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Journal of the House
________________ WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 2006 At one o'clock and fifteen minutes in the afternoon the Speaker called
the House to order.
Devotional Exercises Devotional exercises were conducted by Pastor Peter Anderson of Jericho
Congregational Church, Jericho, VT. Message from Governor A message was received from His Excellency, the Governor, by Mr. Neale
Lunderville, Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs, as follows: Madam Speaker: I am directed by the Governor to inform the House that on the twenty-
fourth day of April, 2006, he approved and signed a bill originating in the
House of the following title: H. 630 An act relating to suicide prevention education in public
schools.
Message from Governor A message was received from His Excellency, the Governor, by Mr. Neale
Lunderville, Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs, as follows: Madam Speaker: I am directed by the Governor to inform the House that on the twenty-
fifth day of April, 2006, he approved and signed a bill originating in the
House of the following title: H. 710 An act relating to organization of supervisory districts. Message from the Senate No. 60 A message was received from the Senate by Mr. Marshall, its Assistant
Secretary, as follows: Madam Speaker: I am directed to inform the House that the Senate has considered bills
originating in the House of the following titles: H. 211. An act relating to regulating emissions from diesel-powered
commercial motor vehicles. H. 294. An act relating to groundwater management. H. 306. An act relating to transportation of individuals in the custody
of the state. H. 618. An act relating to services for transitional youths. H. 881. An act making appropriations for the support of government. And has passed the same in concurrence with proposals of amendment in the
adoption of which the concurrence of the House is requested. The Senate has considered House proposal of amendment to Senate bill of
the following title: S. 198. An act relating to a "Sorry Works" program. And has concurred therein. The Senate has considered House proposals of amendment to the following
Senate bills and has refused to concur therein and asks for Committees of
Conference upon the disagreeing votes of the two Houses to which the
President pro tempore announced the appointment as members of such
Committees on the part of the Senate: S. 164. An act relating to elections and voter registration. Senator Condos
Senator White
Senator Doyle S. 194. An act relating to sealing juvenile records relating to a
delinquent act.
Senator Sears
Senator Wilton
Senator Leddy S. 256. An act relating to sexual exploitation of an inmate. Senator Sears
Senator Campbell
Senator Illuzzi S. 262. An act relating to expanding employer access to applicants'
criminal history records.
Senator Wilton
Senator Sears
Senator Cummings The Senate has considered House proposal of amendment to Senate proposal
of amendment to House bill entitled: H. 677. An act relating to standards board and licensing hearing panels
for professional educators. And has refused to concur therein and asks for a Committee of Conference
upon the disagreeing votes of the two Houses. The President pro tempore announced the appointment as members of such
Committee on the part of the Senate: Senator Collins
Senator Starr
Senator Wilton Pursuant to the request of the House for a Committee of Conference on the
disagreeing votes of the two Houses on House bill entitled: H. 856 An act relating to enhancing sentences for and preventing risks
posed by dangerous sexual offenders. The President pro tempore announced the appointment as members of such
Committee on the part of the Senate: Senator Sears
Senator Campbell
Senator Illuzzi Joint Resolutions Placed on Calendar The Speaker placed before the House the following resolutions which were
read and in the Speaker's discretion, placed on the Calendar for action
tomorrow under Rule 52.
J.R.H. 73 Joint resolution relating to the use of the State House for the Green
Mountain Boys' State program Offered by: Representatives Lawrence of Lyndon, Koch of Barre Town,
Bostic of St. Johnsbury, Branagan of Georgia, Corcoran of Bennington, Cross
of Winooski, Dates of Shelburne, Donaghy of Poultney, Donahue of
Northfield, Dunsmore of Georgia, Helm of Castleton, Hosford of Waitsfield,
Hudson of Lyndon, Hutchinson of Randolph, Johnson of South Hero, Kennedy of
Chelsea, Malcolm of Pawlet, McAllister of Highgate, McLaughlin of Royalton,
Minter of Waterbury, Mook of Bennington, Morrissey of Bennington, Nitka of
Ludlow, Orr of Charlotte, Potter of Clarendon, Randall of Troy, Shaw of
Derby and Sunderland of Rutland Town Whereas, the American Legion Department of VT sponsors the Green Mountain
Boys' State program which provides an opportunity for high school students
to study the workings of state government in Montpelier, and Whereas, as part of their visit to the state's capital city, the boys
conduct a mock legislative session in the State House, and Whereas, this is an invaluable educational experience that provides
firsthand knowledge about the legislative process, now therefore be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives: That the Sergeant at Arms shall make available the chambers and committee
rooms of the State House for the Green Mountain Boys' State program on
Thursday, June 22, 2006 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. J.R.H. 74 Joint resolution strongly urging the federal government to take immediate
steps to lower retail gasoline prices Offered by: Representative Obuchowski of Rockingham Whereas, Vermont is a rural state with minimal public transportation, and
thousands of individuals must drive their cars to work daily, many for
extended distances, and Whereas, the state of Vermont's economy is heavily reliant on automotive
tourism and other recreation-related activities, including snowmobiling,
which according to a 2002 Johnson College study, generates annually revenue
of $500,000,000.00 in the state, and Whereas, farmers are dependent on gasoline to operate tractors, combines,
trucks, and other absolutely essential equipment, without which they could
not perform their daily chores and sustain their livelihood, and Whereas, the federal Energy Information Administration announced on April
24 that the nationwide average retail price of regular unleaded gasoline
stood at 291.4 cents per gallon, and the comparable New England figure was
even higher at 292.3 cents per gallon, and Whereas, the U.S. average price represented an 18.1-cent increase over
the prior week, and Whereas, the average nationwide price is now 67.8 cents higher than at
this time in 2005, and Whereas, in the Northeast, where ethanol is in short supply, the price
may reach $3.50 per gallon this summer, and Whereas, according to a recent ABC News-Washington Post poll, the higher
retail gasoline prices are causing a financial hardship for seven out of
ten Americans, and Whereas, U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman has stated that the
strategic petroleum reserve will not be opened except for an emergency that
interrupts the supply and the U.S. Energy Department does not consider the
current situation to be an emergency, and Whereas, notwithstanding the secretary's comments, the skyrocketing
retail price of gasoline constitutes an economic emergency of the first
order, demanding a decisive and immediate response on the same magnitude
Americans would expect if OPEC were to impose another embargo on all oil
shipments to the United States as it did in the 1970s, and Whereas, while the nation's motorists are paying exorbitant prices for
gasoline at the pump, compensation for oil company executives continues to
rise, and Whereas, on April 3, Fortune Magazine reported that ExxonMobil was now
the most profitable publicly traded company in the United States, even
outdistancing Wal-Mart, and Whereas, the combination of high prices and corporate profitability could
indicate that the oil companies are engaging in price gouging, and Whereas, U.S. Representative Bernard Sanders and U.S. Representative
Peter DeFazio of Oregon have written a joint letter to President George W.
Bush requesting that the President "convene an emergency summit of
congressional leaders, oil industry executives and consumer advocates to
address the soaring price of gasoline," and Whereas, the letter noted that oil inventories in the United States are
at their highest level in eight years, and Whereas, U.S. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and U.S. Senate
Majority Leader Bill Frist on April 24, 2006, sent a letter to President
George W. Bush requesting that he direct the Federal Trade Commission and
the Justice Department to investigate oil company price gouging, now
therefore be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives: That the General Assembly strongly urges the executive and legislative
branches of the federal government to take prudent but immediate steps,
both on the economic domestic front and on the international diplo