Legislative Update - Other Bills to Watch
It’s hard to believe that the legislative session has already surpassed what, in normal years at least, could be considered the halfway point. At this time, bills must pass out of their chamber of origin in time for crossover (March 12 was the deadline for most bills but those requiring an appropriation or financing have until March 19) in order to remain on the table for this year’s session.
Rural Vermont’s policy team has been busy these first few months of the session, advocating and organizing around our core issues. Some of the bills we have been closely tracking include: H. 218, a bill that would expand raw milk community sales; H. 420, a miscellaneous ag bill that includes a clause to repeal the sunset of on-farm slaughter; S. 102, the food residuals on farms bill, and; S.25, the miscellaneous cannabis regulation bill. You can read more about these bills and other legislative updates here.
While RV’s policy team has been concentrating on key strategic priorities, there are several other bills in the food and agriculture arena that have been gaining traction. Many of these bills have benefitted from the advocacy of our friends at Action Circles and their clients. This spring, our Operations Director, Emma Paradis, is a Legislative Intern with Action Circles and has been helping to monitor these other bills of note. Here are a few highlights:
H. 315, An Act Related to COVID-19 Relief - This bill, which is being used as a vehicle to expedite funding for purposes related to COVID relief or that would benefit from receiving money sooner than later, passed out of the House February 26th. The bill passed by the House included $3M in one-time funding for Working Lands Program and $1.367M for the the Vermont Food Bank’s Farmers to Families Food Box Program so that it could continue through February. Other appropriations included support for housing, businesses, and new Americans, refugees and immigrants, grants to Reach Up participants, and money for school indoor air quality. The bill passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, where several changes were made, including $10M in grants for businesses who have not yet received federal COVID assistance. The committee’s version of the bill allocates $500K of the $3M appropriated to Working Lands to address the slaughterhouse bottleneck issue through grants for slaughter, meat processing and training proposals. They are also including funding to get a new payment for ecosystem services program up and running. While the House bill only included CRF (covid relief funds) and general funds, the Senate Appropriations Committee is planning to use ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds as well that are now available to fund initiatives such as summer meals, after school programs and other educational programs. The bill also includes a provision to utilize American Rescue Plan dollars where permitted once they are made available.
S. 100, “Farm Fresh School Meals for All” bill - This bill would require all schools to provide breakfast and lunch to all students free of charge, implement a grant program to incentivise schools to purchase local food, and fully fund the Farm to School and Early Childhood Grant Program. The is sponsored by the Senate Agriculture Committee and is currently in Senate Appropriations. If passed, in addition to supporting food security and addressing the stigma attached to the free lunch program, this bill would also benefit Vermont farmers by growing the institutional market. Action Circles has been a lead advocate for this bill as it impacts two of their clients directly and you can read a VTDigger article about the bill here.
H. 434, an act related to establishing the Agricultural Innovation Board - This bill would replace the Pesticide Advisory Council with the Agricultural Innovation Board, tasked making recommendations to the Legislature and Governor about the prioritizing and coordinating implementation of recommendations from groups such as the Soil Health and PES working group and the Vermont Climate Council. They would also make recommendations about reducing the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. The bill was voted out of House Appropriations on Tuesday and is sponsored by the House Ag Committee.
H. 89, an act relating to limiting liability for agritourism - This bill that has passed out of the House and is currently in Senate Judiciary Committee would limit the liability of providers of agritourism if a participant is injured from risks inherent to the activity.
H. 171, an act relating to the governance and financing of Vermont’s child care system - This bill focuses on making much needed investments in Vermont’s childcare system. In the long term, this bill sets the goal that no family participating in the Child Care Financial Assistance Program (CCFAP) shall pay more than 10% of their income towards childcare by 2023, and by 2026, no family shall spend more than 10% of their income on childcare. It includes a $5.529M appropriation for FY22 to achieve this, with a note of intent to meet or exceed this additional amount each year until these goals are met. In the short term, this bill expands the lower eligibility limit for CCFAP with no co-pays from families at 100% FPL to 150% FPL, and expands subsidies to those making up to 350% FPL. There are additional provisions that invest in childcare providers and the Bright Futures Information System (BFIS), create an advisory committee to advise on the BFIS project (including seats for parents and other relevant stakeholders), and require reports on the cost and financing of expanding childcare assistance. The bill passed out of House Human Services on March 9 and is currently in Appropriations. While childcare has been voiced as a priority this session, it is unclear whether this bill will make it out of the House in time for crossover.