 Good afternoon, everyone. Thanks for being here as the legislative legislative session winds down and it's a former legislator myself I know there's a lot of negotiating going on behind the scenes between the House and the Senate Whether it's the budget or major policy bills. There's still many consequential decisions to be made over the next couple of weeks I'm sure you're well aware of my concerns with the budget as well as raising taxes and fees Which also means I have significant concerns with the legislature's version of paid family leave and child care bills Which rely on taxing already overburdened for Monters while we have historic surpluses But as you've heard me say over the past several months the good news is we share priorities We both put forward plans on child care and paid leave In fact my plans land somewhere between where the House and Senate differ and could be part of the compromise They seek because I firmly believe we can take meaningful steps in all these areas Without raising taxes and fees Which is what I campaigned on in the last election and it appears for Monters agree with that approach This is especially true with paid family leave again as a reminder My plan is voluntary When we've already set up the mechanism, which Commissioner Gaffney will talk about in a few minutes As well state employees will be eligible on July 1 Which we the state are paying for and Hartford insurance will be offering it to private employers within the year This is a much faster turnaround than the House proposal which will take years to set up and capitalize My approach also won't require adding expensive IT and Future legislators and legislators won't have to deal with the ongoing expense of 65 additional state employees to oversee it And it can be scaled and customized For child care the fifty six million dollars. I had in my budget would cover four thousand more kids Which be a huge step forward without raising taxes on working Vermonters Again, the good news is Our priorities are aligned and as the legislature makes decisions in their conference committees I hope they consider the paths we put forward. I'm gonna now turn it over to Secretary Samuelsen For more on our child care plan morning Vermonters have a need and deserve high quality child care Vermont children depend on their child care settings for early learning and Richmond and a safe and high quality environment Vermont parents and caregivers count on their child care after school and summer settings for safe supervised Enriching environments to enable them to participate in the workforce, which is critical for Vermont's economy at this point Vermonters need a system that enables both children and their families to thrive The child care system has been struggling for the set for the past several years with Tuitions creating a significant financial stress for families Year over year and while and while also not addressing the wage and quality issues for child care providers The pandemic has had a significant impact on this fragile system exacerbating both the needs and the cost The governor's package of initiatives responds to the system's needs in child care After-school programs and summer care programs with attention to accessibility and affordability for families to be supported in the workforce We owe it to Vermonters and our children to do this in a responsible way though It doesn't make sense to increase the tax burden on the very Vermonters who need this program the most The governor's plan is six is fifty six million dollars a key investment in Vermont child care programs Vermont can afford the governor's plan and will increase affordability Access and flexibility for families. We must do this in a responsible way We are taking individuals with the most we are taking into account the individuals who need these programs the most and Making sure that they have access across the state The governor's plan makes the following changes It establishes equity in the child care financial assistance program known as CCFAP By ensuring that the state is paying the same rates on behalf of families regardless of whether their programs are Involved in the stars program or not It serves more Vermont school children through the making room for me grants and the summer matters works program It expands CCFAP eligibility from three hundred and fifty percent of FPL to four hundred percent of FPL a Family of three with an annual income of ninety two thousand dollars would qualify to help for paying for child care Let's set up a child. Let's set up Vermont's children and families for success And that starts living within our means while providing programs that people in Vermont depend on Over ninety percent of brain development occurs in the early childhood years and after school programs are safe Loving and stimulating environments when childcare providers have safe and afford when children when families have faith safe and affordable care For their children they're able to participate in our workforce and contribute to Vermont's economy So it's vital that we move forward at this time. Thank you Thank you. Good afternoon as part of the implementation team as the governor alluded the phase one Paid family medical leave insurance program will commence effective July 1 This will be for the state employees We're in the midst of that process as my with my regulator had on we're reviewing the Contract coverage forms and we just approve those yesterday and expect the rates to be filed by the Hartford as early as next Monday We'll have those reviewed in time for that 7-1 effective date at the same time There's been a number of activities between the Hartford and the state on planning our post Post-implementation activities after phase one as you may recall phase two Will take effect July 1 2024 and be available to employers of group sizes of two or more Post implement implementation of phase one. We will start a promotion and education effort with the Hartford to get the word out to employers so that when July of 24 comes around there's full awareness That they start talking to their insurance brokers about options and choice This program gives employers that choice that the phase one plan is a foundation Which employers can choose to build off of the work of the the Hartford in this promotion and Education phase is just one example of the value of working with an institution that has experience in delivering and administering paid family leave insurance programs and We feel that this is the most efficient way to deliver this program. Thank you I'll pass back the governor Thank You commissioner at this point. We'll open up to questions Many weeks and months that we've been here to talk to you put a red line down in terms of New taxes When you're on Vermont edition earlier this week You were asked if that means you were going to be vetoing the childcare bill the budget and you said, you know I've got to see everything in the aggregate How it all comes together is there a path for Tri-lateral negotiations over the next week and a half that ends with a package of things that Does include tax if he increases that you can Maybe grudgingly allow to become law Well, there's always room for negotiation Thus far they haven't asked for our input. We've been providing it. We provided the the dear Jane dear Diane letter for their conference committee in terms of the budget and We hope that they will consider some of our approaches that we had proposed in the initial budget Some of the complexities and I you know, I understand the process But they overspent the budget adjustment by 50 million So they've spent some of the money that we had proposed To utilize for some of these programs. So it will be difficult But but at the same time At a time when Vermont has a store is store surpluses. We're gonna have 200 million probably at the end of this fiscal year in surplus it's hard to to Communicate to for monitors as to why we're raising their taxes and fees They just it just doesn't make sense to them and it doesn't make sense to me either So I think there's another path forward But we'll see how the negotiations if there are negotiations how well they go and I'm always willing to listen And as I've shown over over the years I believe that there is room for compromise, but It depends on what they put on the table governor as you saw the Franklin County State's attorney facing calls to step down that's not and They're now calling on helps leadership to begin exploring in the patient any initial box on What we heard yesterday and also how this process maybe could play out Yeah, well, it's a legislative process obviously first of all and they would have to to agree to move forward Impeachments of a very high bar when you think about, you know, what would prompt an impeachment? usually criminal charges of some sort would prompt an impeachment but in this case, I haven't seen that there are criminal charges at least not yet and There certainly appears to be some improprieties in terms of conduct on the job But but again, I don't know all the details at this point in time. We weren't part of that we were given a heads up that this was coming yesterday morning and We'll just see how it plays out but it really is in the hands of the legislature at this point whether they move forward and again I Think there were a lot of calls I called on the the sheriff to step down and there were criminal charges against the sheriff, so They haven't moved forward on an impeachment there So I just I'm not sure what they're going to do, but probably the speaker answer that and at the same time there is this evolving conversation about The sheriff bill looking for oversight maybe a constitutional amendment next session Any I mean, I've been speaking with a number of legislators and Sheriffs and and other Interested parties on the on the sheriff's bill the so-called sheriff's bill it seems to be mixed as to whether some Think it's the right approach some think that it's not needed and not necessary and So we'll see where it all comes out sugar's off in the end This is an error in which the house initiates in peace impeachment proceedings But needs to hold a special session in order to hold a vote on resolution What would what's it a little bit of a process you would work through to determine whether or not to call that special Yeah, well the the legislative leadership speaker probably the pro tem as well would come and and ask For a special session from me and you know, I if they think it's it's something that's needed and necessary I would probably grant that Governor senator becker-wight and other supporters say s5 Doesn't force homeowners to go electric How do you respond to that? Yeah, I've responded to it a number of times and we just fundamentally disagree when you have a someone who is living with modest means and They are faced with the option of putting on a new heating system with heat pumps That will cost thousands of dollars or pay more for fuel That doesn't seem like much of a choice to me So I think there's another path forward we can use more carrots and sticks and this seems like the stick approach to me Thank you First of all, I don't know is it's made it through the entire process. I don't know if they've Agreed the house is agreed with the Senate on this they have okay So it is heading to my desk at some point, but it goes through their legislative process and and their Ledge council before it comes to us. So I just want to make clear that we may not receive that instantaneously At that point in time. We have five days to react I've said all along. I have some real issues with the constitutionality of the waiting period The rest of the bill as it came out of the Senate and appears that the house is agreed I could I could live with I think the red flag provisions Something that that I think are good. Okay and good and and I also believe the safe storage Area that they came to conclusion on is also palatable and good so I could live with those two portions But the the constitutionality bothers me the defender general said the same thing and there are many I don't I don't doubt That if if it goes into law That there will be a constitution challenge and it's too bad That the rest of the bill that appears to be helpful would be held in hostage in some respects while that happens I assume you You want to do away with it in total not to say maybe do a 24-hour Yeah, I think there would be a constitutional challenge on anything at that point. I mean, we're in a new era of the The Supreme Court has ruled on this and and it's less than Open and and I think open to constitutional challenges What's your reaction and be the senator He said that he talked with Attorney General Terry Clark and he feels confident this would stand out I guess they'll find out in court. There's no doubt that it'll be challenged So we'll see what happens, but I think we're in a new era and and again I the defender general I think there's a conflict of opinions on this and the defender general said he thinks it'll be challenged as well Tomorrow That it's sure to get challenged in court. Do you think that's a good use of state time and resources to Defend this bill Well, they will I know I think the Attorney General has already pledged to to defend it Well, I think the Attorney General has to defend the state again I Had been critical of the Attorney General in the past seems as though they pick and choose who they Would would support and defend and who they wouldn't I had I had a bill that I vetoed and I felt was unconstitutional and They refused to to support that but again This is this what they want to do and they have that prerogative That's 100 minutes way out of the environment and energy committee in the house I don't know what they've settled on I know that there was a poison pill that was identified Yesterday, and I believe in real time this morning. They Settled on that. So I think it's okay. I Would I would like for us to go further on Act 250 as you well know But I think that where they are right now seems like it's reasonable and and would be helpful There are a number of residents of hotel rooms that have gone and shared their stories with members in the media as part of an effort to Convince elected officials like you to rethink their position on what that program should look like going forward I'm wondering if you listen to red watch any of your stories and If you have You know again as I've said I know how difficult this is I know what a heavy lift There will this will be but the program is ending the pandemic has ended this this federal money is It's not coming in anymore The 20 million dollars a month we're spending 18 to 20 million or spending It's just not sustainable for us now We keep extending the date in which we're going to end the program and I think most legislators and certainly I agree that it's got to end sometime And when is a good time to have this end? We could take Money, let's say from the ACB That would be 50 million dollars that we're going to put into permanent housing and so forth and extend this program for another Two and a half months in the middle of September But then we're going to end up in the same place So it's not as though we have just been sitting on our hands here and I'll let the secretary Talk about this a little bit more But we've gone in to try and identify what the needs are of those who are still involved in the program How we can help them the general assistance program isn't ending This portion is ending and we need to move on so Again, I I don't underestimate how difficult this is for some of those Folks involved, but but it's time. We we have to end it sometime. We can't keep going With a 20 million dollar month program To echo what the governor said this program isn't sustainable and it's taking away from our opportunity To really to really address the challenge that we have in front of us Which is the affordable units that we need in the state of vermont We have spent since october and even before that going into the hotels Working with individuals to create plans to be able to move forward We recognize it's a relatively diverse population That are living in the hotel in the hotels and trying to wrap around supports around them to help them move forward What we also know from going into the hotels and is what we've talked about before Is that this program doesn't have the wraparound services that assist people in making that next step in their lives Connecting them to permanent housing connecting them to jobs connecting them to services And so we could extend the inevitable robbing from the future where we were building affordable housing units Or we could look at how we're going to address this Going forward and we recognize that it's going to be a Challenging transition for some but we believe that it really is the right time In the summer to begin to move back to the position of where we were before the pandemic Which is really a shelter first state where we work to house and and support individuals with a with a ga program That really provides backup in emergent situations And why is summer at the top of that transition happening? We know that there are a group of folks who will self resolve And for many of them, it's a much easier option in the summer than in the winter We recognize that in the winter We have we have and will continue to have programs that assist people during adverse weather conditions And so now is the time we could keep extending this And extending it forward But that's only putting a pause on folks lives and the ability to look at what the next step is Rather than helping them Helping them make the next step There are some of the individuals who we've talked to in the hotels Who have alternative plans and they're waiting for the program to end until they initiate those Those could be going back to living with friends and family And we've got programs that have been implemented across state to help support those transitions It could mean You know being able to find a unit with a voucher that that that they currently have There are a myriad of different mechanisms Sometimes it's going back to where They've lived before and that may or may not be in the state of Vermont So there are a proportion of folks who have told us that they have that they have that next step planned out And they're waiting for the program to end to make that happen Regarding the vouchers, my colleague will let Digger Recorded the speech that I think it was like three quarters of section eight recipients have to actually give back their vouchers because they Can't find affordable housing in time before they expire so You say, you know people have vouchers that they can use but there's just no housing We recognize that one and and folks have acknowledged that one of the limitations that we have in the state of Vermont is a units issue Affordable housing is a challenge. It's why they've made investments in vhcb and others And maybe we need to look at more flexibly deploying those funds to invest in our future and putting in place affordable housing units We also recognize that the federal government does have some limitations And we're looking at and evaluating that on the way that the that the vouchers are delivered and that may engage in a conversation About about those federal programs And again, it really is a that you're right. There is a units issue where And we're really trying to look at making that investment in the future And we know that that that we are things that we need to do now to help make that transition But for the investments in affordable housing that this administration has done have been Unprecedented and we're and we're continuing to move forward in that long-term game In this situation where we have so few units online I think we all know that landlords have a lot of leeway and who they can pick and choose to occupy Their units that they do have available when they come online Do you think that there is some role that the state government may have in compelling Landlords to house people to section 8 vouchers I would want to think about that more carefully I do know that there are programs like the landlord assistance program that already are in place in the state of vermont Incentive programs like in the v-hip program that help to help folks to really look at Who they choose to support and how they choose to support them So we already have a group of supports for landlords and property owners to serve this population I think that we will continue to evaluate what additional supports may be necessary I could just expand just a little bit more on that and I didn't finish what I was saying about VACB If we took the 50 million dollars, you're making the point Because we took the 50 million dollars away from VACB for permanent housing And put it towards this this emergency program In two and a half months it's gone and then we don't have the units in september so we have to find the balance here and again, I'm it's it's difficult and None of us want to be in this position But it's the position we're in and we have to face it The v-hip program in particular and I'm going to ask Commissioner Hanford to come up and talk about that a bit because That program that we put in place Earlier is something we've been advocating for for a while and it's it's it's been the quickest turnaround time of any program. I think we've we've encountered so Commissioner Hanford, could you come up and and just talk about the hip and the number of people a number of units We put online in what period of time that would be helpful for them to get that context. Sure. Thanks governor So the Vermont housing improvement program to date. We have about 530 units online from that program with about 70 of those serving folks exiting homelessness And we can bring these units on average within six months and under $35,000 per unit One of the areas that we're trying to Expand that program this session in s100 is to allow more flexibility in that program Referencing the cases that have been talked about in the motel and hotel There's a few cases in there where folks actually had an apartment But they were condemned because it was unsafe. You know, why are we talking about that v-hip? We've been asking for v-hip to be used in those situations for several years We could prevent people from being displaced from unsafe housing if we can go in and fix those units Before people end up in a hotel motel So that is a fix that currently is an s100 and bringing it back to s100 For years we've been talking about regulatory reforms so that we can get housing built faster quicker more parts of the state And you know with the the gravity of the housing situation right now You know, I share the governor's, you know concerns that the bill is good, but it could be great We could be doing more and um, we've been talking about these reforms knowing that we've needed these units for years now So, um, this isn't a surprise that we have a a shortage of units Compared to the need. It's been growing year after year. I'm hopeful that s100 Um continues to improve and we can we can get some real reforms going as you may have heard there's a A controversy that's uh through the sx west brick school district Once at least one school is using Person first language when it comes to reproductive health This was a suggestion that was put forth by a working group that included um the agency of education and the department of health um, it's Caused uh, it is ruffling some feathers have have Have you seen or or talked with any of the folks within those two agencies about how this is sugared I have not and uh, I have been watching the the controversy Um to me, it seems like we went a little too far In this but at the same time at the end of the day Um, I don't know who it's really hurting, uh, but um, but it seems as though there might be some room in between I mean if for For sex education, uh in in those age groups fifth and sixth graders It seems like we could be talking about boys girls and Those who are born into different bodies and and and Trans rights and and things of that nature. We could build that in it seems like we could have it both ways But but again, this is a local decision a local decision by The westford estates school district and that's the way our system works Oh The house's sports betting bill supposed to get preland approval from the senate today I was just wondering if you kind of shared a similar stance when we last talked about this a couple months ago What was it again? The house's sports betting bill. Oh, yeah, supposed to get preland approval from the senate today Just wondering if your stance is still the same on that as well. Absolutely. Yeah It's something that we've been promoting for quite a number of years and look forward to getting the finish line Um Dr. Child care I know you're not happy with the level of spending in the senate bill, but you look you like the construct, right? It's the same construct as ours, right? Um, even inside the question of funding in the house bill, I gather you have Issue with the policy direction of the way I want to go in and I want to be just sort of like isolated for us Yeah, I I actually don't know what exactly the house position was with the child care bill I just know what the senate proposal was and that it was it almost mirrored what our proposal was Um, so I gravitated towards that But I don't know what the what the difference was with the house. So they want to require public school districts to provide full full time. Oh, yeah, pre-k right It's like an intuitive thing to have them play a role in this And you have concerns with that. Yeah, I the only the concerns I had when when I first heard about that Was what do we do with the kids in the summer, right? So we we're able to deal with them through the school year, but then what happens in the summer That was my initial reaction I still still believe that there's some merit to this and that we should take a look at it But it may not be this year Maybe it's something they can consider in the future, but it seems as though it's it's got some Some legs and we should we should talk about it further Governor and maybe for secretary sanderson as well. Uh, blue cross blue shield is Going to be partnering or affiliating with blue cross blue shield in michigan How do you see this uh, fundamentally affecting for monitors Health care and how we interact with our health care system. I don't believe it will affect us immediately I do worry about what this means in the future. I think uh, I think uh, the other estates Um structure is is larger than ours And uh, we are just a minority partner at that point So I'm a little concerned about the future in that regard. Uh, but immediately over the next, uh, year two years probably won't See or feel any any difference Either one of you want Way in on that. Did you? Yeah, I'll just echo that. I'll say that uh, I think there's opportunity sometimes with affiliations to gain scale to, uh, Make entities more sustainable long terms. So I think there's some economies of scale that could be had with affiliations. So I'll just leave it there since um, Or you know, the filing will be coming to our department shortly to review the form a file With you know, this of course follows news that blue cross blue shield and it's separate but related that they will not be participating in the aco next year, I believe With one care's budget in front of the green mountain care board right now I'm just curious as to you know, what what the administration will be looking for in terms of the performance and Of of whether or not you're whether we know what's working against this, you know, what will you be looking for? So I'm going to go back to your first question first and then I'll then I'll move forward to your second Um related to the blue cross blue shield merger. I think I echo the governor and commissioner gaffney's points I do think uh, one of the things that we will be looking at in the future is Blue cross blue shields continued commitment and they've assured us that they are committed to Continuing to transform the way that we're providing health care in vermont. There is an opportunity with i'm optimistic There's an opportunity with michigan to bring analytic tools and other tools that we can't afford to scale here in vermont But again, the details will come in in future years of whether they join us in the in the reforms So I think as they make this transition to michigan, it's not surprising that they are It's taking another year to evaluate their participation in the current all payer model I wish that they would reconsider that but I think it's also important for us to to acknowledge that right now Working in collaboration with health care providers with the green mount care board with the agency of human services We are really looking towards the future model which is going which our current model ends in 2020 at the end of 2024 So in 2025 really what is it that we are looking for and defining that for health care reform going forward So it's my hope that if blue cross blue shield takes a year off for this coming year That they will continue to engage in our in-state conversations related to the direction that we're going to go And that they will join us in 2025 Our goal would be and and laid out by multiple insured by the insurers in the state that it still will be a multi payer model That will gain some operational efficiencies across the payers And that will continue on our journey to improve the both the quality and the affordability of health care in vermont You're talking about No concerns in the short term for this merger affiliation Will there be a way through whatever regulatory review you're doing in advance of signing off To determine what the downside risk may be and the extent to which those risks can be realized Yeah, there's certainly a process when we receive the uh, and it is it is an affiliation Um, so when we receive that we'll we'll be reviewing But all the financials we're reviewing the governance we're reviewing A number of areas So, um, I think all that is under consideration and part of our review process will contemplate That in that in that process. There's actually a hearing process. That's a also part of that mechanism I want to go to the phones quickly that I can come back to the room um Christopher Roy importantly express Yeah, that's good morning. No questions staff. Thank you Tim McQuiston from on business Mac I know they're telling back the pizza question about child care. That as you all know, um, um, development the specialists of businesses Put childcare right up there with workforce and housing as as the biggest impediment to economic development is there um in light of it looks like the family D part of a little legislation going to is Is not going to be as big an issue on the tax fee side And uh, the urgency that there seems to be with the child care, which of course goes back before the pandemic Is these other issues do Do you have a sense of urgency to get something done on the child care side now? Well, tim, uh, let's go back down memory lane just a little bit when I first came into office This was a priority for me Not so much for the legislature. We put together a number of proposals for the legislature to consider um, it seemed like Reasonable attempts to increase the level of child care opportunities We it was in millions of dollars not hundreds of millions of dollars, but millions of dollars And that was turned down in fact When the way for your decision came along we we said we ought to take that money That we're receiving this new found money and put that towards child care that was resisted In the legislature as well we've been continuing to try to Move forward with child care for six years And and I've said that it's important to me. I think we should do it in a measured way We went again from We've we've doubled or tripled The amount of of money we're putting into child care since I came into office and and we've we've had to Put that on the forefront and and fight for that Every time that we we move forward so In this instance When we're talking about again millions of dollars instead of hundreds of millions of dollars We put together a proposal this year That lives within our means for 56 million dollars that would take care of an additional 4,000 kits. So this isn't just 56 million dollars for child care This is 56 million additional dollars on top of what we already do So that's a huge huge step forward And it would put us even at that. I believe again I haven't researched this but I would have to believe that would put us in the top five top 10 states In terms of of child care. So It doesn't mean we stopped there. It just means that as we try to build and and and do this in a A way a fashion That protects everyone because I know as a business owner myself former business owner myself Taxes were were an impediment for me and and and certainly something that that I was Concerned with and sensitive to so I would say Tim if you Maybe pull some of your members. I remember Them being in favor of more child care when When it was I believe the employees that were going to be paying most of that But but if it's a if it's a cost to do in business I don't know what their Reaction is to this now again. We all campaigned on this over the last the last cycle And I don't remember anyone campaigning on the on the provision that it was going to cost 117 million dollars in payroll taxes to implement So we've done it without increasing tax and fees and And I just think there's some merit to living within our means and and then increasing that incrementally In the next few years Now we have inflation on top of the And supply chain on top of the housing and workforce issues If this has become even more urgent as far as the the economies and what seems like is a more fragile economy right now Well, again 56 million is not anything to sneeze at and that's a huge investment in any other time Again, I look back when we were proposing Six seven million dollars and with the Wayfair decision I think that's what it would have started out Being and then it would have gone to maybe 20 or 30 million 40 million. I don't know what it is today But that would have put us in a better position today if we had moved forward with that So 56 million dollars is nothing to sneeze at and and I believe again That this is something that meets Meets our goals meets in a measured way On on how we have this balance between affordability in this state And trying to attract more people here as well So it depends on who this impacts again payroll tax Everyone pays Even those with low incomes Those with high incomes everyone pays something. So again, I think our approach was was Was strategic I think again, we could we we built a budget That actually grew the base budget grew by eight percent The the budget that came out of the the senate, I believe is 13 percent growing the base And that doesn't include any of those additional fees and and and taxes so Again, I'm worried about the downturn I'm worried about the future and and I'm trying to to make sure That we don't put ourselves in a position a perilous position Where there's a downturn and we have to start laying people off and taking very very I guess She'll make consequential decisions On on where we find the money. So again, I'm just trying to to be practical about this and measured Tom Davis comes from We can after me some of this Those of the Commissioner Hanford, but I'm curious The s100 bill came out of the senate With some wins for the components of that bill but also some losses that appears in yours and Commissioner Hanford's Do because I just Mr. Hanford set before What would strengthen it even more if those things were brought into this bill? Well, as they came out of economic development, they would have helped tremendously in terms of Act 250 changes. We're getting a little feedback, Tom. Can you hear me all right? It was more of the Act 250 regulatory changes that both the League of Cities and Towns and my administration, myself included, obviously, wanted to see move forward. And they were watered down to practically nothing when it went through Senate natural resources. So again, they've made some improvements in the House, and do you want to speak on that? Commissioner? I think the governor summarized it. The bill that left Senate economic development had broader Act 250 reform, which we've been calling for for years. It was narrowed in the Senate natural resources. Good news is, is Senate House and Environment, they didn't further narrow those Act 250 reforms. There was, in fact, a very small increase, which we appreciate. But as the governor said, we really feel the gravity of the housing crisis in the moment that we are in, there should be more Act 250 reforms to encourage more housing development. One major reason that Commissioner was divided incorrectly is now to develop into 25 units versus 10 units and not have to go through the Act 250 process. Is that accurate? That is accurate. But only in designated areas. So one of our concerns is all those designated areas statewide only amount to 0.3 percent of Vermont's land area. So it's great that the Act 250 was increased in those areas to 25 units within five years, within five miles before triggering Act 250, but that's leaving 99.7 percent of Vermont out of this housing solution. So basically you have to be a designated downtown or a designated village district, is that correct? Correct. There's five designated areas, designated downtown, designated village, designated neighborhood development area, new town center, or growth center. And all those areas combined represent 0.3 percent of Vermont's land area. And finally my understanding from the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, one reversion was going from 10 people needed to oppose a permit, it's back to one, is that correct? That was one of the issues that was identified as the bill was leaving house environment and energy. There appears to be an agreement on a fix right now that we've reached at moving that back to 10 and further restricting that folks cannot appeal housing projects on the basis of the character of the area. So that would be improving what we have now and fixing that mistake. Move forward and pass as it's now written. I'm never confident of anything to do with housing, unfortunately. I'm hopeful. Thank you very much. No other questions. Thanks. Governor, Commissioner Bolio told Ways and Means today that the state and local tax share will be 14.57, third highest in the U.S., if all the legislature's big spending proposals go through, if they do, will you veto that budget? Again, as I reported earlier, we're going to see things in the aggregate. I'm concerned about the future of Vermont and making sure that we're affordable and that we live within our means. And so we'll look and see what they come up with. We've have our tax commissioner and many others throughout the administration going before the committees to make this very point. And again, I'm concerned about where we're going and what's on the horizon. There are storm clouds on the horizon we're seeing on a national level. And even the legislature's economists, our economists have said there's going to be a downturn at some point. And when that hits, there's going to have to be decisions to be made on how to make sure that we're able to continue to provide the services that are essential. So again, that's why I keep saying we have to make the most of this moment. We have to use every bit of federal money that we receive and we have to match it. We have to make sure that we have it available to us when we do hit this downturn so we can keep this economy going. And the antidote, I mean, again, Sarah, I just said, go back to housing and emergency housing. The antidote to emergency housing is permanent housing. And if this is truly a crisis, if this is a housing crisis that we face, we have to take extraordinary measures. And I wouldn't call having some of the regulatory changes we're asking for as extraordinary or common sense. And if we're not willing to do that, then maybe we don't have a crisis on our hands. But if we do, then we better take some steps to rectify that. What about rent control? I'm sorry? Do you need rent control? I don't think that's the answer. I think volume's the answer. I mean, it's supply and demand. And I guarantee once we put more units on the ground in place, then you'll see the rents subside because there'll be more supply than there is demand. So, I have more questions for the secretary. You referred to in ending the program in the summertime, hopefully avoiding adverse weather events, but Vermont is increasingly seeing extreme heat waves. Is the state doing anything to prepare for an expanded capacity at cooling shelters, water handouts, things like that? I don't think that that's directly related to housing. I think what you have seen over the last couple of years is the Department of Health and others really working on ensuring that verminers are safe during those high heat events. And I think that that will continue. How is it not related to housing if people are sleeping outside or in their cars and you don't have access to air conditioning? I think what you see is that that's regardless of whether someone is housed or unhoused, it's an issue for verminers who are experiencing the stress of that. I think the Department of Health and others address that currently through their cooling shelters and others and we'll continue to do that work. Do you see the need for expanding that capacity though? I think we'll have to, again, we don't know what we have fully in front of us as we make this transition. I think we will evaluate the operating environment as it emerges and respond appropriately. And then also in your comments you referred to some people who are currently housed in the motels going back to a living situation where they live before. We know that a not insignificant number of people who are experiencing homelessness are people who sleep domestic violence, particularly women. Is the state planning on doing anything to guarantee that they won't go back to a dangerous situation? So I think that you see in some of the investments that have been made in housing that we are continuing to strengthen the program to support individuals who have domestic violence and that's inherent in the GA program as it already exists. What do those programs look like? Let me get back to you on that in more detail because I think what you want is a much more in-depth view than I think we have time for today, but I can get you both those numbers and what those investments look like offline. And then Governor, the feds are winding down the federal COVID emergency declaration in about a week now. Can you give us an idea of what that transition will look like for Vermont, particularly with guarantees for free testing and vaccines no longer being the case? I believe the testing would still be supplied by insurance companies at this point in time. I don't know if you have the answer to that or not, but we put that into place before. We did, but we did issue a bulletin in the Department of Financial Regulation issued a bulletin in the end of March that the emergency has expired, that we issued a rule that should it reemerge, we can reactivate it. But at this point, the cost-free COVID tests and the like will expire with the emergency. Do you have one more minute? You signed up on the end of life law reform. Just a good comment on why you think it's a good idea going forward in your thought process. Well, again, it was just a border issue from my standpoint. And I didn't think that the border should determine whether you engage in this program or not. Thank you very much.