 Hello and welcome to Under the Dome. My name is Emily Brewer and I'll be your host for today's program. Under the Dome is Towing TV's coverage of the Vermont legislative session. In this series, we speak with legislators and advocates about the bills that move through the legislature this year and what they might mean for you and your neighbors. On today's program, we're speaking with two legislators from Essex Junction. We're joined by Representative Karen Dolan, who's on the Judiciary Committee, as well as Representative Lori Houghton, Chair of the Healthcare Committee. Thank you both for coming into the studio and joining us today. Really appreciate that. So just starting out, I'll ask you a quick question. We'll start with Karen. Could you tell us a little bit about a couple of the things you worked on this session in the Judiciary Committee? Yeah. So we worked on a lot. So this was a big shift for me. Last session, I was on House Corrections and Institutions, which was great and kind of went right with my background of working at the Women's Correctional Facility and in that type of work. And so moving into judiciary, I was really excited to build off of that and address systems that work to prevent folks from going into the correctional system. And we actually did a number of bills that overlapped with healthcare, a number of them. So some that we worked on at the beginning was the SHIELD bill, which we had a judiciary version and there was a healthcare version, which provided protection for providers of reproductive care and gender affirming care. Another one that we did that overlapped was addressing violence that has been on the increase in our hospitals. And so again, working together because there's the healthcare element of it, but then there is the legal part of it. And so we're developing protections and tightening up that process so that our healthcare workers feel like they are safe and protected in their environment. And then we did a lot around sexual violence and domestic violence. We dealt with a bill that has worked to reduce abusive litigation, which was something that I really learned more about. Like I feel like we hear about sexual violence and domestic violence and wanting to address that. And then what we learned is that even when that is addressed and somebody is removed from the part that the violence can still continue through this onset of abusive litigation of just continuing to put people through the court process. And so we did interventions for that. And then I currently work at the Justice Center and so restorative justice is really important for me. And I feel really happy that we were able to work on some bills related to that as well. We looked specifically at justice reinvestment, savings that we have from our criminal justice system and reinvesting it to help hopefully prevent folks from coming into the correctional system or the judiciary system. And we made some big leaps in that as well of creating some base funding and stabilizing that. I feel really proud of the work that we did and also every day and something new and different. So look forward to that was only year one of the session. Looking forward to what we're going to be doing next year as well. Great, Karen. And Lori, as Karen mentioned, a lot of those bills overlapped with the Health Care Committee. But could you expand on some of those a little bit more as well as what was the Health Care Committee's priority this year and what else were you able to accomplish? Sure. So it was really interesting because it was the first year I remember, this is my fourth term, that we worked closely with the Judiciary Committee. So that was a lot of fun and learning process as we go. Our priorities this year were suicide prevention. And so we passed two bills, H230 and H481, both were on the way to the governor. One deals with the lethality of suicide and, you know, the data is very clear. If you use a firearm to attempt suicide, you succeed. And if you don't, you normally don't succeed. And the people who go on to attempt suicide a second time is extremely rare. So our bill has a 72-hour waiting period and expansion of the red flag laws and safe storage provision. And then we have another bill, 481, which looks at the overall state strategy with suicide prevention and ensuring that we have people in the right places doing the right work to get people the help they need. So we're beginning updates from the Director of Suicide Prevention that just started in January for the state. And then we'll come back to that again next year. And then the shield bill was a really interesting one. Karen said judiciary had the legal side of it. We dealt with more of the insurance and provider protection piece of it. And so basically both bills will, if a provider provides healthcare to someone in another state, they will be protected within our state laws. If they leave the state, there's very little we can do, but we'll protect them here. And then one thing that came on at the end of us passing it out of our committee was the Supreme Court decision on, I'm going to say the name wrong, if a pristine abortion medication. And so we put an amendment on our bill that, and these bills have been signed by the governor, that basically should the FDA be told to stop making, or FDA would not be authorized anymore if they were told by a court, we would allow those in our state to be able to still acquire it and dispense it, which we think is really important. And then we also did a lot for workers' workforce in healthcare. We passed four compacts. So this is allowing people in different healthcare professions to practice across state lines without having to obtain a license in each state they want to practice in. And where that really helps are Vermonters who maybe are snowbirds and they'll go into Florida or students who are leaving the state and they can continue their care with their providers through this compact process. So two big, the suicide prevention and the shield bills, but then also trying to really focus on workforce. A lot of great work, it sounds like, has been done in the past couple of months here in both the Judiciary Committee and the Health Care Committee. And so, Lori, you're the chair of the Health Care Committee. And so with that, can you tell us a little bit about what it means to be the chair of the committee? Like what types of decisions you have to make? How do you become the chair? Did you apply along those lines? Sure. So becoming chair and really being on any committee is at the will of the speaker. And so the speaker of the house makes those decisions. So as I said, this was my fourth term and our previous chair, Bill Lippert, who I learned so much from, was retiring. And so I said I wouldn't mind being chair. But the speaker really looks at what is needed in every committee and who she thinks could lead a committee, what skill sets are there, where are they best applied, and then she makes those decisions. So I found out pretty late that in the year of 2022 that I was going to be chair, but I was really excited and completely scared to do it. But it is great. I have a really excellent committee. And basically, you know, I'm responsible for determining what we take up, what priorities we have. Obviously, work with leadership on what those priorities are to work with committee members and what they might be focused on and then find a path forward for what we have time to take up and what we think we'll get through. And working with stakeholders and advocates and really understanding our healthcare system is what I've spent the past session doing. So it's been challenging but fun. Well, thank you for kind of shedding some light on that as part of this is sort of demystifying the whole process of what goes on during the legislative session. So it's interesting to find out what that it's the speaker that chooses it. Yes. And all members. So she chooses where every single 150 of us sit for the term. That's impressive. Yes. I think it's a big puzzle that she puts together. I wouldn't want that. No. All right. So we'll move on now. You're both members of the Democratic Party, which this session had a veto-proof majority. How did that change the way that you approach legislating? And we can start with Karen for this one. Yeah. I don't know if it changed the way that I approached legislating. I think it was something to reflect on. I think folks going into it were like, oh, you have a veto-proof majority like you can get everything done. And this isn't true. Like, one, you have a limited amount of time to get things done, and we have a very diverse caucus. So even though we are all Democrats, we still have different points of view on things and where we want to go, how far we want to go, what we're willing to compromise on. And so if anything, I think this was a real opportunity for us to learn, especially with so many new members, to kind of see where we were at. And so for me, it was important going into it, not assuming like we can just get everything done or just go full forward. It was learning from each other, where can we go? Where do we need to compromise so that if something is going to be vetoed by the governor, that we know that we have the votes for it. And I feel like that was a learning process for us because it can be hard, right? It's like, why are we compromising when we have this veto-proof majority? Ultimately, we have to still work together as a caucus. We have to work with our other colleagues. And we also have to work with the Senate to make sure things cross the finish line. And so I like to think that that is approach that I take normally, is like, how do we all work together? And I think sometimes that was a hard conversation to have of like, wait, why did you compromise? Why were you willing to vote? Why didn't you fight for X, Y, or Z? And I think that was something that I took away from this of just because you have that veto-proof majority, doesn't mean that you're going to be able to get everything done that you want to in the exact way. Absolutely. And Lori, anything you wanted to add with that? I think the only thing I'll add, I agree with everything Karen said. I think it is much harder when you have a veto-proof majority because of what everyone outside of the building thinks you can get accomplished. I would say from a leadership perspective and being the chair, and being the first time I was chair, I would assume that I would be this way anyway. But I really worked hard at making sure everyone at the table had a voice and that their voice was heard. And even if I knew they were going to vote no, that they had an impact on the bill in a positive way. And one of the reasons I really wanted to do that was to ensure the Republicans and the independents and the progressives that just because we have a veto-proof majority doesn't mean we can just barrel through and get what we want. We all get elected from our constituents and everyone should have a say in the bills that are being passed. Absolutely. Well, thank you Karen and Lori. And now we're going to move on to sort of the more of the harder-hitting question here, which was last Friday, the last day of the session, the legislature passed the budget. But that budget does not include support for the continuation of the emergency housing program that was established during the pandemic, which means over 2,000 Vermonters will be evicted from motels across the state this summer. That budget vote did not have a veto-proof majority and it sounds like the governor will not support it. So what do you think is the path forward for the budget and how do you think the state should support those people that are currently being housed in motels? And Lori, we'll start with you. Sure. So on the path forward, I think the vote was 90 to something, so we need 100 to override. I do know that there are folks who voted no on the budget and will vote yes on the override, but we still have a number to get to. If the budget does not pass, we have to start. I won't scratch because we have a foundation in front of us, but we have to draft a new budget. And so we can do that during the veto session because once we're called back into session, even though we're calling it a veto session, we can take up any bills we want. So we could take up bills that just didn't get across the finish line, you know, when we wanted to get out on Friday, we could take that up that week. So we would need to have house appropriations is where the budget starts. They would need to come together as a committee, craft a budget, vote it out of the house, go to the Senate, do the same thing. So it's basically all the same process in a much shorter point of time. And it would have to pass both bodies again. And if there are still differences between the House and the Senate, it would have to go to a conference committee. So it would take time. But, you know, I want to be clear. We really need to have a budget before July 1st. If not, you know, the government starts to shut down and people won't get paid. And there's a lot of dominoes that fall from there. Gotcha. Yeah, that's interesting. I didn't realize sort of how, even though it's a veto session, other bills can be picked up as well to be continued to be considered. Yes. So there's a couple that I know were in the House or were in the Senate and just needed the one final push to get to the other side. I don't know if leadership is planning to do that, but yes, we could do that if we wanted to. And Karen, same question to you. What do you think the path forward is for the budget and how do you think the state should support the people that are currently being housed in motels? Yeah, well, I think with the process, I think Lori got what the plan is. So I will share for me that that was a really, it was a challenging vote. And I think it's this piece of, it's the core piece of the puzzle is looking at addressing homelessness and the transition out from the motel program. And our budget has a lot more in it. And so it was weighing all of this. And I completely understand folks who, you know, voted no. I said support it because I want it to move forward. And I also felt like we do have a path forward with that, is that there was huge investments with housing, looking at long term of the investments into housing stock and changing laws so that zoning is improved. There also was a package that was put to help with the transition of folks who are coming out of the motel program. Another piece that we really are going to be looking forward is holding the administration accountable as well. This isn't a surprise that the program was ending. Yes, the timing has been shifting, but we had made it clear that we don't have an unending supply of money for this program. So there's a group of legislators that are committed to checking in with the administration and the department to see what are the transitions that are placed. Because we did put this package into place to check and make sure that folks are being able to transition out and finding. And they're focusing on the most vulnerable, so folks with kids, folks with vulnerabilities that they're going to get put into housing. And so I'm really looking forward to how that comes. And because we have this veto session coming up, we are going to have some opportunities. If we need to find two things, we can look into that. So with our larger budget, I'm really excited about other things that we're able to move forward with school meals, with workforce investments, with housing, with childcare. And so I just feel like it's a whole package that we have to look at. And I'm really counting on the administration and the accountability piece that we're going to get through this piece. And I'll just add, in Chittenden County, obviously we have quite a few representatives that span the whole county. Burlington representatives are getting all of us together. There's a long list of social services that we're all reaching out to. We've reached out to the mental health system. I'll be reaching out to the UVMMC later today, just to say, what can we do? Where are we? And, you know, I think what happened is putting us all on record of saying we have to be engaged, right? We can't just say we're done with the session and leave. We have to do what we can. And as Karen said, we have to hold the administration accountable. We have specific language in the budget to hold them accountable. And I think that's really another really important reason to move the budget forward. And some of the things that Karen mentioned and the reason I voted for the budget, we're spending $99 million in our base budget to increase provider reimbursements. And so that's increasing reimbursements to our mental health system of care, to our primary care providers, to our federal qualified health centers. You know, the support systems that we're going to need to be able to help for monitors and keep providers employed because, you know, they've been through a lot. So I agree with Karen. It was a hard decision and it was a hard night on the floor listening to the stories and hearing from people. But I think we all need to be engaged and see what we can do to help and know that just because we pass a budget doesn't mean we're done. We're going to keep going. Well, thank you for your perspectives. And we're going to be following that veto session. And so make sure you stay tuned to under the dome in the coming weeks. We'll keep you updated with what's going on at the State House. And we've got a couple more minutes here. So I'll try to get through as many questions as we can. Shifting now to a more local focus in 2021, Essex Junction Voters opted to become a separate municipality from the town of Essex. And that separation took effect last summer. Now, have you found that this split has had an effect on the priorities of your constituents and further the way that you legislate? And we'll start with Karen. Yeah. I don't know if it has been exciting being a city. I think I now see Essex Junction a lot more than before. I think it just has been more focused. Like we had always had a close relationship with our now city council, but before that village trustees. And so we've continued to work through that. And again, I feel like we've been hearing from folks a lot. So I'm trying to think. I don't know if anything's coming to mind for you. We addressed our new city charter. There's a bill introduced. There are some minor changes that they put in. But I feel like there isn't anything specific because we were a village within the town already. We kind of already had that established. So I don't think there's anything we're doing differently. No, I don't think there's anything we're doing differently. I think for me, I have a history with it because I served as a trustee for eight years. Part of the discussions about, in fact, I ran on collaborating as a trustee with the town and then worked really hard as we tried to merge different departments together and then ultimately worked to separate. So for me personally, it's extremely exciting. And I think it has engaged the community in a way that they are more focused on what's happening in the city versus we always try to look at the broader picture. And so I think there's probably more of a difference for the city councilors than it is for us. But we definitely are engaged. We stay in contact with the city councilors and the new manager and work with them wherever we can to make sure that their issues are addressed in the state house. But I don't think we're doing anything different because we're a city. Gotcha. And are there any priorities that you haven't been able to make progress on or any bills that didn't make it through crossover that you would have liked to see move forward this session? And we'll start with Lord. So in healthcare, there's always something we can do. So we took some testimony at the end on a couple of things that we'll come back to next year. So one of the ways we're trying to make healthcare more accessible and help our workforce is to reduce prior authorizations that are needed. And so there seems to be a path forward. We can look to make that process easier. If you talk to any primary care providers, they spend a lot of their time or their nurses spend a lot of their time trying to get prior authorizations. And we think we can reduce that workload. So we'll work on that. We passed right before the pandemic, we passed out of the house, a bill that came out of our committee that was to expand telehealth. And it was interesting because when we passed the bill out of the house, we put in a five year plan because we figured it would take that long to get people to be comfortable with doing telehealth appointments. And then obviously with the pandemic, it exploded. So we need to come back to that and see where has it been working, where isn't it working? How can we make sure that now that the pandemic is over, we are providing the right reimbursements to ensure that it's still available for the people who need it and make sure the quality of care is still there. So those are two big issues. We're going to come back to suicide prevention because I think there's still a lot of work we need to do there. And then really anywhere that we can expand access for Vermonters without increasing costs is a key priority. And then lastly, last session we passed Act 167, which is looking at the sustainability of our healthcare system, hospital system. And that data and reports will be coming back to us over the next year. And so that will be a focus as well. Great. Thank you. And Karen, how about in the Judiciary Committee? It's not legislative, but I think that is certainly relevant right at the moment is we just launched the impeachment investigatory committee. And so it was just announced who the seven member panel is going to be for that. And I'm going to be on that panel that's going to be working over the summer. And I just feel like it is a very rare and important tool that we have, very serious tool that we have available to us to remove elected officials from office. And so I'm going to be a part of that and seeing, you know, what evidence and is there enough to move forward to provide articles of impeachment that would then go to the Senate. So I feel like that is definitely unfinished business, things that we're going to be working on over the next few months and not exactly certain where it's going to go. Well, thank you both for your hard work during this legislative session. I can't even imagine so we appreciate everything that you do. And as I'm sure your constituents do, which is why with our next question, I'd like to know how can your constituents get involved in the legislative process at this point, but also how can they reach you and are you bringing their priorities to your work? And we'll start with Lori first. Sure, yeah. And I think I can answer how you can reach us for both of us. We're out there, right? So we do, we're on Facebook, I think Karen's on Instagram, I'm not. We're on Facebook. We do every other week updates. We switch off on front porch form. So those will be stopping for the session, but you can call us. You can reach us out on Facebook. Our numbers are out there. If you go to the Karen Dolan, what's your website? BT House. BT House. You just type it in. Just type in Karen Dolan, Lauren Hart, and you'll find our emails and our contact information. And we are available. We may be a little slower in responding over the summer as we come back to our own responsibilities and jobs, but we will be available throughout the session. Absolutely. Well, fantastic. Anything you'd like to add, Karen? No, I think that covers it. I feel like Lori and I really try to work together. So we try to reach out to folks and if they, one of us is available, the other is, and we keep each other posted. So definitely want to hold people's input and values into our work. Absolutely. Well, thank you guys so much for coming into the studio and giving a little bit of an end of session wrap up with an Essex Junction lens on it. Thank you for having us. Yes. And we look forward to continuing to follow the rest of this session as it comes to the veto process in June. But for now, that's all for Under the Dome. And you can find this program and others on our website, channel17.tv. Sorry, that's www.ch17.tv or on Town Meading TV's YouTube channel. Thanks for watching and sharing Under the Dome. Have a great day.