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Pat Mcdonald published Career and Technical Education (S.304) - March 13, 2024 in News 2024-03-17 09:11:38 -0400
Career and Technical Education (S.304) - March 13, 2024
Heather Bouchey (Interim Secretary, Agency of Education) appeared before Senate Education to discuss S.304 – CTE Opportunities for Grades Six through Ten. Consensus on the bill could not be reached by all interested parties in Senate Education Committee. Chairman Campion asked that Bouchey return with a consensus bill that parties could all agree on so the bill could be voted on and passed out before cross-over.
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Pat Mcdonald published Workforce Development Governance (H.707) - March 12-13, 2024 in News 2024-03-17 08:56:46 -0400
Workforce Development Governance (H.707) - March 12-13, 2024
Early in the week the Department of Labor (VDOL) presented numerous recommended changes to the language in H.707. Most of the changes indicated that VDOL would like to see more discussion and significant review before moving forward. The primary discussion is about the creation of a separate office reporting to the Governor rather than located within VDOL. The Commissioner later in the week stated that the Governor is not interested in creating a new office. There was discussion that with the right person in the job as Executive Director it might not matter where the position resided as long as the individual was capable of executing the job description as envisioned by the House Commerce Committee.
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Municipal Ethics - March 12-15, 2024
The Ethics Bill, Draft 24-0229 was passed out of the House Government Operations Committee after many hours of testimony and work by the Committee. The final bill combined the two draft Ethics Bills that the Committee was working with – one focused on municipal ethics and the other on creating independent oversight authority for the Vermont Ethics Commission. The final bill was passed out of committee on a 10 to 2 vote and will now receive a bill number and will appear on the House floor for a vote of the full body.
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Municipal Ethics - Feb 29, 2024
The House Government Operations Committee returned to Draft 4.3 of their municipal ethics bill on Thursday, which would create a uniform statewide code of ethics.
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Pat Mcdonald published Workforce Development Governance (H.707) - Feb 28, 2024 in News 2024-03-02 15:23:31 -0500
Workforce Development Governance (H.707) - Feb 28, 2024
Legislative Council presented a new draft of H.707 on Wednesday for the House Commerce Committee to review. The new draft creates the office of the Executive Director of the Workforce Expansion, which consists of two employees - an Executive Director (under the Governor) and a support staff member. New language was also added to ensure that the Workforce Governance Task Force will study data management models and names the Executive Director as chair of the working group.
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Pat Mcdonald published Career and Technical Education (S.304) - Feb 27 - Mar 1, 2024 in News 2024-03-02 14:55:12 -0500
Career and Technical Education (S.304) - Feb 27 - Mar 1, 2024
The Senate Education Committee spent most of the week reviewing S.304 which overhauls the state’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) system.
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Pat Mcdonald published Workforce Development Governance (H.707) - Feb 22, 2024 in News 2024-02-25 10:49:04 -0500
Workforce Development Governance (H.707) - Feb 22, 2024
Legislative Counsel reviewed the changes made in H.707 for the House Commerce Committee. The bill makes a number of changes to Vermont’s workforce development system. Since they had reviewed the bill a few weeks ago, the overview focused only on the changes which reflected the Committee’s discussions and the thoughts of Chairman Marcotte.
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Pat Mcdonald published Career and Technical Education (S.304) - Feb 21, 2024 in News 2024-02-25 09:44:01 -0500
Career and Technical Education (S.304) - Feb 21, 2024
On Wednesday, Legislative Counsel reviewed the Senate Education Committee’s, S.304, dealing with the state's Career and Technical Education programs.
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Municipal Ethics - Feb 21-23, 2024
The first witness before the House Government Operation Committee on Wednesday was Carol Parsons (Retired Executive Director, Connecticut Office of State Ethics). She held many positions within Connecticut and Massachusetts Ethics Commissions.
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CTE Governance (S.207) - Feb 15, 2024
The Senate Education Committee reviewed S.207 on Thursday Afternoon. The bill requires the Secretary of Education to provide the Legislature with a report and recommendations on governance structures for Vermont’s CTE system by February 1, 2024. The report shall include all information and recommendations necessary to complete the Agency’s work as required under Act 127, Sec. 17.
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Pat Mcdonald published Nonresident Property Tax Surcharge (H.608) - Feb 16, 2024 in News 2024-02-18 16:48:30 -0500
Nonresident Property Tax Surcharge (H.608) - Feb 16, 2024
Representative Howard introduced H.608 to the House Ways and Means Committee on Friday morning. She said it was to help her address the increased crime in the community. She proposed to put a modest 0.05% property tax surcharge on absentee landlords who do not live in the community. The money would be used to increase public safety and improve blighted buildings (those that are vacant or abandoned).
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Pat Mcdonald published VSC Board of Trustees (S.238) - Feb 16, 2024 in News 2024-02-17 17:39:30 -0500
VSC Board of Trustees (S.238) - Feb 16, 2024
Elizabeth Mauch (Chancellor, Vermont State Colleges) appeared before the Senate Education Committee on Friday afternoon. She noted that she has been very busy in her first six weeks in the job getting around to the campuses, meeting teachers and students, watching them participate in athletics and academics. She was very impressed with where the system is at this point and looking forward to the work ahead. She commended the outstanding work the VSC Board of Directors has done and their role in strategic oversight to establish the mission, vision, and policies for the VSC system to assure financial stability and accountability. Mauch reports directly to the Board and believes there is mutual accountability and responsibility.
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Pat Mcdonald published VSAC and VSC Residency Requirements (H.817) - Feb 14, 2024 in News 2024-02-17 17:16:18 -0500
VSAC and VSC Residency Requirements - Feb 14, 2024
The House Education Committee reviewed H.817 on Wednesday afternoon. This bill would prohibit the Vermont State Colleges policies regarding residency for tuition purposes from discriminating or excluding a person based solely on the person’s immigration status. This bill also proposes to require the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) to make state-funded financial aid available to all persons who meet the definition of resident, regardless of the person’s immigration status.
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Pathways to College - Feb 14, 2024
Joyce Judy (President, Community College of Vermont) told the House Education Committee on Wednesday that CCV is one of two institutions which make up the Vermont State Colleges. They complement each other and present a strong system where 95% of students are Vermonters. They actively serve about 10,000 Vermonters – some are full time and some are just taking one course.
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Statewide Code of Ethics - Feb 14, 2024
Chairman McCarthy noted that the House Government Operations Committee would be reviewing Draft 3.2 of the state ethics bill on Wednesday morning and asked Legislative Counsel to review the changes made to previous draft.
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Government Ethics - Feb 8, 2024
The Vermont State Ethics Commission presented a $210,353 budget to the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday, plus its annual report for 2023. Christina Sivret (Executive Director, Vermont State Ethics Commission) noted that the Commission received fifteen complaints (a 400% increase), twenty-nine complaint inquiries (a 163% increase), four advisory opinion requests (a 100% increase), and twenty-five guidance requests (a 19% increase) in 2023.
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Vermont's Outdoor Economy - Feb 7, 2024
Becca Washburn (Recreation Chair, Vermont Outdoor Recreation Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative) joined the House Agriculture Committee on Tuesday to review H.673, which proposes to direct the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative to conduct an outdoor recreation economic impact study. It would also create a position at the Vermont Trails and Greenways Council (VTGC). Additionally, it would also appropriate funds to the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation to oversee the development of best management practices for recreational trails in cooperation with the VTGC.
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Pat Mcdonald published Vermont Pension Investment Commission - Feb 8 , 2024 in News 2024-02-10 18:05:21 -0500
Vermont Pension Investment Commission - Feb 8 , 2024
Tom Golonka (Chair, Vermont Pension Investment Commission) introduced himself to the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday and noted that the portfolio has done well when compared to pension plans in other similar states. Vermont has always been in the top quartile when the market was both up and down. He highlighted S.42, which is a bill that was passed out of the Senate last year and is currently in the House. The bill proposes to require the Vermont Pension Investment Commission (VPIC) to review the assets of the three retirement systems to determine the extent to which they are invested in the fossil fuel industry and submit plans to divest from the fossil fuel industry by 2030.
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Wealth Tax (H.827/H.828) - Feb 8, 2024
Cristobal Young (Associate Professor of Sociology, Cornell University) gave his presentation to the House Ways and Means Committee called ‘the Myth of Millionaire Flight” on Thursday. He first reviewed a case study he did from New Jersey, where he started his work on this topic. Back in 2003 New Jersey passed a millionaire tax (NJ has the highest percentage of millionaires in the country). It was the first tax of its kind and at the time New Jersey had marginal tax rates but raised them to nearly 9% in 2004. Neighboring Pennsylvania had a flat tax rate of 3%. There was concern about millionaires moving across state lines.
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Government Ethics - Jan 31, 2024
The House Government Operations Committee returned to two draft ethics bills on Wednesday. Jaye Pershing Johnson (General Counsel, Governor's Office) was up first, speaking to the good working relationship the Administration has with Ethics Commission. The Administration has no opposition to draft except to note that the Sheriffs already have a financial disclosure requirement. They believe these requirements should be equal and apply to all. Pershing Johnson had one caution however, which was that historically requirements for financial disclosures have a tendency to discourage folks from serving if the burden of disclosure is too great. She suggested that the Legislature might want to avoid giving the appearance of ‘weaponizing’ the Commission.
Pat Mcdonald
Pat McDonald’s distinguished career includes 20 years in a wide range of leadership positions throughout state and local government. She served as Commissioner of Labor, Commissioner of Employment and Training, Secretary of Transportation, Deputy Commissioner of Education, Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, and Commissioner of Human Resources (twice) under the Republican and Democratic Administrations of Governors Snelling, Dean and Douglas.
Pat also served as Chair of the Berlin Selectboard and a member of Berlin’s Town Center Task Force, Post Office Committee and Capital Budget and Planning Committee. On a county level, she also volunteered on the Vermont Rural Development Council and Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission.
In 2006 and 2008, Pat was elected to the Vermont House, representing Berlin and Barre City.
While Pat’s leadership qualities are well-suited to public service, she also has approximately 25 years of private-sector experience. She worked for nineteen years at CIBA-GEIGY Corporation in Ardsley, New York, in the human resources department and Office of General Counsel. After she moved to Vermont in 1988, she spent three and a half years at Merchants Bank as Vice-President of Human Resources and Regulatory Management.
In her private life, Pat has served on the Vermont Prevent Child Abuse Board of Vermont as well as the Vermont Granite Museum Board of Directors, and Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice. Pat also served as Chair of the Barre Bike Path Committee.
Pat is married to retired State Police Captain J. Bruce McDonald. Along with her daughter Stacey, Pat has two stepsons, Jim and Jack; and four grandchildren, Zacary, Ryan, Carson and Wyatt. She enjoys the opera, cooking, camping, and touring Vermont’s scenic backroads and covered bridges on her motorcycle. She and her husband are also avid RV campers.
Pat is the founder, host and producer of Vote for Vermont (VFV LLC.), an hour-long community affairs public access TV show which brings viewers a thorough and unique insight into Vermont’s pressing and challenging issues so they can be an informed voter and civic participant. In 2017 VFV joined collaboratively with Campaign for Vermont Prosperity and expanded its programming to reach Vermonters through various social media sources. For the past two years Pat has also served as President of the Board of Directors for Campaign for Vermont Prosperity and as of October 2022, Pat is a guest host for Vermont Viewpoint on WDEV on Tuesday and Thursday.