Rep. Heidi E. Scheuermann

The first month of the legislative session has come to a close, and a number of items have been progressing.

Governor Peter Shumlin proposed his Fiscal Year 2013 budget a few weeks ago, and it is now being discussed and debated in the House Appropriations Committee.  In the meantime, other issues of significant importance are moving forward.

The Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Adjustment Act, H. 558, for example, was brought to the House floor and passed and is now in the Senate.  Budget Adjustment Acts are generally non-controversial, as they seek to ensure the current year revenues and expenses are in balance.  This year's was quite different, as it included the hiring of 50 new employees.

Twenty-one of these employees are two-year, limited service positions needed in the Agency of Transportation, and reflect Tropical Storm Irene's affect on our state's infrastructure.

Unfortunately, the others are not as clear-cut, including 17 new employees in the Department of Vermont Health Access.  In my view, and the view of many others, these new hires should have gone through the regular budget process, not be added in a mid-year budget.

Another issue to keep a very close eye on is the health care reform effort moving ahead.  The House Health Care Committee is working its way through this year's health care bill that sets up the health benefits exchange and continues on the path of creating a single-payer health care system (or as close to it as possible) in Vermont within the next few years.

As the Committee works through H.559, more and more details emerge, many of which are very worrisome, including a significant Catamount Health development.

On page 85 of H. 559 the Catamount Health program is repealed.  Obviously, it makes sense that as the State of Vermont creates the health insurance exchange and moves toward the single-payer system, that Catamount Health be repealed.

Unfortunately, however, Rep. Paul Poirier (I-Barre City) discovered that there is no repeal in the bill of the Catamount Health Assessment that businesses pay for the program.  So while the program itself is repealed, the State is still going to force businesses to continue paying the health care tax for the program.  This is completely unacceptable, and kudos to Rep. Poirier for his due diligence.

The argument from the Administration is that these funds are not just used for Catamount Health, and in fact are used for other state programs.

This diversion of funds is also unacceptable, and something of which businesses that have been paying the assessment (which has continually increased in cost) through the years were not aware.

The bottom line is not only should the diversion of Catamount Health funds end immediately, the assessment itself must be repealed at the time Catamount Health itself is repealed.

As always, I encourage you to contact me with any questions or concerns, and I will do my best to keep the people of Stowe and Lamoille County informed.  I can be reached at 253-2275 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  If you are interested in receiving my email newsletter that offers more information and analysis of the activities under the Golden Dome, please contact me.