Mid-Session Legislative Roundup
Now that the dust from crossover is starting to settle, we’re taking stock of where things stand as we consider the work that lies ahead for the duration of the session and beyond. In addition to reviewing the progress and content of each bill, we’ve included opportunities to improve the equity of each. Join our effort by reading the following important updates about our work and ways to make change happen for kids and families.
H. 265- Establishing an Office of Child, Youth, and Family Advocate:
The bill to establish an Office of Child, Youth, and Family Advocate has been taken up in the Senate. It currently sits in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee (SHW). On 3/15, Rep. Noyes and Rep. Pajala participated in a discussion of the bill as it is currently drafted. On 3/16, the SHW committee listened to testimony from Mike Fisher (Health Care Advocate, Vermont Legal Aid), Moira O'Neill (Director, State of New Hampshire Office of the Child Advocate), Jennifer Myka (General Counsel, Department for Children and Families), Aryka Radke (Deputy Commissioner, Family Services Division, Department for Children and Families), and Xusana Davis (Executive Director of Racial Equity, Agency of Administration). This morning, Voices Policy Associate Amy Rose and Mark Redmond (Spectrum Youth and Family Services) provided testimony to the SHW committee as well. We're hopeful about the OCYFA's path forward, but will be sharing updates as it progresses. In the meantime, you can help support this bill by contacting your senator today and letting them know that Vermont can’t wait any longer for an Office of Child, Youth, and Family Advocate.
An Office of Child Youth, and Family Advocate will:
Center the needs of children in DCF policy.
Instill trust in the system by providing more data and increasing transparency.
Provide the state with an independent, impartial view to allow for meaningful reform.
Ensure resources and funding are being used to maximum effect.
Decrease long-term costs to the system by helping ensure children receive the care they need, when they need it.
How can we move closer to equity? Voices sees the Office of Child, Youth, and Family Advocate as a critical step to create transparency, accountability, and oversight of Vermont’s child protection system. One of the pieces of this bill that we are most excited about is the potential for systemic reform based on the guidance of the OCYFA. The OCYFA will not have the authority to change policy or statute, real systems change will require the legislature and the administration to listen to the guidance from the OCYFA.
H.672- Reach Up Funding:
Last week the House Human Services Committee unanimously advanced H. 464, a bill containing a number of improvements to the Reach Up program, including several provisions imported from H.672 (read our testimony here). The bulk of the changes proposed in H.464 are programmatic, shifting to a “universal engagement model that aims to engage each participating family, to the best of their ability, in improving the family’s social, emotional, and economic well-being.” Voices strongly supports this change, which expands the activities that count as engagement, drawing from research on what works. The bill appeared to receive unanimous preliminary approval in the House on March 22nd.
While the base grant calculations are not addressed in this bill, there is an increase to earned income set-aside, which would allow participants to gain economic stability as they engage in paid work, rather than immediately seeing their Reach Up benefit reduced to offset incoming wages. Currently, the first $250/month and 25% of subsequent income is disregarded when determining eligibility; this bill proposes to increase the initial set-aside to $350. In addition, the bill would double the amount of child support that is disregarded in determining eligibility from $50 to $100/month.
How can we move closer to equity? H.464 does not explicitly address housing insecurity, which is all but a given for the estimated 60% of Reach Up participants who do not receive public housing subsidies, as the basic needs grant falls short of fair market rents in virtually every community. Voices is exploring other approaches to directing adequate housing support to children and families in extreme poverty to prevent the damaging disruption of homelessness. Additionally, the base grants for families continue to be woefully inadequate, with families currently receiving less than 40% of what is required for subsistence living. Basing the grants on the current cost of living figures, at a minimum, will be an important step forward.
H.510- Vermont Child Tax Credit:
This bill would establish a fully refundable child tax credit of $1,200 per child aged six years or younger, for single or joint tax filers with an adjusted gross income of up to $200,000. There is a phase-out for filers above $200k, with the credit reduced by $50 for every $1,000 of AGI, so filers with AGIs of $224k or more will receive no credit. The credit will be paid one-half of the anticipated credit in an advance payment by September 1st, with the balance applied when taxes are filed. The bill passed the House on a vote of 102-46 and is now being considered by the Senate Committee on Finance. Early indications are that total spending on the credit will be reduced, and we’ll be engaged in the discussion about how to best structure the credit to maximize its impact on low- and moderate-income families. For more information about how to support this bill, see our CTC advocacy toolkit.
How can we move closer to equity? We support the creation of a refundable state child tax credit and appreciate the science behind the decision to focus this investment on young children. However, we believe that the policy goals of equity and poverty alleviation would be better served by lowering the income threshold and increasing the qualifying age. In this way, the benefit would be more precisely directed at economically marginalized families who have been disadvantaged by existing tax policies and income inequality - especially BIPOC parents and their children.
Pupil Weighting*
After an initial delay by the Legislature to address the findings of the Pupil Weighting Factors Report due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and after extensive research and analysis by the Legislative Task Force on the Implementation of the Pupil Weighting Report , legislation has been introduced to recalibrate pupil weighting among other significant policy changes.
S. 287- Improving student equity by adjusting the school funding formula and providing education quality and funding oversight:
Introduced by the Senate Finance Committee, this bill will modify Vermont’s student weighting formula. The bill will be heard on the floor tomorrow.
Weighting is one of Vermont’s education funding tools to help school districts secure the increased resources required to support the learning needs of every student. The bill adjusts existing student weights for economic disadvantage, multilingual learners, and high school students, and adds weights for middle school students, school size and population density.
In addition, the bill creates the Education Fund Advisory Committee, adds six Agency of Education staff, and requires the State Auditor to conduct a performance audit. S. 287 incorporates many of the recommendations of the Task Force on the Implementation of the Pupil Weighting Report. Some of these include: changing the measurement used to determine economic disadvantage for weighting; establishing an advisory body for Vermont’s education funding system; implementing a comprehensive evaluation of student outcomes; and transitioning from the current homestead education property tax system to an income-based tax system.
How can we move closer to equity? Voices values the thorough analysis of Vermont’s education funding system and student weighting approach that guides S. 287. At the same time we know the Task Force also developed an alternative to student weighting known as “cost equity payments.” These payments would both provide the needed resources and narrow disparities among lower- and higher-spending school districts that weighting can perpetuate. Voices will urge the House to consider replacing student weighting with the more equitable model of cost equity payments.
Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program:
The Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs has included a task force to study models for a paid family and medical leave insurance program in their omnibus economic development bill (H.159/S.263). Voices questions the need for further study on this issue but recognizes that a task force could help resolve outstanding issues around program design and prepare a recommendation for the start of the 2023-24 biennium.
How can we move closer to equity? Voices and our partners recommended that the legislature build upon past analysis by updating projections for the program design that has been proven and tested in a number of other states. Some members of the committee have asked that voluntary models continue to be considered, however, Voices maintains that this approach is inconsistent with principles of equity which the legislature strives to follow.
S.100- the Universal School Meals Bill:
While not part of our primary policy agenda this year, Voices wholeheartedly supports passing the Universal School Meals Bill. Here’s the latest from our partners at Hunger Free Vermont:
Last Wednesday, the House Education Committee heard testimony from Emma Renaud and Grace Symula, two 9th grade students at Essex High School, who told their stories about actually experiencing Universal School Meals over the past two years. After hearing from the students, the Education Committee agreed that they want to pursue a bill that includes both breakfast AND lunch. Not only that, the Ways and Means Committee passed a preliminary plan to FULLY FUND the Universal School Meals program for the 2022-2023 school year! With the waivers that have allowed schools across the country to operate USM over the past two years due to expire and unlikely to be extended, it's more important than ever to get S100 over the finish line. The next two weeks are going to be critical in getting this done. You can take action today to support this bill by learning more about the benefits of Universal School Meals here, or by signing a supporter card!
How can we move closer to equity? Voices supports the recent addition of school lunches as well as breakfast into S.100.
While our scope is limited, there are additional bills in the mix with important ramifications for the lives of children and youth in Vermont. Voices is continuing to follow the progress of the following bills that made crossover:
S.139. An Act Relating to Public Schools’ Team Mascots: From confederate statues and flags to team names and school mascots, Vermont, like the nation, is grappling with how to acknowledge and address the inherent racism of these symbols embedded in our culture. Recent conflicts over school mascots highlight the need for state policy oversight in the matter. S. 139 (starting at bottom of page 249) was recently passed by the Senate and was referred to the House Education Committee. The bill proposes that a model nondiscriminatory school branding policy be developed by the Agency of Education. It also requires that each school board have or adopt a school branding policy that is at least as comprehensive as the model policy developed by the AOE. To strengthen the bill, Voices supports including language that defines an enforcement mechanism for districts that choose not to comply and language that identifies who will be included in the AOE’s model policy development process. Senator Campion presented S. 139 to the committee. You can listen here to the committee discussion.
H. 584, Anti-racist School Certification: This bill “proposes to create an antiracism certification program for schools that recognize fully the history contributions, and perspectives of ethnic groups and social groups, consistent with 2019 Acts and Resolves No. 1.” H. 584 is the outcome of the youth-driven effort to develop anti-racist schools. As they noted in their VTDIGGER commentary, “if we make anti-racist schools, we foster an anti-racistsocietyy. The bill is in the House Education. At this time, there is no indication that the bill will be taken up this session.
H. 399: Requiring the sentencing court to consider the criminal defendant’s status as primary caretaker of a dependent child prior to imposing sentence. H.399 will require courts to consider the impacts of incarceration on a person’s family. The bill would give defendants the right to present a family impact statement before sentencing. It would also require the court to weigh a defendant’s responsibilities if they are a primary caretaker of a minor and to consider alternatives to incarceration. One out of every 17 Vermont children has had a parent in prison. The bill passed the House and has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.