H.961. AN ACT RELATING TO MAKING FIRST QUARTER FISCAL YEAR 2021 APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE SUPPORT OF STATE GOVERNMENT,… etc. – DONAHUE DIVISION OF HOOPER AMENDMENT
PASSED
in the State House of Representatives
on June 25, 2020, by a vote of
82-61
Purpose: The purpose of this vote was to increase legislators’s future cost of living increases (or not). The parliamentary process behind it requires a bit of explanation. The underlying bill appropriated and allocated all the money needed to run state government for the first quarter of FY2021. The Hooper Amendment contained five sections relating to state employee compensation. The Donahue Division separated out two sections (b3 and b4) of the Hooper amendment that would have permanently changed the way legislators themselves would receive pay raises in the future, decoupling regular cost of living increases from those granted to state employees and tying them to the rate of increase allocated to constitutional officers beginning in July 2021. The net result of this maneuver is a legislative pay increase.
Analysis: Those voting YES argued the language leading to a legislative pay increase should be left in the bill to become law. They argued that legislative pay is insufficient to allow a broad and diverse range of people to serve and that the current formula for cost of living increases causes this deficiency to grow larger each year relative to other government service. The increase would not take place until 2022, so it will not have an impact during this economic crisis.
Those voting NO argued that it was inappropriate for legislators to support a pay increase for themselves when an public health and economic crisis has left many of their constituents with lost income, and state revenue downgrades will likely require future cuts in government services. Given that the proposed pay increase would not kick in until 2022, there was no reason to pass this language now, but rather the issue should be postponed until 2021 when the fiscal state of the state becomes more clear.
As Recorded in the House Journal, June 24, 2020: “…Shall the House concur in the Senate proposal of amendment to the House proposal of amendment with further amendment as offered by Rep. Hooper of Montpelier and others in sections B3 and B4 only? was decided in the affirmative. Yeas, 82. Nays, 61. (Read the Journal, p. -1400 /Watch the floor debate on YouTube.
How They Voted
(Click on your Rep’s name to send an email)
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Janet Ancel (D – Calais) – YES Peter Anthony (D – Barre) – YES Sarita Austin (D – Colchester) – YES Robert Bancroft (R – Westford) – NO John Bartholomew (D – Hartland) – YES Lynn Batchelor (R – Derby) – NO Christopher Bates (D – Bennington) – NO Scott Beck (R – St. Johnsbury) – ABSENT Matthew Birong (D – Vergennes) – YES Thomas Bock (D – Chester) – YES Patrick Brennan (R – Colchester) – NO Timothy Briglin (D – Thetford) – YES Nelson Brownell (D – Pownal) – YES Cynthia Browning (D – Arlington) – NO Jessica Brumsted (D – Shelburne) – YES Thomas Burditt (R – West Rutland) – NO Mollie Burke (P – Brattleboro) – YES Scott Campbell (D – St. Johnsbury) – YES William Canfield (R – Fair Haven) – NO James Carroll (D – Bennington) – NO Seth Chase (D – Colchester) – YES Robin Chesnut-Tangerman (P – Middletown Springs) – YES Annmarie Christensen (D – Weathersfield) – YES Kevin “Coach” Christie (D – Hartford) – YES Brian Cina (P – Burlington) – YES Sara Coffey (D – Guilford) – YES Selene Colburn (P – Burlington) – YES Hal Colston (D – Winooski) – YES Peter Conlon (D – Cornwall) – ABSENT Charles Conquest (D – Newbury) – NO Sarah Copeland-Hanzas (D – Bradford) – YES Timothy Corcoran (D – Bennington) – NO Mari Cordes (D/P – Lincoln) – YES Lawrence Cupoli (R – Rutland) – NO Carl Demrow (D – Corinth) – YES Eileen Dickinson (R – St. Albans) – NO Kari Dolan (D – Waitsfield) – ABSTAIN Anne Donahue (R – Northfield) – NO Johannah Donovan (D – Burlington) – YES David Durfee (D – Shaftsbury) – YES Caleb Elder (D – Starksboro) – YES Alice Emmons (D – Springfield) – YES Peter Fagan (R – Rutland) – NO Charen Fegard (D – Berkshire) – NO Martha Feltus (R – Lyndon) – NO Marianna Gamache (R – Swanton) – NO John Gannnon (D – Wilmington) – YES Marcia Gardner (D – Richmond) – YES Dylan Giambatista (D – Essex) – ABSTAIN Diana Gonzalez (P – Wioski) – YES Kenneth Goslant (R – Northfield) – NO Maxine Grad (D – Moretown) – YES Rodney Graham (R – Williamstown) – ABSENT James Gregoire (R – Fairfield) – NO Sandy Haas (P – Rochester) – YES Lisa Hango (R – Birkshire) – NO James Harrison (R – Chittenden) – NO Nader Hashim (D – Dummerston) – YES Robert Helm (R – Fair Haven) – NO Mark Higley (R – Lowell) – NO Matthew Hill (D – Wolcott) – YES Robert Hooper (D – Burlington) – YES Philip Hooper (D – Randolph) – NO Mary Hooper (D – Montpelier) – YES Lori Houghton (D – Essex) – YES Mary Howard (D – Rutland) – YES Kathleen James (D – Manchester) – NO Stephanie Jerome (D – Brandon) – YES Kimberly Jessup (D – Middlesex) – YES Mitzi Johnson (D – Grand Isle) – PRESIDING John Killacky (D – S. Burlington) – YES Charles Kimbell (D – Woodstock) – NO Warren Kitzmiller (D – Montpelier) – YES Emilie Kornheiser (D – Brattleboro) – YES |
Jill Krowinski (D – Burlington) – YES Robert LaClair (R – Barre) – NO Martin LaLonde (D – S. Burlington) – YES Diane Lanpher (D – Vergennes) – YES Paul Lefebvre (R – Newark) – NO Felisha Leffler (R – Esburgh) – NO William Lippert (D – Hinesburg) – YES Emily Long (D – Newfane) – YES Terence Macaig (D – Williston) – ABSENT Michael Marcotte (R – Coventry) – NO Marcia Martel (R – Waterford) – NO James Masland (D – Thetford) – YES Christopher Mattos (R – Milton) – NO Michael McCarthy (D – St. Albans) – YES Curtis McCormack (D – Burlington) – YES Patricia McCoy (R – Poultney) – NO James McCullough (D – Williston) – YES Francis McFaun (R – Barre) – NO Leland Morgan (R – Milton) – NO Kristi Morris (D – Springfield) – YES Mary Morrissey (R – Bennington) – NO Michael Mrowicki (D – Putney) – YES Barbara Murphy (I – Fairfax) – NO Linda Myers (R – Essex) – NO Logan Nicoll (D – Ludlow) – YES Terry Norris (I – Shoreham) – NO William Notte (D – Rutland) – YES Daniel Noyes (D – Wolcott) – NO John O’Brien (D – Tunbridge) – YES Jean O’Sullivan (D – Burlington) – YES Carol Ode (D – Burlington) – YES “Woody” Page (R – Newport) – NO Kelly Pajala (I – Londonderry) – NO John Palasik (R – Milton) – NO Carolyn Partridge (D – Windham) – YES Avram Patt (D – Worcester) – YES David Potter (D – Clarendon) – YES Ann Pugh (D – S. Burlington) – YES Constance Quimby (R – Concord) – NO Barbara Rachelson (D – Burlington) – NO Zachariah Ralph (P – Hartland) – YES Marybeth Redmond (D – Essex) – YES Peter Reed (I – Braintree) – NO Lucy Rogers (D – Waterville) – YES Carl Rosenquist (R – Georgia) – NO Brian Savage (R – Swanton) – NO Robin Scheu (D – Middlebury) – YES Heidi Scheuermann (R – Stowe) – NO Patrick Seymour (R – Sutton) – NO Charles “Butch” Shaw (R – Pittsford) – NO Amy Sheldon (D – Middlebury) – YES Laura Sibilia (I – Dover) – NO Brian Smith (R – Derby) – NO Harvey Smith (R – New Haven) – NO Trevor Squirrell (D – Underhill) – YES Thomas Stevens (D – Waterbury) – YES Vicki Strong (R – Albany) – NO Linda Joy Sullivan (D – Dorset) – NO Mary Sullivan (D – Burlington) – YES Randall Szott (D – Barnard) – YES Curt Taylor (D – Colchester) – NO Thomas Terenzini (R – Rutland) – NO George Till (D – Jericho) – YES Tristan Toleno (D – Brattleboro) – YES Catherine Toll (D – Danville) – YES Casey Toof (R – St. Albans) – NO Maida Townsend (D – South) – YES Joseph “Chip” Troiano (D – Stannard) – YES Kelly Cota Tulley (D – Rockingham) — NO Tommy Walz (D – Barre) – YES Kathryn Webb (D – Shelburne) – YES Rebecca White (D – Hartford) – YES Theresa Wood (D – Waterbury) – NO David Yacovone (D – Morristown) – YES Michael Yantachka (D – Charlotte) – YES Samuel Young (D – Greensboro) – YES |
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