- The Vermont Legislature reconvened Wednesday after a tumultuous adjournment.
- Catastrophic flooding and skyrocketing opioid death rates are among the top issues Montpelier lawmakers are trying to address.
- “We need to think more deeply about how to avoid and mitigate climate change and flooding,” Senate President pro tempore Philip Valls told his colleagues. “We need to dig deeper and we need to balance the budget, which we always do.”
Recovering from the devastating floods that hit Vermont this summer, climate resiliency, improving public safety, tackling opioid addiction and creating more affordable housing are among the top priorities of the legislative session that opened Wednesday. Congressional leaders said it was one of them.
Senate President pro tempore Philip Valls said the period in which Congress is not in session is not normal, and that a variety of important issues require lawmakers' attention this year.
“We've had many different types of emergencies in our state,” the progressive Democrat told his colleagues. “So our range of choices this year will be a little narrower than last year. Still, we need to think more deeply about how to avoid and mitigate climate change and flooding, and we need to dig deeper. 'And we have to balance the budget, which we always do.'
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House Speaker Jill Kroinski said multiple bills have been introduced that include various strategies to address flood recovery and improve climate resilience.
“When it comes to flood recovery, there is no magic bill that will solve all the problems, so it will be a combination of things,” she said in an interview. “It's about supporting affected families and small businesses, looking at ways to deal with water coming through rivers and dams, and looking at different policies around that.”
Panorama of the Vermont State Capitol on State Street in Montpelier, Vermont. (St. Petersburg)
The session begins with federal COVID-19 relief funding ending and spending returning to pre-pandemic levels. Baruth said that while most of the federal money has been put in, there is still a small portion that needs to be designated and channeled out.
“For the first time in three or four years, we're going to have to make tougher choices about where we put our money,” he said.
Krowinski noted that one-time federal pandemic funds were used for one-time policies and projects.
At the same time, the state is grappling with an annual increase in opioid overdose deaths. That number jumped from 111 in 2019 to 237 in 2022. According to the latest data from the Vermont Department of Health, there were 180 opioid overdose deaths in the state as of September 2023, with three months left to count.
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Communities experiencing opioid misuse have a problem with needles being discarded in public places such as parks and green spaces, Baruth said. “We have to act on it.”
Lawmakers are expected to consider a harm reduction bill that includes a program to collect more needles. It will also consider launching a pilot program of overdose prevention centers, including safe injection sites, in accepting communities. The center will include a place where people can use heroin and other drugs under the supervision of trained staff and be resuscitated in case of an overdose. many. Republican Gov. Phil Scott opposes the idea.
Baruth said, like many people, he was previously skeptical about safe injection sites. However, he said the current increase in overdose deaths and public drug use needs to be controlled and supervised.
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“If they're going to use it, help them manage where they use it and keep the needles safe. And let them have services and wraparound services while they're visiting that site.” said Barth.
