 This is a joint hearing of the Senate and House Appropriations Committee on the 2024 budget. We have 58 witnesses signed up for today. We have two hearings, one today and one a week from today. And then if anyone is not able to attend, we welcome written submittals. And if you're going to need more than two minutes, we're going to hold to the time, but you can always add to your oral testimony as well. So I'm Jane Kitchell and I chair the Senate Appropriations Committee. And I'm representative Diane Lamper and I chair that the House Appropriations Committee, and I just want to add a couple of housekeeping items to the list. We're going to keep to two minutes per participant. Participants are on Zoom and in person. If you are on Zoom, I'm sure our committee assistant has worked with you on the transition when you come in and come out. We're going to hold to the two minutes with the size. If you're over the two minutes on screen, anticipate that we're going to, we're going to cut you off or you'll go back to the waiting room at that point. And as the Senator has put that welcome anything that we don't get you that you wanted to say in writing, we also welcome if you did not participate today or next Tuesday and you're more comfortable with presenting us with something in writing. We welcome that and we'll put it in our folder and we do, we do read them. Others might not realize when in a public hearing, we're not here to ask questions or respond. We're here to just listen to what you have to say and and your comments on that. So, I want to make sure that we honor the time and get started as the first witness. Senator is going to call the names, and I'll be the timekeeper and cut you off. Thank you. So our first witness is Mark Snelling. And he's present here. I'm Mark Snelling. Volunteer President of the Snelling Center. We're a nonpartisan nonprofit corporation 501C3. Today, the Snelling Center is requesting $130,000 to restart our early childhood leadership institute for fiscal year 2024. Over the past 30 years, we've trained for monitors to enhance their leadership skills, help them take on our toughest challenges and find innovative solutions for the hard questions in their communities. In fact, 13 graduates sitting your ranks over 1100 of our alumni have experienced a substantial personal journey that has increased their leadership skills, and we've created a strong network of peers around the state. Early childhood leadership institute was created in 2014 and funded by the Race to the Top for four years and due to its success for these received additional federal money and continued in 2019. The program has been highly successful and highly rated by the early childhood community. This session legislature has put forth a bold vision for early childhood education in Vermont, and the governor has supported unprecedented additional funding for its expansion. We believe for all of these efforts to be successful, we must continue to grow a group of professionals trained to be better leaders. This is what we do. The Child Care Blue Ribbon Commission recommended that Vermont quote, permanently establish a leadership institute or program for strong ongoing committed leaders in the early childhood system. We are that leadership institute. There is no one else doing this kind of work. As we invest in early childhood, Vermont needs trained leaders to administer these key programs efficiently and effectively while working with and in their communities. The institute provides a network of these leaders who have all had similar training and are excited about their future in this field. We are requesting $130,000 in fiscal year 24. This would allow 25 more graduates join 126 previous graduates of the program. Thank you. Thank you. Did you submit this in writing to I will. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you all. Good afternoon. My name is Maria King from St. Albans. I am the long term care administrator for Cathedral Square and affordable housing organization that operates to assisted living communities. It is critical for older and disabled Vermonters to have access to skilled and reliable long term care services. Our friends, neighbors and family members who are unable to complete basic activities of daily living such as dressing, bathing, meal prep and medication management depend on the support from Vermont skilled nursing, residential care and assisted living communities like Cathedral Square. Our two assisted living communities are currently providing homes in care services for 39 residents with a capacity for 45. The governor's proposed 2024 budget does not adequately speak to the current long term care crisis we are facing. It does not provide my organization with what we need to continue to serve our residents with the quality quality they deserve or allow us to grow and serve more Vermonters. With a recent rate study released by the Department of Vermont Health Access, we can see the significant need for funding increases in Vermont's long term care communities. This study determined that in order for assisted living in residential care communities to continue to adequately and safely provide care to Vermonters, we need to see rate increases for ACCS Medicaid of 79% and ERC Medicaid of 36%. These are the two funding streams that my organization relies on to pay for the care we provide because over 90% of our residents rely on Medicaid to pay for their care. Sadly, at this time, our state is unable to promise care and services to our older and disabled Vermonters due to prolonged underfunding and workforce shortages. We respectfully request your committees to consider a pronouns increase to long term care Medicaid reimbursement rates. We also ask that you establish an annual Medicaid rate increases, ensuring stability and sustainability. Lastly, please establish an ongoing review of Medicaid rates. Without this, our providers like Cathedral Square will have to continue to reduce capacity at a time when older Vermonters need our housing. Thank you. Thank you. Submit the rest of it. Yep. Thank you. Tina is up. It's up next. Tina. Tina there for the opportunity to testify. I'm Tina Zuck and I'm the government relations director of the American Heart Association in Vermont and we'd appreciate your support for three priorities. At least the $48 million for the CCF AP expansion and the governor's budget as a good first step towards long term transformation of Vermont's early childcare system. Continued state funding for universal school meals. And lastly, an additional $1.7 million in base funding for Vermont's tobacco control program. Though the legislature allocated an additional $1 million last year, it was one time and directed to the Department of Substance Use to address youth vaping, which while positive doesn't address the epidemic of tobacco use in Vermont and isn't enough to change norms. There is great need with smoking rates of 43% for those with less than a high school education, 32% for disabled Vermonters, 28% for uninsured and 25% for low income Vermonters. And there are resources available that should be directed to address what is still the number one most preventable cause of death and disease in our state. The majority of tobacco masters settlement payments are not going towards tobacco prevention. This past year, Vermont received $26 million, but only $2 million of the funds actually go to the tobacco control program. Meanwhile, the annual cost of treating tobacco cause diseases in Vermont has risen from $348 million annually to $404 million, including $93 million in Medicaid costs. The tobacco control program is effective since it began in 2001. Adult smoking has dropped from 22 to 16% and youth has dropped from a whopping 33% to 7. But the adult smoking rate has now increased 2% in the last year to above the national average and more than a quarter. The additional funding would help VDH target priority populations and change norms. We would appreciate your support with this additional funding. Thank you very much. Thank you. Our next witness is Nate Farnham. Just got to switch. Go ahead, sir. Hi, thank you. My name is Nate Farnham. I'm a youth advocate for the state of Vermont. Independent. I've been doing it for eight years. I'm here to speak on behalf of the budget for the Office of the Child Advocate. That is a bill I've been working on with representatives in the state house in the last four years. I know we had just put in a request for additional funding. I am proposing that we go through with that as it will help this position that has been on Vermont's mind for over a decade. Come to fruition and stay in fruition. I believe this position has well been overdue in the state. For youth that are in DCF care as a way to get proper advocacy in the state house for constant change within the state system. As a youth that spent 13 years in the system, I would love to see this occur as I did not have this when I was in care and believe that this is well overdue and well needed. As I had seen plenty of bureaucracy kind of take place against youth in care and youth did not have a strong enough voice and I believe still do not. So I would love to see this get passed so that way we can get this position up and running and really try to start changing the system for the better. We were the last New England state to get this position in our government. And I feel as though it is desperately needed and desperately wanted by many Vermonters, not only within the state house but across the state in various aspects. I feel as though it is desperately needed. It would be greatly appreciated if it gets approved. It's for the great, you know, the greater good of kids that unfortunately have to, you know, be put into. And so I would really appreciate it if this committee can approve this budget and get it passed. Thank you so much. Thank you. Our next witness is Michael role. I assume. And I would note that the members of the Senate Appropriations Committee are on the screen there in the separate room. We can hear you. Oh, I'm sorry, I was stuck on mute I apologize madam chair. My name is Michael Rolo. I'm the government relations director for the American Cancer Society cancer action network. And on behalf of ACS can I want to thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony and support of increasing in the funding for the Department of Health's tobacco control program by 1.7 million annually. The past as increase would bring funding levels for VDH's tobacco prevention and treatment program up to three quarters of the CDC recommended level of 8.4 million for the state. With this funding VDH could would could continue and expand their proactive counter advertising campaigns. As you may recall, during last year's budget deliberations, 1 million and additional one time funding was appropriated for community based grants to combat youth E cigarette use. This funding was allocated not under the Department of Health but instead was placed under the division of substance use. Although well intentioned the demand for this funding outpaced the resource and did nothing to address the deficiencies and underfunding of counter advertising efforts by the Department of Health and tobacco control program. And due to the sharp increases in tobacco use in recent years, largely due to the skyrocketing rates of E cigarette use, the decorate decades, pardon me, a progress that have been made and reducing tobacco use rates in youth is now in jeopardy. And as was mentioned earlier in Vermont 28.2% of high school students use tobacco products with higher rates among dual users. Is there any surprise that youth rates are so high when the tobacco industry spends approximately 15.4 million dollars annually in the state to market their deadly and addictive products. When you consider that staggering amount 30 seconds that the industry spends and what the department can spend. No, no doubt that why us advocates are coming before you and asking for more for funding and this year alone in the states that estimated that 4,370 Vermonters will be diagnosed with cancer. An estimated 1000 deaths are caused by smoking each year in the state and 29% of all cancer deaths in the states are caused by tobacco use. So smoking is an estimated to cause the state approximately 404 million dollars out of time sir, if you could submit it ma'am and I'm sorry to take up too much of your time and thank you very much. Okay, we're sorry we don't have more. That's okay. Thank you. We have next on Drake Turner, who's in person. Next witness is Francis Churchill who will be on zoom so maybe we can let them in and on deck on so that they, we don't have such a delay. Thank you. Good afternoon. Thank you all. My name is Drake Turner and I'm the government relations director at Let's Grow Kids. Thank you for your attention to childcare issues as your committees consider recommendations for the FY 24 budget. The work that the legislature has done over the years to support Vermont's early childhood education system has made childcare more affordable for families, supported early childhood educators to enter and remain in the field. And given childcare programs a critical lifeline to help them keep their doors open during an incredibly stressful and uncertain time. These investments have made a difference and yet Vermont's childcare system remains in crisis. More work and investment are needed to realize the goals of Act 45 of 2021. An early childhood education system in which all families can access childcare. No family spends more than 10% of their income on that care and early childhood educators are well compensated and supported to do their critical work. The Senate and House have recently introduced childcare legislation S 56 and H 208 and S 56 is currently under consideration in the Senate. As committees continue their work on those bills. Let's grow kids request that you support the governor's full proposal for additional investment in the childcare financial assistance program, including funding to extend eligibility to more Vermont families, equity payments to promote geographic equity and CCF AP and funding to allow community childcare support agencies to support increased family eligibility reviews and referrals. We know as S 56 proceeds more funding will be needed, but the governor's recommended investments are an essential foundation from which to build the childcare system for matters need and we urge you to include them excuse me and that fight 24 budget. Thank you again for your time. Thank you. Francis Churchill, and then. Both are on soon. Francis Churchill, please. Hello, my name is Francis Churchill and I live in Richmond Vermont. I'm here to ask that you prioritize increased funding for expanding the care and housing options for old. Excuse me older Vermonters in the 2024 state budget. I'm 85 years old and as of last October is living at cathedral squares assisted living in Burlington. It took my family five years to secure a spot for her there. And as I understand it, we are the lucky ones. When mom turned 80 she was living in an independent senior apartment in Heinsberg between my brothers and our families living in the area. At the time of her church, the sash program at her housing facility and the VNA adult day program. She was able to live there independently, but just barely. At that time moms doctor told us that if she had one wrong fault illness or cognitive decline that she would likely end up in a nursing home facility. So we need to develop a plan B living arrangement for her. We took that advice and reached out to assisted living facilities in the area and got on waiting laces, waiting lists at only two places. Some facilities never returned our calls as their waiting lists were already overwhelmed. We heard from cathedral square assisted living this past summer about an opening in the fall. We took that opening and were approved with with a move in date in late October. Early October however mom had a medical event and a brief hospitalization and could not return to independent living. She absolutely needed assisted living right then, and somehow that was the first time in five years it was available. We were the lucky ones. She has the care she needs now. My mom has lived in Vermont her entire life she grew up in Bristol raised her six. She worked in the Richmond school cafeteria draw school buses worked at the local bank and the community action in Burlington. Please fund more housing and care options like sash and assisted living so Vermonters have the housing and care they need as they age here. It shouldn't just be for the lucky ones. Thank you. This is Penny Carol I see is waiting and then our next witnesses back in polite with else and was association. Hi. Hi. I'm very interested in speaking today. I was so excited. First I love to talk. And second, when the subject is something about something. I'm so passionate about as living at cathedral square senior living apartments. It's definitely one. I'm Penny Carol and I'm 71 years old. 10 years ago I became ill and could no longer work or live alone in my home in North hero. Doctors suggested I live closer to the hospital. But where limited money and no longer driving just added to my stress. I was very fortunate. However, to have daughters that really helped me. I lived with one of them for a few years, but they really wanted a place of my own. I visited cathedral square, and they helped me so much. Howard Square in South Burlington was in the process of being built. So I was able to get my name on the waitlist to rent there. Many people wait years before an apartment is available. I've had more than 1300 people on the waitlist with because it's a square. I'll never forget the phone call when I was told I had an apartment at Howard Square. I now have a new life, new friends and lots of activities available through sash support services at home. I feel like I live in a village. My neighbors are my friends, and we watch out for each other. We gather together for social time too. I hope the future generation can be as fortunate as me and have a place like this to call home. This is why I believe additional funds, full funding for Vermont housing conservation board is so important. There will always be a need for home. Thank you for your time and service to our state. Thank you. Megan, are you. And then, and Angelique, it's here. If you want to come up. We'll start with Megan. Hi, my name is Meg Pauly, and I'm the policy director of the Vermont chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. I'm here on behalf of 13,000 Vermonters over the age of 65 living with Alzheimer's and more than 26,000 unpaid dementia family caregivers to request that you include a state dementia coordinator position in the FY 24 budget. Vermont is the third oldest state by median age and as Vermonters grow older the number facing dementia is projected to grow by more than 30%. The cost of healthcare is a fatal disease that progresses over several years to several decades. The majority of those with dementia are supported by unpaid family caregivers in 2021 in Vermont they provided 37 million hours of care for their loved one. The cost of healthcare and long term care for individuals living with dementia are substantial. In 2022, it costs the nation $321 billion. The lifetime cost of caring for someone with dementia 70% is borne by families, either through out of pocket health and long term care expenses or from the value of unpaid care. For the last three years, Vermont has received a CDC, building our largest dementia or bold infrastructure grant with this grant and under the leadership of both the Department of Health and the Department of Disabilities aging and independent living representatives of more than 25 agencies organizations that's in provider groups created the first state plan on Alzheimer's and healthy aging since 2008. We have a lot of work to do to create a comprehensive system for dementia care, one that supports physicians and making a diagnosis collaborates with home and community based service providers and meeting the needs of those aging in place, identifies effective ways to address the severe workforce shortage and supports unpaid family caregivers as they navigate the lengthy dementia experience. We're attached to my written testimony additional information on what we've achieved with our current bold grant and how a state dementia coordinator will support us in meeting the needs of Vermonters with all types of dementia. Ask you to allocate $150,000 for a dementia coordinator in the fiscal year 24 budget. Thank you very much. Welcome. So, Angelica is next and then Claire Kendall. They want to bring her up with the next on zoom. Thank you. My name is Angelica Contis. I'm from Jericho and I'm the director of I'm the director of Mount Mansfield Community Television in Richmond and president of the Vermont Access Network, which is made of 24 community media centers. I'm here to ask for your support for the Vermont Access Network's request for a one time appropriation of one million in fiscal year 24, which would be the third year of bridge funding at a time of declining cable revenue. We're usually behind the scenes, but if you stop and look community media is everywhere in Vermont. From the Harris Hills ski jump in Brattleboro this past weekend to candidates forums currently happening around the state and the coverage of events in this building. Thanks to Orca media planning for the return to in person town meeting has made us reflect on how we've grown closer to our communities providing access to new tools and platforms during the pandemic. At MMC TV we set up hybrid meeting rooms for three towns, hauled gear to our high school and coach students on streaming concerts and graduations. Our cell phone number is was and is on town administrator speed dial for tech help. But just as we're back into a new groove, industry trends are threatening to pull the rug out from under us. Online viewing has replaced cable viewing and it's no secret that the cable revenue van centers have relied on for decades will fast become a thing of the past. Please support the Vermont Access Network, the 24 community media peg TV centers with a one time appropriation of one million in fiscal year 24 as a third year of bridge funding to secure a funding stream to replace declining cable revenues. Thank you. Thank you. Claire Kendall on zoom. She's there, followed by Lisa buyer through will be zoom as well. Hi good afternoon. My name is Claire Kendall co director of the family center of Washington County. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. I'm asking for your support for the parent child center network FY 24 budget request for an increase of base funding for PCC is by $5.2 million. The impact of workforce competition has significant. The legislators supported an increase in base funding for FY 23, which has been spread across the 15 PCC is to deliver services to families with young children across Vermont. This increases definitely made a positive difference for our families and our staff. However, the decades of level underfunding prior to that year have caused significant challenges for paying our staff competitive wages. Increased funding by $5.2 million would get us to our goal of $10 million statewide. This would allow parent child centers to increase wages and benefits to be competitive in the workforce marketplace so families with young children can receive consistent high quality services and supports from people they and trust. This base funding increase request has been long standing to bring PCC staff closer to parody with similar positions in the education and state sectors, because of decades of underfunding we are not able to compete in this tight workforce market, resulting in vacant positions for long periods of time or they turn over frequently, because these services require strong relationships with families over time consistent and qualified staff are crucial parent child centers provide parents with the knowledge skills and resources they need to provide for their children. We work to strengthen families and communities across Vermont. During the pandemic PCC is made our mission to continue providing critical critical supports to parents and children. Healthy children and stable families result in strong and resilient communities across Vermont. Prevention work saves money. 20 seconds and attention today. Thank you very much. Next we have Lisa buyer and followed by Pamela Smith, both through zoom. Lisa. She. Hi. Hi, my name is Lisa buyer. I am the executive director of cat amount access television in Bennington. We serve as the public education and governmental peg access station for the five towns of Bennington north Bennington Woodford panel and Shaftsbury. Pat TV is a member of the Vermont access network, otherwise known as van, which represents all the 24 peg access centers in Vermont. I'm asking for support of the Vermont access networks request for one time appropriation of $1 million for fiscal year 2024 as the third year of bridge funding to secure a funding stream to replace the declining cable revenues. Vans peg access centers are woven into the fabric of community life and deliver essential services that add to local resilience. We promote access to multimedia services that foster free speech, public dialogue. And we provide coverage of hyper local content that encourages citizens to engage in local government, education, arts and other areas of interest. We also offer equipment and training to citizens to enable them to tell their own stories. Vermont access network is working to ensure that Vermont continues to have access to the essential services that we provide. As long term funding solution can be identified this bridge funding is critical to maintaining the health of community media in Vermont as expenses continue to rise and cable revenues continue to decline. I would like to support Vans request for a one time appropriation of $1 million for fiscal year 2024 as the third year of bridge funding and thank you for your time. Hi, my name is Pamela Smith and I live in East Middlebury. I was diagnosed with younger onset Alzheimer's at the age of 53 13,000 Vermonters are counted as having Alzheimer's but that number doesn't include me because I am under the age of 65. Unfortunately, the estimate is that 6 to 8% of people with Alzheimer's have younger onset, but there is no easy mechanism to count us so nobody does. I have discovered that here in Vermont, Vermont uncounted means unserved by some essential services. And frankly, I need all the same help that an older person with dementia needs. I also discovered the Vermont lacks the coordinated system of care for people with dementia. Families have to locate the limited help available and for many, then figure out how to pay for it. I am faced with four primary barriers. I'm under the age of 60 or 65 thus disqualifying me for some assistance programs. My family members have to work full time so I don't have them to serve as caregiver or case manager. And lastly, when I try to pay for the help I need agencies don't have the staff to provide that care. I'm doing all that I can to help by sharing my professional experience as a social worker in the before times, and my lived experience with Alzheimer's. I'm an advocate for the Alzheimer's Association. I'm the governor's commission on aging, the older Vermonters caucus and the home and community based services work group. This work can possibly impact those of us with Alzheimer's if there is an effective coordination of dementia support system. We need a state dementia coordinator to pull together the variety of services into a system to assess effectiveness and to count people like me, please fully fund that statewide dementia coordinator position for the requested $150,000. And thank you. We have at the end of the table and then Karen Parker. I'm on. Thank you. My name is Lindsay LeFever and I'm a student at UVM studying public health science. In the past year and a half I've been a volunteer at the Alzheimer's Association, delivering education programs around the state. This experience has taught me that the need for the state dementia coordinator is huge. Alzheimer's or dementia is so common in my family that we talk about when we're going to get the disease, not if and it's currently affecting three of my family members. Before volunteering for the Alzheimer's Association, I thought that I was one of the only young people affected by the disease, but I was wrong. I was leading an education program at Castleton University for about 100 students, and I asked them to raise their hand if they had a connection to the disease, and about half of the room raised their hand. This is a huge issue and it's just getting larger. As of 2020 there were 13,000 volunteers with Alzheimer's and this number is expected to grow to 17,000 by 2025. This is a 30.8% increase and as Pamela just discussed does not include her. This disease affects so many people and there's nowhere near enough support for families. I hear the struggle to find support, lack of direct care staff, the huge need for respite, worry about keeping a loved one safe, guilt about not being able to do anything, fear of financial ruin and a lot of sadness and grief. We're facing a crisis nationally and right here in Vermont. In a conference I heard the dementia diagnosis process referred to as diagnose and audios. This is when a practitioner diagnosis someone and then just sends them on their way without any resources. Vermont families deserve better than that. A dementia coordinator will play a central role in creating a coordinated system of care. One that supports physicians as they make a diagnosis. One that focuses on the direct care workforce and how we can grow it and one that provides support to families as they navigate this very long and challenging disease. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Karen Harker is on Zoom. Hi everyone. My name is Karen Harker and I'm the regional director of Vermont adult learning in Windsor County. I'm here on behalf of the upwards of 40,000 Vermonters without a high school education and the thousands more that access adult basic education centers such as Vermont adult learning for workforce readiness and development. I come to the appropriation committee with a request today to increase base funding for adult education and literacy literacy service providers by $1.5 million. Adult education and literacy providers offer a broad range of services that are targeted and tailored and relevant to each student's goals and needs. By increasing literacy and reading, writing and or math will open up opportunities for students including better jobs furthering their education or developing new job skills, having a better family life and being able to do basic tasks for themselves. But the funding that we have to provide these services is not enough. In particular, the increased impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on public schools means that more and more 16 to 20 year old students without high school diplomas are coming to our centers seeking high school diplomas and GEDs. And yet with our current funding levels we barely have enough resources to help these students. Students come to us with acute needs related to mental health, housing, transportation and childcare, and in addition to receiving adult basic education they're also connected with vital community resources through our centers. With this in consideration we ask that you please support the AELN's request to increase base funding for AELS service providers by $1.5 million. Thank you. John also and then Barbara Evelyn through Zoom. Hey, thank you. My name is John Bouton. I live in Hartford with my wife, Judy Simon Bouton, who has Alzheimer's. I'm here to share the need for a state dementia coordinator. We're both 72. We each worked in service to our communities. Judy is an elementary school educator where she taught, brought arts programming into schools and helped students learn how to read. I was a county forester, a public forestry advisor and educator. Now that we've retired with pensions, social security and savings, we could be volunteering in our communities of interest and enriching our grandchild's life experiences. Instead, this disease keeps us close to our familiar and comfy home. I no longer leave the house without Judy unless she's with a friend. We are the lucky ones. Our health insurance pays for annual checkups which led to referral to the neurology department at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, just a 20 minute drive from home, which led to a diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer's dementia excuse me probably Alzheimer's. The Dartmouth Aging Resource Center has a no cost dementia support program that is a big help to me as a caregiver and to Judy, who more and more needs me to look after her. Dementia is awful. I don't think we would have survived this past year without the resources we have found and the knowledge that there are wonderful people available to listen and offer more help as we need it. I know I'm not alone in facing these challenges. There are more than 26,000 unpaid dementia family caregivers in Vermont. I'm sure that many are far worse off than we are. I worry that folks who live further from medical facilities and family support have a much more difficult time navigating their present and future lives. I also suspect that a good statewide coordinator of dementia treatment and family support could really make a difference in making excellent services available throughout the state for those families living with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. Please make the needed investment in state dementia coordinator so Vermont can build an equitable, efficient and sustainable system of care. Thank you. Thank you. Barbara Edelman followed by Jonathan Cooper who is also on Zoom. Hello. Hello. Thanks for this opportunity to advocate for a state dementia coordinator. My name is Barbara Edelman. I live in St. Johnsbury with my partner Darryl Rudy who has Alzheimer's. Darryl still is in the early stage of the disease so the demands on me currently are relatively light but it will gradually get much more difficult. I attend two caregiver support groups now to help me prepare for what's inevitably down the road. One of the challenging parts of this disease is that no one can tell me how long that road is or exactly what it will look like. This disease manifests in many different ways over varying lengths of time. All I know for sure is that at some point the road will get very rough and stay rough for the rest of the journey, which could last many years. It makes it hard to plan for our future financially and emotionally. In order to care for Darryl and keep myself safe and healthy, I will need some help. This might mean respite care to fill in for me or a safe place for Darryl to spend the day engaged in healthy socialization. It might mean I need some home nursing support and eventually we will need hospice support. I'm not sure how I will coordinate and pay for all of this while also caregiving. Alzheimer's is a tough disease and the wide variance in how it manifests makes creating a system of care challenging. And it is why we need a person who is focused on the latest treatments, research, state and federal program requirements and funding opportunities to help us close gaps in all sectors. This is particularly critical in Vermont where currently we have the third highest median age of any state in the nation. Thank you for your support of a state dementia coordinator. Thank you. Jonathan Cooper followed by Christopher Richmond and who's here in person. Good afternoon everybody. Thank you for your time. My name is Jonathan Cooper. I am resident of Powell. I am the board chair of the Sunrise Family Resource Center of the parent child center network. I am delighted to be with you today to support the request for an increase in base funding for the PCC integrated grant of 5.2 million for a total of $10 million for the integrated grant. As I'm sure you've heard today and as you know from your work in the legislature, parent child centers are the answer to so many questions and so many problems. One area I'd like to discuss today is about continuing to make progress on family safety and stability through an innovative program that Sunrise implemented called Families on the Move. Families on the Move utilized grant funding and fundraising undertaken by Sunrise staff themselves to procure vehicles to transfer and ownership to some of the consumers of Sunrise's wraparound care services. In my day job, I am the community and economic development program manager of the Bennington County Regional Commission and at the BCRC were focused on removing barriers for meaningful participation in our region's economy. Families on the Move provided at-risk families with game-changing wins in the context of those wraparound support services. Three wins. First, the independence of increased mobility. Second, ownership of a valuable asset. And third, an expanded range of employment options in an area with substantial workforce needs out in Bennington County. I wish you could have been there to see the applications that the various consumers of Sunrise's services had put forward and the close work that the staff undertook to ensure that they had appropriate budgeting and expectations for the difficulties that car ownership occasionally provides, as well as assurances that they would in fact be able to make this positive transformation in their own lives. I'd like to close my commentary by saying once again that we urge you to support increase in base funding for the PCC integrated grant of $5.2 million for a total of $10 million for the integrated grant. Thank you very much. Followed by Peggy Irons. We'll be through soon. My name is Christopher Viusma. I'm a co-director at Orca Media here in Montpelier, the Community Media Center and Peg TV organization. I'm also a current board member of the Vermont Access Network, the organization that represents the 24 community media centers and Peg TV organizations throughout Vermont. I'm here to ask that you please support the Vermont Access Network and our state's 24 community media centers with a one-time appropriation of $1 million in fiscal year 2024. This will be a third year of bridge funding to help replace declining cable revenues. Community media centers are important because they provide free video production resources and services. They educate community members in modern media skills and consistently cover local government and public media meetings excuse me. Orca Media is here now covering this meeting as well. I personally witnessed the enthusiasm and creativity among youth participating in our summer education programs such as the Vermont Youth Documentary Lab at Orca Media and our year round support media education at local schools. These opportunities are made possible only because of the community space resources and skill staff at Orca Media. In Montpelier, Orca Media fills a need by providing access to local government for community members who can't attend meetings at specific times. We make these meetings available online and on local television so people can follow the issues they care about on their own time. The Vermont Access Network helps Vermonters tell stories, urge action and connect with our communities. With this bridge funding, we can maintain our contribution to civic and community engagement throughout Vermont. Thank you so much. Welcome. We have Peggy Irons on Zoom and followed by Heather Wilson. We have Peggy. I'm here. My name is Peggy Irons and I live in Berlin. I'm here to share the importance of adult day centers and ask you to ensure they receive sufficient and reliable funding so they are available when Vermonters need them. My husband and I have been married for 45 years and have been active members of the Central Vermont community. We ran a greenhouse business in the early years before transitioning to real estate. In particular, I served on the boards of several community agencies as well as serving on the select board for seven years in town. We have three grown sons. About 10 years ago, I noticed something was not right with Paul's memory. As things progressed, I thought my safety net would be the very adult day program. I knew Paul would be safe and receive the social engagement he desired. Unfortunately, when it came time, I learned they had closed. I found myself in a crisis situation, exhausted and scared, trying to figure out a plan. There was nothing available in our community. I visited the village in White River Junction, which is almost an hour away. They happened to have a room open and I made the decision to move Paul there back in November. Although he's doing well there, this is a huge financial burden for us and I don't know if I'll be able to rely on this situation for the rest of Paul's life. Paul keeps asking me when he can come home to the house and family hearing members. I wish he was here with me in the evenings. Our neighbors and so many in the community asked me about Paul and driving to White River Junction for a visit is more than they can manage. He's lost his lifelong social connections. There are over 26,000 unpaid dementia family caregivers in Vermont. I know firsthand the unbelievable stress they're under. Adult data centers are a critical part of the health care infrastructure needed for older people with dementia and complex. Please support the request of the Vermont Association of Adult Day Services. Thank you. Thank you. Other is next followed by Betsy. Good evening. My name is Heather Wilson. I live in work in St. Albans and I'm here to speak on behalf of the parent child center network, which I've worked for since 2008. Our network is seeking an increase to the parent child center integrated grant of $5.2 million for a total of 10 million. Many legislators are well aware of parent child centers and we thank you for your growing support of our network. These were established by Vermont statute in the 1980s. We've grown to 15 centers and we provide valuable services that are available to all families with young children. Our centers experience decades of underfunding, which means that we have a long way to go before we are able to pay our staff the wages they deserve and provide the benefits they need. In the center in St. Albans, I'm constantly reminded of the reasons why we need help from you. My team has been understaffed for more than a year with vacancies I can't seem to fill. I only have two home visitors able to provide mental health services to families and two counties. We struggle to offer the compensation that takes into account the educational requirements and the demands of our work. We have a long waiting list families voice their frustration wondering will we get to help them in six months or nine months or longer. When there's a childcare emergency we can't always respond in the way we want to and children could be expelled, which causes ripple effects on the whole family. Families not on our waiting list have been impacted by staff turnover. The foundation of our work is relationships and progress is jeopardized when families must start over with someone new every time an employee leaves. 20 seconds to support families Vermont should continue its investment in the parent child center network. The increase of of an additional $5.2 million to the PCC integrated grant will support our ability to recruit and retain our workforce. That's stable for families and provides high quality service for the state. Thank you. Welcome. So Betsy is here and then Helen work bill. I'm sure I put you that name as well. Good afternoon. My name is Betsy Rosenbluth from Burlington and I'm the project director of Vermont feed at Shelburne farms. And we're asking you to please support the farm to school and early childhood grant program with a level funded base appropriation of $500,000 for fiscal year 24 and also please fund the local food purchasing incentive program for schools at $500,000 in base funding. Vermont schools purchased over $20 million in food last year and we want more of those dollars to go to Vermont farmers and stay in the Vermont economy. Right now over 100 Vermont farms provide food to our students across the state through early childhood and school nutrition programs. Every Vermonner should have access to the fresh nourishing food that we produce in this state. And regardless of zip code or income so while we address food insecurity. We are also helping our Vermont farmers and the agricultural economy. That's the win win a farm to school. The grants help schools create the capacity needed to bring farm fresh food into our schools and offer it to our students on a daily basis. And it helps students understand what that food does for their bodies and their communities, building healthy lifelong habits. We have heard from the staff of Sodexo up at UVM that Vermont students that grow up with farm to school are asking for local and fresh food up at UVM, and that's the kind of long term change that we are working towards. So again, please support the farm to school and early childhood grant program with a level funded base appropriation of 500,000 for fiscal year 24. And please fund the local food purchasing incentive program for schools at 500,000 in base funding. Thank you. Hi there. Thanks for having me. My name is Helen Roart bet and I live in Burlington Vermont. I am the farm to school and food access programs director at NOFA Vermont and I co lead the Vermont feet project. Please support the farm to school and early childhood grant program with a level funded base appropriation of $500,000 for fiscal year 2024. Also please fund the local food purchasing incentive program for schools at $500,000 in base funding act 67 which established the local foods incentive grant program states that is the goal of the state that at least 20% of the food schools purchase will be locally produced. And while we're not there quite yet we've made significant strides forward in relatively short order already in the second year of the program 31 of Vermont's 51 school food authorities have participated in at least the baseline year program. School nutrition professionals have been telling us for years that they want to buy more local foods, but with little more than a dollar to spend from their USDA reimbursements, they lack sufficient funds to do so on a meaningful scale. The local foods incentive provides school nutrition programs with much needed financial resources and encourages them to put Vermont farmers first when making food purchasing decisions. The local foods incentive clearly illustrates the power of a state incentive to catalyze a shift in institutional purchasing practices. The farm to school and early childhood grant program is a critical connector, bringing farmers and educators together so that children and youth can experience local food, have nutritious meals and learn about where their food comes from. It helps schools succeed in accessing the local foods purchasing incentive and as a school and as schools continue to increase their local food purchasing we will see the further strengthening of our local food supply chain, which will facilitate greater market opportunities for our farmers and producers. So again, we support the farm to school and early childhood grant program with a level funded base appropriation of 500,000 for fiscal year 2024 and also please fund the local food purchasing incentive program for schools at 500,000 in base funding. Thank you. Betsy is now online and then followed by Dean Larry. Please proceed that. Go ahead. She frozen. So frozen. No. I'm working on that. Larry we could switch. Here we go. Well, we have Dean Larry so. Why don't we come back from Dean and then maybe we can come back. So, if you want to start with your testimony, two minutes please. Dean Larry shell out Vermont thank you for the opportunity to offer some thoughts on the recommended appropriation for the food bank originally thought I should tell you how efficiently and effectively the Vermont food bank post together the best Vermont has to offer and its food products and products to help address the needs of many families across the state, all the while helping Vermont farms and food processors. How Vermont would get a big bang for its buck when it invests in the many operations of the Vermont food bank, but maybe I really need to share with you what I see as a volunteer at food bank veggie Van Gogh direct food distribution sites. Maybe I need to tell you about the time I said a bag of champagne orchards apples down next to a little girl in her car seat and how she was bouncing up and down. I'm hearing mommy mommy we got apples for many Vermont families, a simple bag of apples is probably taken for granted. For some it is apparently a rare treat, and you just enjoy. Maybe I should tell you about the two retired veterans who regularly come together to one food bank site and how one of them was in tears when the rumor mill falsely told them. The site was closing down and they did not know how they and their comrades would manage without the program. Maybe I should tell you about the many unofficial volunteers who take time out of their day not to pick up food for themselves but to get it to their neighbors who are trying to hold down a job or facing other challenges getting to our sites. Maybe I should tell you about the line of cars, each on average representing three or more families stretching around the huge mall parking lot and down the entrance road to root seven screaming so crushing evidence of an immense amount of fear and what. In our little state that has been so lauded for its quality of life. We hope that the veggie Van Gogh sites would be a temporary stopgap during the pandemic, but instead nearly three years on we have had to expand the operation to meet increased needs. We are willing to keep at this, we just need your help with some funding. I think the model demonstrates that in Vermont, we all step up and do our part to make this a better state. Please do your part by helping fund the menu food bank operations with a base appropriation of $3 million in the fiscal year 24 state budget for the food bank. Thank you. Thank you. Now we have that's a back. You want to proceed with your testimony and after Betsy Amanda. Can you hear me all right now. Okay, good afternoon. My name is Betsy Bianchi and I live in killing tin. Many thanks for the opportunity today to advocate for a state dementia coordinator to be added to the fiscal year 2024 budget. My mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's eight years ago and has been living in Rutland in an independent living facility for the past six years. During her first four years in Rutland she thrived but as the diagnosed disease has progressed she's needed more and more assistance. Since she's still really social none of the memory care physician facilities within an hour and a half of my home are appropriate at this stage in her disease because very few of any of their current residents are verbal anymore. Unfortunately, none of the local assisted living facilities will take her either because I'm able to guarantee that she would remember to push her call button. Therefore to meet her needs she now either has a dedicated one on one caregiver from at home senior care, or myself with her whenever she is away and caregivers periodically checking in all night long. Because of the shortage of caregivers I was forced to give up my engineering career much sooner than plan so I'm able to cover as an unpaid caregiver the many open shifts that arise each week. Although there are some excellent resources available in Vermont finding them is extremely challenging, both unpaid caregiving and searching for resources is exhausting, overwhelming do deabilitating and robs our family of the precious time to just be with my mom as a family who we are a state dementia coordinator could serve as a point person to help create clear systems for physicians in their diagnosis and care and for families as they navigate the environment. Funding a state dementia coordinator not only will help for monitors better utilize our current resources, but it's a beautiful way to unite our state behind addressing a devastating disease that impacts every sector of our state. Thank you. Amanda is online and then followed by Rob hold it also out remote. Want to proceed. Yep, good afternoon. I'm Amanda Hersberger a volunteer leader with the Junior League of Champlain Valley diaper bank. We are women's volunteer organization that distributes diapers to community service agencies statewide. I'm here to ask for $380,000 in base funding for a staffed state sponsored diaper bank to make permanent the efforts of a 100% volunteer organization. Diaper need impacts one in three families in the United States and is the lack of a sufficient supply of diapers to keep an infant or child clean, dry and healthy. In Vermont this account amounts to approximately 23% of Vermonters in need of assistance. Our diaper bank began in 2018 to respond to a longstanding need in our community with the goal of distributing 100,000 diapers a year to five partners in Chittenden and Franklin counties. With the onset of the pandemic demand for diapers increased by 779% and in 2022 we distributed a total of over 879,000 diapers throughout Vermont to 1900 families per month through 57 community partners. Since our founding we've distributed over 2.5 million diapers. After five years the diaper bank has grown beyond the league's capacity to manage it. Last legislative session the Senate Health and Welfare Committee tasked us and other stakeholders to convene a working group to study diaper need in Vermont and identify a sustainable solution. The process concluded with a final report recommending state funding for a diaper bank as the most feasible and cost effective way to address diaper need for Vermonters. The Vermont Parent Child Center Network is willing to sponsor this project allowing a state sponsored diaper bank to operate more or less as it is operating now with the needed professional staff. This would give continuity to the agencies that have been providing such an important service for their families. It is our privilege to leverage our 100% volunteer organization to provide diapers to those in need but this model is not sustainable unless action is taken the statewide program will end this summer. We hope that you will include a base fund appropriation in the FY24 budget to continue this critical resource that addresses a long standing need for many Vermont families. Thank you. Welcome. So we have Rob Holden this next and he's remote and followed by Andrew Shapiro who is here. So you want to start Rob. Hello citizens and committee members. I'm Rob Holden, AMT and Chief of Cambridge Rescue Squad. I have been in EMS for over 40 years and yes, EMS is an essential service. Nobody calls us when they are having a great day. It's usually, oh my God, call 911. The citizen in crisis wants a world to come to their aid fast with the best talent, state of the art equipment with compassion and assess their condition provide treatment transport and delivery to a higher level care facility quickly and safely. This is an elderly citizen falls and just needs help back to bed. And there are also patients who refuse treatment or transport. We can't make the patient go. We do get, we don't get paid unless we transport to a hospital. Regarding reimbursing for no transports. Are you going to charge a tax to raise those funds over a third of our calls or Medicaid patients when we transport a Medicaid patient the rates are fixed. We have to sign an agreement with the state to take whatever Medicaid pays a 60% deduction from private insurance. We can ask the patient for more money. We signed that right away. We were supposed to get more money when we started paying the DVHA Department of Health access which manages Medicaid and Medicare taxes as it charges 3.3% of what we earn for money received a huge waste of time and money. The funds and services keep the money and pay 100% of our bills with the yearly COLA increases. Those funds will be better spent trying to retain employees by offering a more expanded benefit package or in trying to attract new employees. Finally, yes, tax credits are great and a great employment incentive. We need cadet programs and technical schools scouting Explorer programs that develop interest early on. Your assistance currently is wonderful but needs to be expanded due to our low call volume under 500 calls a year is hard to keep providers. They want action and the larger services provide that the only way to make money EMS is put in hours, hours and hours. In closing, I would insist on graduation credits from high school, including CPR and personal use typing. Thank you all for listening. Thank you. Andrew Shapiro, please, followed by Mindy Glank will be remote. Thank you. I'm Andrew Shapiro. I work with the Vermont Energy Education Program. We've been delivering energy and climate education in Vermont and K through 12 for over 30 years now. We have programs in solar energy and climate change in renewable energy and energy conservation in your homes in how electricity is made. We start kindergarten with the magic of magnets and we then work our way up all the way. We go all the way through K through 12 in middle school students look at generators and how they're actually a system of coil and magnets. And when you spin it, you get electricity and we look at all the different ways you can make the spin with non-removable and renewable energy. And of course we look at the one source of electricity we have that has no moving parts. The climate action plan calls and I'll quote from that that education is a vital part of solving the climate crisis. It strengthens the success of every other pathway toward resilient climate adaptation. This report specifically calls out for providing funding for climate related education at all levels. We're asking for some funds to do that for the public. This is the first time we'll have branched out the public education going to libraries and other locations around the state. Here's some of the things we provided that we use for educating. We have old series of posters. This one's on whom you transfer, how you fix your home. This one is more high school level. Where does our electricity come from and how do you think about where it comes from? We don't tell kids what's good or bad. We provide just the science data. It's up to them to think further through that. We're looking for 458,000 to do two things. To do outreach and provide public education throughout the state. And then we're looking, part of that money is also to bring us to back to where we were before COVID. We need a lot of outreach to get back to schools again because it's been so difficult. Thank you. If you want to leave your hand out, that would be welcome. Great. Should I pass around for folks? Nope, not right now. We're going to look at that later with the others. Thank you. Michael Johnson. Would anybody like some posters for their school? I think not right now. Okay. Michael Johnson. Good afternoon. My name is Michael Johnson, Executive Director of Turning Point Recovery Center in Springfield, Vermont. I'm here representing all the recovery organizations and recovery residences. We'd like to ask 1.85 million in increased base funding for the recovery organizations and 1 million base funding for the recovery residents. We're the frontline service providers in the state where people are striving to get into recovery and from alcohol, other substance use. We've come into a safe, so they can come to a safe and supportive and rich environment with the treatment sessions. And when residential treatment is over, it's our peer recovery centers and organizations that continue to support those people in the long road to recovery. You know, you're aware of the era on your unique path to recovery or our recovery organizations offer. And residences offer several services with recovery housing, recovery coaching in various settings, emergencies, rooms, homeless shelters, police departments, working with EMTs overdose outreach programs, recovery organizations and other various community settings. We offer 12-step programs and youth programs and we work with employment supports. We have volunteers, we offer 12-step programs and other recovery meetings. We are trying to meet other various alternative health workshops and meditation reiki and other, and acupuncture, and we work with DOI courts and corrections of the local mental health agency. So the funding for is for our staff. We need to increase wages benefits and existing staff and offer competitive and wages that are growing needed to be asked that we're at 20 seconds. So, again, I'd like to thank you for your time. And we would like to be asking for the 1.85 million base funding for organizations and for recovery residences, 1.1 million base funding. Thank you very much. Thank you. Chad is next. We're going back to Mindy blank. She's on the screen. Great. Thank you so much. Thank you for the opportunity to offer testimony today. My name is Mindy blank, and I'm here to advocate for appropriate appropriations to sustain and expand the work of the land access and opportunity board, which is housed with the Vermont conservation, the Vermont housing and conservation board. I'm a member of seating power, the group of community organizers that crafted and advocated for each 273 the BIPOC led land access and opportunity act, which is the original legislation behind the land access and opportunity board that rolled into the housing omnibus bill last year. And this board had the land access and opportunity board has advisory powers to help state agencies departments and committees integrate equity measures and is mandated to create programs that improve housing and land accessibility for marginalized communities and protective classes. The land access and opportunity board came together in the summer this year and just put out their first their sunrise report last week. So the land access and opportunity board has incredible community support behind it, constituents in every county across the state, nonprofits, businesses, philanthropy, which you'll be able to see shortly in a collective letter that's being circulated through their sunrise report that they put out last week they've worked out the nuts and bolts of the continuation of this board. They need at least 1.2 million annually for baseline operations, and we're advocating for an allocation of 4.8 million dollars this year, so that the board can function for the next four years and do their work with certainty. So we're here with the people to ensure that this board is back to you. It's important work for the next four years and achieve future success by committing now to a total appropriation of 4.8 million dollars. We urge you to include the land access and opportunity board in your budget this year. Thank you so much. Thank you. Now we're moving back to Chad, but mentoring program I'm sure. Good afternoon I'm Chad but executive director of mentor for month. I invite you all to think about mentors that you've had in your lives and the impact they've had on you. When young people, young people have mentors in their lives they have some to turn to for support, and they feel like they matter. The support of mentoring relationships are imperative to healthy youth development. And we must ensure that every child grown up in Vermont has access to the support of mentoring relationships they need to thrive. Yet one in three young people in Vermont will grow up without an adult to turn to for support beyond their beyond their immediate family, without someone to turn to for guidance to share their passions and dreams with and without someone to explore their life. When young people have a supportive mentor in their life, they're more engaged in school and in their community. Youth in Vermont needs support. And the impact of mentoring has been made clear through research and evidence based practices, that the funding from the state has not increased over the last 16 years, and actually was reduced in 2011 to $170,000 worth sits We're requesting the state of Vermont invests increases its investment in youth mentoring and FY 24 to $650,000 to help ensure that more young people in Vermont have access to carrying consistent mentors and have the support of mentoring relationships they need to thrive. Funding at this level will enable mentor Vermont to provide mentoring agencies across the state with much needed funding to increase staff time to better meet the needs of their communities and for the mentor Vermont to support the establishment of mentoring programs and underserved areas of the state. Mentoring is a cost effective prevention tool that has lasting impacts on the youth, adult mentors in the greater community and increase yearly investment from the state would greatly is greatly needed to ensure that young people are growing up in Vermont with the supportive mentoring relationships they need. Thank you. Rachel ceiling. From my legal aid. It's over. Maybe come back to Rachel. Good afternoon. Thank you for having me this afternoon. My name is Rachel ceiling. I am here on behalf of Vermont legal aid. We're asking for an increase in our base appropriation from the governor's recommendation of level funding of $1.31 million. We're asking for an increase in our base appropriation from the governor's recommendation of level funding of $1.31 million. Over the past four years, our poverty, elder and disability law projects have seen almost a 30% reduction in staff, which was, which translates to around 16,000 fewer hours to serve clients. At the same time, the number of cases, the number of managers seeking our help has more than doubled. Prior to the pandemic, our entire client fielded around 13,000 calls per year that has more than doubled. We're now over 26,000 calls. This impact service delivery, except for emergencies like an illegal lockout. It now takes us seven to 10 days to call clients back. This is too long and we need your help to address this volume with $360,000 to add three staff to our team. In order to address the intake backlog. Second, our costs have increased significantly over the past year, more than we received an increase last year. Increased health care costs, staff salary and COLA, and which was less than the actual increased cost of living and other expenses are a reason that we are asking for an extra $500,000 in our base appropriation. And finally, strong headwinds indicate that the need for our services is about to increase even further with pandemic programs ending and consumer debt rising. We anticipate an even greater demand for legal services to fight injustice poverty. For this, we are looking for another $450,000 and some this is $1.31 million, a sound investment, given that our study found a $11 return for every dollar. Thank you. Thank you. To submit it in writing. I did. Thank you. So we're moving on now to Abigail Palaza, who is followed by Bob Donna, so also be remote. Abigail, do you want to start? Hi, my name is Abby Palaza. I'm from Colchester and I'm a senior at UVM majoring in health sciences. I'm here to speak in support of a state dementia coordinator. And I have three specific areas that inform my belief in the value of this position. First, at age 50, my dad was diagnosed with younger onset. At this time, both of my parents are working and I was a full time student. Within the three years following the diagnosis, my family has had to transition from work to retirement, manage financial and legal matters, and adopt full time caregiving roles, all while supporting each other through the emotional journey of this disease. The addition of navigating resources meant to help us go overwhelming. Second, I work as an LNA in memory care. I see firsthand the complexities of dementia, the strain it puts on systems of care, and the challenges it places on families in the workforce. In my experience, person centered care has had more positive outcomes when there is a consistent workforce in an environment that creates relationship building opportunities with patients. I've also found there's a need for training to understand human behavior and communication strategies to support the patient. With these systems in place, I've seen how unnecessary stress on the patient worker and their families can be reduced. Third, I'm conducting a thesis at UVM on informal caregivers and people with dementia. The results from national data reveals there is a high rate of caregiver overload, low use of external support services by caregivers, and low participation rate of people of dementia and organized activities. I believe a state dementia coordinator is vital. If you're going to create a sustainable, affordable, and humane for those with dementia. I asked this position be added to the fiscal year 24 budget. Thank you. We'll next move to Bob Donis, who will be followed by Pedro Cruz, who is also remote. Hello. Thank you for all you do. I am Bob Donis, a Bristol resident. I'm a board member of the Recovery Partners of Vermont, and a board member of the Turning Point Center of Addison County, which is one of 13 nonprofit recovery partners in Vermont. I'm a board member of the Vermont of the Mountain Health Center. I'm asking for your support for an increase of $1.85 million in base funding for recovery organizations and an increase of $1 million base funding for recovery residences. As I'm sure you know substance use disorder slash addictions affects so many people and families in Vermont. The important hub and spoke treatment clinics help people start recovery. Recovery is a lifelong process. The recovery organizations help people stay in recovery, not relapse, connect them to needed resources and help them have safe and healthy lives. We also help families so they can help their loved ones in recovery. Our partners have highly trained and certified professional recovery coaches who are in recovery themselves and provide peer based support. Our coaches need better salaries, they need benefits, and we need more recovery coaches. Recovery residences are also very important resource for many people as they start their recovery. Our hope is that more people suffering from addictions will seek treatment and lifelong recovery. Our hope will seek lifelong recovery. So again, I'm asking for your support to provide $1.85 million additional funding for recovery partners of Vermont and a million dollars for recovery residences. And again, I thank you for all you do. Thank you so much. Thank you. We'll go to Pedro Cruz and then followed by Julie Tesla who will also be remote. Pedro, do you want to start? Yes. Hello, good afternoon everyone. My name is Pedro Ubaldo Cruz. I am from Sheldon, Vermont. And I am an English language learning with Vermont adult learning. I am here today to ask you to please increase base funding for AEL service providers by $1.5 million. Why do I ask this? I have needed English language instruction to improve my life and work. Without instruction, I couldn't do so much here in Vermont or help keep the data industry going strong as I tried to do. I know more English. I'm able to help new workers communicate better with my bosses, continue my education and contribute to my community. Vermont adult learning is just one AEL agency who needs increased funds for supplies, rent, teacher salaries and programs to support people like me who help Vermont's economy. So I ask again to please support AELN's request to increase base funding for AEL service providers by $1.5 million. Thank you all for here to me. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. We'll move to Julie Tessler, followed by Seth Hibbert, who will also be remote. Julie. Julie Tessler, Vermont Care Partners, representing 16 designated and specialized service agencies providing developmental and mental health services to at this point about 30,000 Vermonters a year used to be higher. You all know that demand, acuity and complexity of the people we serve is rising. We have a wait list of about 1000 people and about 1000 staff vacancies currently. Last year, our turnover rate of staff was 33% the highest it's ever been. Our vacancy rate in the last three months has improved slightly but still quite serious and mental health we have a 16% vacancy rate and developmental disabilities. It's just about 20% with some developmental disability programs with up 30% vacancy rate, which really impacts our ability to provide services. Our services provide and developmental services for down over 19% last year. This really relates to the salaries we can provide the staff that affects our recruitment and retention, the 8% rate increase last year was very beneficial. As was the premium pay program this year, and the tuition assistance and loan repayment program for mental health and substance use staff, very helpful, particularly for retention. Our ask this year is for a 10% Medicaid rate increase so we can address the salary and other inflationary costs. We'd also like an investment of $6 million to expand that tuition assistance and loan repayment program, make larger awards and to be able to provide it to all of our staff, particularly those in developmental disabilities. We'd also like to address mental health came rate equity. This will help not only stabilize our services but improve inpatient and emergency department use and overcrowding the support needed by our schools for students and law enforcement and criminal justice support for people that we serve. We're not asking to increase the number of people we're serving doesn't meet the expectations for who we should be serving now. Thank you. Um, Seth, and then followed by Chris Estan. Hello, my name is Seth Hibbert, and I am the communications and development coordinator at Vermont after school. I live in Williston with my wife Kate and our eight year old son Lewis and I'm here today to ask for your support for universal after school in Vermont in 2024. Specifically, I'm asking you to support the governor's proposal to increase CC FAP by $7 million in order to increase Vermont families access to after school and summer programs, and to support the language in the budget bill to create a grant structure for cannabis sale funds allocated to expanding access to after school and summer programs. I'm able to speak with you today from my work desk uninterrupted by Lewis because he's currently building with magnet tiles and a Williston after school program, a program that consistently turns away working parents because there aren't enough spaces to meet the demand. So this summer, I'll be able to continue working this full time job to support my family, because my wife and I were lucky enough to register Lewis for summer camps in the nine minutes it took before each of those camps filled up. I'm asking for your support because for every child like Lewis whose parents successfully navigated the after school summer camp registration gauntlet. There's another child like Lewis's best friend you on whose parents found themselves on endless waiting lists, and that is not hyperbole. According to the America after 3pm national survey for every Vermont child in an after school program. There's another child waiting to get in. I think that's it well with me and it's why I'm here today. I believe we have a collective responsibility to ensure that all young Vermonters are safe healthy supported and engaged when their parents are at work. Please help make this happen by supporting universal after school in Vermont in 2024. Thank you. Thank you. This is on the screen now followed by Heather Thomas who is here in person. Good afternoon. Good afternoon to you all my name is Chris Stein, I reside in Montgomery Vermont, and I serve as a board supervisor for the Franklin County Natural Resources Conservation District. We have not met and I regret that I'm unable to be in person today with you all. I ask that you increase your base funding for the Vermont Natural Resources Conservation Council, a request for a total base appropriation of $3 million to support Vermont's 14 natural resources conservation districts. Thank you for the opportunity to add personal context for the request. I have involvement as a partner volunteer and now a supervisor with the Franklin County Natural Resources Conservation District. I have witnessed our team actively creating connections and relationships in our flanking County community. They have done this by being the boots on the ground. They show up and most notably follow through. We have a very talented staff and they have allocated a lot of time to apply for and manage multiple grants. Grant opportunities that are worth doing. Nevertheless, there is a need for more balance. The bulk of the grants funds go to the project correctly so and this reduces their capacity to work on the ground or face to face with our community. My hope and reason for this appeal is to see them have more time at community meetings, more time working with landowners one on one, and more time that they can allocate to help find solutions. The support would greatly assist the Franklin County Conservation District to allocate further energy towards that resilient Vermont we know and love. I am grateful for your time and attention and hope you all consider increasing the total base appropriation of $3 million to support Vermont's 14 natural resources conservation districts. Thank you. Thank you. And then followed by her Eisenman, which will promote. Good afternoon. My name is Heather Thomas. This is my daughter Alice. We live in Wells Vermont in Rutland County. I grew up in the town next to where I live now but moved away for many years for college and my career and returned in 2011 purchased a home and started a small business. I'm here today to tell you about the crises, the crises of provider options and the crisis of access to childcare opportunities in Vermont. I support the governor's proposed investment in the childcare financial assistance program and fiscal year 24 budget, as well as additional investments to support Vermont's children, families, early childhood educators and childcare programs of all types. In 2016 when I was welcoming my daughter, it became very clear that I would need to take her to work with me every day, because there were simply no daycare options available in our area, even if there had been an opening. The cost of childcare was prohibitive for me to cover as a single mother running a small business and a household. This time, according to Bright Futures, there are three childcare options within 10 miles of my town. I spoke to one of the providers this morning who runs a registered home program. She has no full time openings next September, no full time availability right now, five families on the waitlist, and she has received six calls in the last two weeks about her availability. Perspective home buyers call her about availability because childcare is a determining factor for families choosing to relocate here and for families choosing to stay or to choose to move out of the area. I need to attract and retain working families in our communities, allow them the opportunity for full employment and financial stability, while ensuring proper care and support for our children. I fully support funding high quality early care and learning after school programs for our youth and for the betterment of our families. I ask the legislature to pass a bill to truly address these crises, rather than providing half measures that do not address the urgency and complexity of the issuing hand. Thank you. You're welcome. Did you submit it in writing? Do we have a copy? No, but I will. Okay, thank you. Thank you. I see that Eisenman's on the screen, so we'll go. And next, followed by Robert Perry. My name is Pear Eisenman. I am a crisis clinician in youth and family at counseling services of Addison County, and I live in Shelburne, Vermont. And I want to thank you all for your service to the people of Vermont. I recently learned how little you all are paid. But that being said, I am calling, I am asking for the 10% Medicaid rate increase for the Vermont Care Partners Network agencies. And I just want to tell you two brief stories about why I think this increase is necessary. We're in a workforce crisis, as probably many are. And last year, a coworker and friend of mine, Cam, he's from Massachusetts. He's 25. He just graduated with his master's. And he was eager and excited to move to Vermont and help serve the kids. And the kids loved him. He worked with very young kids up through teenagers, and everybody loved him. And we're all impressed as well. But he wasn't able to pay his rent with the salary that we're offering and his loans. And so after about six months of working really, really hard, he had to move back to Massachusetts and move in with his parents. So hopefully the 10% rate increase would help people like him to be able to serve our kids. The other family, how many? 20. Okay. The other family I want to mention is a young lady who I met after she had had a suicide attempt. And we did open dialogue family therapy with all seven members of her family. And we saw her for about a year, but after a month, she had no more suicidality. Thank you. She graduated with her driver's license. Thank you. Thank you. Robert Perry followed by Michelle doubting who is here. You just want to come up. So you ready? So, I'm here. Please proceed. Good afternoon. My name is Rob Perry, and I'm the executive director of the matter of valley public access TV station. Our station serves the towns of Warren weights field faced in and more town. I'm here to ask that you support the Vermont access network, the 24 community media centers with a one time appropriation of $1 million in fiscal 24. This would be our third round of funding to serve as a bridge to replace the declining support from our cable networks. Our primary function is to connect our broad community with each other, our schools, our challenges and our town and state governments. We provide access to municipal meetings, including select boards, the hardwood school board planning commissions development review boards and valley wide planning and recreation districts. We also show local school events, including sports and Vermont wide programming of interest to our viewers. We also show concerts and events from our schools which have increased access to these events for the local community as well as far flung family members. Over the last year, some of our most attended live broadcasts have included a recent hardwood jazz jazz concert. Hardward winter band concert and a forum for candidates for state representatives. All content is available to waste bill cable subscribers and a stream from our website for access by non cable subscribers. There's significant challenges going forward. Court cutting is dramatically reducing our primary funding source the mandated grant from waste field cable. This is 90% of our income and is declining at more than 5% per year. Despite reductions in costs MRB TV has had negative operating income in the past two years. The state have enabled us to continue serving our community. And thank you for that support. Again, I ask you to support the band's request for $1 million for bridge funding for public access TV stations across Vermont. It's essential to keep stations working in the communities to connect our broadly dispersed communities. Thank you very much. We have Michelle down in here followed by Max barrels and Max is going to be remote Michelle. Hi, my name is Michelle Downing and I'm a new full time Waterbury resident. My family moved to Vermont full time in August, which is the six month process due to the inability to find childcare. We're lucky to find an option that we love however it requires us driving 120 miles a day. And it closes before our work day is complete. We think every day about the emotional cost of driving two hours daily, the carbon footprint that we are leaving and the impact to our careers. However, we don't have any other options. Every childcare facility that is closer has dozens of families on waitlist because of the shortage of care that exists and we can't afford another option. Ironically, we live right across the street from a daycare. Access to childcare is imperative to our family's life as my husband and I both work full time jobs that require us to work traditional hours as well as travel about once a month. We are also mentally and emotionally fulfilled by our careers and need the dual income in order to support our family and create a stable environment at home. Fortunately, our workplaces have been flexible as we work through non traditional work arrangements and frequent daycare closures. However, most families aren't as lucky. Please support the governor's proposed investment in the childcare financial assistance program in the fiscal year 24 budget as well as additional investments to support Vermont's children, families, early childhood educators and childcare programs of all types. The state needs to improve access to an increased presence of childcare for all families in order to thrive. Thank you for your time. Thank you very much. Max, there's Max followed by Jill Rocha. This is also going to be remote. Max and then Jill. Well, good evening. I am Max Barrows. I work for Green Mountain self advocates. I am on the autism spectrum and I received developmental services. Our community is asking for a 10% increase for developmental services. The workforce crisis has hit us hard. For example, I have not had a job coach since April of 2022. My support person enjoyed working with me for more than six years, but he has kids and he couldn't afford to work with me anymore along with a family. And I am not alone. Today, one out of four support workers positions are vacant and developmental services. Now I'm lucky to have a supportive family and live with them. My dad is a retired teacher and he has been volunteering to support me so I can keep working successfully. Here, more than 33% of staff working with us lost their jobs and the situation varies around the state. Some agencies have vacancy rates as high as 50 to 60%. Think of it as an investment for people with disabilities. Roughly 45% of people who get services are working and paying taxes. This is what we have to offer. It is great investment because the more we work, the less we rely on social security benefits. This is a win-win situation. But the system is under pressure. Often people with disabilities report high levels of stress due to frequent staff turnover. Just when you have an excellent relationship with a support worker, they move on to a job with higher pay. This deeply hurts and it sets us back. Please consider this and please take what I said seriously. And thank you so much for your time to listen to my testimony. Thank you, Max. We'll move on to Jill. The next followed by Walter Medlin. Yes. Do I proceed, Jill? Can't hear you. Can't hear you. My Wi-Fi is a little shaky so I'm on the phone. There we go. Thank you very much for the opportunity to testify today. I'm Jill Orochi, the executive director of the Vermont Association of Conservation Districts, and I live in Waitsfield. I'm here to request your support of the $3 million fiscal year 2024 appropriations request of Vermont's Natural Resources Conservation Districts. First, I'd like to thank you for your support last year. The small increase meant a lot to us. We provided you a handout that explains how those funds were spent, as well as more detailed information about our 2024 request. Conservation districts were created throughout the United States during the Dust Bowl era to help farmers protect soil and water quality, degraded by both human and climate related factors. Since the Vermont Soil Conservation Act over 80 years ago, Vermont's 14 Natural Resources Conservation Districts have provided a critical link between landowners, land users, local communities, and state and federal programs. I provided our annual report, which highlights our work in agriculture, natural resources management, stormwater remediation, education, and more. We currently have over 60 staff throughout Vermont providing roughly over $3 million in technical assistance and conservation projects per year. As the plethora of programs for climate resilience, natural resource protection, and food security grows, Vermonters need our services more than ever to help them navigate these new programs and develop and implement appropriate conservation projects that support the economic viability of our rural communities and working landscape, while addressing environmental concerns. Since we do not have county government and county funding in Vermont, as conservation districts do in many other states, we are seeking an increased core funding from the state to strengthen it and expand our ability to fulfill our mandate. With this support, we can do so much more. Please support the conservation districts $3 million 2024 appropriations request. Thank you. We have Walter next followed by Jessica Buckley who is here in person. If you want to start Walter. Good afternoon members and thank you for your service to Vermont. My name is Walter Medwit I live in Derby, and I have volunteered for the last six years with the Orleans County Natural Resources Conservation District. We urge you to support the $3 million base appropriation to support all of the 14 conservation districts around Vermont. In the last six years I've been as a board member to multiple farms to see our work. I've collected water samples I've met with town highway departments, working on erosion projects. I've been in the field to plant trees to protect streams. The conservation districts serve as navigators of various programs. They serve as a catalyst to kick off programs to serve farmers. They serve as liaison to multiple partners. They serve as defenders of clean waters and clean waterways through the diverse water projects and they serve as educators, serving to educate farmers and the community. The conservation districts are Vermont's Swiss Army knife for conservation. They play a vital role in Northeast Kingdom communities, and throughout the state is serve farmers towns, multiple state and federal agencies and citizens. I urge you to support the $3 million base funding for the conservation districts and again thank you for your time. We'll proceed to Jessica followed by Tracy who's going to be on Zoom. Good evening. My name is Jessica Buckley. I'm a resident of middle sex and a mother of two young children. I also own and operate a small business here in Montpelier called Mountain Mama Guiding, a coaching service for women reclaiming their identity after their initiation in motherhood. I help mothers with careers lead vital, vibrant and productive lives without sacrificing their values as professionals or as parents. Prior to having children, I held a professional license in engineering and worked on water quality projects as an agricultural engineer for the state of Vermont. I have no intention of leaving my career. However, it became increasingly difficult to find sufficient childcare and to strike a supportive work balance. In both my personal and professional experience, more often than not, mothers are the ones that need to bridge the childcare gap for their family. A 2013 International Finance Corporation job study reported that women tend to reinvest 90% of their income into their families and communities compared to men who contribute about 40%. Ensuring affordable and accessible childcare for Vermonters directly correlates to wealth being reinvested in our local communities. I founded Mountain Mama Guiding to support mothers in advocating for what they need so they can contribute to their society. And ironically, I find myself here at a crossroads needing to advocate for myself. Currently, I'm contemplating how to continue operating. My business is upcoming summer without having yet secured childcare for our oldest daughter, who is under the age of five. Simply put, I cannot continue to run my business without childcare for my children. I am here today to ask you to support the governor's proposed investment in the Child Care Financial Assistance Program CC FAP in the 2024 fiscal year budget. All investments allocated to Vermont's children, families, early childhood educators and childcare programs are essential. These investments would mean that more women like myself could start up and sustain their businesses, support other women and families and invest in the overall health, well-being and resiliency of Vermonters. I trust your decisions will be in the best interest of all. Thank you. Thank you for taking time and coming in and speaking with us to try to make it a safe place. So thank you. So we have Tracy on the Zoom and followed by Tracy Shaw. My name is Tracy Howe. I'm the executive director of the Turning Point Center of Rutland and live in Rutland City. Our Recovery Center is a member of Recovery Partners of Vermont. I am testifying today in support of an increase of $1.85 million in base funding for the 13 community recovery organizations across the state and an increase of $1 million in base funding for recovery residences. In the eight years since I started my position, the needs of Rutland County residents for substance use services has grown far beyond our capacity to serve our own communities. The pandemic had a major impact on those needs with the social isolation and the temporary closure of our center undermining the successful recovery of many and leading to a spike in deaths due to overdose. Our peer recovery coaches work directly with community partners such as hospital emergency department, correctional facilities, law enforcement, treatment and rehab programs, a local university and recovery residences. We are being asked to build new relationships with schools, churches and EMS as well in an effort to reach those most in need. Finally, the request we receive for recovery coaching and community presentations and trainings far exceed our current capacity to meet those needs due to insufficient funding. Our need to fully support our current staffing and also onboard and train new coaches requires many hours of training and supervision, again, which requires funding. Currently our peer coaches, all of them people in recovery themselves are not paid a competitive wage and receive no benefits. Many of our coaches have national certification requiring mandatory CEUs to maintain certification every two years. The proposed increase of 1.85 million in base funding is profoundly needed by our centers to continue to provide high quality programs that not only support long term recovery for children but also help prevent death by overdose. Thank you for your consideration. Thank you, Tracy. We'll move to another Tracy Tracy Shouse, followed by Aaron Dupreyes or Dupreyes depending on Dupreyes. So Tracy Shouse, please. My name is Tracy Shaw and I'm Vice President for Land Protection at Vermont Land Trust. I'm here as a member of the Vermont Housing and Conservation Coalition, a coalition that recognizes the importance of Vermont's dual investments in affordable housing and land conservation. And I'm here today to speak specifically about the importance of conservation, particularly in this time of rising land values more severe climate impacts and challenges across our agricultural and forestry sectors. I'd like to address the question, why do we need more conservation in the midst of a housing crisis? And it's true that in many states conservation and housing are at odds, fighting over scarce resources. But Vermont has led the way with the founding of the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board so many years ago that was founded on the core value that when you invest in both conservation and housing communities thrive. And I've seen this approach work in my own town. In the same year that dozens of residents are moving into permanently affordable housing units in downtown St. Johnsbury, these same residents now have access to a newly conserved town property with scenic trails within walking distance of their new homes. The dual mission works. So in this time of growth, balancing development with conservation makes sense. Concentrating development and growth areas protecting wildlife habitat and biodiversity, conserving our prime agricultural soils, increasing access to outdoor recreation and strengthening climate mitigation. Last year you increased VHCB's base funding by 10 million. Thank you. This year we asked you to support VHCB at its statutory share of 27.8 million. Governor Scott has allocated only 15.2 million to VHCB's base funding, which is 9.6 million dollars less than last year and 12.6 million dollars less than the second statutory share. This moves us in the wrong direction. So I respectfully urge you to support the statutory share and I thank you very much for your time today and all the hard work you do on behalf of all of us. Tracy, we're moving to Erin, followed by Don Tetro. Erin. Hello, my name is Erin DeVries and I represent Vermont River Conservancy as co-director and conservation director. VRC's mission is to permanently conserve and protect special lands along the waters of Vermont for the benefit of this and future generations. I'm here today to speak about the importance of conservation and the support VRC and other land conservation organizations receive from Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. This coming fall at 250 Bird Street in downtown Bratiborough, a former industrial sawmill and lumber storage site will be transformed into a 12 acre urban community park to include all abilities, trails, parking, natural and cultural interpretation and community art. In addition to a restored floodplain that will help protect homes and businesses from the next big flood. Through Bratiborough zoning ordinances, presence of a park will allow for new higher density housing within a quarter mile of the park. Helping to augment housing stock and mitigate Bratiborough's housing crisis, providing subsequent economic benefits. In the time of growth, we must develop, we must balance development with conservation. As Tracy said, we can do this through concentrating growth areas, protecting wildlife habitat and biodiversity and strengthening climate mitigation through protection of land and water. As you heard, allocated funding, base funding at 15.2 and it's 19.6 million less. While the governor cut that base funding for HIV, he allocated 10 million in one time money for housing under the scenario investments in housing are held steady but investments in conservation suffer. For the sake of our communities now is the time to balance development with conservation and support the dual mission of each of you. I respectfully urge you to support VHCB at its statutory to 27.8 million enabling us to meet important needs today and tomorrow. Thank you. Thank you. Moving on to dawn. We should be there remotely followed by army diamond. Don do you want. Good afternoon. I'm John Tate trial and I am one of the founders of genus promise and Johnson and a board member of the recovery partners or Vermont. I also lost my daughter to the disease of addiction. Today testify there is an extreme need for additional funding at the recovery centers and recovery residents of Vermont is hard to imagine the underfunding of these centers till you walk in the shoes of someone on the front lines every day. The amount of people we are losing every day is mind blowing. I can't tell you how many people that call me every day, asking for help. My first call coming at 430 this morning. The number of resources we have to help the people that are requesting help addiction being one of the leading causes of death in the state causing a ripple effect. That continues on to so many families that are raising the children of their last one recovery centers also support the families in need. We have taken in three people from incarceration, relieving the system of thousands of dollars and getting people back into the workforce by giving them the resources they need. Safe housing programs to support their treatment and workforce development, restoring people back to a productive members of the community. Not mentioned how many homeless people that are suffering with addiction that have been helped by the resources given by recovery resources. Please support the increase of base funding of 1.85 million for recovery organizations and 1 million for base funding for recovery residents. The people are given the right support. They become productive members of the society again and second proven. Thank you so much for your time and everything you do. Thank you very much. I'm our diamond is here followed by Rebecca plumber who is in person. So, back if you want to come up and we'll start with. Hi, my name is Marguerite diamond, and I am the director for turning point recovery center in Bennington, and I am a person in long term recovery. I was born and raised in Bennington and recently returned after spending 30 years in the San Francisco Bay Area. Turning point is a proud member of recovery partners of Vermont and aligned with our peer recovery colleagues statewide. I'm speaking today to advocate for an increase of 1.85 million for peer recovery organizations and 1 million additional for recovery residences. I'm honored. Colonel Jim Baker is currently working in Bennington to help us craft a strategic unified plan to address the harms from substance use disorder. And certainly having a cohesive community roadmap is critical, but those plans won't bear fruit if there aren't enough people to execute. That one tool is critically distinct because it comes with lived experience. lived experience combined with training and motivational interviewing skills has proven to uniquely connect with those who are suffering and move them into treatment and into long term recovery. We ask our peer recovery coaches to sit and deeply listen to listen for change talk to assess the person's recovery capital to interface with physicians and therapists and police and parole officers. We create individualized wellness plans for them and we hold them accountable. We sit with our clients in their darkest hours. I've worked very hard to raise the level of professionalism in this field and collectively our single biggest challenge is acquiring and retaining staff. One of my best staff capped out at the end of November and work the entire month of December for free so that our clients would have access to a recovery coach. That is the level of commitment. We know recovery is possible and we model it every second your continued support. Thank you. Thank you. Rebecca who is here in person and Corey Rice who's on. Good afternoon. My name is Rebecca plumber. I'm an attorney at Vermont legal aid and the director of our medical legal partnership project. I'm here to ask you to fully fund emergency housing. One of our partnerships has been with clinics providing medication assisted treatment like methadone and suboxone to people with addiction. These people have often lost family friends custody of their children jobs and their health. They're trying desperately to stay in treatment and turn their lives around. They need more than ever a stable place to live but instead they're often precariously housed or unsheltered. The person in treatment has no safe reliable place to stay. They also cannot stay connected with health care providers to attend to other serious health needs and living on the street itself creates and exacerbates health crises. One of our clients last fall had a heart condition that caused her to pass out frequently. She was living in a tent in a wooded public space and was concerned about her safety and her ability to call for help if her phone died and she had no way to recharge it. Another client had significant fluid in her legs that made walking extremely painful and walking made the condition itself worse but she was unsheltered and she had to walk a lot to the clinic for treatment, to economic services, to apply for emergency housing, to social security to check on her lost SSI check. She was losing ground on hard fought gains in her sobriety and her health. As of their homelessness, when these people finally receive medical care, it's long past prevention or even treatment. It's a life threatening emergency. Homelessness through interruption of care and through its own damage to the human body and mind has significant health harms and the externalized costs of this are passed on to our Medicaid program. Indeed, it likely costs the state a lot more to not adequately fund emergency housing than to fund it. These are our most vulnerable neighbors. They've been hit by two crises, not of their own making, the opioid crisis and the housing crisis. No one is undeserving of housing. We as a state must continue working to solve the housing crisis, but in the meantime, I urge you to adequately fund emergency housing. I'll pass the minute in writing so we'll have the great. Thank you. Moving on to Corey Rice who's on the screen, followed by Stephen Whitaker who's here in person. Good evening. My name is Corey Rice and I'm on the board of directors for the family place in Norwich, Vermont. Hi today on behalf of the family place and other parent child centers across the state, I'm specifically calling on you to support an increase in based funding for the PCC integrated grant of $5.2 million for a total $10 million for the integrated grant. Reporting this request parent child center employees throughout the month would receive what they rightfully deserve and what is greatly overdue increased wages and benefits by increasing the financial support of these critical employees parent child centers will stand fast and workforce marketplace. Thus leading to higher recruitment and retention. Because the services provided through each parent child center requires strong consistent relationship between families and employees workforce recruitment and retention are crucial to the overall success of programming. To trust your relationships parent child centers that are formed with families over time take the way some difficult circumstances to be honest about their challenges and needs. For example, within the past year alone, 44% of the individuals served through the family places. For one young mother, it was because of the background support. The family place is able to offer her and her child in partnership with the gender based violence support organization, but they now have a safe place to live. Without the quality staff members who are able to help this mother in the child. I'm not sure what their story will be today. I think we all know that leaving an abuser is complex and incredibly difficult to see the least for a child in this situation, watching their mom receive the support she deserves and they can be like for them to be profound. The family place represents a shift in this mother and her child's life from simply surviving to being given the opportunity. 40 seconds. The family place provides this opportunity to provide for individuals and their families every day with innovative services and child centers have created by investing in parent child center employees, we are investing in the families they serve and providing this opportunity. Three, two, one. Thank you we we get we little bit on the voice week but we parent child center. I think we get your message. This is going to sound somewhat just connected because I'm only going to give you a teaser on each topic so that you can ask for more when you have more than two minutes. I don't know if the AMO's request for a million but I'll point out the public access channels. I'll point out that those libraries and archives are not bound by public records law or state records retention schedules. There is a provision and PUC rule eight for a statewide AMO that would create governance. The more the public access stations depend on public funding they should be publicly governed. And so I would ask that that money be conditioned upon implementing the rule eight statewide AMO, which would then have the bargaining power to work with the state media in the State House that media plan was repealed through a fluke of or legislating couple years ago. So that's a problem. Court legal aids request but I asked that you condition it upon representation, not advice. I have seen personally legal aid. They're not clients so the ethical rules don't attach, and they can drop people through the cracks legal aid needs to be bound by legal representation, not by advice. That's a serious problem. The $10 million requested for cell coverage. I'd ask that you attach that to the 20 million that public safety has from last year or 11 million from last year for regional dispatch and 9 million in a Congressional directed spending. So that would be a total of 30 million and that those regional plans. Take care of both public safety plant regional public safety radio and cell coverage dead zones. Eight seconds. You're spending $12 million on the Department of Public Service and we're getting ripped off. Did you submit it writing. It's just notes, but I, I'm happy to, if you delegate a person who wants to get all the low down, I'm happy to provide. Thank you. Thanks. So we have Carrie on the screen. Want to proceed Carrie. Yeah, thank you chairs committee for your time. My name is Carrie sailor. I'm the government and public affairs officer at the Vermont food bank. I'm here to ask that you please address the ongoing needs of Vermont or facing food insecurity by establishing a base appropriation of $3 million in the FY 24 budget for the food bank to purchase and distribute food. In the past three years we've worked in new and different ways to ensure people have the food they need, but as federal programs and food insecurity and hunger have increased. A team at UVM found that two in five people in Vermont have experienced food insecurity in the past year and a half. That number is higher than at any point during the pandemic. So we're going to have a snap pandemic emergency allotments will also end. These pandemic supports have provided 72,000 people in Vermont with the maximum federal food benefits their household size. In April households on average will receive $100 to $500 less each month to buy food. The food bank and network partners are the safety net that can help put neighbors help neighbors put food on their table. The network can't fill the gap left by federal food programs and we cannot do this work alone. Addressing food insecurity is the state's responsibility and the food bank and our network are ready to continue to partner with the state as we have for years. We need financial support in order to continue to meet the increase need we are seeing. My neighbor shared with me that he's worried he's going to have to start skipping meals in order to pay his bills when his snap allotments and our network food shelves have seen an increase in guests since news of this change broke in January. People we serve seniors on fixed incomes those on disability and single parent households will be the most affected by these changes. They're also the ones who are least able to make up for loss benefit. So I guess that you provide the resources that the Vermont food bank needs to continue to support our neighbors ongoing need for food by establishing $3 million in base funding appropriation and the FY 24 budget for the food bank and our network. So we can continue to help meet the needs of our neighbors. Thank you for your time. Welcome. We have come to our witness list for today so we're going to adjourn this hearing. And then we will come back a week from today and take more testimony. We'll go online. We'll go online. Thank you ma'am.