Priority Issues

Addressing education & funding reform

• A great deal of work is underway to achieve a higher quality, more sustainable education system. Governor Scott has presented an education transformation proposal to the Legislature and our communities. See proposal overview and presentation here:

  • policy brief

  • one-page overview

  • slide presentation

• See the House Education Committee and Ways & Means Committee pages to follow progress this session.

• Follow the work of the Commission on the Future of Education

  • Commission of Future of Public Education preliminary report (13 pages)

• Agency of Education resource:

  • Agency of Education resource guide (27 pages)

  I support changes to our education system that will protect students and taxpayers alike, including:

  • more transparent and predictable funding

  • comprehensive cost-containment - efficiencies, resource sharing, healthcare cost reduction (reference-based pricing)

  • fairer distribution of funding among districts

Protecting Vermonters, our environment & our future

Delivering on Vermont’s climate action plan by:

• reducing emissions from building heating and bringing on more renewables (see Clean Energy page)

• funding on-demand public transit solutions like micro-transit

• expanding electric vehicle and heat pump rebates at time of purchase

• equitably deploying electric vehicle charging infrastructure

• growing our climate workforce

• protecting biodiversity (Act 59) and making it easier to develop in downtowns and village centers through Act 250 modernization (Act 181) and statewide zoning changes (Act 47)

• protecting river corridors and wetlands and improving dams for climate and community resilience (Flood Safety Act, Act 121)

• protecting pollinators with neonic ban (Act 182)

• advancing building codes that promote electrification and net zero construction

• increased capacity of regional planning commissions to assist member towns

Increasing housing stock and adding affordable housing

• Funding for affordable housing strategies that optimize existing housing stock and promote density

• Land use changes to make it easier to build in the right places

• Reduce homelessness and improve program services

Improving health and access to quality health care

• Expand access to quality primary care

  • reduced pre-authorization burden on primary care providers to reduce wait time, provider burden and costs

• Stabilize health care costs

  • consider reference-based pricing

  • advance hospital sustainability study (Act 167) recommendations

  • invest in social infrastructure for healthy communities

• Improve rural health access

• Passed Reproductive Liberty Act to guarantee reproductive freedom

  Supporting families, our youth and seniors

  • Supported Act 76 to address child care crisis, improving affordability and access throughout Vermont

  • Addressed Medicare “cliff” with premium help for low-income Vermonters (vtdigger)

  • Increased funding for Meals on Wheels and supported universal school meals

  • Passed Vermont’s first data privacy bill (H.121) to protect online data and youth safety online (vetoed, more work ahead)