►
Description
Host Bobby Lussier, CCTV's Development Director, speaks with Speaker Jill Krowinski to discuss the Vermont Legislature and recap the work done in 2023's legislative session.
To contact your local representative, you can find their contact information on the State's website.
9/12/2023
https://linktr.ee/townmeetingtv
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A
Hello
and
welcome
to
Under
the
Dome
from
town
meeting
TV.
My
name
is
Bobby
lucier
Under.
The
Dome
is
your
community's
source
of
information
for
the
Vermont
legislature
and
with
the
legislative
session
having
wrapped
up
a
couple
of
months
ago.
We
are
now
talking
with
the
leaders
of
the
Vermont
legislature
here
in
September
to
talk
a
little
bit
about
what
was
accomplished
this
past
session
and
what's
coming
up
in
2024.
So
last
week
we
spoke
with
president
proem
of
the
Senate
Phil
baruth,
and
this
week
we're
joined
by
Speaker
Jill
kinsky.
A
B
Well,
I
will
say
that
Co
really
made
us
appreciate
apprciate
more
the
ability
to
govern
in
person
together
I
will
say
that
governing
on
Zoom.
We
had
to
do
it.
It
was
important
for
public
health
and
safety
for
us
to
do
that,
but
you
really
lose
the
opportunity
to
build
relationships,
you're
not
running
into
people
in
the
hallway
and
talking
about
a
bill
or
an
issue.
That's
come
up.
B
B
That
is
helpful
and
we
can
return
and
be
working
in
person
without
having
to
worry
about
what
the
next
step
is
or
how
we
do
it.
It
has
sparked
some
conversations
about
how
we
set
up
the
building
for
Success,
if
some
other
sort
of
event
happen,
and
so
we're
actually
in
active
conversations
about
what
do
we
want
the
state
house
to
look
like?
Should
we
expand?
B
Should
we
look
at
bettering
our
HVAC
systems,
and
so
that's
something
that's
underway
right
right
now
and
I
think
we
all
are
looking
forward
to
have
to
having
this
conversation,
because
for
us,
it's
just
so
important
that
we're
doing
everything
we
can
to
make
the
building
a
warm
and
welcoming
place
and
we
got
a
plan
for
the
future.
So
that's
underway
right
now,.
A
Great
so
we'll
talk
a
little
I
know
there.
It
was
a
busy
session
a
lot
accomplished
this
year,
but
first
we'll
just
take
a
sort
of
step
back
big
picture.
What
does
your
office
do?
I
know
you're
the
one
at
the
podium
kind
of
leading
the
house
in
in
some
ways.
But
what
do
you?
What
does
your
office
do
behind
the
scenes
and
what
is
your
sort
of
job
description
like.
B
Sure
well,
first
off
I
have
to
say
it
is
such
a
pleasure
and
honor
to
serve
as
Speaker
of
the
House
I
had
never
planned
on
doing
that
and
after
serving
as
Majority
Leader,
the
current
the
speaker
at
the
time
lost
her
re-election
bid
and
we
kind
of
had
to
make
a
decision
about
who
was
going
to
run
and
I.
Think
my
experience
through
coid
and
my
experience
in
the
building.
B
Let
L
me
to
to
go
for
this
role
and
to
run
for
it
and
I've
been
really
proud
to
have
the
full
support
of
the
body.
Republicans
Independents
progressives,
Democrats
all
supported
my
election,
and
that
was
meaningful.
This
the
office
of
the
speaker
is
just
no
two
days
are
ever
alike.
It's
a
it's
a
fantastic
job
where
we
manage
the
flow
of
bills
between
the
house
and
the
Senate
I
preside
over
the
house
chamber.
B
The
spokesperson
person
for
the
House
of
Representatives
I
am
the
lead
negotiator
with
and
Communicator
with
the
administration,
and
there
are
things
that
just
happen
day-to-day
in
the
building
that
come
up
that
need
to
be
addressed.
I
work
closely
with
our
legislative
Council
on
bills.
Our
joint
fiscal
office
on
understanding
the
money
behind
the
bills
and
work
with
our
sergant
arms
to
make
sure
that
the
building
is
safe
and
things
are
running
efficiently.
B
But
it's
great
I
have
to
to
say
that
there
are
these
moments
that
we
have
that
are
just
so
special.
For
example,
we
had
the
Girl
Scouts
come
and
visit,
and
it
was
great
to
spend
time
with
them
and
take
them
to
the
podium
and
I
made
sure
every
single
girl
stood
at
that
Podium
and
was
like
you
could
be
here
someday
and
those
moments,
whether
it's
talking
to
young
girls
about
what
they
could
do
in
what's
possible
or
gaveling
out
after
passing
a
historic
housing
bill.
B
A
Is
one
half
of
things
and
the
Senate
is,
is
the
other,
so
we
spoke
with
president
pro
tempil
Bruth
last
week
and
talked
with
him
about
some
of
his
Reflections
on
this
session.
What
does
your
collaboration
with
Senator
Bru's
office
look
like,
and
how
do
you
yeah?
What
does
that
look
like
to
be
working
alongside
the
Senate,
recognizing
that
it's
a
different
chamber
with
different
different
voting
priorities?
Sometimes.
B
Yeah
absolutely
well,
it's
it's
been
great
to
work
with
Senator
baruth
before
that
I
worked
with
Senator,
balant
and
so
I
had
some
experience
of
how
to
work
with
the
other
chamber
and
to
work
collaboratively
to
get
things
done,
and
so
that
means
many
many
different
things.
It's
communicating
about
legislation
and
figuring
out
the
path
for
for
our
high
top
priority
bills.
It's
how
we
collaborate
with
bringing
our
members
together.
B
One
thing
that
we've
talked
about
doing
more
is
holding
more
joint
hearings,
which
I
think
is
really
important
and
shows
that
we're
working
together
and
hearing
the
same
information.
At
the
same
time,
we
work
together
with
communicating
and
negotiating
with
the
administration,
and
that's
really
important
and
I-
think
that
it's
it's
up
to
us
to
set
a
good
tone
and
show
how
we
can
work
together.
The
the
governing
process
is
set
up
for
some
tension
between
the
house
and
the
Senate.
That's
not
unique
to
our
state.
B
A
Right
right,
there's
collaboration
with
the
other
chamber
and
then
there's
also
collaboration
with
the
administration,
and
that
I
mean
this
was
a
pretty
historic
session
in
terms
of
the
amount
of
vetos
that
governor
Scott
signed.
What
does
your
collaboration
with
the
governor's
office?
Look
like?
Are
you?
How
often
are
you
kind
of
meeting
with
him
in
his
office,
and
you
know,
speaking
with
them,
about
the
work
that
you're
doing
throughout
the
session
and
and
off
session.
B
Yeah
absolutely
well:
we
meet
on
a
regular
basis
when
we're
in
session
and
again
I.
Think
communication
is
key.
I
tried
if
I'm
going
to
be
sending
out
a
press
release
asking
him
to
take
action
on
something
I.
Try
to
give
him
a
heads
up
that
I'm
going
to
do
that.
I.
Think
it's
really
important
that
we're
taking
time
to
listen
to
one
another
and
to
hear
each
other's
concerns.
B
It's
pretty
rough
I
think
here
we
do
try
really
hard
to
work
together
and
the
flooding
you
know
has
been
a
very
tra
event:
that's
impacted,
so
many
people,
it's
impacted.
Our
Capital
I've
spent
time
in
Barry
talking
to
people
there
about
their
struggles,
and
it's
really
critical
that
we
work
together
to
make
sure
that
we're
doing
everything
we
can
in
this
recovery
and
we'll
absolutely
be
working
on
that.
When
we
return
in
January.
A
B
Absolutely
well,
you
know
before
the
pandemic
happened.
We
knew
housing
was
an
issue
especially
affordable
housing
in
the
state,
and
then
when
coid
came,
it
just
made
the
problem
even
worse,
and
now
we
had
the
flooding.
So
housing
has
been
and
continues
to
be,
a
top
priority
for
us
last
legislative
session
we
passed
an
epic
housing
bill
that
really
invested
in
affordable
housing,
incentivized
building
in
downtowns
with
different
types
of
you
know,
duplexes
triplexes.
B
B
But
we
have
to
do
more,
so
we'll
be
tackling
that
when
we
return
in
January
our
child
care
bill
was
also
the
product
of
years
of
work
to
get
to
the
point
where
we
can
invest
in
our
child
care
providers,
create
more
slots
and
help
families
afford
it.
You
know
when
I
talk
to
small
businesses
across
the
state.
They're
like
the
two
things
we
have
challenges
with
is
housing
and
child
care.
B
You
know
we
can't
hire
people
because
they
can't
find
places
to
live
or
when
the,
when
an
employee
has
a
child,
they
can't
find
access
to
child
care,
so
they
leave
and
stay
home
people
shouldn't
have
to
choose
between
their
job
in
taking
care
of
a
child.
We
can
do
better
and
so
I'm
really
proud
of
our
child
care
bill,
and
then
we
did
some
really
interesting
work
around
Workforce
Development.
B
So
for
the
last
several
years
we've
been
investing
money
into
grants
and
forgivable
Loans
around
critical
careers
like
creating
more
jobs
for
electricians,
Carpenters
nurses.
We
have
a
nursing
shortage
in
our
state.
That
is
very,
very
much
a
big
problem,
and
so
by
investing
in
these
careers,
people
are
getting
job
training
and
we're
creating
workers
for
for
the
the
businesses
out
there
that
need
it.
B
So
I
think
that
those
connections
have
been
really
helpful
and
supporting
our
Working
Families
and
helping
our
state
Thrive
I'm,
going
to
be
heading
up
to
Newport
soon
for
a
project
that
was
born
out
of
a
legislative
priority
of
ours.
We
are,
we
put
money
into
training
programs
for
Tech
aded,
and
there
are
students
that
are
learning
how
to
build
and
Rehab
houses.
They
got
money
through
one
of
our
state
programs
to
buy
a
vacant
home
to
rebuild
it,
and
so
we
are
seeing
a
home.
B
That's
going
to
come
back
online
and
I
think
they're
going
to
actually
make
it
a
duplex,
even
maybe
so,
possibly
two
homes
online,
while
they're
getting
trained
and
they're
going
to
be
ready
to
get
hired.
After
with
the
people
who
are
helping
to
run
the
training.
And
so
it's
just
great
when
you
see
an
idea
that
was
formed
in
a
committee
room
and
then
see
it
out
in
a
community
actually
happening
and
and
people
just
really
thriving
on
the
programs.
And
so
that's
been
great.
A
Yeah,
you
mentioned
the
legislator's
laser
focus
on
housing.
I
want
to
ask
quickly
about
the
motel
housing
program
and
how
that
progress.
So
so
this
was
an.
This
was
a
program
that
was
funded
by
federal,
coid
funding
right
during
the
pandemic
to
house
as
many
as
3,000
over
3,000
people
in
hotels
and
motels
throughout
the
state,
and
then
that
Federal
funding
dried
up
because
it
was
coid
related
and
the
program
was
set
to
expire
this
summer
at
the
beginning
of
the
session.
A
A
You
know,
Mass
evicted
from
from
the
motels
and
when
all
was
said
and
done,
a
form
of
the
program
was
extended
about
2100
people
were
allowed
to
stay
in
motels
until
next
April
is
what
currently
is
passed
and-
and
the
state
has
now
taken
on
the
the
expenses
for
that
program.
Is
that
correct
yeah?
Some
of
it,
okay,
great
yeah
I,
know
please
definitely
I
mean
I.
Just
I
think
the
question
is
just
well
just
sort
of
walk
us
through.
B
End
so
we
had
many
programs
funded
by
the
federal
government
during
during
the
pandemic,
to
keep
people
healthy
and
safe.
This
Motel
I
don't
call
it
a
program
because
literally
they
just
sent
a
check
to
cover
the
housing
for
for
the
motel.
So
there
wasn't
any
Services
really
provided
it
depended
where
you
lived
on.
What
kind
of
supports
you
got
and
it
has
been
on
our
radar
and
has
been
a
priority
to
figure
out.
How
can
we
transition
these
families
so
that
they
can
be
successful?
B
That
has
supports
around
it
and
that's
where
the
tension
was
and
continues
to
be
is
because
there's
not
housing
available
and
so
communities
are
coming
up
with
different
solutions
and
how
to
support
people
exiting
from
the
hotels,
but
also
we
do
have
a
larger
homelessness
issue
in
our
state
and
so
I
think.
Another
thing
that
was
important
to
us
is
that
we
weren't
just
focused
on
this
population,
but
also
the
wider
conversation
of
how
we
can
support
unhoused,
vermers
and
and
to
help
them
find
a
path
to
success.
B
So
during
the
session,
even
last
year,
we
were
having
this
conversation
of
what
we
can
do
and,
and
there
were
lots
of
different
ideas
and
debates
around
how
we
do
that
and
I.
Think
people
and
all
everyone
in
general,
wants
to
support
this
population
and
find
a
way
forward
and
I
think
there
are
lots
of
ideas,
and
that
was
the
tension
of
how
we
do
that
I
think
we
landed
with
a
good
compromise
with
the
administration,
but
I
continue
to
be
concerned
about
how
this
transition
is
happening.
B
You
know,
we've
been
asking
the
administration
for
updates
on
on
the
different
programs
that
we've
been
funding.
We
haven't
been
getting
a
lot
of
information,
so
our
joint
fiscal
committee
has
been
doing
a
lot
of
oversight
and
I
encourage
people
who
are
interested
in
this
topic
to
watch
and
to
get
information
there.
But
we
have
a.
We
have
a
path
and
I
just
have
to
say
our
community
providers
who
have
been
out
there
working
in
the
field
have
been
incredible
and
I.
B
They
were
burnt
out
already
from
coid,
and
then
we
have.
You
know
this
issue
around
supporting
our
un
house
and
then
the
flooding,
and
so
we
just
have
incredible
staff
across
the
state
who
are
working
so
hard
to
help,
and
so,
if
you
ever
have
an
opportunity
to
see
them
and
thank
them
please
do
because
it's
so
important.
Absolutely.
A
B
A
B
Right,
so
that's
what
we're
doing
now
is
we
have
a
process
laid
out
so
that
Community
providers
have
access
to
different
programs
available
to
help
this
population.
In
the
meantime,
while
we're
seeing
what's
working
and
what's
not
working
out
in
the
field,
we
are
prepping
for
January
to
really
look
at.
B
How
can
we
do
more
prevention
and
making
sure
that
people
are
able
to
stay
in
their
home
so
that
we
can
prevent
people
from
being
unhoused,
so
there's
a
model
called
housing
first,
housing
first
is
making
sure
that
people
have
a
home
and
receive
Services.
We
have
it
happening
in
some
corners
of
our
state,
but
it's
not
Statewide.
This
has
been
a
program
used
in
different
states,
and
people
have
found
success
with
it,
and
so
our
question
is:
how
can
we
make
it?
B
What's
the
Vermont
version
of
that
look
like,
and
how
can
we
roll
that
out
so
we're
looking
at
ways
to
create
more
affordable
housing
and
looking
at
extending
this
program
in
some
way?
Our
general
assistance
program
that
helps
families
in
need
really
needs
to
be
modernized
and
I
think
that
we
can
do
a
lot
in
modernizing
that
program
to
help
families
be
on
a
better
foot
for
Success.
So
those
are
some
of
the
examples
of
what
we're
working
on
to
prepare
for
January.
B
When
we
look
at
how
we
can
do
better
around
supporting
our
unhoused
ver
monitors,
we
and
we'll
continue
to
monitor.
You
know
the
situation
with
the
transition
and
see
again,
you
know
it's
a
lot
of
people
at
one
time
when
we
don't
have
a
lot
of
housing
already
and
so
making
sure
that
we're
using
all
of
our
tools
in
the
toolbox
to
to
help
them
find
success.
A
A
B
That's
about
right
so
in
the
legislation
that
we
passed,
so
the
administration
did
have
the
ability
to
negotiate
rates
with
hotels.
We
didn't
see
that
happening
to
the
to
the
extent
that
we
wanted.
So
we
did
put
that
in
our
bill
at
the
end,
to
give
them
the
authority
to
do
that.
I
have
not
heard
if
they
were
successful
in
negotiating
lower
rates.
B
B
Right
well,
we
are
looking
at
different
ways
to
fund
these
programs
next
session.
I
think
that
modernizing
our
general
assistance
program
and
looking
at
different
ways
to
House
people
will
make
it
more
affordable
for
vermonter
across
the
state.
For
now,
we've
said
that
this
is
a
priority
and
that
it's
important
that
we're
doing
everything
we
can
to
house
the
to
house
people
who
need
it
and
try
to
get
them
the
support,
so
I
really
see
us
in
a
transition
right
now,
but
I.
B
A
I
want
to
shift
to
a
sort
of
related
subject,
which
is
the
overdose
crisis,
so
at
least
in
Burlington
and
and
throughout
the
state.
There's
been
a
lot
of
discourse
about
both
Public
Safety
and
the
increase
in
overdoses
and
overdose
deaths
in
the
state
you
live
in
Burlington
I
also
live
in
Burlington
I
live
on
Elmwood
and
I've.
Seen
a
huge
increase
just
this
summer.
B
A
Drug
use
on
the
streets
and
property
theft
and
I've
also
seen
you
know:
we've
seen
the
data
there's
an
unprecedented
level
of
Overdose
deaths
on
the
streets
this
year,
and
so
and
we
asked
our
our
followers
on
social
media.
You
know
we're
talking
with
the
legislative
leaders.
What
do
you
want
us
to
to
ask
them
and
the
majority
of
questions
were
about
or
about
this
issue
and
and
how
you
are
thinking
about
the
overdose
crisis?
So
how
are
you
thinking
about
both
Public
Safety?
A
B
Surprise
housing
again
coming
up,
but
it
is
something
that
we
know
is
a
problem
and
will
continue
to
work
on.
I
hope
that
we
start
to
see
some
of
the
the
work
of
that
bill
being
implemented
to
help
what's
happening
out
in
our
communities.
You
know:
I
I
live
in
the
old
North
End
I've
I've
seen
the
uptick
as
well
I
feel
like
in
our
neighborhood.
B
We've
worked
really
hard,
like
as
a
neighborhood
watch,
to
be
supportive
of
what
we're
seeing
on
the
street
and
helping
people
if
they're
in
need,
but
we
are
seeing
this
uptick
and
it's
very
con
very
concerning
and
so
I
I'll
continue
to
work
with
our
city.
Administration
I
just
was
talking
to
the
mayor.
B
You
know,
there's
not
one
policy,
that's
going
to
fix
this
right,
because
it's
a
combination
of
treatment,
housing
and
other
services-
and
we
have
you,
know
a
challenge
with
having
enough
staff
to
provide
services
and
so
again,
that's
why
we're
focused
on
Workforce
as
well
to
help
with
this
problem.
But
it's
concerning
it's
very
concerning.
B
Absolutely
yeah
so
more
funding
and
support
for
Workforce
to
have
more
access
to
people
who
can
provide
treatment,
knocking
down
any
other
barriers
that
we
hear
about
with
access
to
treatment.
You
know,
for
example,
we
hear
stories
as
we're
traveling
the
state
about
you
know.
A
one
provider,
for
example,
was
talking
about
access
to
Tele
medicine
and
was
like
yes
like.
What
can
we
do
to
make
sure
that
everyone
has
full
access
to
Tele
medicine
when
receiving
treatment?
B
A
Vermont,
and
so
we
saw
the
house
prioritize,
paid
family
leave
this
year
and
seems
like
you
had
enough
votes
not
just
to
pass
a
bill,
a
significant
investment
in
paid
family
leave,
but
also
to
O
override
a
potential
veto,
and
then
in
the
in
the
Senate
side,
there
actually
weren't
enough
notes,
votes
at
one
point,
at
least
to
to
even
pass
the
bill
by
a
simple
majority.
And
so
how
are
you
characterizing
right
now
the
differences
and
the
priorities
between
the
house
and
the
Senate
on
that
issue
and
I?
B
Sure,
well,
first
I'll,
say
I,
don't
think
we're
that
far
apart,
I
can't
speak
for
my
Senators,
but
I
I
can
tell
you
about
our
experience
and
to
start
with
I
just
think
it's
important
to
discuss
why
Paid
Family
Leave
right.
So
in
Vermont
we
are
an
aging
State,
and
so
we
have
a
lot
of
families
that
are
taking
care
of
their
their
parents,
their
their
the
older
people
in
their
lives
and
their
children.
B
This
is
not
it's
not
sustainable
with
work
and
I,
hear
stories
from
every
corner
of
the
state
of
people
struggling
to
take
time
off
of
work
and
to
take
care
of
of
a
sick
parent
and
that's
a
horrible
place
to
be
and
I
talk
to
businesses
that
say,
like
I'm
losing
employees,
we
can't
hire
people,
and
so
just
like
Child,
Care
and
housing.
We
view
paid
family
medical
leave
as
a
way
to
help
keep
people
in
the
workforce
and
to
take
care
of
themselves
and
their
family.
B
We've
been
working
on
this
bill
for
years.
In
fact,
one
of
the
first
study
committees,
I
ever
was
assigned
to
like
10
years
ago,
was
on
a
paid
family.
Medical
leave
study
to
see
how
can
we
make
this
a
reality
in
Vermont
we
two
bienniums
ago
we
passed
paid
family
leave
out
of
the
house,
and
this
Senate
the
governor,
vetoed
it.
B
B
And
so
that's
where
we're
continuing
to
do
work
over
the
summer
and
fall
is
to
look
at
different
options
and,
as
I
meet
with
other
speakers
across
the
country,
I'm
asking
them
how
they
did
it
and
there's
several
different
ways
and
approaches,
and
so
I
think
our
next
step
is
to
say:
okay,
what
are
the
different
options
available
and
what
fits
for
us?
What
makes
sense
for
us
and
Vermont,
and
so
we're
we're
still
working
hard
on
it.
B
It
was
a
payroll
tax
that
was
split
between
the
employer
and
the
employee,
and
we
ended
using
that
mechanism
to
fund
the
child
care
bill.
So
again
we
got
a
to
find
another
another
way.
Another
approach
on
how
we
can
support
it,
but
you
know
one
thing
that
I'm
really
proud
of
with
this
bill
is
that
it
doesn't
Define
families
in
the
normal
way.
It's
we're
all
in
Vermont.
Some
of
us,
you
know
like
my
neighbor
is,
is
like
my
my
mom.
A
Yeah
I
I,
really
I,
really
appreciate
that
you
know
in
Vermont.
Family
can
look
a
lot
of
different
ways.
I
I
was
reading
article
in
Vermont
Digger
about
the
difference
between
seeing
the
child
care
the
push
for
child
care
bill,
which
was
successful
this
year
and
the
push
for
family
and
medical
leave
and
the
child
care
push
was
really
well
funded
and
had
had
you
know,
let's
grow
kids.
A
Is
this
really
large
organization
that
was
pushing
for
that
work
and
the
Paid
Family
Medical
Leave
side
of
things
there
isn't
sort
of
an
equivalent,
really
sort
of
a
Powerhouse
advocacy
organization?
That's
pushing
for
this.
Do
you
see
that
playing
a
role?
I
mean
I?
Remember
a
quote:
I
forget
who
it
was.
It
was
from
an
advocate
for
the
paid
family
medical
leave,
Bill
saying
you
know,
especially
on
the
Senate
side
of
things,
it's
hard
to
get
an
issue
in
front
of
senators.
A
B
Yeah
I
think
that
you
know
when
you
first
of
all,
let's
grow
kids,
this
amazing
organization,
that's
done
really
great
work
in
educating
the
public,
about
the
need
for
Child
Care
and
for
the
bill
that
we
we
passed.
That's
really
important,
I
think
it's
really
critical
for
us
as
legislators
not
to
to
treat
issues
fairly
and
not
to
you
know.
If
there's
not
a
coalition,
that
doesn't
mean
that
there's
not
a
need
for
it.
A
Right
I
want
to
shift
now
to
talking
about
the
flooding
from
this
summer,
so
it
looks
like
at
least
4,000.
Over
4,000
homes
have
been
damaged
by
the
flooding,
and
many
small
businesses
are
struggling
to
reopen
and
some
are
are
having
to
close
their
doors.
So
you
just
talk
a
little
bit
about
how
the
state
is
responding
to
the
the
flooding
damage
and
what
does
recovery
look
like
and
are
there
resources
actually
there
to
meet
the
need
that
we're
seeing
right
now.
B
There
are
multiple
programs
out
there
to
help
homeowners
and
small
businesses
and
and
employees
who
were
impacted,
kind
of
bridge
them
and
get
them
to
a
better
place.
But
that's
not
going
to
be
enough.
We
know
that's
not
going
to
be
enough,
so
another
thing
that
federal
government
recently
announced
was
that
we
could
use
arpa
funds
in
recovery
efforts
for
so,
if
it's,
whether
it's
fires
or
flooding
that
we
could
use
those
funds.
That's
new
and
that's
super
helpful
for
us.
A
And
we
have
to
expect
that
flooding
events
like
this
will
continue
to
happen
as
the
climate
continues
to
warm.
So
how
is
the
legislature
thinking
about
climate
resilience
in
the
state
and
making
this
recovery
process
easier
and
avoiding
you
know
folks,
living
in
flood
Plaines
who
are
devastated
over
and
over
by
the
these
flooding
events?
You
know,
how
is
the
legislature
thinking
about
climate
resilience
right
now.
B
Absolutely
so
we
are
working
on
legislation
on
this
very
topic
very
excited
about
it.
It'll
be
lots
of
different
aspects
from
the
question
of
where
to
build
and
how
to
build
to
be
resilient
from
floods.
You
know
it's
been
fascinating
to
watch
the
community
in
M
peer
talk
about
whether
they
want
to
keep
their
downtown
where
it
is
or
to
move
it,
because
it
is
in
the
flood,
plane
and
I.
B
Think
it's
just
natural
that
towns
and
cities,
you
know,
grew
around
water,
right
and
and
and
it's
part
of
the
their
identity,
and
so
they
just
recently
made
the
decision
to
stay
that
they
want
to
keep
their
businesses
downtown.
So
that
means
what
measures
do
we
need
to
take
to
help
them
be
safe
from
flooding
in
the
future?
What
does
that
look
like
with
with
dams?
B
What
does
that
look
like
with
how
we
just
manage
water
and
and
rivers,
and
so
the
chair
of
the
environment
and
energy
committee
representative
Amy,
Sheldon
U,
is
work
with
a
group
of
members
on
what
that
bill.
That
bill
looks
like,
and
so
I
think,
there's
a
lot
of
momentum
for
that.
This
session
and
I
look
forward
to
getting
that
across
the
Finish
Line
yeah.
B
A
And
town
meting
TV,
the
first
one
has
to
do
with
language
access,
so
the
office
of
racial
Equity
released
a
report
earlier
this
year,
recommending
some
investments
in
expanding
language
access
and
translating
materials
across
state
government.
The
language
Justice
project
house
here
at
CCTV
has
been
producing
informational
videos
in
17,
different
languages
spoken
in
Vermont,
Refugee
and
immigrant
communities
across
the
state,
videos
about
how
to
take
a
coid
test
or
how
to
access
food
access
programs
and
how
to
enroll
in
health
insurance.
A
Things
like
that
most
recently,
we
also
the
project
released
a
bunch
of
videos
about
how
to
stay
safe
during
the
floods
and
and
how
to
recover
from
them
safely,
but
there's
still
we're
just
seeing
a
huge
need
for
this
life-saving
information
to
actually
reach
these
populations
that
have
language
access
needs.
So
how
are
you
thinking
about
how's,
the
legislature,
thinking
about
language
access
right
now,
and
particularly
particularly
for
folks,
who
are,
who
struggle
to
read
and
write
even
in
their
own
languages
and
are
are,
are
responding?
A
B
Well,
this
is
something
that
we
have
been
looking
at
at
the
in
the
legislature
and
in
fact,
our
government
operations
and
Military
Affairs
committee
heard
a
presentation
about
about
this
and
was
had
a
request
for
more
funding
and
they
were
like
absolutely
yes.
So
in
last
year's
budget
adjustment,
we
had
a
million
dollars
invested
in
this
work
and
we'll
continue
to
do
that.
B
It's
something
that
we
think
about
too,
as
well
as
a
legislature,
and
last
year
we
actually
created
the
the
opportunity
for
people
who
don't
speak
our
language
to
pick
which
language
they
want
to
see.
The
legislative
web
page
in
and
I
think
there's
over
a
100
languages
that
are
available,
and
so
it
is.
It
is
important
that
everyone
in
our
communi
have
access
so
that
they
can.
A
And,
as
we
all
know,
media
consumption
is
certainly
not
declining,
but
cable
subscriptions
are
in
Decline
and
so
access
centers
are
receiving
less
and
less
funding
each
year
to
cover
and
and
to
cover
the
the
Democracy
that
we're
all
trying
to
participate
in,
and
so
this
is
just
one
example.
There's
kind
of
a
larger
question
here
about
funding
mechanisms
becoming
outdated
or
you
know
another
example
would
be
the
electric
vehicles
causing
the
revenue
from
the
gas
tax
to
decrease.
B
Sure
yeah
well,
first
of
all,
I
have
to
say
every
every
town
meeting
day,
I'm
watching
CCTV,
so
I
appreciate
all
all
your
work
and
and
creating
more
access
for
the
public
to
to
our
local
government.
That's
great.
This
has
been
an
ongoing
conversation
that
we've
been
having
I've
sat
down
many
times
with
Lauren
Glenn,
to
talk
about
how
we
can
do
a
better
job
to
support
local
media
and
I
know
we're
we're
actually
going
to
be
meeting
sometime
soon
to
talk
about
it.
B
So
I
I
think
it
is
important
for
us
to
be
looking
at
how
we
modernize,
how
we
fund
things
and
that's
not
a
new
conversation
like
you
mentioned
electronic
vehicles
and
there's
many
examples
of
places
where
we're
taking
time
to
really
look
at.
How
can
we
update
this
to
match
what's
happening
in
our
communities
right
now
and
so
I
think
how
how
we
fund
Public,
Access
television
and
other
things
is,
is
something
that
we
have
to
do
and
will
continue
to
do.
B
A
B
Sure
a
couple
of
things
that
didn't
make
the
headlines
in
a
big
way
that
I
think
are
important
to
vermers.
So
we
have.
We
talked
a
little
bit
about
mental
health,
but
we
have
a
crisis
on
our
hands
with
suicide
in
our
state.
We
have
one
of
the
highest
rates
of
suicide
in
the
country
and
over
the
last
couple
of
years
our
numbers
have
been
steadily
going
up
and
that's
unacceptable
we're
failing
our
our
people,
and
so
we
had
a
bill.
This
last
session
that
looked
at.
B
B
Someone
on
a
member
got
a
text
message
that
said:
I
just
want
you
to
know
that
it
worked
and
that
a
young
man
in
crisis
tried
to
buy
a
gun
and
couldn't,
and
he
is
alive
today
because
of
this
bill,
and
so
that's
so
meaningful
it's
it.
We
don't
often
hear
when
something's
working
we
hear
about
when
it's
not
working
and
so
to
know
that
this
bill
is
already
saving
lives,
is
huge.