Healthy Skepticism Library item: 15610

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Publication type: news

Barlow D.
Key legislation awaits lawmakers as they aim to adjourn today
Times Argus.com 2009 May 9
http://www.timesargus.com/article/20090509/NEWS01/905090330/1002/NEWS01

Full text:

Lawmakers left late Friday evening without resolving key pieces of legislation, including the 2010 budget, a sex offender bill and a major economic development proposal.

Now they hope to wrap up the legislative session Saturday.

House lawmakers stopped working shortly before 10 p.m., about 90 minutes after the Vermont Senate – which moved through a series of bills faster than their colleagues in the other chamber – called it quits for the day.

House Speaker Shap Smith, D-Morristown, told members that lawmakers were close to a deal on the sex offender registry bill, but discussions would continue. He said Saturday’s schedule will include votes on the budget bill and the economic development bill, starting at 10 a.m.

“I’m sorry that we aren’t finished today,” Smith told weary lawmakers, adding that he hoped to finally adjourn late Saturday afternoon. “But I believe tomorrow will be the final day.”

Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin, D-Windham, told his colleagues that conference committees would continue negotiations Saturday morning and the full Senate would convene before 1 p.m. to continue work.

“My expectation is that we will be here tomorrow night,” Shumlin told lawmakers.

The Senate passed a $4.5 billion spending plan for the next fiscal year late Thursday evening, but House lawmakers did not take up the bill Friday as negotiations between the Legislature and the administration of Gov. James Douglas continued – although there were few signs that the two sides were close to agreement.

As one of their final orders of the evening Friday, House lawmakers voted 137-4 to approve a pharmaceutical marketing ban bill. The body passed the bill earlier in the week, but the Vermont Senate made some changes to the bill Friday afternoon, sending the legislation through both chambers for a second time.

The new version of the bill excludes free drug samples given to doctors by the pharmaceutical companies from reporting requirements, based on concerns expressed by House Republicans that revealing the data could make some doctors targets of drug thieves.

“This bill still represents significant progress in controlling drug marketing in our state,” said Rep. Dick Marek, D-Newfane, who added that he preferred the stronger version of the bill advanced by the House earlier this week.