Lawmakers finished their work this weekend and headed into an election season without taking action on a number of big issues, including property tax reform and health care financing. It’s likely that these issues will help frame the agenda of the 2015 session.
At the beginning of the session, Gov. Peter Shumlin said he would present lawmakers with a “menu of options” that could be used to finance a single-payer health care system.
There was a lot of interest to see how the governor would propose raising roughly two billion dollars in new revenue that would replace the current private insurance premium system.
"If we are moving forward on Green Mountain Care, the governor will have to put a financing plan on the table." House Health Care Chairman Michael Fisher
But midway through the session, the governor said building a financing plan had become very complicated and he said he would delay unveiling his plan until the start of the 2015 session.
House Health Care chairman Michael Fisher expects the financing plan will be the top health care priority of the next session.
“If we’re moving forward on Green Mountain Care, the governor will have to put a financing plan on the table,” said Fisher. “And the Legislature will have to take its time to really understand the implications of that financing plan not only on the business community and on Vermonters but also on how people access the care that they need.”
House Minority leader Don Turner noted that under a law passed in 2011, the governor was required to outline funding options in 2013. And Turner was outraged that Shumlin was allowed to delay this important decision.
“There’s really no accountability. These are separate bodies of government, we’re supposed to be the check and balance,” said Turner. “ And I think the lack of the majority to take this issue and hold the governor accountable is a disservice to all Vermonters.”
Education governance is another issue that failed to make to the finish line this year. The House spent four months working on a plan to encourage smaller school districts to merge over the next four years.
The bill also included a provision giving a special committee the authority to require consolidation for reluctant districts. But the Senate refused to go along with the mandatory approach. Senate Education chairman Dick McCormack thinks this will be a key issue in 2015.
“This is a major reform whatever we do it’s a major reform and that means maybe it ought to take more than one biennium,” said McCormack.
"We really haven't figured out how we're going to pay for paid family leave, but it's a conversation I want to continue to have." - Gov. Peter Shumlin
Backers of a paid sick leave bill were also disappointed that their legislation failed to come up for a final vote this year. Under the bill, full time employees would be entitled to up to seven paid sick days a year.
Former Gov. Madeleine Kunin became a major proponent of the bill. She said she understood that some businesses had concerns but she felt many of these concerns had been overstated.
“The concerns do not match reality because what do you get in return?” said Kunin. “What do you get in return for treating your employees well?”
Gov. Peter Shumlin backed the concept of the paid sick leave legislation but he said it was a complicated issue that needed more study.
“The challenge there is it’s not as simple to solve as you know,” said Shumlin. “We really haven’t figured out how we’re going to pay for paid family leave but it’s a conversation I want to continue to have.”
House members also wanted to expand the income sensitivity property tax program this year but the Senate didn’t go along with these changes and it’s another issue that will top the agenda of the 2015 session.
