ABC NHVT News

rss

Description of the blog

New Hampshire has long prided itself on a competitive, business-friendly environment that fosters growth, innovation, and economic prosperity. However, that advantage is under threat due to government-mandated Project Labor Agreements (PLAs), which stifle fair competition in our public construction sector. That is why the Associated Builders & Contractors New Hampshire/Vermont Chapter (ABC) strongly supports Sen. Regina Birdsell’s Senate Bill 88 (SB88), legislation that ensures taxpayer-funded projects are awarded through fair and open competition. PLAs impose restrictive conditions that often disadvantage non-union, merit shop contractors—excluding them from the negotiation process and forcing them to adhere to union-specific work rules. These agreements may require companies to recognize unions for job representation, use union hiring halls for workforce recruitment, and abide by union benefit structures.

On Tuesday, January 28, Governor Phil Scott addressed the Vermont people and the legislature from the floor of the House or Representatives. In his address he outlined the many differences in opinions with the way he and the former legislative supermajority believed the state should be spending taxpayer funds. He also proudly explained that we need to “fix broken systems not just fund them” when we are not happy with the results that we get from Vermonts programs such as education. His focus in the 2026 state budget will be creating affordable housing and transforming the grades PreK-12 education funding system.

As expected, the beginning of the 2025/2026 legislative biennium got off to a slow start, but by design. The first few days of the session organize legislative members to their respective committees, organize leadership, and behind the scenes they are organizing their priorities. As of Friday, January 17 only 60 bills have been introduced out of a likely 1000 bills between both the Senate and the House over the next 30 days. The House of Representatives, unlike the Senate, elected their leader “Speaker of the House” prior to the beginning of the session in a member caucus with Representative Jill Krowinski from Burlington holding on to her seat for another term. The three person Senate “Committee on Committees” which assigns members to committees is composed of the Senate Pro Tem, Senate Majority Leader and Lieutenant Governor. Because the Lieutenant Governor is not officially installed until the session begins, the Senate waits to appoint their committees and their chairs. Both chambers appoint their committees within the first week of the session. Due to Republicans picking up seats in both the House and the Senate, it changed the composition of leadership. With no official formula, it has been precedent that there is parity between the parties’ members at large and who chairs committees. This means that Republicans picked up chair positions in both chambers.

Tomorrow, January 8th, will be the first day of the 2025/2026 Vermont Legislative Biennium. ABC NH/VT is prepared to work with elected officials to craft state policy to help build our workforce, build our opportunities and create an economy that is prosperous. This start date will be the latest beginning of the session due to the new year beginning halfway through the prior week. Usually the session begins as early as the 2nd or 3rd of January and being a new legislature the week lost is significant. Nonetheless, legislators are ready to dig in to their priorities. ABC NH/VT will report to our government affairs committee, board of directors and membership the progress we make as the session moves forward.

In a short three weeks from today the first fall of the gavel will occur at the Vermont State House signaling the start of the 2024/2025 legislative biennium. After a wild election season with national and state political shake ups voters are anxious to see what their newly elected leaders will accomplish, or not. The first couple weeks of the Vermont legislature are filled with ceremonial and educational traditions. Legislative committees will be assigned to members, and they will get to see where their desks will be for the next two years. The House of Representatives has 13 committees that meet each day, all day when the floor is not in session, and each has 7-10 members. The Senate has 11 committees that meet each day, but only for half the day. The Senate has only 30 members unlike the Houses 150, which requires Senators to participate in two committees to complete the workload. The members of the legislature will also spend time in either committees or on the floor of their respective chambers taking trainings. The trainings they receive range from ethics to sexual harassment to procedural education so that everyone is on the same page though the session. In committees, the chairs spend time bringing their members up to speed on their duties and perennial issues they tackle.