Email blast sent to supporters January 10, 2017

Friends,

Last week kicked off the 2017 legislative session with much pomp and circumstance. As new leaders in the House, Senate, and Executive Branch took up the torch. Peter Shumlin gave his farewell address and Phil Scott and David Zuckerman were sworn in as Governor and Lieutenant Governor.

The real work begins this week as legislators settle into their committee assignments and bills begin to be introduced on the floors of the House and Senate. Money committees will begin getting briefings from state agencies in preparation for the Governor’s budget address in a couple of weeks.

Notwithstanding the ceremonial start to the session, a few important things happened:

1. On Tuesday, a group of independent legislators wrote a letter to the State Board of Education calling for an investigation into a board member for a potential violation of the Execute Code of Ethics.
2. On Friday, Senate committee assignments were announced and Senator Jeanette White was reappointed as Chair of the Senate Government Operations Committee. She along with Senator Pollina have introduced S.8 which is an ethics bill very similar to S.184, which we supported last session. Senator White has promised to fast-track the bill through committee and we are hoping to see it on the Senate floor by the end of January.
3. This week the Senate Education Committee started hearings on the State Board of Education’s rule-making authority. The conversation quickly devolved from a discussion about rule-making into a referendum on School Choice. If this issue is important to you, we encourage you to email the Senate Education Committee.

During the legislative session we send out special legislative updates that keep you in the loop about what is going on inside the State House and policy discussions happening around the Vermont. If you have donated within the last year OR you are signed up as a supporting partner of CFV, you will receive these updates automatically. If you would like to receive legislative updates but have not yet supported CFV, you can become a supporting partner for as little as $10/month: campaignforvermont.org/supporting-partner

This month only we are offering a free CFV coffee mug to anyone who signs up as a supporting partner! 

Thank you for your continued support,

Benjamin Kinsley
Executive Director
Campaign for Vermont Prosperity