June 21, 2009
(Burlington, Vt.) Gov. Jim Douglas addressed a large gathering of Vermont business leaders, lawyers and other DRM employees at the DRM Leadership Forum on June 9 in Burlington. The governor opened with remarks expressing his disappointment in the budget that was crafted and passed by the legislature, in spite of his veto, a first in the history of Vermont. The budget, Douglas said, relied too heavily on federal stimulus money and did not address projected budgetary shortfalls in future years, but he pledged to “put his best foot forward” for the good of Vermonters.
Focusing on other hot-button issues, the governor said that, while having a school in every community is a Vermont tradition, it deserves some scrutiny. In addition, he stated that there needs to be a connection between the teachers’ pension obligation, which is a state budget item, and local school budgets.
Douglas said that he is troubled by the legislature’s “encroachment into the prerogative of the executive branch” by adding legislators to boards and committees that have traditionally been appointed by the executive branch, and he is perplexed by the legislature’s approach to Vermont Yankee’s license renewal, when “the world is looking to nuclear power” as a low-emissions solution to meet energy needs.
The governor stated that a high tax burden, which correlates to the state’s “most generous human services budget in America” and regulation are two major problems that hinder Vermont.
Bright spots, Douglas said, include Canadian companies that want a foothold in the U.S. and Vermont, the bioscience alliance, environmental engineering, alternative energy technology, captive insurance and strong higher education institutions and hospitals. He added that the transportation and Medicaid portions of the federal stimulus package are already making a difference in the state, but that other initiatives are moving slowly at the federal level. He stated that his administration is “ready to go” with competitive smart grid and health IT proposals.
The next DRM Leadership Forum is scheduled for September 14. Sen. Ginny Lyons, a state senator since 2000 and chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee since 2002, and Rep. Tony Klein, a member of the House of Representatives since 2003 and chair of the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee beginning this year, will be the featured guests.
Photo, from left: John Murphy, Regional Vice President, American Insurance Association; Jay Thayer, Vice President - Nuclear Operations, Entergy Nuclear, Inc.; Pat Morse, Vice President - Regulatory Affairs, FairPoint Communications, Inc.
