By STEPHANIE JEROME
Work in the House is full and varied – each day I work in the Commerce Committee and receive testimony on a bill, attend the floor session to hear the bills from various committees, attend caucus meetings, discuss bills with experts, and help constituents.
This past Wednesday was Creative Economy Day, where I was pleased to sponsor a resolution to honor Vermont’s Creative Sector. The creative sector is a powerful catalyst for growth and change, particularly in rural areas. Creative businesses, entrepreneurs, and organizations are essential to Vermont’s cultural and economic future. In our state, creative enterprises, such as publishers, galleries, theaters, museums, creative media, specialty foods and beverages and more, provide over 9% of our jobs. In 2020, arts-and-culture industries alone contributed about $1 billion to the state’s economy. Established by the legislature in 2016, the Vermont Creative network is a statewide coalition of cultural and nonprofit organizations, artists, creative entrepreneurs, and community leaders, working together to advance the creative sector. As part of this day, I was happy to introduce opera to the Statehouse! Josh Collier performed from Les Miserables for the daily devotional, and the Barn Opera team (Josh, Nick Tocci, Helen Lyons and Claire Black) gave an outstanding performance of opera and Broadway songs for the Farmers Night concert.
Bills:
Two bills were passed by the House this week and will now go on to the Senate:
H.89 – provides protections for patients and providers from prosecutions and investigations by states that banned or restricted reproductive and gender affirming care that is legal in Vermont.
H.190 – removes the requirement that a patient who is terminally ill must be a Vermont resident in order to be prescribed medication in accordance with Vermont’s patient choice at end-of-life laws.
I have sponsored H.228 a bill to ensure that every Vermont high-school student has access to a financial-literacy course in their Junior or Senior Year – as a requirement to receive a high school diploma. Students have varying levels of understanding about their current finances and need to understand how to plan for a sound financial future. I have presented the bill to the Education Committee for their consideration – there is widespread support for this course.
In my Commerce and Economic Development Committee, we have been working diligently on many different bills which affect Vermont’s economy including, Captive Insurance Industry, Unemployment Insurance, Data Privacy, Vermont Employment Growth Incentives programs. In addition, we are building a Workforce Development bill to address teacher shortages, adult workforce trainings and certifications, career and technical education, health care, and more.
In the coming weeks you will continue to hear more about the major initiatives of Workforce, Housing, Childcare, Paid Financial Leave Insurance, Suicide Prevention as the bills move through the committees of jurisdiction and on to the House for votes. These bills address complex issues and require complex solutions!
Boards:
In addition to my work in the Statehouse, I serve as a Legislative Trustee to the University of Vermont Board of Trustees. I am in my second year of a six-year term. The Legislative Trustees meet weekly in the Statehouse to discuss the University and its role as an educational and economic leader for the state, and I attend four full-board meetings each year. In addition, I have recently been appointed to the Legislative Advisory Council of the New England Board of Higher Education. I am looking forward to starting this work in March.
I look forward to hearing from you. Please feel free to contact me at sjerome@leg.state.vt.us or 802-683-8209.
Take care,
Rep. Stephanie Jerome (Brandon)
Vermont House of Representatives
Committee on Commerce and Economic Development, Vice Chair
