Blog

Happy New Year!

The news was dark this morning, and in the first week of the new year, I must think of it as the darkness before birth. I must look for the light within. This holiday season I revelled in my Hannukah candles, I lit candles at solstice, and Christmas, and New Years Eve, and then last night, I lit candles again. We must light the flames we want to see, right?

The session starts on Tuesday January 7th and we’re all getting ready. Packing bags, organizing calendars, and lining up final details of legislation. There is much anticipation and uncertainty about what will take flight and what bills will be ground down by the wheels of deliberation.

It’s been an incredible “off season”— so many powerful conversations about how to make Vermont work better— to be for us and by us. I’m proud to be returning, with the fire of the season in my belly and each of your stories in my heart to fight for our community.

In the first weeks of the session we’ll likely finish passing Family Medical Leave and Minimum Wage Increases, and overturn the Governor’s veto of our Toxic’s Medical Monitoring bill, and then the focus will turn back to committee work. In Commerce and Economic Development, I’m looking forward to progress on student loans, increasing wages, protecting consumers and workers, and expanding access to child care.

Outside of committee I’m putting much of my attention to creating an Office of Child Advocate, and moving forward on Brattleboro’s proposals towards Limited Self-Governance and the Youth Vote.

In alliance with my colleagues I’ll champion the Rural Economy, Organized Labor, Climate Justice, and Women’s Rights— more to come on the details and signature issues of each.

Yours in solidarity and excitement, Emilie