Representative George Till

                           Thoughts from the first year in Montpelier

Representative George Till can be reached by email @ gtill@leg.state.vt.us

phone:     802 899-2984

Web site: georgetillforthestatehouse.com

Donations may be made at:

George Till for the State House

c/o John LaRue, Treasurer

128 River Rd

Underhill, Vt 05489

FY2010 Budget

The Legislature’s Budget includes $59million in reductions  for FY 2010 on top of the $100million in recisions in FY2009.  TheseFY10 reductions include many difficult and painful reductions including $14.7million from state workers, $15million in Medicaid related cuts which negatively affect nursing homes, hospitals and home health agencies,   increased prescription co-pays on state health plans for low income Vermonters.   There are cuts to the Agency of Human Services totaling over $8million, the Dept. of Corrections over$2million, Agency of Natural Resources of$700,000, and $1million from the Vermont Housing  Conservation Board to list a few. 

At the same time there are marginal tax rate reductions as well as changes to capitol gains and stateincone tax deductions.   The net result  of the three together is for those making under $200,000 you will pay less tax.  For those between $200,000 and $300,000 there is a small increase ($38 at income level of $200,001).  For those over $300,000 to $499,999 there is an average increase  of $1267 and those  between $500,00 and a million dollars will pay something in the area of $3,400 extra. It is overall a very progressive tax plan.  95% of Vermonters will have lower income taxes with the legislature passed plan.

The new tax increases include additional cigarette taxesof $0.25, sales tax on hard liquor(it already exists on beer and wine) a change in capital  gains tax that will mean if you have more than $5000 in capital gains you may pay more, and a $5000 limit in the deduction for state income tax paid last year.  The new general fund taxes add up to about $21million.  In addition there is a gas tax to allow bonding to begin to repair our roads and bridges which are in desperate need of help after years of neglect.

The biggest difference between the Governor’s approach and the legislature is that the Governor would move the responsibility for the teachers’ retirement, which has been funded since 1940 from the general fund, to the Education fund for FY10.  This would result in a significant property tax increase in our towns starting this July.  He suggests that there wouldn’t have to be a property tax increase if the school boards would just spend less.   He seems oblivious to the fact that school budgets are set, most contracts are signed and taxpayers already approved budgets with certain expectations about the level of property taxes. The Governor would also reduce the income level cap for property tax income sensitivity from$90,000 to $76,000, increasing property taxes for 13,000 Vermont families.  The range of increase would be from $600 to $8000. 

The Governor has said that the legislature’s plan will leave a $67million deficit in FY2011.  Can you guess where $59million of this comes from?  That’s right, it is the FY11 obligation for the teachers’ retirement which has simply shifted into the Education fund and onto property taxes.  The actual difference is only $8million between the Governor’s and legislature’s plan for FY11.  The obligation for teachers’ retirement in FY12 is projected at up to $100million.  What will that do to property taxes? The teacher retirement fund has been underfunded from the general fund for 20 years.  Why should the burden for that underfunding now fall primarily onto those who are property owners rather than all Vermonters?

The companion bill passed by the legislature removes the retroactive portion of the capital gains taxes and exempts loggers and farmers to the same level as current law.  It returns funding for broadband development, allows business research and development tax credits forFY11 to stimulate business, and addresses the unemployment insurance fund shortfall.  

Spending of state dollars has decreased  5% between the FY09 and the newly passed FY10 budgets.  There are additional expenditures in the budget for FY10 that are federal stimulus dollars, being used for exactly the purpose they were intended.  They are to backfill state revenue shortfalls and to prevent massive layoffs and prolongation of the recession.

As always I appreciate your emails and your thoughts.  I hope this answers some of your doubts about what the legislature has actually passed.  Everyone will not agree with the approach, but shifting huge burden onto only those who own property in the state is far worse.  I believe the legislature made many difficult  choices  balancing  budget cuts and needed revenue, while giving 95% of Vermonters lower income taxes.  

Thanks for your support,

Best wishes,

george

    Impressions from my first year in the Vermont  Legislature

      It was an eventful year in the Vermont Legislature.  Landmark legislation on issues such as renewable energy, same sex marriage, sex offender laws, pharmaceutical marketing restrictions, Yankee Nuclear decommissioning fund legislation, the palliative care bill, and budget controversies were all front page stories.  Anyone suggesting nothing got done in Montpelier this year clearly wasn’t fully conscious. 

      Veto overrides of the same sex marriage bill and budget bill added both drama and history.  I’ve been told that in the prior 214 years of the Vermont Legislature there were a total of six previous veto overrides. Both this year were by the slimmest of margins, with a number of republicans, Progressives, and the majority of Democrats supporting same sex marriage, and every Progressive and Democrat  but no Republicans supporting the budget override. 

      Beyond the indelible impressions of these events many other things stand out.  I remain impressed by the dedication and thoughtfulness of members from all parties.  The depth and breadth of understanding by legislators is remarkable.   I remain impressed that about 85% of bills come out of committee with unanimous votes, showing the high level of compromise and cooperation that marks the vast majority of the committee work.  The partisanship one reads about in the papers largely occurs in the context of the floor debates but is rarely seen in committee work where the heaving lifting is really done.

      While I expected a certain amount of tension among the parties, what I hadn’t understood is how much disagreement occurs between the House and Senate.  Both have heavy Democratic majorities, and despite leaders working closely together, the same bill looks very different when it emerges from the separate bodies.    This frequently leads to a Committee of Conference involving 3 senators and 3 house members.  If those members can agree the report must be approved by both Senate and House with no amendments.  There can be no additions, no deletions.  This obviously places enormous power in the hands of a few members since both bodies have already signaled they want the legislation in question. 

     Other  legislation that I worked on  this year included an increase in cigarette taxes, an expanded state purchasing pool for vaccines to provide more vaccinations for the same expenditure, legislation that should lead to  improved treatment for strokes,  increased access to treatment for sexually transmitted disease, a reduction  to $100 in out of pocket costs for colonoscopy and many others. 

      I’ve included below my thoughts on the budget controversy and information about S.48 the Bill restricting pharmaceutical marketing on the Health Care Page of this site. 

     As always I’d like to express my gratitude to the voters of Bolton, Jericho, and Underhill for allowing me to represent them in  Montpelier. 

                                       george  

  Thoughts from my first eight weeks in Montpelier

My first 8 weeks in the Vermont Legislature have been exciting and enlightening.  I have been extremely impressed at the dedication and thoughtfulness of the Legislators.  In the House, we are assigned to only one committee.  As the only physician in the Legislature it’s not surprising  that I have been assigned to the Committee on Health Care.  I have also been appointed to Vermont’s Health Care Reform Commission.  For more on health care please see the  page titled “Health Care”.

What has surprised me is that with all the work done in committees,  about 85% of Bills emerge from committee with unanimous votes.  I have also been surprised by the sheer number of Bills and Resolutions which can number nearly 1000 per year.  Most Bills will not be considered and Committee Chairman have a large amount of discretion in this regard.  About 200 Bills will be passed in most years.  For a list of Bills I have sponsored see the page titled  “Other Issues”.

Two things have disappointed me.  The first is the level of partisanship on the House Floor.  Something about the Floor debate, the TV cameras rolling, and VPR streaming the action seems to bring on a different tone and atmosphere.  The second is the level of resistance to good policies because of relatively narrow self interests. 

Much of the work to this point has been related to our budgetary shortfall.  Both upward pressures on State programs and dramatically reduced revenues have contributed.  The Federal stimulus package has largely helped with 2009 shortfalls.  For FY2010 after including the stimulus money there still appears to be a $92 million shortfall.  There are competing proposals by the Governor and the Legislative Leaders to deal with this crisis.  Both proposals include spending cuts, stimulus money, and new revenues.  Both propose about 28million in cuts. 

The Governor proposes cutting 660 additional state jobs to save about $14million and additional programmatic cuts to save the remainder.  Before the proposal,  the Governor’s staff made no request of the State Employees’ Unions to consider altering contracts to save the money.   He proposes a shift of $40million of teacher retirement liability, both current liability as well as past underfunding to the education fund to be raised by property taxes.  He requests another $23million from the Education Fund to pay for pre kindergarten education and funding for Vermont’s colleges and Universities.  The proposed alternative to raising property taxes was an 11^th hour proposal, 4 months after school boards had started working on budgets, and proposed the very week our budget needed to be approved to meet warning deadlines for Town Meeting.  The proposal was to scrap 4 months of  budget work and level fund budgets on a per pupil basis, requiring massive programmatic cuts.   

The Legislative Leaders spending cuts looked to save nearly the same amount from State employees by contract alterations without adding an additional 660 people to our unemployment rolls.  They look to a temporary increase in income tax on high earners, additional revenue from other broad based taxes and about $5million additional from property taxes. 

Projects I have been working on include H.24, related to colorectal cancer screening.  See more on the page titled “Health Care”.   I have proposed an increase in cigarette taxes as a way to reduce teen smoking,  a fee on junk foods and soda to begin to fight the obesity epidemic , and a Bill to allow each town to apply a local options sales tax, the proceeds of which will be used to reduce property taxes.  See a full list of Bills sponsored on the page titled “other issues”.

Finally, and most importantly, I want to thank the citizens of Bolton, Jericho, and Underhill for allowing me to represent you in Vermont’s Legislature.

                                           george

Announcement of Candidacy

George Till MD, resident of Jericho for 20  years, has announced that he will run for the Vermont State Legislature representing Bolton, Jericho, and Underhill, in the seat vacated by House Speaker Gaye Symington .

George believes state government needs to be more responsive to citizens.  He believes  affordable health care for all Vermonters is achievable.  He believes excellence in public education is vital to progress in Vermont. He believes in equitable funding for schools along with responsible cost containment.  George believes we must find ways to make living in the state more affordable for working  and retired Vermonters.

George has practiced medicine in Chittenden County for 20 years.  He is an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at The University of Vermont College of Medicine.  He has served on the Mt. Mansfield Union School Board for 12 years, and is currently vice chairman of both the board and the Chittenden East Executive Committee.  George serves as the chair of the Finance Committee as well as the ad hoc Committee on Food Services.  In 1995 George founded and for 12  years coached, along with Dave Richiedei,  the Mt. Mansfield Youth Lacrosse program.  George has stated, “I am looking forward to speaking with each voter in the district prior to election day to hear their thoughts and concerns.”

George can be contacted by:

     email:  gtill@leg.state.vt.us

     Phone: 899-2984

     Web Site:  georgetillforthestatehouse.com

Donations may be made to: 

     George Till for the State House 

     John LaRue, Treasurer 

     128 River Road

     Underhill, Vt. 05489