THE CITIZEN - Bees swarmed Gerald Posner as he tinkered with their boxes. The spring weather gets them agitated, he said, because they have work to do. Posner’s bees live on the Hinesburg property of Full Moon Farm, where Vermont Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman grows a variety of fruits and vegetables. The bees have helped pollinate the crops for the past four years.

VERMONT BIZ - Vermont State Labor Council, AFL-CIO On May 1st, International Workers’ Day, the House Committee on General and Housing passed S.102, the Vermont Protect the Right to Organize “PRO” Act with strong, bipartisan support: 11 of the 12 Committee members voted yes with only one abstention.

VERMONT PUBLIC - The Vermont House Wednesday gave its approval to legislation that requires homeowners and landlords to disclose if their property has been previously damaged by flooding.

The bill also requires a disclosure if the property is located in a federally designated hazardous flood plain.

TIMES ARGUS - The House agriculture committee is hearing testimony on a bill that would ban a specific class of pesticide.

H.706, “an act relating to banning the use of neonicotinoid pesticides,” was introduced early in the session by Rep. Robin Chesnut-Tangerman, D-Middletown Springs, from where it was referred to the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency, and Forestry. It has 36 other sponsors.

VERMONT PUBLIC - The Vermont Legislature is poised to expand the number of workers who are protected by the state’s Equal Pay Act.

It’s been more than 50 years since Congress passed the federal Equal Pay Act, and Middletown Springs Rep. Robin Chesnut-Tangerman said this week that Vermont’s version of the law is due for an update.

SEVENDAYS VT - Hoping to head off national conservative groups that are pushing book bans, several Vermont lawmakers are sponsoring bills that would make it tougher to remove items from school and public libraries over ideological concerns.

Rep. Robin Chesnut-Tangerman (D-Middletown Springs) told the House Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs on Thursday that the bill he is cosponsoring, H.806, would restrict state funding to libraries that ban or remove library materials due to “partisan" disapproval.

VERMONT PUBLIC - Rep. Brian Cina speaks about the newly formed Universal Health Care Caucus at the Vermont Statehouse on Jan. 17. Rep. Emilie Krasnow, Rep. Robin Chesnut-Tangerman, Dr. Luke Wohlford, and Rep. Saudia LaMont stand behind Cina.

A coalition of House lawmakers is trying to reignite political momentum for a universal health care system in Vermont.

The decades-long push for single-payer health care in Vermont suffered a devastating blow when then-Gov. Peter Shumlin abandoned his plan for a publicly funded system that would have provided coverage to every resident in the state.

WCAX - Vermont State University’s labor task force says the structure of VTSU must be changed in order to save the institution. At the Statehouse on Thursday, educators and a labor union spoke about concerns for the future of the university system, including saying they have no confidence in leadership. This comes in response to the university administration’s Optimization 2.0 Plan which faculty say falls short. They are pushing back against layoffs, and hoping for a change in the number of administrators. Bills are headed to the floor of the Senate and House requesting changes from the university.

“We have a bloated and growing administration going to the wrong places and at the expense of student-centered positions eliminated in the name of savings. For five-and-a-half-thousand students, we have a chancellor’s office, a president’s office, a shared services systems and a plethora of newly created positions,” said Rep. Robin Chesnut-Tangerman, D-Middletown Springs.

VT DIGGER - Several Vermont state legislators witnessed the rally, which took place while they were meeting with representatives of the Vermont State University’s faculty and staff unions on Thursday afternoon.

Nearly a hundred people participated in a student-led rally at the Vermont State University’s Castleton campus on Thursday afternoon, protesting proposed cuts in programs and faculty jobs.

The university system has been seeking to trim spending after posting a $22 million deficit last fiscal year.

VT DIGGER - Mayor Mike Doenges envisions creating a housing “campus” with up to 50 residential units, which would offer comprehensive support services to unhoused people with critical needs.

Since June, Rutland’s mayor has been speaking with state officials about a plan to ease homelessness. He’s seeking millions in state funding to construct up to 50 transitional homes in the city within the next five years.

BENNINGTON BANNER - Ruth Byrne knows what some of her neighbors think.

The 33-year-old woman says she has bipolar disorder. She acknowledges she’s had difficulty dealing with grief and loss in her life, and that there have been times she’s behaved offensively. She spoke freely with Vermont News & Media, and gave permission for her name to be used.

But it also disappoints her that more than 100 people have signed a petition started by an anonymous group called Pawlet Neighborhood Watch, alleging she’s such a danger to the community she should not be allowed to live there anymore.

RUTLAND HERALD - The Affordable Heat Act passed its third reading in the House on Friday and will now go back to the Senate. Many expect Republican Gov. Phil Scott will veto it, but the timing of that, and whether there are enough votes in the General Assembly for an override, remains to be seen.

The Affordable Heat Act, S.5, cleared its second reading in the House on Thursday following a roll-call vote of 98-46. Friday’s vote was done by voice.

VT DIGGER - Returning to the floor at 6 p.m. Thursday after a 30-minute recess, Rep. Robin Chesnut-Tangerman, D-Middletown Springs, thanked the speaker of the House for giving the body a chance to grab a bite to eat before the next item on the agenda: H.66.

“A quick, easy, little bill,” he joked.

A three-hour debate ensued.

VT DIGGER - For all the talk of one-party rule in Vermont, the general election ballot has long been a bit of an alphabet soup. There are Ds, of course, alongside Rs, and Ps, and Is, as well as D/Ps, and P/Ds, and even R/Ds and D/Rs.

But a miscellaneous election bill sponsored by the House Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs initially sought to declutter the ballot, doing away with “fusion” candidates altogether.

RUTLAND HERALD - The 2023 legislative session looks as though it will be one of transition. With a number of lawmakers retiring or moving on to other positions, there will be many new faces in Montpelier next month. Rutland County alone will see six first-time legislators, including two freshmen senators.

Rep. Robin Chesnut-Tangerman, D-Rutland-Bennington

“What are your priorities for the upcoming session?”

As I spoke with people throughout the district last fall, several concerns rose to the top, and these priorities are remarkably consistent throughout the state. Everyone is concerned about housing, including affordability, scarcity, the impact of short-term rentals, interest rates and lack of new construction. The effects of climate change came up often, both the need for resilience in the face of increasing storm events and adapting our rural economy to the changes happening. Child care is also a critical challenge for many families.