Tim’s VT State Senate

Accomplishments

I have proudly served the City of Burlington and Chittenden County as your state senator for two terms. I have lead on a number of issues that directly impact the economic vitality of our queen city, the health and safety of its citizens, and the future of Vermont. Below is a sampling of my legislative accomplishments in my work thus far in the Vermont Senate. As anyone who has followed the Legislature knows, nothing gets done without collaboration with others. So nothing below should be construed to suggest I accomplished anything without the support, cooperation, and wisdom of others.

MINIMUM WAGE

Was the lead sponsor of legislation to ensure that the minimum wage never decreases. Because Vermont’s minimum wage is now tied to CPI, and CPI went down last year, low wage workers in Vermont could have suffered similar to those in Colorado where the minimum wage decreased for the same reason. The language of my bill was passed in the 2009 Jobs Bill, H.313.

HOUSING AND CONSERVATION

On the Senate Institutions Committee, led effort to invest $5 million of bonded money in the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board’s activities. These difficult times are gut check time for our core values as a state. Affordable housing, farm conservation, and working forestry are central Vermont values to me, and I’m grateful the Legislature agreed and made this investment.

TAX FAIRNESS

Co-sponsored an amendment that passed the Senate that would restrict Vermont households with significant wealth from receiving property tax rebates under income sensitivity. The language, which was unfortunately dropped by the House, would make any household with more than $1 million in net assets (excluding the primary residence) ineligible for any property tax income sensitivity. For thirty years, government has subjected lower and moderate income families to income and asset tests to prevent them from unfairly benefiting from subsidy programs. It is only fair we hold the highest wealth households to the same standard. I also worry that support for income sensitivity itself is undermined when people with tremendous wealth are receiving $8000 property tax discounts.

HEALTH CARE EXPENSES

Over the last couple of years we’ve seen our state employees take a 5% pay cut. We’ve had state employees and state teachers take cuts in their retirement. Executive branch staff making over $60,000 have taken a 5% pay cut. State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs, 5% pay cuts. Legislators, 5% pay cuts. The unemployed will now see between a 5 and 10% benefit cut. Small business owners, involuntary pay cuts. And worst of all, I think, the Vermont median household income, so the typical Vermont family, between 2005 and 2008, saw a 10% reduction in their household income. At the same time, board members of Blue Cross Blue Shield have been earning between $15-45K for service on a quasi-public non-profit board. I offered an amendment that nearly passed the Senate to lower the collective pay of the BCBS-VT Board by 10% to reflect the sacrifice being made throughout government. Though the proposal fell just short of passage, it raised the question of how some Board members could justify receiving up to $45,000/year for serving on a non-profit board while moderate income Vermonters are asked to pay significantly higher Catamount costs.

UNIVERSAL HEALTH INSURANCE

I was a sponsor of S.88, the underlying universal health care bill that served as the basis for the health care bill that became law this summer. I was one of a small group of Senators insisting that one of the universal delivery plans to be analyzed include a single payer system.

UNEMPLOYMENT REFORM

I was surprised to learn that unemployment insurance beneficiaries, when confirming their ongoing eligibility for benefits, are not required to provide the name and numbers of employers from whom they sought employment. They are merely required to answer “yes” when asked if they are seeking employment as required under law. I offered an amendment, which has now become law, to require that unemployment recipients provide specific information about whom they have contacted in their job search. This will reduce instances of non-compliance and encourage more people to seek legitimate employment opportunities.

LOCAL AGRICULTURE

Each of the last two years I helped secure funding for the Farm-to-Plate program through the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund. This initiative is mapping out all agricultural resources in the state, and creating a blueprint for future ag investments. At a cost of just $200,000, this has been an exciting effort that highlights the future of small-scale diversified agriculture. I also co-authored a small grant program called Farm-to-Institutions that is using stimulus dollars to make infrastructure grants to groups of farmers so they can aggregate their supply to sell to Vermont institutions like hospitals, colleges, and large businesses.

UNIVERSAL BROADBAND

Between 10-15% of Vermonters do not have access to broadband, and thousands of others have poor quality service. I co-authored language directing $8 million toward expanding broadband access in 2010. There were some in the Administration and in the Legislature who believe we should give public dollars to private companies and simply hope for the best. Language I wrote ensured the public will retain some of the enduring value in the physical infrastructure, and put in place minimum service standards so businesses aren’t being subsidized to offer substandard service. At my request, the Economic Development Committee set aside $500,000 to upgrade telecom infrastructure in business districts throughout the state. Our business community needs state-of-the-art telecom to be competitive. At present we’re a decade behind.

SMART GROWTH

In each of my two years, successfully worked with colleagues on the Senate Economic Development Committee to expand the Downtown and Village Tax Credit program, which allows developers in our downtowns and village centers (exactly where we want development) to draw equity from outside investors in exchange for offering tax credits. Downtowns and village centers are the most expensive places to develop, and in my opinion this program has done more to lower the costs of smart growth development than any other measure.

CLEAN ENERGY ASSESSMENT DISTRICTS

I strongly supported language that authorizes municipalities to create Clean Energy Assessment Districts. Essentially, Chittenden County towns can now choose, or not, to create a special fund to provide town residents long-term financing for energy-based home improvements like solar arrays or weatherization. The banking industry mostly opposed this measure because it offers the promise of lower interest rates and more manageable payback periods than most banks have been willing to offer. I am proud to have been a key supporter of this innovative new option for Vermont towns.

SMALL BUSINESS FAIRNESS

As I campaigned throughout the county in 2008, small business owners spoke to me of the heavy burden they carried in workers compensation costs. As I researched this issue, it became clear that some businesses are misclassifying their employees to dishonestly reduce their workers comp costs. For example, one construction company involved in building the Lowe’s in South Burlington was found to be classifying high-risk steel erectors as laborers to reduce their costs. This results in a cost-shift to the great majority of honest businesses. Along with Senator Illuzzi, I led the effort to pass a bill that will ramp up enforcement of workers comp abuse. Of all the challenges facing Vermont small businesses, subsidizing cheaters should not be one of them.

STATE PARK MODERNIZATION

On the Senate Institutions Committee, I worked with Dick Mazza and Chair Phil Scott to fund a major initiative aimed at rebuilding our state park system. From nearby Mount Philo to Fort Dummer in Brattleboro, our chronically underfunded parks, which are so valuable to Vermonters, will get the investment they need to avoid irreparable decline. The program has put dozens of unemployed Vermonters back to work.

SLAUGHTERHOUSE REFORM

Passed an amendment redirecting existing workforce training dollars to slaughterhouse employees to train them in humane treatment of animals on their way to slaughter. The mistreatment that occurred at Bushways in Grand Isle threatens the Vermont brand, and we need to ensure that workers in this difficult field are highly trained to avoid future violations. The $50,000 in training dollars will be available to all seven Vermont slaughterhouses.

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