When the dust settled from the last election, it became very clear that this session would be very different due to the supermajority that the Democratic caucus was able to secure. Governor Scott has not been shy in using his veto pen over the past six years, however, this session, we’re still waiting to see if a veto threat has any merit.
This year, the Legislature took it slow and steady from the start. Welcoming the largest class of new legislators in history, with many of the returning legislators relatively new as well, and a massive change up in committee chairs meant leadership had committees take their time getting started and did plenty of education. However, when approaching major deadlines such as crossover, Legislative Leadership did not move those deadlines, meaning things were rushed through. Now the question is, will they try to keep the normal adjournment timeline? Will this Legislature really achieve success on major problems that eluded the much more seasoned and experienced legislators that came before them, and do it in less allotted time than those legislators would spend?
There are some big battles brewing on the budget, childcare, paid family medical leave, and housing as the Governor expresses his frustration with the Legislature’s preferred course. However, the battles aren’t reserved just for the Governor. The House and Senate are also in disagreement, at least at this moment, on all of these issues as well.
In this week’s update:
This update is courtesy of the Lake Champlain Chamber for distribution by Downs Rachlin Martin
