Rep. Shapleigh “Shap” Smith, D-Morrisville, was elected to his third term as Speaker of the Vermont House on Tuesday, the opening day of the 2013 legislative session.
This year the usual pomp and circumstance of the first day of the 2013 session started on a solemn note with a tribute to recently deceased Rep. Gregory Clark, R-Vergennes.
After the House observed a moment of silence in Clark’s honor, Rep. Johanna Donovan, D-Burlington, nominated Smith for the House’s highest seat. Michael Marcotte, R-Newport, offered bipartisan support by seconding the nomination.
“Shap possesses the leadership qualities and skills, which have made him a very effective Speaker of the House,” said Marcotte. “An effective leader has the ability to listen and discuss the issues before making a decision. An effective leader delegates responsibility to those with the knowledge and ability to carry out the objective and not try to do it all himself. … An effective leader works tirelessly to find common ground and compromise.”
Marcotte said that it is because of those aforementioned qualities that he “enthusiastically” nominated the incumbent.
Without a single “nay” or other nomination on the House floor, Smith was then unanimously elected Speaker of the House.
Entering the chamber, Smith gave a hearty hug to his Republican counterpart, Minority Leader Don Turner. Smith then strode across the chamber to the podium, where his family sat by his side.
Secretary of State Jim Condos met him at the head of the room to swear him in.
“As a member of this assembly, I will not propose or assent to any bill, vote or resolution which shall appear to be injurious to the people,” said Smith during the swearing-in. “I do solemnly swear that I will be true and faithful to the state of Vermont.”
The challenges ahead
After paying homage to his late friend and colleague Rep. Clark, Smith then panned Washington for its indecision and polarized politics in the face of hard economic times.
While Congress continues to stall on major obstacles, he implored his fellow legislators to “set a better example” for the nation.
“So, what are our challenges?” he asked, kicking off a long list of priorities for the session.
Front and center was education, a topic that is expected to dominate Gov. Peter Shumlin’s inaugural address on Jan. 10.
Smith touted Vermont’s high percentage of high school graduates and standardized test scores. But, he said, the state needs to find ways to reduce the skyrocketing costs of college education and prepare students with practical skills for professional careers.
He called on the House committees on Education as well as Commerce and Economic Development to create legislation that helps the state reach these goals in the next two years.
“Our students should and must be the best prepared in the country,” said Smith. “That is the goal that we must hold. Whether graduating from high school, from a college or university, or continuing education after college; we need to ensure that our students have the skills necessary to succeed once they leave school.”
The next major obstacle for Vermont that Smith raised is the rising cost of health care in the Green Mountain State.
“We are on the path to an affordable, universal health care system in Vermont, but for the sake of our country we cannot get there fast enough,” he said. “There is no doubt that the transition to a new system is going to be difficult. There already have been, and there will be bumps in the road.”
One such bump in the road, which the administration and legislators have identified, is the dramatically decreased level of health insurance coverage that low- and moderate-income Vermonters are set to incur come 2014. The House Health Care Committee plans to address this shift, as the state-subsidized insurance programs Catamount and VHAP come to an end.
Another challenge for Vermont, said Smith, is climate change.
“We must adapt and act swiftly to address the threat of global climate change,” he said. “Our actions must include efforts to reduce future impacts to our climate, but must also recognize that our climate has been altered and it is likely we cannot do anything about it.”
He called on the House Commerce Committee as well as the Natural Resources and Energy Committee to take testimony from businesses and Vermont residents to learn how climate change has affected the state’s environment and economy and what the state can do to address these problems.
The state must also make further advancements to transportation and communication infrastructure, said Smith. Meanwhile, he mentioned the numerous infrastructure improvements paid for by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, such as transportation projects, expansion of the state’s broadband network and upgrades to the state’s electrical grid.
Smith rounded off his speech with a range of other challenges, like solving problems associated with the abuse of opiates and methamphetamines, restructuring economic benefit models, lowering the cost of housing, and raising wages.
“I believe that, unlike Washington, we are up to facing these challenges,” said Smith. “As we engage each other, we realize that in spite of our differences, we have, at our very core, the same goal: a commitment to each other and a commitment to make the world a better place for all Vermonters.
“Let us get to work.”
