“Under the Golden Dome”, is emailed weekly to subscribing members to keep them apprised of legislative developments at the Vermont Statehouse that affect agriculture. Legislative priorities are set annually by the organization following the elected delegate session determining policy in November.
VTC in Randolph at the Little Red School House. Please RSVP. Email vtfb@vtfb.org or call Ginny Wheeler at 802-434-5646. Apologies to those of you who slipped through the cracks and attended the canceled RAP’s meeting on 2/18. We had two days to get the word out that the draft was not done.
Please come for a great opportunity to meet your legislators, neighbors and friends. Free food and drink will be provided.
No legislative action was taken. The two bills in House Ways and Means have not been acted upon.
No legislative action was taken on VTFB’s education issues.
No legislative action was taken.
This bill to create a Pollinator Protection Committee was voted on by the House of Representatives on February 18, and approved. It will now go to the Senate for action.
The Senate Committee on Agriculture heard continued testimony on this bill which seeks to consider agricultural and forestry soils, when siting renewable energy development. Legislative counsel has been asked to alter the language of this bill which the committee is still discussing. Testimony this week focused on decommissioning and the role the Property owners may have to play in any environmental clean up required. Senate Agriculture has asked ANR and the PSB to tell them what is contained both in the panels and in any other part of the structures and the likelihood that they can be cleaned up when their usefulness ceases or new technology been replaced it. One witness said that the farmland once used as a solar facility is lost permanently and described why: dismantling the cement posts and poured cement foundations to the rationale that farms that needed that land will have gone elsewhere after 40 years. The committee heard from several town select board members. There was general consensus that the PSB, although having the discretion to take into consideration a community’s concerns, does not seem to do so. These witnesses are therefore asking for a bill that forces the PSB to give more power to a community’s concerns. Chairman Starr explained that that bill was in Senate natural resources and energy S 230.
The House Committee on AFP continued to discuss this issue and worked on alternate language with legislative counsel. If any of VTFB’s members have been impacted by this issue, for example, not getting an exemption from an equipment dealer, or equipment dealers who have had the tax department audit them, please contact me. The committee has examples of both but wants to get this right and give clarity and certainty to the farmers, dealers and tax department. Multiple examples really help.
The House Committee AFP and Senate Agriculture Committee heard from the conservation districts this week, who gave a thorough overview of their programs in each watershed area which roughly coincides with the 14 counties in Vermont, and on how they work very closely with NRCS in helping with water quality issues. They said they are ready now to assist farmers with every part of the application process for funds. We are anticipating the draft RAPs this week. Please VTFB members, start the process now with either your local conservation district or with Jeff Sanders, Agronomy Specialist, Jeffrey.sanders@uvm.edu
This bill heard more testimony this week. It is an area of concern for many VTFB members. The Senate Judiciary Committee decided to not move it forward at this time. The issue is being looked into by the Agency of AFM and VTFB will work closely with them. At the end of the day the proponents of this bill weren't as persuasive as the opponents, the personal injury and insurance industries. The Judiciary Committee was not persuaded that there was enough of a problem out there. Again VTFB needs to ask its members to be in touch if they have had or know of claims against farms or Agritourism businesses in Vermont. VTFB needs to know about them to work with proponents of this issue to build a case that it is needed. It would mirror similar laws in the skiing and horse industries.
The Senate Committee on Agriculture met with more representatives of this program and has agreed to ask the legislature for continued and increased funding for the next fiscal year. They also discussed how to plan for future funding.
The House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development continues to take testimony on this issue. If any VTFB member would like to give testimony on behalf of their business please contact me. I have had one member email me with how many independent contractors they use in a year and for what tasks. I would appreciate hearing from more of you on this issue.
This bill, which has been broken into component parts, began testimony in House AFP on a few distinct sections and will continue this next week. Opponents of the trip ticket and harvest notification testified on Thursday afternoon.
Paid sick leave passed the House this week which approved the Senate’s version despite some last minute amendments to exempt small businesses. Therefore the law for employers with more than five employees goes into effect January 1, 2017 and a year later for employers with five or fewer employees, January 1, 2018.
The Senate Committee on Agriculture continued to take testimony on this bill which seeks a new labeling and certification program for agricultural products that are sustainable and rejuvenate soils. Although all parties agreed on the idea of the bill no one wants to administer to and everyone has urged it tabled for another year or more until it can find a champion and can prove that it fills a need.
House AFP has begun to hear testimony on this bill.
To contact your Senator or Representative by email: first initial followed by last name with no space@leg.state.vt.us, for example Bobby Starr would be: rstarr@leg.state.vt.us to call your Senator or Representative by phone call the Sergeant-at-Arms 1-802-828-2228
Agency of Agriculture Food and markets. General number: 1-802-828-2416
Contact Lyn Des Marais at 802-345-2958 or email lyn.desmarais@gmail.com
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