Comments on S.171 – January 12, 2022

Chairwoman White and members of the Senate Government Operations Committee, thank you for inviting me to testify on the importance of a code of ethics for the State of Vermont. As you well know, this is an issue Campaign for Vermont has followed and advocated on behalf of for a number of years.

Our first legislative update of the year always feels a bit special. This year it is extra special for two important reasons: first, the Governor focused the majority of his 2022 State of the State address on workforce development - a key priority for us that really helps to set the tone for the remainder of the year. Second, the legislature has launched right into discussions on key bills that we are engaged on, including housing, student weighting, pension reform, and yes even workforce development.

Continue to Vote for Vermont

Tourism was one of the hardest hit industries by the Covid-19 pandemic with an estimated loss of over $700 million in revenue in 2020. We identified re-energizing tourism as a key early initiative in our Plan for Economic Recovery this Spring. If you missed our presentation, you can find it here.

We need your help as we work with stakeholders in the tourism industry, local providers, and others to expand our toolbox and advertising practices in the state.

Phase 1 – Educate Industry on Power of Moments and Network Influence

• Efforts focus on upskilling lodging, activity, and food providers and skills for retaining visitors for next season
• 7 Regional Meetings – build awareness and adoption
  • Invite regional businesses, chambers of commerce, etc.
• 5 Statewide meetings – Industry Groups, ACCD, etc.

Pledge below so we can continue with this important work on this iconic Vermont industry and the steps to help rebuild it even stronger than before.

As the Pension Benefits Task Force debated how to solve Vermont's $4.5B pension deficit, we heard repeated claims that public employee benefits (which are 2-3 times as generous as the private sector) were necessary to make teachers and state employees competitive because their salaries are lower. While this has been a long-standing claim, we decided to dig into data and what we found was surprising.

“As a former Commissioner of the Department of Labor and Commissioner of Human Resources, I was surprised by what we found in this report. I think everyone needs to read this report because there were a number of assumptions that were carried through the years that were just plain wrong.” - Pat McDonald (President, Campaign for Vermont)

In November CFV released a new report that compares the wages and benefits of teachers and state employees to the private sector and what that means for the current discussions around pension reform. If you missed it, you can find the report here.

We are planning to continue into Phase 2 of this project over the coming months, which MAY include:

1. A further in-depth comparison of specific jobs between the public and private sector.
2. An analysis of hiring competitiveness between the public and private sector.
3. Comparing benefits offered by top-rated employers in the private sector to the public sector offerings.
4. Analyzing how many private sector workers it takes to support one position in state government.

If you have additional ideas, we would love to hear about them! You can contact us here.

Please support this project by pledging below.

Friends, we have been busy here at the Campaign!

We published one of our most significant reports of the year last month, which found that Vermont state employees and teachers are often in the top 25% of income earners in the state.

It turns out that some government officials have known for a while that state government salaries are competitive. This letter (dated October 29, 2009) from Jeff Carr to Governor James Douglas about a review of a VSEA memo to Donna Sweaney, Chair of Government Accountability Committee. Carr’s letter, over a decade old now, points to many of the same factors we found in our recent report around compensation levels and the growth rate of state employee compensation compared to the private sector.

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What do you think we should prioritize during the 2022 legislative session? We want to hear from you!

November 10, 2021

CONTACT:
BEN KINSLEY
(802) 310-3904
[email protected]

Montpelier, VT – On Wednesday Campaign for Vermont (CFV) released a new report that compares the wages and benefits of teachers and state employees to the private sector and what that means for the current discussions around pension reform.

“As a former Commissioner of the Department of Labor and Commissioner of Human Resources, I was surprised by what we found in this report,” said CFV President Pat McDonald, “I think everyone needs to read this report because there were a number of assumptions that were carried through the years that were just plain wrong.”

Tourism was one of the hardest hit industries by the Covid-19 pandemic with an estimated loss of over $700 million in revenue in 2020. We identified re-energizing tourism as a key early initiative in our Plan for Economic Recovery this Spring.

As we build back, we wondered what we can do to come back stronger and smarter than before. This lead us to hire Asher Crispe, an emerging technology consultant, to investigate how Vermont could leverage our brand and our place in the market to rejuvenate our small businesses that were hardest-hit by the pandemic.

We are exited to be able to share our findings and recommendations with you so you can learn more about this iconic Vermont industry and what you can do to help rebuild it.

During the 2021 legislative session Campaign for Vermont provided weekly updates on important legislative topics. We are looking for feedback from YOU about how helpful these updates were and how we can make them better!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – June 14, 2021 (updated 6/24/2021)

CONTACT:
BEN KINSLEY
(802) 310-3904
[email protected]

Campaign for Vermont (CFV) has long been an advocate for pension reform. After nearly a decade of obstinance, to our surprise, this year the legislature took the first steps towards meaningful action. While they passed on addressing benefits in the 2021 legislative session, they did set aside pre-funding for pensions and created a task force to look at benefits and bring back recommendations this Fall. We fully expect that the legislature will pass meaningful pension reform early in 2022 that balances our commitment to public employees and the liability for taxpayers. This is a critical balance to strike.

The House and Senate have closed the book on the 2021 legislative session. This ended up being one of the least controversial conclusions of a legislative session in recent memory. Conference committees wrapped up their work quickly, no major budget disputes erupted, and the Governor has only promised veto action on one bill. Speaking of vetoes, the legislature is coming back for a brief veto session on June 22nd where additional legislation may be taken up. However, this seems unlikely.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 13, 2021

Montpelier - In response to a lack of comprehensive long-term planning on behalf of state leaders around economic recovery from the Covid-19 Pandemic, today Campaign for Vermont (CFV) releases a roadmap forward. “We were just frustrated,” said CFV Chairman Pat McDonald, “the legislature had lots of work being done all over the place but no overarching plan to tie it all together.”

We are excited to be able to share the third and final phase of our economic recovery plan from Covid-19. Please consider supporting our efforts in the legislature to move forward these and other ideas. If you missed previous parts of the plan, you can find them here.

Phase 3 – The Long Game. It’s not enough to have a thriving tourism industry and universal broadband access in our state. Tourism is important, but most of its jobs are low-wage with limited growth opportunity. Broadband is an important for a whole host of reasons, but it won’t solve all of our problems.

We are getting close to the end of the legislative session. Many major bills have now been passed by both chambers. Some of which we are excited about, some of which could be better. Pension reform and student weighting factors are headed for summer study committees. Economic development and broadband were stripped of key components that would generate both short and long-term success. The Ethics Commission will get the additional staff it needs, but a comprehensive code of ethics will wait until next year. It's a mixed bag.

The major event this week was the House killing the project-based TIFs. CFV also sent a letter to the Senate Government Operations Committee on the pension bill this week and released Phase 2 of our economic recovery plan.

Senate Government Operations Committee

Dear Madame Chair and Committee Members,

Campaign for Vermont Prosperity (CFV) has been following the Pension Liability issue throughout this legislative session and has weighed in from time to time.   Before we comment further on H.449 we would like to recognize the work that the House and Senate Government Operations Committee, the Treasurer and so many others have done to bring the attention due to this critical issue. The comments below are reflective of the “Draft – As Amended After Second Reading 2021” document.

We are excited to be able to share the second phase of our economic recovery plan from Covid-19. Please consider supporting our efforts in the legislature to move forward these and other ideas. If you missed our introduction or Phase 1 of this plan, you can find them here.

Phase 2 – The Courtship. There is little doubt that Covid-19 has changed our world for good. One of the most meaningful ways is how we work. Many employers have discovered the benefits and limitations of remote work. Major corporations like Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Twitter and Spotify have gone remote. Salesforce even went as far as to declare that the 9-5 workday was dead. Office buildings in downtown San Francisco and Manhattan are now empty. What’s more, the majority of workers prefer to continue working remotely even after restrictions are lifted. Experts are predicting that 25-30% of the US workforce will still be working from home, at least part-time, at the end of 2021.[1]