1999 - 2000 HOUSE VOTES

1. Vermont Housing and Conservation Trust Fund

H.554, the state's FY 2000 Budget Bill, fully funded the Vermont Housing and Conservation Trust Fund. Since 1987, the Trust Fund has helped communities conserve over 260 family farms and 237,367 acres of recreation land, natural areas and historic properties. Rep. George Allard (D- St. Albans Town) proposed an amendment that would have weakened the Housing and Conservation Trust Fund. No on the Allard amendment is the correct vote. It failed 51-94. The bill passed the House with full funding for the Trust Fund and was enacted into law.

2. Energy Efficiency Programs

S.137 created a statewide energy efficiency program that will reduce our demand for power, reduce pollution, and save Vermonters hundreds of millions of dollars on their utility bills. Rep. Dick Pembroke (D- Bennington) proposed an amendment that would have eliminated the program in 2006. No on the Pembroke amendment is the correct vote. It failed to pass 54-69. The bill passed the House and was enacted into law.

3. Protecting the Nulhegan Basin's Pristine Waters

H.130 conserved 133,000 acres of land formerly owned by Champion International Paper Co. These lands include the Nulhegan River basin, one of the state's pristine waters. Rep. Bob Helm (R- Castleton) proposed an amendment to limit the protections that could be afforded the Nulhegan waters. Rep. David Deen (D-Westminster) proposed an alternative to the Helm amendment that established a public process to establish appropriate management guidelines. Yes on the Deen amendment is the correct vote. It passed 73-67. The bill passed the House and was enacted into law.

4. Supporting Commuter Rail

H.537, the Transportation Capital Construction Bill, included money for the establishment of a commuter rail line from Charlotte to Burlington. Rep. George Schiavone (R- Shelburne) proposed an amendment to delay the project. No on the Schiavone amendment is the correct vote. It failed to pass 64-77. The bill passed the House and was enacted into law.

5. Environmental Tax Policy

H.R. 29, sponsored by Rep. Sally Fox (D-Essex), proposed a legislative commission be created to study revenue-neutral tax shifting options that support a strong economy by encouraging job creation or lowering business or personal taxes while encouraging efficient use and recycling of natural resources, reducing or preventing pollution, preserving open space and encouraging or strengthening historic settlement patternsYes was the correct vote. It failed to pass the House 61-62.

6. Labeling Products That Contain Mercury

H.561 proposed several clarifying amendments to Vermont's 1997/98 landmark mercury labeling law. Rep. Frank Mazur (R-S. Burlington) proposed an amendment to provide a special statutory exemption from the labeling law for the automobile industry. No on the Mazur amendment was the correct vote. It passed 73-64. H.561 passed the House and died in the Senate Natural Resources Committee.

7. Citizen Participation in Land Use Development

H.784, as voted out of the House Natural Resources Committee, proposed several changes to Act 250, Vermont's 30-year-old land use and development law. H.784 was then rewritten on the House floor, and the positive changes were eliminated and a number of negative ones were added.  These additions included an aggressive attack on the citizen participation provisions of the Act.  7a. Rep. Bill Johnson (I- Canaan) proposed an amendment to eliminate the bill's provisions that would have given project neighbors fair appeal rights. No was the correct vote on the Johnson amendment. It passed 86-57.7b. Rep. Bob Helm (R- Castleton) proposed an amendment to significantly weaken the existing law's aesthetics criteria. No was the correct vote on the Helm amendment. It passed 71-59. H.784 passed the House and died in the Senate Natural Resources Committee.

8. Closing the Pesticides Sales Tax Exemption

H.858, the Miscellaneous Tax Bill, was voted out of the Ways and Means Committee with a proposal to eliminate the current law's sales tax exemption for non-agricultural uses, such as golf course and ski area applications. Rep. Bruce Hyde (R- Fayston) proposed an amendment to preserve the special interest's pesticide sales tax exemption. No was the correct vote on the Hyde amendment. It passed 82-54. The bill passed the House and golf courses and ski areas still do not pay Vermont sales tax on their pesticide purchases.

9. Encouraging Downtown Revitalization and Development

H.408 proposed a number of improvements to the Downtown Development Program, which was created in 1998 to encourage growth in our traditional town centers as a way to combat sprawl. The bill passed the House in 1999 and the Senate in 2000.  Under normal legislative procedure, a conference committee would be appointed to develop a compromise between the two competing versions of the bill. Rep. Bruce Hyde (R- Fayston) proposed the House use a highly unusual procedure to kill the bill by indefinitely postponing any further action. No was the correct vote on the Hyde proposal. It passed 75-62. The bill died in the House.

10. Smart Growth and Public Investment Coordination

In February of 2000, Governor Dean signed an executive order that formally implemented smart growth policies designed to ensure state public investment is coordinated. S.317 was a bill proposing to make these policies, which are implemented by the Development Cabinet, permanent state law.

S.317 passed the Senate and was supported unanimously by the House Government Operations Committee. Yes was the correct vote. It failed to pass 66-71. Later in the 2000 session, a similar bill was enacted into law with an unrecorded voice vote.