House overrides Scott's pension reform veto, enacting it into law - vtdigger.org

With no discussion or debate, the Vermont House moved swiftly Friday morning to unanimously override Gov. Phil Scott’s veto of S.286, a pension reform bill brokered between public sector unions and lawmakers.

Republicans joined Independents, Democrats, and Progressives to advance the bill by a vote of 148-0. The Senate voted to override the governor’s veto — also unanimously — on Wednesday, and S.286 will now become law.

“Well...we did it!” House Speaker Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, tweeted just moments after the vote. “An incredible moment and we wouldn't be here without everyone working together to support our public employees.”

Despite vetoing the bill, which passed in all committees and in both chambers without a single ‘no’ vote, the Republican governor did not appear intent on changing the legislative outcome. Scott predicted in his veto letter that his decision would be overridden, and his administration never attempted to convince GOP lawmakers to change their votes.

“The public should know that the bill simply kicks this multi-billion dollar can down the road,” wrote Jason Maulucci, Scott’s press secretary, in an email. “In several years, when the State is forced to confront this again, the fixes will be tougher for both taxpayers and public employees because of the Legislature’s unwillingness to take necessary action this year.”

The only person to comment on the floor Friday was House Minority Leader Pattie McCoy, R-Poultney, who echoed Scott’s talking points — though she, too, voted to support the bill. Lawmakers were failing to address the pension system’s “systemic problems,” she argued, and should have included a 401(k)-style option for employees as well as a risk-sharing provision to adjust employee contributions based on pension fund performance.

“The General Assembly will be back in four or five years addressing the pension problems we think we’ve fixed. Unfortunately, the amounts of money used to shore up these pensions today will not be available tomorrow,” she said.

Unions immediately celebrated the outcome of Friday’s vote.

“When debate over the future of our public pension systems began more than a year ago, we asked a simple question of lawmakers and statewide elected officials: ‘Whose side are you on?’” said Don Tinney, president of the Vermont-National Education Association, in a written statement. “Well, this week, lawmakers told us loud and clear that they are on the side of hard-working teachers, state employees, and troopers by unanimously voting to override the governor’s misguided and cynical veto of a pension reform package devised after months of work.”

This story will be updated.

source: https://vtdigger.org/2022/05/06/house-overrides-scotts-pension-reform-veto-enacting-it-into-law/

Your content is great. However, if any of the content contained herein violates any rights of yours, including those of copyright, please contact us immediately by e-mail at media[@]kissrpr.com.