Friends of Jason

Tough Budget Ahead

2009-10-29T10:33:00.008-04:00

We have tough choices ahead of us for the coming budget. Below is an opinion piece written by the chair of Vermont's House Appropriations, which is where the budget is created.

Jason

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Vermont Values and Sustainable Budgets

by Rep. Martha Heath (D)

In June, the Vermont Legislature passed, over the Governor’s veto, a balanced budget. This budget was built on the values that Vermonters elected us to reflect; responsibility, concern for our neighbors, and shared sacrifice.

Both the legislature and the governor faced a $90M general fund shortfall. While each of us proposed solutions to this shortfall, our solutions differed from the Governor’s.

Our balanced budget was built on the principle that in difficult economic times everyone must be part of the solution. We cut budgets for the people who rely on state services. We asked state worker to contribute. We asked Vermonters making over $250,000 to share in the required sacrifice by paying more in taxes. We were also able to make investments in creating jobs and providing a tax cut for middle class Vermonters. In the end we made sure Vermonters were getting value for their tax dollars.

The Governor’s approach was different. He asked the poor, the sick and seniors to bear most of the burden and asked nothing of wealthy Vermonters. He also asked property tax payers to shoulder more burden. He relied heavily on shifting the cost of teachers’ retirement to the property tax, effectively raising property taxes for all Vermonters.

The legislature’s values led them to conclude that sharing the pain was a better solution. We solved the same problem the administration solved with its budget proposal; we just chose to solve it DIFFERENTLY.

The Governor and his advocates like to say our budget is not sustainable. To some degree they are right. Next year’s state budget would have been easier to create under the Governor’s plan because your property taxes would have been higher. We agreed that education has to contribute to the solution but didn’t feel that higher property taxes were the right solution.

The Governor also seems to question the use of federal stimulus money (often referred to as ARRA money) sent to the states by the federal government to ease the pain in this difficult time. While there will be difficult decisions to be made when this money runs out, it seems irresponsible not to let Vermonters benefit from the opportunity created by this federal money. There are roads and bridges all over Vermont being repaired by this money and workers that would otherwise be unemployed had we not spent this money wisely. Does it make any sense to deny Vermonters this opportunity?

Vermont faces an extremely difficult challenge in building budgets for the next few years. Make no mistake, the budget that will finally pass next year will cause a lot of pain. We are facing an $80M “hole” and an even larger one when the ARRA funds run out in the following year. Things we value as a state will be cut or reduced in scope. People who depend on the state for services will suffer.

Ultimately, the real questions will be who bears the pain and what values will the budget reflect. Vermonters need to engage in the conversation and let both the governor and their legislators know what they value most as budget season approaches in order to build this very difficult budget in the best way possible.

Justice Reinvestment -- progress

2009-07-18T14:30:00.000-04:00

John Perry, from the VT Department of Corrections (DOC) is a guest on my TV show, "Correcting Corrections." In this 50 minute interview, he notes the progress Vermont has made with a program designed to save the state money by finding alternatives to prison for non-violent offenders.

During this interview, we also discuss why VT's DOC estimates that only 4% of crimes result in incarceration.

This taping was set at DemocracyFest, a national annual conference of progressive advocates and activists, held this year in South Burlington.

Click on the photo above, or link here:

http://www.cctv.org/node/78925

Marriage: let's just say "Congratulations"

2009-08-31T11:07:00.000-04:00

Marriage equality will be legal in Vermont on Sept. 1, 2009.

Vermont was the first state in the nation whose Legislature stood up and said yes to same-sex marriage.

Click here for the speech I gave.

Thank you to Vermont Freedom to Marry for capturing this teary moment.

Thank you to Rep. Kathy Pellet for the hug here (and photographer Karen Pike).

Jay Leno vs. Jason Lorber

2007-04-14T22:36:00.001-04:00

Seven Days had an interesting spin on my hosting the TV show "Correcting Corrections." They uh..."compared me" to Jay Leno. Check out the first sentence in this article: here.

My advice to Senator Al Franken

2009-07-06T15:54:00.005-04:00

Congressional Quarterly just interviewed me about Al Franken becoming a Senator tomorrow.

Here's part of what I said:

My advice to comedian Franken is to remember that while he may be the funniest one at the club (and he is, I love Al Franken), he'll never be as funny as the chair of his committee. Especially if he wants to get the last laugh.

I've also had colleagues complain to me when I've spoken on the floor or in committee, "Jason, I heard what you had to say, and I was very disappointed. You weren't funny."

Click here for the full story.

Press Release -- Rep. Lorber & Rep. Bray

2009-06-22T09:38:00.001-04:00

Vermont’s Farm-to-Plate Law Lands National Spotlight

Rep. Lorber & Rep. Bray to be Featured

Vermont leads the way, yet again. The national spotlight will soon fall on the new “Farm-to-Plate” initiative, which aims to strengthen the “Buy Local” movement in Vermont.

Several hundred politicians, funders, and policy experts around the country will be listening to two Vermont State Representatives on Monday, June 29 through a national webinar. The principal architects of Vermont’s new law, Rep. Jason P. Lorber (D-Burlington) and Rep. Christopher Bray (D-New Haven) will share insights of how they developed their program, which leverages federal stimulus funds designed to create new jobs in Vermont.

“Farm-to-Plate is a prime example of how to stimulate the economy in a socially responsible way,” said Lorber, who serves on the VT House Commerce & Economic Development Committee. “We designed Farm-to-Plate to not only spur the Buy Local movement and create jobs, but also to strengthen the environment and Vermont’s farms and working landscape.”

“While Vermont is a strong agricultural state, we still purchase 97% of our food from out of state at an annual cost of $2.6 billion,” said Bray, who serves on the VT House Agriculture Committee. “As we rebuild our food system, we will not only keep more food dollars in Vermont and strengthen our farm economy, but because these dollars circulate locally, we will also strengthen our entire rural economy.”

The Farm-to-Plate Initiative will bolster Vermont’s local food system by quantifying market potential and pin-pointing critical bottlenecks, especially infrastructure needs and distribution systems. The Strategic Food System Plan, which will be one of the main deliverables from this initiative during its first year, will help determine where future investments should be made, thereby producing more jobs and agricultural economic activity.

“Buying whole local foods also delivers health benefits,” continued Bray. “In the long run, the economic value of the health benefits to Vermonters may exceed the agricultural value.”

The webinar is being coordinated by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s “Leadership for Healthy Communities.” This program focuses on increasing access to healthy foods and spurring economic investment.

The one-hour June 29, 2009 webinar at noon is open to all. See posting above for connection details.

To craft and pass the Farm-to-Plate bill into law, Lorber and Bray worked with their respective committees, dozens of legislators, and Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, Rural Vermont, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, and other regional and state food groups throughout Vermont.

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Farm-to-Plate Gains National Spotlight!

2009-06-23T15:00:00.016-04:00

Vermont leads the way, yet again. The national spotlight will soon fall on the new “Farm-to-Plate” initiative, which aims to strengthen the “Buy Local” movement in Vermont.

Several hundred politicians, funders, and policy experts around the country will be learning about this successful legislation through a national webinar.

Click HERE to join the webinar on Monday, June 29, 2009 at noon EST, or log onto https://rwjf.webex.com/rwjf/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=576340765.

Co-authors of this legislation, Rep. Jason P. Lorber (D-Burlington) and Rep. Christopher Bray (D-New Haven) will share how we developed their program which leverages federal stimulus funds designed to create new jobs in Vermont, and also all of the many players who were involved in this effort.

If you don't have internet, you can also call into the webinar (you just won't get to see our fabulous PowerPoint presentation) at 866-469-3239, and enter access code 576-340-765#. If you use this method, the conference organizers at the Robert Wood Foundation request that you email them (or me and I'll pass it along), your contact information so that they can keep tabs on who's interested in this information.

VT #1 in Insurance (again)

2009-05-18T16:21:00.005-04:00

Vermont was named the #1 state for insurance, for the second year in a row, according to a report from the Heartland Institute.

Sexy stuff, right?

Well, yes, if you think lower taxes are sexy. Insurance companies are a big industry in Vermont, especially in captive markets (that's basically companies who self-insure). And that means big tax revenues for Vermont (which means lower taxes for the rest of Vermonters). We all win.

Which is why we passed legislation this year that bolsters the insurance industry. That's another way that the Legislature is making Vermont better for business.

Get out & push!

2009-06-03T19:11:00.006-04:00

On June 2, 2009, history was made.

It was the first time that the governor of the state of Vermont ever vetoed a budget. It was quite a disappointment. Negotiations broke down, and a compromise couldn't be reached.

But I joined with more than 2/3 of the House and Senate in over-riding the Governor's veto.

The way I see it, we're all in the family car, out of gas, and we must make it up the hill. Everyone pushes, even Grandma. That's what the budget we passed does.

Some opponents of this approach say that Buddy, the strongest person in the car, shouldn't be asked to help, because he might defect to New Hampshire.

I say that the rule is, "Less whining, more pushing."

Save VT's Car Dealers!

2009-05-01T17:08:00.004-04:00

Vermont car dealers need help. Ten failed this year, and only 88 remain.

I'm working with my committee on a bill that will protect them from the Big Manufacturers.

The bill is S.51 and it looks likely to pass next week. Keep your fingers crossed...!

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Update: May 8 -- the bill passed two days ago and was sent to the Governor for his signature (which is widely expected). Below are links to two articles on the subject:

Free Press: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20090508/BUSINESS/905080303/Bill+would+aid+Vermont+auto+dealers

Times Argus:
http://www.timesargus.com/article/20090506/NEWS/905069997/1002/NEWS01

New Year's Resolutions

2008-01-15T17:03:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!

I have many resolutions this year, including spending more time with Max (who’s now 19-months old), making more movies, doing more standup comedy, and finding time (somehow!) to ski at least a few days this winter.

Politically, I’m working on many issues. And one of my big legislative resolutions is to pass a bill that accomplishes three things: (1) make Vermont communities safer, (2) save taxpayer dollars (particularly on prison expenses), and (3) encourage alternatives to incarceration for many of our locked up Vermonters. Doing all three at once will be the jackpot, not only because of making such measures politically successful, but also because all three goals go hand-in-hand.

What many people don't realize is that putting more people in jail doesn't necessarily make us safer. That's partly because most of the people in prison get out. The vast majority only serve a year or two. And more than half of them end up back in prison within three years of getting released.

What we do not need is repeat "customers" for our prisons. Instead, let's find a way to get to the root causes of why so many of them continually commit crimes. For many of them, it's related to an alcohol or drug addiction that they have.

New laws and community programs will save us all money in the long run, and will make Vermont a better, safer, and more humane place to live.

Last week was the first one for the Legislature, which runs Jan. to May, give or take a couple of weeks. Campaign finance reform and renewable energy are among many hot issues to watch out for.

Hemp

2008-02-09T16:30:00.001-05:00

I was proud to be a co-sponsor of the Hemp bill, H.267, which just passed the House of Representatives last week with tri-partisan support.

Now before you get too excited, please realize that this bill does not legalize marijuana. That's a common misconception. Instead, it calls for allowing production of industrial hemp.

Industrial hemp is not marijuana. In fact, you'd have to smoke several HUNDRED pounds of hemp to get a buzz.

The bill we passed simply says that farmers should be allowed to benefit from the production of hemp, once the Federal Government gives the go-ahead.

Will the Feds do that? My crystal ball is agnostic on that one. But the more states that standup to paranoia and misunderstanding, the more likely it will happen.

So, we took that first step forward. And perhaps once again, Vermont will lead the country.

Remember the Children

2008-02-10T21:14:00.001-05:00

What happens to a child when Dad or Mom is incarcerated? Do children get to see their parents? What if the parents are sent out-of-state to serve their time? Who cares for the children? Who pays for the care of the children? And what rights do the children have?

Those were some of the questions that were asked last fall at an overflowing conference in Vermont that focused on the needs of children of incarcerated parents.

This week, I'll be presenting three bills that I've authored, one on my own, and two with Rep. Sandy Haas (P-Rochester). Those bills H.734, H.735, and H.736, together with S.253 from Senators Miller, Condos, and Snelling are being called the "Remember the Children" legislation.

Remember the Children legislation calls upon key governmental agencies to focus on the needs of children when parents are arrested, sentenced, and imprisoned. One of the bills calls for a Children's Bill of Rights. The goal is to spark a discussion and find solutions that address the needs of these unintended victims of crime.

Click here for a news article that today discussed this important issue.

More Education for Offenders

2008-02-18T18:57:00.012-05:00

It’s not just a coincidence. Over 90% of young male adults who are in prison have no high school education. Here in Vermont, we’re currently doing something about that and thanks to pending legislation (H.135), we may soon be doing even more.

First, some background. Did you know that the Community High School of Vermont (CHSVT) is the state’s largest high school? Last year CHSVT became the nation’s first prison-based school to become accredited. That was a big deal. But it’s a bigger deal that offenders who get an education have lower recidivism levels. That's why we need more educational programming in our prisons.

Our committee hopes to pass a bill that mandates education for incarcerated men and women without a high school diploma until their 26th birthday (current law says up to their 23rd birthday). For those housed in Vermont prisons, they'll be required to attend CHSVT. For Vermont's inmates who are housed in other states (due to overcrowding), they'll be required to attend classes if such classes are offered (which aren't as good as schooling in Vermont, but it's still much better than no schooling).

The cost for all of this? Either nothing or a negligible amount, says the Department of Corrections (DOC), because we’ve already got the staff – adding the students is free or practically free. With more education, DOC believes that these offenders will be more successful reintegrating into society and getting jobs, and we’ll all benefit from that.

Fresh Milk in Vermont

2008-03-17T14:03:00.006-04:00

The House of Representatives will vote this week on H.616, a bill I co-sponsored that would allow unpateurized milk to flow more freely in Vermont.

If passed, this law will milk the trend toward buying local, foster more neighborly contact, help Vermont's small farms, and preserve a great way of life here in Vermont.

Plus, it will make cows happier (well, at least they'll be selling their milk for more).

The Gay Tax

2008-04-15T12:01:00.002-04:00

Oh, hadn't you heard of the Gay Tax? It's one of the casualities of not having marriage equality for gay men and lesbians. To hear a commentary about the Gay Tax that I aired, click here:

Vermont Public Radio

Nuclear Decommissioning

2008-04-24T13:38:00.003-04:00

Today the House passed S.373. I was proud to vote for this bill, which is a vote to protect Vermonters in the event that the Vermont Yankee nuclear will be decommissioned.

Now, it's up to the Governor to act.

It Passed!

2008-05-31T11:25:00.003-04:00

Legislation that I’ve been working on for the past three years became law this month.

It’s a prison reform measure that will save millions of dollars for Vermonters, improve community safety, and avert us from sending hundreds of inmates out of state (and our dollars with them).

It's been heralded as one of the defining pieces of legislation for the year. As it should be, especially given the context of Vermont's crime and prison outlook.

Vermont has a low and declining rate of crime, yet we continue to lock up more and more people, many for non-violent offenses. Despite the countless studies that demonstrate more cost-effective ways to deal with crime, Vermont government still needlessly spends tens of millions of dollars in added costs each year. But that’s going to start changing in a dramatic way. The new law, called Justice Reinvestment, will provide more alternatives to incarceration than we currently have by investing in drug and alcohol treatment programs, transitional housing, and community-based solutions.

It aims to reduce recidivism -- known as repeat customers to the prison system -- and is estimated to save, in reduced prison costs alone, $50-to-$200 million dollars over ten years. That’s some long-term planning and benefits that are well overdo. Justice Reinvestment seed money will come from the reorganization ofour prisons. The savings produced from Justice Reinvestment plus the prison reorganization savings will fuel not only further investments inalternatives to incarceration, it will provide tens of millions ofdollars left over to benefit tax-payers.

The key to the success of this effort stemmed from how we approached it from the get-go. Knowing that there were potential political landmines, we started out by involving not only all three political parties in Vermont, but also by involving all three branches of government --judicial, executive, and legislative. That’s extremely unusual inVermont. The end-result was a comprehensive bill that had overwhelming support.

Investing in alternatives to incarceration for non-violent offenders will not only save us millions, it will also make our communities safer.

Lorber Named 2008 Public Official of the Year

2008-10-22T12:21:00.002-04:00

REP. LORBER NAMED PUBLIC OFFICIAL OF THE YEAR
BY VERMONT SOCIAL WORKERS

Lorber, Other Award Winners to be Honored at Annual Conference

Oct. 22, 2008 -- Montpelier, VT -- Rep. Jason P. Lorber (D-Burlington) was named 2008 Public Official of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers -- Vermont Chapter (NASW-VT), for his work on behalf of children whose parents are sent to prison.

In addition to Lorber's award, NASW-VT also recognized Ellen Fein, a licensed clinical social worker in Montpelier, as Social Worker of the Year, and Mark Hage, with the Vermont Education Association, as Public Citizen of the Year for his leadership and the work of the Vermont Campaign for Healthcare Security and Education Fund in expanding access to state-supported health insurance programs for all Vermonters.

"In these troubling economic times, the role and perspective of social workers are increasingly important," said Rilla Murray, executive director of the NASW-VT. "We particularly appreciate of the leadership of Rep. Jason Lorber, Ellen Fein, and Mark Hage and the Vermont Campaign. Each has supported the values of the social work profession, served the cause of social justice and provided inspiration to others in meeting challenges.”

"When parents are sent to jail, we have a moral responsibility to minimize the harm done to their children," said Lorber. "Those kids need to know that they did nothing wrong. We need to know that, too. And we need to take action."

Lorber worked closely with Director of Kids-A-Part Tara Graham, Rep. Sandy Hass (P-Rochester), and other key legislators on bills dubbed "Remember the Children" legislation. Lorber's leadership was critical in passing a new law in 2008 that requires the Vermont Department of Corrections to investigate how many thousands of Vermont children are affected by their parents' incarceration, and calls upon several agencies to recommend safeguards and improvements.

What about the kids, when parents are arrested?

2009-04-19T21:03:00.004-04:00

It wasn't planned.

But when I testified last week in the House of Representatives about a bill protecting children when their parents are arrested, a voice from the back of room spoke up. It was an 18-year-old Girl Scout, who happened to be there to visit the State House on an unrelated matter.

She asked, "Do you want to hear from the voice of a child?"

The Chairwoman of the committee was surprised, but invited her to speak. And so she did, saying that she hadn't planned to tell her story for the first time in public, no less here to the Legislature.

Bravely, with great force and candor, she articlulated clearly the toll it took upon her when her father had been arrested when she was seven years old. Her testimony was not only very moving, it was indicative of how widespread this issue is. For thousands like her, I believe that we must improve our policies.

Please read the article below, which includes this note:

"In Winooski last year, according to Graham, police arrested a woman while her 14-year-old child was at school. The boy returned to an empty house, where he subsisted alone for more than two weeks before school officials began to ask questions."

http://www.timesargus.com/article/RH/20090419/NEWS03/904190377/0/NEWS02

Building Vermont's Economy

2009-02-27T19:38:00.001-05:00

We can’t depend only on Washington and the federal stimulus package to see our way through this recession. Vermont is going to see its way through this storm. We will do that by working together creating jobs in the short-term, and building our infrastructure for long-term growth.

I've also been working on an economic development omnibus bill with my committee that creates new ways to strengthen our economy, along with investments in low-income entrepreneurs, renewed investment in the green economy, and strategies on how Vermont can get the most out of President Obama's Federal Stimulus Program.

Today, we passed a tentative bill out of our committee, knowing that much more work is needed before final passage.

Governor Proposes Harmful Cuts

2008-12-17T13:34:00.002-05:00

When times get tough, we need to stick together. As the State of Vermont faces an enormous budget crisis (like the rest of the nation) we need to remember our commitment to the most vulnerable Vermonters.

Do you think it's time to dip into the Rainy Day Fund? Or should we go ahead and make real cuts right now that will have multiplier effects to our economy and that may have long-lasting damaging effects, and will likely immediately work to raise college tuition, hurt working Vermonters, and cut vital services to children, the elderly, the poor, and so many of our environmental, forestry, and other vital projects.

Time to Bond Now

2009-01-19T22:16:00.004-05:00

Mom is thrilled.

Since I was assigned to the House Commerce & Economic Development Committee, she says, "Finally, your MBA from Stanford will be put to good use!"

While I'll stay involved in the prison reform legislation that I've helped write the past four years, and continue to push for more prison reform -- including supporting children of incarcerated parents -- my primary focus turns to Vermont jobs and limiting, if not reversing, the challenges of the recession in Vermont.

We must halt the slow-down in our economy with new jobs and a stimulus plan. House Speaker Shap Smith proposed a key piece of that plan on Jan. 7.

I wrote an editorial about it, including several reasons why the timing is ideal now to issue more state bonds.

You can read it here:

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20090118/FEATURES15/901180307/-1/RSS10

Marriage Equality for All

2009-02-14T12:00:00.001-05:00

Marriage Equality will be a hot topic in March.

I fully expect that it will pass in the Senate and the House, too.

As a co-sponsor of the bill (and as someone who will happily upgrade my civil union certificate to a marriage certificate with the wonderful man I've shared 10 years with), the vote will not come soon enough.

PS. Happy Valentine's Day

Farm-to-Plate

2009-02-16T23:36:00.005-05:00

Vermonters import over $2 billion worth of food every year. We should be buying much more locally. If we could grab just 10% of that imported food source, we'd create thousands of Vermont jobs.

This isn't just about supporting agriculture in Vermont. It's about jobs, and commerce.

So it's only fitting that as a member of the House Commerce & Economic Development Committee, I teamed up with Representative Christopher Bray from the House Agriculture comittee. We co-authored a bill that will create more local businesses for Vermont farmers, food processors, distributors, storage suppliers, and much more.

Called the Farm-to-Plate bill, it has the full support of two great non-profit organizations: Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility and Rural Vermont.

See the news articles here:

Fox TV News: http://www.fox44.net/Global/story.asp?S=9852326

WCAX, Channel 3: http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=9852218&nav=menu183_2

WPTZ, Channel 5: http://www.wptz.com/money/18727322/detail.html