RECENT ARTICLES
Governor Douglas Boldly Takes on Establishment
By Rep. Heidi Scheuermann
Stowe Reporter, Jan. 15, 2009
The Vermont General Assembly convened last week to begin the 2009-2010 legislative session. The House of Representatives has a new Speaker, Rep. Shap Smith of Morristown, and he came prepared. In a surprise move, he appointed committees on the first day of the session – the message was clear “We are here for a reason. Let’s get to work.”
I have been appointed to the Judiciary Committee, where I am looking forward to tackling issues like greater penalties for sexual predators and the restructuring of our judiciary system.
That said, my priorities remain real economic growth, education reform and property tax relief, so I was very pleased to hear Governor Jim Douglas’ 4th Inaugural message, “Today, I present a plan for Vermont to direct its own future, free from the ties that bind us to the status quo. Rather than follow blindly, we will lead boldly.”
In his speech, the Governor boldly took on the establishment when he called for a fundamental transformation of the way we do business.
Recognizing that 63 cents of every tax dollar spent here is spent on K-12 education and Medicaid, and that over 50% of our combined state and local taxes goes to general education, he has called for a complete overhaul. If the projections for Fiscal Year 2010 are accurate, statewide education spending will have increased by almost $283 million since 2006. Over the same time period, school enrollment has decreased by 4,300 students.
It is clear this system is on a collision course, and I applaud the Governor for taking it on: “Act 60 and 68 are fundamentally broken and beyond repair … Now is the time to build a new system – one that is fair and equitable, and respects the voice of voters, the pocketbooks of taxpayers, and the potential of our students.”
For good reason, the Governor did not offer a specific proposal. As we have seen countless times since the enactment of Act 60, when proposals are offered, they are quickly and aggressively discarded by the other side and the special interests. It would have been unproductive to offer a proposal and the Governor realized this.
Rather, he called for a new way of doing business. He invited the legislature to work collaboratively with him to set up a process for new thoughts and ideas. He wants the best minds to work on this, and asked the legislative leadership for suggestions.
The is the challenge that has been put forward – one of which the legislature must take advantage. I am hopeful leadership accepts the Governor’s invitation. I am hopeful that the immediate Democratic response to the proposal – the response that has become standard throughout the years – of reform being an assault on our children, our teachers and our school boards is tempered with common sense and civility. The fundamental fact is that the system is structurally flawed and cannot continue as it is if we are to make it through this economic crisis and emerge a stronger state.
Economic Development Focus Long Overdue
By Rep. Heidi Scheuermann
Manchester Journal, Dec. 19, 2008
Rutland Herald/Times Argus, Dec. 21, 2008
Burlington Free Press, January 5, 2009
As I prepare for my second term in the Vermont House of Representatives, the national and world economy is in peril. Our government is bailing out industry after industry, layoffs are happening at a rate not seen in years, home foreclosures are skyrocketing, and a credit crunch is making it more and more difficult for our small businesses to survive.
Even as the “Buy Local” campaign in Vermont grows and Vermonters become increasingly aware of what a difference buying local can mean to their neighbors and local communities, we ca nnot ignore the bigger picture. Vermont is inextricably linked to the global e conomy, as we’ve learned with AIG. We are not immune to the larger crisis, and it is clearly not a situation from which we will emerge quickly.
The only way, however, Vermont will emerge from this crisis stronger, and yield a brighter future for all Vermonters is through real economic growth. Yet, many Vermonters would be surprised to learn that there is not a committee in the Vermont House of Representatives whose mission it is to concentrate solely on economic growth.
With this in mind, and with an opportunity for change in the leadership of the Vermont House, I have asked the current candidates for the next Speaker of the House to create a new committee, a House Committee on Economic Development, to tackle the issues that will lead to real economic growth.
Obviously, with the downgrades in our state’s revenue forecasts for this year and beyond, much of the focus in the Vermont General Assembly will undoubtedly be on the state budget and the very difficult decisions that will have to be made to protect our state’s most vulnerable citizens. At the same time, however, it is imperative that the legislature not lose sight of our economy as a whole, as it is clear that families and small businesses in Vermont are struggling:
1) According to the non-profit, non-partisan Tax Foundation, in /Fiscal Year 2008 Vermont ranked eighth highest in the nation in total state and local tax burden
2) A study recently released by Families USA, “Premiums versus Paychecks” found that from 2000-2007, the average employer-based health insurance premium for Vermont families increased 74.9% ($7,045 to $12,340) and the premium for individuals increased 70.8% ($2,685 to $4,586).
3) Recently, the Burlington Free Press reported that Vermont ’s college graduates face the fourth highest average student-loan burden in the country at $24,329.
These are just a few of Vermont ’s worrisome statistics, and we cannot wait any longer to address the issues that drive them. In order to do so, however, we must do all we can to create an environment where real economic growth can take place while preserving Vermont’s unique natural beauty; where Vermont families aren’t overly burdened by taxes; where health care and insurance is affordable and attainable; where entrepreneurs and small businesses can prosper; and where families can afford to send their children onto higher education.
I am hopeful the new Speaker will make economic growth the number one priority in the upcoming legislative biennium, and a new House Committee on Economic Development can be a catalyst to ensure that focus. Charged broadly with examining structural reform in our tax policy, health care policy, education policy, and regulatory policy, and energy policy, while working in conjunction with the other House committees with similar jurisdictions, this Committee on Economic Development can bring a holistic approach to public policy – something that is desperately needed for economic growth in Vermont.
I urge Vermonters to consider this proposal and to encourage the current candidates for House Speaker to commit to establishing a House Committee on Economic Development.
A Hand for Heidi
Stowe Reporter Editorial, Oct. 16, 2008
If Heidi Scheuermann is not a born public servant, then someone has to rewrite the definition. We could dispense with an endorsement in the race for Stowe House representative, since Scheuermann is running unopposed. But this is an opportunity to thank someone who has devoted her entire professional career to serving her country, state and community. After the Peace Corps, she worked for Vermont’s senator in D.C. and then in Montpelier. Now, she’s running for a second term in the House and is in her fourth year on the Stowe Select Board, where she has served as chairwoman. If you thought that sounds like her days are full, Scheuermann is also president of her homeowners association, where she recently negotiated a loan for a major culvert replacement.
In her dual capacity in Stowe and Montpelier, Scheuermann is in a unique, effective position to serve Stowe’s interests and to speak with authority for this community. That is frequently quite challenging in a Legislature that has time for Stowe’s generous t ax revenues, but not its concerns. Thankful ly, Scheuermann is no shrinking violet, and her credibility as someone who understands the struggles of everyday Vermonters is only enhanced by the fact that she runs family and senior housing complexes in Stowe.
Scheuermann is Stowe’s only ch oice in the House race. For good reason.