In the final days of this legislative session, I am filled with gratitude for the opportunity to serve in the Vermont House of Representatives these past four years.
I will not be seeking reelection as it is now time for me (turning 70 next month) to focus on other aspects of my life, including new artistic projects.
Most powerfully, I learned from so many as they shared lived experiences and traumas of surviving poverty, incarceration, addiction and discrimination. Visiting with women involved in the criminal justice system and folks living in homeless encampments was profound, life-changing indeed, as I worked with fellow legislators to create more equitable policies.
My committee work had a diverse portfolio. In any given month, we grappled with amending alcoholic beverage laws and updating statutes to reflect the current roles and duties of the Vermont National Guard to allocating tens of millions of dollars expanding affordable housing for unhoused and low-income Vermonters.
Emotional victories included renaming Columbus Day as Indigenous Peoples’ Day and working on a eugenics apology to all Vermonters and their families who were harmed because of state-sanctioned policies and practices. Apologies are insufficient, so a Truth and Reconciliation Commission was proposed to investigate systemic discrimination caused or permitted by state laws and policies and to propose legislative or administrative actions to remedy the effects on affected communities.
My regrets include the Legislature failing to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour and not overriding governor’s veto on paid family and medical leave in my first biennium.
The biggest disappointment was being unable to get a bill passed to improve the quality and increase the number of recovery beds throughout the state. Advocates worked at cross-purposes, and we could not come to consensus on a path forward despite overdose deaths at an all-time high.
My tenure coincided with the infusion of billions of dollars of federal Covid-relief funds to rebuild our social, economic and civic lives, including business and creative sector recovery; schools and universities; extended unemployment; keeping people housed with rental, mortgage,and property tax arrearages subsidies; and providing food to our communities as well as sheltering the homeless in hotels.
I am proud to be part of the deliberate process to support workforce development, child care, broadband buildout and infrastructure needs, climate policies, and resolving pension liabilities for educators and state workers. Balanced budgets providing tax relief and addressing the fraying societal safety net were delivered.
Some actions seem prescient in hindsight. Four years ago, we initiated the process of amending the state Constitution guaranteeing women’s reproductive freedom. Vermont voters will now decide in November on this very timely issue. As well, a bill banning the LGBTQ panic defense in court cases, passed in May 2021, came into high relief with the tragic murder of transwoman Fern Feather last month.
As my public service ends, I offer some reflections for the General Assembly. Current compensation of approximately $20,000 is not sustainable for diverse representation, skewing the demographics. Term limits would further expand participation.
Legislative protocols and hierarchies are moribund with tradition and need to evolve to reflect current-day realities. And to my colleagues in both the House and Senate, I urge all to listen without telling, question without judgment, believe without doubt, and speak with humility.
Often when visitors are acknowledged during floor sessions, we ask the Speaker to welcome guests to the “People’s House.” As we invite the public into the “People’s House,” remember it’s theirs, not ours. Maddeningly, people who use wheelchairs cannot access public seating in the balcony or at the back of the well of the House. I have more than once flinched when hearing the invocation to welcome all while excluding some.
And representation matters. Museums curate and contextualize collections, as should the Statehouse. Although we formally apologized last year for the Eugenics 1931 bill, “An Act for Human Betterment for Voluntary Sterilization,” the portrait of Governor Wilson, who signed this bill into law, still hangs on the wall.
Furthermore, look more closely at the art exhibited throughout the building. All Vermonters do not see their lived histories portrayed in the corridors. Laudably, a newly commissioned portrait of Alexander Twilight, Vermont’s first state legislator of African descent, was unveiled last week.
Finally, serving as a part-time citizen legislator has been indeed an honor and privilege. As someone whose professional career had been in the arts, these four years have been transformational. I learned so much and tried to contribute as best I could.
Working on behalf of neighbors has been such a gift. I appreciate my constituents’ belief and support. Thank you.