Bold politicians allowed (celebrated even)

Many think that in order to be successful in politics, you have to be all things to all people. Well, not so in Vermont.

We are the land, after all, of Sen. Bernie Sanders. And this week, we elected Peter Shumlin as governor, a man who made marriage equality and single-payer healthcare central to his campaign.

In 2004, when Pres. Bush won his re-election, I was elected to my first term in the Vermont House of Representatives. This year, while the Tea Party wreaks havoc nationally, voters in Vermont re-elected to me 4th term, AND decided to change from a Republican Governor, to a Democratic Governor.

Thank you Vermont. It's wonderful to live here. Boldly.

National Implications

What happens in Vermont doesn't just stay in Vermont. Our actions here have national implications.

Case in point -- the Ninth Circuit Court is debating whether or not to abolish California's Prop 8 which outlaws marriage equality.

With two dozen other Vermont legislators, I signed onto an Amici brief stating that having Marriage Equality in Vermont hasn't resulted in the sky falling here.

The hope is that they'll recognize that once again they'll follow our lead.

New Bike Safety Laws

Do you care about bike safety laws? Have your voice heard.

The Vermont Bike/Ped Coalition about an upcoming meeting to discuss possible penalties for violating Vermont's new safe passage law.

This new law basically requires cars to stay a safe distance from bicyclists, pedestrians, horses, etc.. It also encourages cyclists to ride properly and safely. This law will help save lives and also boost Vermont's national standing as a bike-friendly state.

You can share your thoughts before the meeting by emailing me or Gabrielle.Lapointe@state.vt.us. If you want to attend the Oct. 29 meeting in White River Junction, or want to find out more about the meeting, including carpool info, email nancy@vtbikeped.org.

Successes 2009-2010

It's been an honor serving in the Legislature. These last couple of years, I'm proud of many things we accomplished, including

ü Created jobs for welfare recipients: I initaited a successful increase of investments in programs that assist entrepreneurs who are on public assistance, at a cost of under $2,000 per job created.

ü Spurred the “Buy Local” movement: I co-authored legislation to create a Farm-to-Plate program that received national attention.

ü Passed marriage equality: Helped Vermont become the first state in the nation to legalize marriage for lesbian and gay couples, sharing my own family’s perspective in one-on-one meetings and on the floor of the House.

ü Cut my own pay: Voted for a 5% reduction in legislative pay. Legislators are paid about $10,000 per year, plus expenses, which does not include any health care benefits.

ü Authored new laws to protect children of incarcerated parents: It’s critical to remember these unintended victims of crime and punishment. I teamed up with advocacy groups to write the new legislation and get it passed.

ü Went beyond the shutdown of Vermont Yankee by supporting programs to invest in renewable energy, to help Vermont power up responsibly and economically

ü Saved millions of dollars for taxpayers: co-authored “Justice Reinvestment” laws that invest in alternatives to prison for non-violent offenders focused on saving money and reducing crime. This effort continues to yield more savings and is part of a continued effort to focus on reserving prisons primarily for people who we’re scared of, not people we’re mad at.

Pot and Politics

Four leaders (Matt Dunne, Deb Markowitz, Peter Shumlin, and Doug Racine) vying to be the Democratic candidate for Governor declared support for deciminalizing small amounts of marijuana possession. That means they're calling for tickets rather than jail time. Doing so would also eliminate or vastly reduce the costs in our current system that go to judges, police, lawyers, and others with the current criminalization for people caught with pot.

That news follows a forum that I participated in at UVM, sponsored by Marijuana Resolve. Two TV stations covered the event, with news reports found here:

WCAX-TV: http://bit.ly/cSvVR9

WPTZ-TV: http://www.wptz.com/r/24587835/detail.html

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