Laura Sibilia represents Dover, Jamaica, Somerset, Stratton, and Wardsboro in the Vermont House of Representatives, where she has served as vice-chair of the Environment and Energy Committee and co-chair of the Rural Caucus. House members select the speaker by secret ballot when it convenes on Jan. 8, 2025.
DOVER-In October, I announced my campaign to be Vermont's next speaker of the House. Now, after an election that eliminated the House supermajority, I want to acknowledge the challenges we face, share why I'm stepping forward, and outline my vision for how the Legislature can shift priorities and address Vermonters' most urgent needs.
Laura Sibilia represents Dover, Jamaica, Somerset, Stratton, and Wardsboro in the Vermont House of Representatives, where she serves as vice-chair of the Environment and Energy Committee and co-chair of the Rural Caucus. DOVER-Affordability is a real problem for many Vermonters right now. Right now, prices are still 20% higher...
As an independent member of the Vermont House of Representatives, I have worked closely with three of the candidates for Congress. Today, I am endorsing Becca Balint. When I've shared this news, some have responded with surprise. They know me to be a moderate and Becca to be openly...
This past February, the Vermont House of Representatives passed the Global Warming Solutions Act with tripartisan support, 105–37. In June, the Senate passed it, also with tripartisan support, 23–5. The vote margin and nonpartisan nature of the vote might have surprised some, but what it revealed about the Vermont government gave me hope. Legislators across the political spectrum and from all corners of our state understand and agree that our residents, businesses, economy, and environment are already bearing the effects...
I have served in the House of Representatives since 2015 as an elected independent for rural communities here in southern Vermont. While our state is full of innovators and cutting-edge businesses, it is the scenic farms and villages, rural startups and arts culture, trails and smallness of places like our Deerfield towns, that Vermonters identify with, that comfort us and that beckon to new Vermonters. But our rural communities have fallen behind in our demographics and economy and our physical...
Over the next few years, Vermonters, Vermont businesses, and Vermont's public institutions will face significant challenges at the state and national levels from the long-term effects of the global pandemic. I hope my regular online updates have been helping alleviate some of the unknowns for families and businesses. Through regular online meetings and contact I have been working to keep the district's concerns closely connected to our government. We will need hard-working, ethical leaders across our geographic and political spectrum...
Vermont's existing education funding formula, Act 60, also known as the Equal Educational Opportunity Act, was signed into law in June of 1997. The Legislature drafted the law in response to a Vermont Supreme Court decision that said the state's existing educational funding system was unconstitutional. The court, in Brigham v. State of Vermont, concluded that the state must provide “substantially equal access” to education for all Vermont students, regardless of where they reside. In 2018, the Vermont House and...
The House Energy and Technology Committee deals with matters relating to energy (including the regulation of power generation, transmission facilities, energy efficiency, natural gas facilities, and siting of energy facilities), utilities (including rates and quality of service), telecommunications (including siting of telecommunications facilities, the buildout of cellular and broadband services, and rates and quality of service), and the state's information technology systems. Tim Briglin of Thetford was named chair of the committee, and I am serving as vice chair. We...