Roll Call! House Votes Against Income Tax Surcharge on "The Rich" (21-125), 2021

FAILED
in the State House of Representatives
on March 26, 2021, by a vote of
21-125

Purpose: To add a marginal tax increase of 3% to income over $500,000, the revenue from which would be used to repair Vermont’s neglected state pension obligations.

Analysis: The Cina amendment would have left Vermont with the second highest marginal income tax rate in the nation at 11.75%, behind only California.

Those voting YES believe that “the rich” need to be “asked” to pay “their fair share” regardless of any other economic implications or logical justifications.

The NO votes were more subtle. Some certainly believe saddling Vermont with the second highest marginal income tax rate in the country is bad economic policy and using such a tax to temporarily paper over an otherwise broken pension system without fixing the underlying structural problems makes no sense.

However, many others explained their NO votes not in principled opposition to taxing “the rich” in this manner, but rather in opposition to what the money would be used for. As Rep. Janet Ancel (D-Calais), chair of the Ways & Means Committee, stated for the record, “If we have capacity to increase taxes — and we may — we need to think carefully about how we decide to use that capacity.” Others balked at the procedure for bringing the proposal to the floor rather than the underlying substance.

So, Vermont’s higher earners should not breathe a full sigh of relief at this outcome. There is still significant sentiment in favor of eating you for dinner. The debate is over the recipe. 

As Recorded in the House Journal, Friday, March 26, 2021: “…Shall the bill be amended as offered by Rep Cina and others? was decided in the negative. Yeas, 21. Nays, 125." (Read the Journal, pages p. 518 - 525). Watch the floor debate on YouTube.

How They Voted
(Click on your Rep’s name to send an email)

Sally Achey (R - Middletown Springs) – NO
Janet Ancel (D – Calais) – NO
Peter Anthony (D – Barre) – YES
Norman Arrison (D - Weathersfield) – NO
Sarita Austin (D – Colchester) – NO
John Bartholomew (D – Hartland) – NO
Lynn Batchelor (R – Derby) – NO
Scott Beck (R – St. Johnsbury) – NO
Matthew Birong (D – Vergennes) – NO
Alyssa Black (D - Essex) – NO
Tiffany Bluemle (D - Burlington) – NO
Thomas Bock (D – Chester) – NO
Seth Bongartz (D - Manchester) – NO
Michelle Bos-Lun (D - Westminster) – NO
Erin Brady (D - Williston) – NO
Patrick Brennan (R – Colchester) – NO
Timothy Briglin (D – Thetford) – NO
Jana Brown (D – Richmond) –NO
Nelson Brownell (D – Pownal) – NO
Jessica Brumsted (D – Shelburne) – NO
Thomas Burditt (R – West Rutland) – NO
Mollie Burke (P/D – Brattleboro) – YES
Elizabeth Burrows (P/D - West Windsor) – YES
Scott Campbell (D – St. Johnsbury) – NO
Bill Canfield (R – Fair Haven) – NO
Seth Chase (D – Colchester) –  ABSENT
Kevin “Coach” Christie (D – Hartford) – NO
Brian Cina (P/D – Burlington) – NO
Sara Coffey (D – Guilford) – NO
Selene Colburn (P/D – Burlington) – YES
Hal Colston (D – Winooski) – NO
Peter Conlon (D – Cornwall) – NO
Sarah Copeland-Hanzas (D – Bradford) – NO
Timothy Corcoran (D – Bennington) – NO
Mari Cordes (D/P – Lincoln) – YES
Lawrence Cupoli (R – Rutland) – NO
Lynn Dickinson (R – St. Albans) – ABSENT
Karen Dolan (D - Essex) – NO
Kari Dolan (D – Waitsfield) – NO
Kate Donnally (D - Hyde Park) – NO
Anne Donahue (R – Northfield) – NO
David Durfee (D – Shaftsbury) – NO
Caleb Elder (D – Starksboro) – NO
Alice Emmons (D – Springfield) – NO
Peter Fagan (R – Rutland) – NO
Martha Feltus (R – Lyndon) – NO
John Gannon (D – Wilmington) –  NO
Leslie Goldman (D - Bellows Falls) – NO
Kenneth Goslant (R – Northfield) – NO
Maxine Grad (D – Moretown) – NO
Rodney Graham (R – Williamstown) – NO
James Gregoire (R – Fairfield) –  NO
Lisa Hango (R – Birkshire) – NO
James Harrison (R – Chittenden) – NO
Robert Helm (R – Fair Haven) – NO
Mark Higley (R – Lowell) – NO
Robert Hooper (D – Burlington) – YES
Mary Hooper (D – Montpelier) – NO
Philip Hooper (D – Randolph) – YES
Lori Houghton (D – Essex) – NO
Mary Howard (D – Rutland) – YES
Kathleen James (D – Manchester) – NO
Stephanie Jerome (D – Brandon) – NO
Kimberly Jessup (D – Middlesex) – NO
John Killacky (D – S. Burlington) – NO
Charles Kimbell (D – Woodstock) – NO
Warren Kitzmiller (D – Montpelier) – NO
Emilie Kornheiser (D – Brattleboro) – NO
Jill Krowinski (D – Burlington) – PRESIDING
Robert LaClair (R – Barre) – NO
Martin LaLonde (D – S. Burlington) – NO
Diane Lanpher (D – Vergennes) – NO
Paul Lefebvre (R – Newark) – YES
Samantha Lefebvre (R - Orange) – NO
Felisha Leffler (R – Esburgh) – NO

William Lippert (D – Hinesburg) – NO
Emily Long (D – Newfane) – NO
Michael Marcotte (R – Coventry) – NO
Marcia Martel (R – Waterford) – NO
Paul Martin (R - Franklin) – NO
James Masland (D – Thetford) – NO
Christopher Mattos (R – Milton) – NO
Michael McCarthy (D – St. Albans) – NO

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
Michael Morgan (R - Milton) – NO
Kristi Morris (D – Springfield) – NO
Mary Morrissey (R – Bennington) – NO
Michael Mrowicki (D – Putney) – NO
Emma Mulvaney-Stanak (D - Burlington) - YES
Barbara Murphy (I – Fairfax) – NO 
Logan Nicoll (D – Ludlow) – YES
Michael Nigro (D - Bennington) – NO
Robert Norris (R - Sheldon) - NO
Terry Norris (I – Shoreham) – NO
William Notte (D – Rutland) – YES
Daniel Noyes (D – Wolcott) – NO
John O’Brien (D – Tunbridge) – NO
Carol Ode (D – Burlington) – NO
“Woody” Page (R – Newport) – NO
Kelly Pajala (I – Londonderry) – NO
John Palasik (R – Milton) –NO
Joseph Parsons (R – Newbury) – NO
Carolyn Partridge (D – Windham) – NO
Avram Patt (D – Worcester) – NO
Henry Pearl (D - Danville) –NO
Arthur Peterson (R - Clarendon) – NO
Ann Pugh (D – S. Burlington) – NO
Barbara Rachelson (D/P – Burlington) – NO
Marybeth Redmond (D – Essex) – NO
Lucy Rogers (D – Waterville) – NO
Carl Rosenquist (R – Georgia) – NO
Larry Satcowitz (D - Randolph) – YES
Brian Savage (R – Swanton) – NO
Robin Scheu (D – Middlebury) – NO
Heidi Scheuermann (R – Stowe) – NO
Patrick Seymour (R – Sutton) – NO
Charles “Butch” Shaw (R – Pittsford) – NO
Amy Sheldon (D – Middlebury) – NO
Laura Sibilia (I – Dover) – NO
Katherine Sims (D - Craftsbury) – NO
Taylor Small (P/D - Winooski) – YES
Brian Smith (R – Derby) – NO
Harvey Smith (R – New Haven) – NO
Trevor Squirrell (D – Underhill) – NO
Gabrielle Stebbins (D - Burlington) - NO
Thomas Stevens (D – Waterbury) – NO
Vicki Strong (R – Albany) – NO
Linda Joy Sullivan (D – Dorset) – NO
Heather Suprenant (D - Barnard) – YES
Curt Taylor (D – Colchester) – NO
Thomas Terenzini (R – Rutland) – ABSENT
George Till (D – Jericho) – NO
Tristan Toleno (D – Brattleboro) – NO
Casey Toof (R – St. Albans) – NO
Maida Townsend (D – South) – NO
Joseph “Chip” Troiano (D – Stannard) – NO
Tanya Vyhovsky (P/D - Essex) – YES
Tommy Walz (D – Barre) – NO

Kathryn Webb (D – Shelburne) – NO
Kirk White (P/D - Bethel) – NO
Rebecca White (D – Hartford) – NO
Dane Whitman (D - Bennington) – NO
Terri Lynn Williams (R - Granby) –NO
Theresa Wood (D – Waterbury) – NO
David Yacovone (D – Morristown) – YES
Michael Yantachka (D – Charlotte) – YES


 

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