For the week ending Friday, January 8, 2001
Cooperation and bi-partisanship were the prevalent themes this week as members of the House and Senate and the Constitutional officers of state government were sworn into office at the State House in Montpelier. In the House, Republican Representative Walter Freed (R-Dorset) was unanimously elected Speaker of the House, a position not held by a Republican for 16 years. In a gesture of bi-partisanship, Speaker Freed took the unprecedented step of offering House minority leader Rep. John Tracy (D-Burlington) the opportunity to appoint two members of his caucus of his choice to serve on each of the fourteen standing committees in the House. Rep. Tracy declined the offer, leaving Freed to make all appointments. Committee assignments are expected to be announced next Tuesday. The House is comprised of 83 Republicans, 62 Democrats, four progressives and one independent.
In the Senate, senators unanimously re-elected Sen. Peter Shumlin (D-Windham) as President Pro Tempore. With a 16 to 14-seat edge over the Republicans, the Democrats will continue in their majority, albeit with one less seat than in 2000. However, the seven newly elected Senators are reputed to be more moderate than their predecessors, which if true, will move the Senate further to the center of the political spectrum than has been the case in recent years.
Dean’s State of the State
Governor Howard Dean (D) delivered his State of the State address to a Joint Session of the General Assembly on Thursday, January 4, 2001 after being sworn in for his fifth term as Vermont's governor. Not surprisingly, Governor Dean focused on what appears to be his major policy initiative for the 2001-2002 legislative session - the need to rein in the ever-increasing costs of health care. He cited increased utilization of the health care system and inadequate funding for Medicaid programs as major contributing factors to high health insurance premiums. In a move somewhat reminiscent of the Health Care Authority of 1993-1994, Dean announced the appointment of the "Governor's Commission on Health Care Affordability and Availability." This Commission, to be chaired by former Secretary of Human Services Cornelius Hogan, will be tasked with touring the state to receive input from Vermonters about what is right and what is wrong with the current health care system, and make specific recommendations for change for the legislature's consideration. Two current members of the Administration will also serve on the Commission; Betsy Costle, Commissioner of the Department of Banking, Insurance and Health Care Administration and Jan Kitchel, Secretary of the Agency of Human Services. The chairs of the House and Senate Health and Welfare Committees will round out the membership of the Commission.Initial reaction to the governor’s health care initiatives was mixed. While many legislators, administrators, business leaders and health care providers have a great deal of respect for Con Hogan’s abilities and knowledge of the health care field, there were some detractors of the assignment of yet another study committee resulting in further delays. Meanwhile, the Governor’s well-publicized desire to increase the tobacco tax raising $22 million in revenue was not well received by members of the bi-partisan coalition that defeated a similar tax proposal last year. Several lawmakers who are expected to be on the House money committees were making promises not to raise taxes this year citing the existing surplus and increased state spending. All of these pronouncements made for a typical beginning to yet another legislative year where the solution to budget problems (like bringing Medicaid to parity with Medicare payments) will only be sorted out during the end game of negotiations in the budget conference committee.
Senate Committee Assignments Finalized
Senate committee assignments were announced Friday afternoon paving the way for work to begin work in the upper chamber when the Senate returns Tuesday. Friday's announcement ended weeks of speculation and predictions created by the election of seven new senators and the fact that three committee chairs chose not to return to the legislature. Even with these changes there were surprises in the committee chair appointments since the Democrats control the Senate as they did during the last biennium. These assignments are made by the three member Committee on Committees that includes Lt. Gov. Doug Racine (D), Senate President Pro Tempore Peter Shumlin (D-Windham) and Sen. Dick Mazza (D-Grand Isle). House committee assignments are expected to be announced Tuesday.