House fails to override campaign finance veto by one vote

April 26, 2008

MONTPELIER — For the second time in a year, the Vermont House failed by a single vote to override Gov. James Douglas' veto of a new campaign finance reform bill.Friday's vote of 99-51 came one vote shy of the two-thirds majority needed to override the veto of the bill, which would have set specific contribution limits for political candidates.

House Speaker Gaye Symington, D-Jericho, who made the rare move Friday of casting her vote to override the veto from the speaker's podium, said she was disappointed in the outcome and cast her blame toward Douglas, whom she is considering a run against this year.

After Douglas vetoed last year's campaign finance bill — a veto that House lawmakers also failed to override by a single vote during a special summer session — Symington said lawmakers sought a compromise with the governor.

"We'll be back here next year," Burns said. "And until then, the problem of money in politics will only get worse."

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Toxin bill raises hunters' ire

April 24, 2008

MONTPELIER – A bill outlawing a family of chemicals in children's toys would not, normally, attract the ire of hunters and fisherman.

But a measure banning phthalates – substances used to make plastics more durable and flexible – in children's products has done just that. The measure, S.261, has passed the Senate and will soon be taken up again by the House Human Services Committee, perhaps as early as today.

The bill would outlaw the manufacture and sale of "child care articles" and toys containing the plastic additives, some of which have been found in some studies to be linked to development and reproductive problems. California...

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Vermont considers banning lead from kids' toys

NECN

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

(Anya Huneke, NECN: Montpelier, VT) - As the legislative session winds down in Vermont, lawmakers are putting serious thought into a number of bills, including one that would ban lead in children's toys. Bill supporters say it would set a precedent on how our country should aggressively tackle the issue.

Armed with a radioactive device, Todd Hobson made his way around a room at the Vermont State House in Montpelier Wednesday. As an Environmental Consultant, Hobson is trained to test for lead.

A handful of products were laid out by the Vermont Public Interest Research Group - to illustrate how easy it is to find lead in everyday items. Many of such items are used by children, which is why VPIRG and some other advocacy organizations, are pushing for a bill in Vermont that would ban lead in toys and phase out lead in certain other products, such as plumbing fixtures and wheel weights for cars.

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Middlebury students to host climate change conference

April 16, 2008

MIDDLEBURY ― College and high school students from across Vermont will come to Middlebury College starting Saturday for the Power Shift Vermont Youth Climate Conference.

Power Shift Vermont will focus on empowering and educating Vermont youth with the tools they need to take action on the climate crisis and find solutions. The conference includes a weekend of events followed by a trip to Montpelier on Monday to lobby lawmakers for strong legislation aimed at combating climate change.

Over the weekend students will also prepare to lobby legislators at the Statehouse in Montpelier with the help of Johanna Miller of the Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) and James Moore of Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG). On their trip to Montpelier, students will rally at the Statehouse at 10 a.m. in support of the Vermont Senate bill S.350, which cuts Vermont carbon emissions at least 75 percent by 2050. They will also advocate for the creation of a green jobs program in Vermont and encourage renewable energy and sustainability in all sectors, including heating and transportation. They will meet with lawmakers throughout the day to discuss these issues.

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Yankee review heavily debated

April 16, 2008

MONTPELIER — Federal regulators said Tuesday they will consider expanding the scope of their inspection of the Vermont Yankee facility in Vernon, but lawmakers and advocates said the promise does not ensure an adequate review of the 36-year-old nuclear plant.

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Lawmakers will try to override vetoes

April 14, 2008

MONTPELIER — The Legislature will soon decide if two bills should become law even though they were rejected by Gov. James Douglas.

Since legislators would like to have those veto override votes completed before the end of the session, slated for early May, the state Senate may begin that process as early as this week.

One of the bills, establishing campaign-finance limits, is likely to gain most of the attention.
It is much less likely that the other, creating an instant-runoff voting system for Congressional elections in Vermont, would win the two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House needed to override a veto.

The Vermont Public Interest Research Group, which has been a major force behind the campaign finance bill, has taken aim at Douglas' message on that veto.

In his veto message Douglas said the bill, by limiting how much money political parties can give to their candidates, protects incumbents.

"The proposed party contribution limits extend unfair political protection to incumbents by establishing an obstacle for challengers," Douglas said.

Not really, according to VPIRG. During the 2002, 2004 and 2006 election cycles — when Vermont's very strict campaign limits of $200 were in place — incumbent state House members were more likely to lose their seats than they have been in the years before or afterward, according to the group's research.

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