Representative Ernie Shand read more (114 words)

01-21-2009
Rep. Ernie Shand
802-674-5021

It is now several weeks into the new session. The new Speaker of the House appointed me to the House Commerce Committee as the ranking member of the committee. We are in the process of changing the committee read more (18 words)

December 18, 2008
Representative Ernie Shand
Cavendish -Weathersfield

I would like to express my appreciation to the voters of Weathersfield and Cavendish for reelecting me to the Legislature. As your Representative, I will continue to work hard on the issues that are important to us all.

One of the most pressing topics I heard about while campaigning was what will happen to the Vermont Yankee (VY) electric generating plant. During the 2008 session, the Legislature authorized a contract for nonpartisan expertise on the issues surrounding Vermont read more (107 words)

Rep. Ernie Shand
802-674-5021
05-24-2007
The last week of the session was filled with long days and a great deal of excitement and suspense. The session adjourned about 10:30 PM on Saturday, May 12th. Then the waiting and wondering began. All the bills passed by the General Assembly have to go to the Governor. He may sign a bill into law, let the bill become law without his signature, or he may veto it. If the Governor vetoes any bills, the Legislature will return on July 11th to try to override the veto or pass compromise legislation.
One of the more important economic development bills to come from the House and Senate committees, H. 433, was sent to the Governor to be signed into law. This bill provides money for scholarships and workforce training. A compromise with this bill was reached which dealt with the source of funding for these programs. The Governor read more (2 words)

May 10, 2007

The last two weeks were the most interesting weeks for me in the five years that I have been in Montpelier. Two pieces of legislation became very important. The first was House Resolution (H.R.) 18, and the second was Senate Bill S.194. H.R. 18 urges the U.S. House of Representatives to initiate impeachment proceedings against the President and Vice President of the United States. Over three hundred Vermont residents traveled to the State House on a work day to lobby House members to ask us to vote in the affirmative, obviously demonstrating to us that this was an important issue for a great number of Vermonters. I agonized as to how to vote for two full days before I decided to cast my vote against the resolution. I feel very strongly that we don read more (63 words)

Rep. Ernie Shand
802-674-5021
05-05-06
Vermont has realized better than anticipated tax collections in April. It appears that we will not institute a gasoline tax to pay for Vermont read more (90 words)

Representative Ernie Shand

Dear Cavendish andWeathersfield Residents

This paper is my progress report to you of the current session. I hope that it finds you enjoying the longer days that late winter brings. It is still exciting to represent you in Montpelier. Your letters, e-mails, phone calls and encouragement are all very much appreciated. My assigned committee is the Committee of Commerce. As the committee title indicates, we are concerned primarily with the commerce of the state. The General Assembly normally meets Tuesday thru Friday from the first Tuesday in January until adjournment in April or May. The days are spent between taking testimony in committee, floor debate, and attending to constituent concerns.

Health Care Bill

The Health Care Affordability Act, H.861, passed the House on the last day of the session before Town Meeting (March 3rd). When we return it will be taken up by the Senate. The bill will help control the skyrocketing costs of health care in Vermont. It does this in two ways: by improving how Vermont delivers health care and by offering affordable health insurance to the uninsured.

Seventy-five percent of all health care spending in Vermont is for people with chronic disease. This is defined as any condition lasting longer than one year and requiring active management. Chronic conditions include asthma, cancer, heart disease, depression, and diabetes. H.861 would provide early and coordinated screening for these chronic conditions. It rewards doctors and providers by paying for disease management, rather than only for the treatment of illness.

When people are uninsured, it isn read more (74 words)

 Rep. Ernie Shand
 802-674-5021
 02-26-2007

The bill that has caused the most constituent mail and conversation in the General Assembly in quite a while is H.126. This bill addresses the operation of a motor vehicle while being distracted. It had its genesis when the lead sponsor read more (324 words)

Rep. Ernie Shand
802-674-5021
02-11-2007

The House Commerce Committee, to which I am assigned, is considering two bills which affect the commerce of the State.
    I recently wrote about the committee read more (18 words)

Rep. Ernie Shand
802-674-5021
02-05-2007
       The House Natural Resources and Energy Committee is currently exploring legislative opportunities for promoting renewable energy in Vermont. Last year the committee asked the Public Service Board (PSB) to expand net-metering. Net-metering is a state electricity policy where consumers (homeowners) generate electricity from small scale renewable sources, usually solar or wind. The producers plug their generation systems into the electric grid and run the meter backwards. They then can receive electricity from the grid, running the meter forward when the sun doesn read more (93 words)