCH SHAW
After three weeks into the 2024 legislative session, the Vermont House of Representatives is settling into the daily routine of committee meetings, House and Senate floor meetings, and other required duties. The house has received annual mandatory training on the recognition and prevention of sexual harassment, the prevention of implicit bias in the workplace, and discrimination awareness and prevention.
The chairs and vice chairs of committees had been instructed on managing tricky situations and unwanted bystander intervention in our respective committee rooms. This type of training may seem a little over the top to some people but with the very diverse subject matters each committee faces, we deal with sensitive issues that can bring out the best or worst in very passionate witnesses, which may create an uncomfortable situation that takes careful and skillful leadership to keep control of committee decorum.
Over the past years of my legislative career, I have spoken of the great privilege the voters of my districts have afforded me to be able to work for you in our iconic Vermont State House. The building has been proclaimed “as the oldest active legislative building in the United States that has been preserved to its original luster.” Members of the General Assembly work in a living museum visited by thousands of people annually from all over the world. This is a point of immense pride for me personally, as I get to show off the beauty of the building to our visitors.
I remind you of this history because the recent pandemic has pointed out the deficiencies in the building as it relates to workplace safety and security, public accommodations, and access. During COVID, minor interior changes were made to allow the legislature to meet in a relative safe and healthy environment. However, with these changes public access is now limited and there are no longer large meeting spaces available in the building for legislative meetings. In the FY24 Capital Bill, the legislature was directed to look at the future use of the State House. The legislation directed the Joint Legislative Management Committee, of which I am a member, to investigate the needs of the legislature and how they relate to the 1857 statehouse.
After conferring with members, staff, and others, JLMC engaged an architect to assist us in our work. I should interject here the last major renovation of the State House was accomplished in the mid-1980s, so the needs of a modern legislature were of significant importance to create a functioning space without changing the structure of the historic 1857 architecture. After extensive meetings in the off session, and collaborating closely with our chosen architectural firm, four options have been chosen to accommodate our needs. As you may expect the chosen renovations will prove extremely expensive: upwards of $38 million.
The committee asked the consultants to design interlocking concepts that could be accomplished in phases over an extended period. JLMC has chosen to focus on safety, security, public access, and accommodation, including bathrooms and handicap facilities. We have also learned that several areas of the State House do not have proper ventilation, fire suppression systems, and the needed handicap access throughout our building. To alleviate these basic life-support systems’ deficiencies and bring the building up to today’s modern codes, JLMC has advised the legislature to start the process of a $11.1 million project to be accomplished over a three-year time frame. We are now in the process of engaging the public by asking for your comments through public hearings on how we should move forward to bring the famous historic structure into the 21st century.
Questions, comments or conversation? I can be contacted by e-mail at bshaw@leg.state.vt.us, by phone at 802-483-2398 or by mail at PO Box 197, Pittsford, Vermont O5763. I am always available to have a conversation concerning our legislative district and your Vermont State government.
Representative Butch Shaw
Rutland-8 Pittsford-Proctor
Vice Chair House Committee on Transportation
Joint Legislative Management Committee
Legislative Advisory Committee on the State House
