Senator wants input on upcoming session

To the Editor:

For the last 11 months I’ve been one of your Vermont state senators representing the Chittenden County Senate district. During that time, I have sponsored 26 bills and resolutions, served on the education and transportation committees and was appointed by the Senate to serve on the Vermont State Infrastructure Bank Board as well as the Joint Information Technology Oversight Committee for the Legislature.

It has been an honor to represent you and I hope you know I am committing as much attention to this role as I have free moments in the day.

This coming session I expect more important work by the Legislature to manage the continued impacts of the pandemic on our children, economy, infrastructure and health and safety. Integrated in this work will be opportunities to build back better by addressing our affordability crisis, growing our housing stock and inviting more economic activity to Vermont in environmentally sustainable ways.

This pandemic is a reflection point for us to rethink how we pay for our transportation infrastructure to align with our climate goals, how we fund and deliver 21st century education and how we get every home served by electricity to also be served with broadband internet service.

We can’t keep raising taxes on our current Vermonters because it is driving too many of us from the state. The answer is to adopt policies that create more Vermont taxpayers, allowing us to spread the cost of government over a larger tax base and reduce our individual burdens. But this requires Vermont to grow, and to grow we need to modernize our statewide permitting rules to reduce investment uncertainty.

I want the next IBM to lay their roots deep in the Green Mountain state to bring good jobs, opportunity and improved quality of life with modern green infrastructure. To do this, we need to modernize Act 250 to streamline the permitting process, eliminate redundancies with local regulations and provide a faster track for public infrastructure projects. If we want greener transportation, greener housing and greener government, we need policies that invite, attract and keep more opportunity and investment in the state.

As we start prioritizing the one-time dollars out of Washington, my priority is going to be on legacy infrastructure projects. The best thing state government can do to foster economic activity aligned with our social and environmental justice goals is to build transportation infrastructure that streamlines the free flow of goods, services and people throughout our state.

I’m excited about what we are doing to electrify vehicular transport and the emerging conversations about creative ways to pay for a greener transportation network. This is the time for us to make our roads as smart as these new cars using them.

I ran for this office because I wanted to hear more of our elected officials advocating for Vermont to grow. In every conversation, I am applying a lens on state policies with a critical eye on how to attract more Vermonters, more investment, more housing and more opportunity to the Green Mountains. I want to see our statewide grand list grow to broaden our tax base with 21st century infrastructure that invites more people to Vermont.

As I look forward to the second half of this biennium, I welcome your thoughts on what priorities you want senators to have. As a new legislator, I am primarily focused on learning the issues, the processes and the complex architecture of state government while offering my voice when called on and to amplify the voice of others when needed.

In my short time in this role so far, I am constantly working to educate myself on the evolving and broad issues before the Legislature. Do not hesitate to reach out to me on issues you want your representatives focused on and your reasons why.

Sen. Thomas Chittenden

South Burlington