Week Six in the Statehouse started off strong for AGC-VT, with Tom Loyer of Engineers Construction, Inc. joining me in the House Transportation Committee Tuesday afternoon to introduce ourselves to key lawmakers who write the state's transportation legislation — including, perhaps most importantly, the annual transportation budget that funds so much of your work. You can watch the testimony here. Tom provided the on-the-ground expertise that helped lawmakers understand what you are all up against: labor shortages, high materials costs, economic headwinds, etc. We diplomatically got the message across that Vermont's Agency of Transportation can and should be a good, stable, communicative partner with our members. I closed the hearing on the note that we hope to see lawmakers stabilize the transportation fund, which is consistently underperforming, thanks in part to declining gas tax revenues and other state expenses skimming off the top of the T-fund. The committee was receptive to our message and especially appreciated hearing directly from a member; several reached out to me afterward to sing Tom's praises. Bravo!

 

Midweek, your AGC-VT lobbying team attended a fundraiser for House Democrats to once again send the message that we will work across the political divide in order to deliver results for our members. Attached to this email you'll find a photo of Richard with House Speaker Jill Krowinski as proof that he doesn't burst into flames when he makes direct eye contact with a Democrat.

At that very event, Krowinski said in a speech that House Democrats are still focused on delivering policy wins on housing, healthcare, and education reform. On that first issue, — housing — however, Democrats in either chamber have yet to introduce bill language that attempts to make changes to Vermont's housing policy beyond what was done in 2023's HOME Act or 2024's Act 181. AGC-VT is still pushing legislators to take action on housing this year; simply put, the housing crisis is not solved, and Act 181 does not extend Act 250 exemptions long enough for contractors to make a meaningful dent in our housing shortage.

 

To drive that point home, we closed the week with some fantastic testimony from member Kevin Moyer of Vermont Frames to the House General and Housing Committee. Watch here. Kevin speaks so well to the challenges that contractors face when they're trying to build housing in this state — from the arduous burdens of Act 250, to the legal limbo that can be the appeals process, to the sheer cost of building. Again, I immediately heard great feedback from committee members about how much they learned from and appreciated Kevin's testimony. My takeaway this week: When our members talk to legislators, they listen. Let's keep it up.