Roll Call Votes & Sports Wagering
The Legislature has a new group of legislative pages, eighth-grade students who assist the day-to-day activities within the Statehouse. They joined us last week, which means we are about one-third of the way through the session. So far, 230 House bills have been introduced. As committees work through bills that have been sent their way and send them back to the House floor in hopes of being passed and sent to the Senate, time spent on the floor is slowly becoming longer and roll call votes are being taken.
The Budget Adjustment Act, H.145, which proposes to make fiscal year 2023 budget adjustments, was passed out of the House and sent to the Senate on a roll call vote of 107-33. These adjustments are strategic, one-time investments in infrastructure, housing, and other areas of need in the state.
Sections of this bill that prompted floor debate included funding for the emergency housing program and supporting the organic dairy industry. Investments in the agencies, partners, and programs that help lift communities and support fellow Vermonters who are most vulnerable are fundamental and impact every corner of the state.
The shield bill, H.89, which provides protections for patients and providers from prosecutions and investigations by states that have banned or restricted reproductive and gender-affirming care that is legal in Vermont, passed out of the House on a roll call vote of 130-13. Spearheaded by Kate Donnally and others on the House Committee on Judiciary, this bill reinforces the Legislature’s ongoing efforts to protect safe access to reproductive and gender-affirming care for Vermonters at a time when these essential and personal health care choices are under attack in many states across the country. The bill will now move to the Senate for further consideration.
The House Committee on Government Operations & Military Affairs has recently been discussing bill H.127, an act relating to authorizing sports wagering. With sports wagering now legal in 35 states, our committee has been reviewing how other states have operated their markets and what precautions they have put in place. We have been hearing testimony about responsible gaming and making considerations toward funding for mental health services, responsible gaming education, the option to self-exclude from all online platforms, and more.
