Johnson temporarily halted debate on a workers’ compensation bill in deference to Republican members who’d asked for a caucus. When it was time to return to the floor, the electronic bells meant to summon lawmakers back to the Chamber tolled repeatedly throughout the building.
The Republicans, who were meeting in a room downstairs, didn’t heed the chiming, assuming the Speaker would wait until they were ready.
Instead, Johnson went ahead with the day’s business and held a vote, despite the conspicuously large number of empty chairs (Republicans hold 52 seats).
It wasn’t an especially consequential vote. Rep. Adam Greshin (I-Warren), who owns a stake in Sugarbush Resort, had proposed an amendment to exclude ski patrol workers from a bill that extends workers’ compensation to mental health needs. The House, with only two Republican members present, rejected it.
But when they returned, Republicans were irate. In a heated huddle with the Speaker, they threatened to walk out en masse, essentially staging a boycott of the day’s business.
“We decided if they don’t need us we’ll just go home,” Minority Leader Don Turner (R-Milton) later explained. But, he continued, “The speaker didn’t want that so we decided to work out a plan.”
Turner called for another caucus, allowing Republicans to air their grievances.
“I have not seen in 21 years of my time here anything so disrespectful,” said Rep. Mary Morrissey (R-Bennington).
Rep. Marianna Gamache (R-Swanton) said, “I don’t want to hear from her. It was so disrespectful. We have been treated today as if we don’t count. They don’t care about our input. That was clear.”
“They knew we were down here and that’s what really hurts,” said Rep. Janssen Willhoit (R-St. Johnsbury).
Johnson, meanwhile, swept in on a peacekeeping mission. She explained that she’d seen Assistant Minority Leader Brian Savage (R-Swanton) seated in the chamber and assumed “that was a signal leadership was ready to go.”
But the Speaker also offered a mea culpa, and promised it wouldn’t happen again. “You do have my apology that while technically everything happened within the rules … and there were lots of bells and signals, I should have walked over and said, ‘Brian, where’s everybody else?’”
“I would just ask all of you — it being Good Friday, the day of forgiveness — to please assume incompetence before a plot,” she added.
Hurt feelings lingered. “It’s like I know I’m in the minority, that’s fine,” Turner said afterwards. “But when it is blatantly put in your face that, we don’t need you, that’s where it’s an insult to the integrity of the institution and all of our caucus members. So that’s why I guess people are as wound up as they are.”
Johnson’s apology was good enough for most Republicans, who took her up on her offer to hold a revote on the amendment.
It failed, again — though a number of Republicans voted for it.
Terri Hallenbeck contributed reporting.
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So they didn’t follow the house rules and then stomp their feet when they don’t get the respect they think they deserve? Maybe they got exactly what they deserved; cry babies. Did they send anyone up? Just assume they could blow off the rules? Wow and 21 years … term limits?
Wow. This looks terrible for Rep. Adam Gershin from Warren. Trying to exclude his business’s employees from getting mental health care. Makes me want to boycott Sugarbush resort and I have been skiing there for the last 4 years.
“its an insult to the integrity of the institution and all of our caucus members. ” – Don Turner, House Republican Minority Leader
No, Don, it’s an insult to the integrity of the institution when all your caucus members blatantly waste everyone’s time when they had plenty of warning. It costs huge amounts of tax payer dollars to run the State House, you do not get to drag your feet when you aren’t getting your way and waste valuable time and resources.
Please get over yourself.
Go home Republicans. You’re drunk.
How shameless that Alan Gershin would try to push through an amendment to specifically help his business and hinder his employees, in a blatant conflict of interest. Are there no ethics rules to hold him accountable for such maneuvers and abuse of his position? Yet one more reason why I avoid Sugarbush.
This is, at least, the 2nd time Greshin has acted in his own interest to legislate in his own self-interest. As part owner of Sugarbush ski resort he saved lots of money from Efficiency Vermont’s program to subsidize new efficient snow making guns, then single-handedly lobbied his colleagues in the House to freeze payments to Efficiency Vermont from electric bills. He got his subsidy, then tried to block anyone else from getting theirs. When he was accused of conflict of interest (the Secretary of State even used Greshin as an example of needing an ethics commission) he said there was no conflict, he would have saved “proportionally” the same as any other Vermont business or person. Yeah right, if you use 400-500 kilowatt hours of electricity per month, as I do, you might have saved $4-5 at the most. I couldn’t find exact numbers for Sugarbush electric usage, but to give an idea of the magnitude of savings Sugarbush could see with Greshin as its attack dog, Killington, larger than Sugarbush, has said on a busy weekend day with all lifts operating and snow guns blasting, they use 14,000 KWH PER HOUR! That would mean many many thousands of dollars saved by Sugarbush. Sure it’s “proportional”, but so what?
ej…This is Vermont where you can pick and choose which laws and rules you want to follow and ignore the others. There is quite a precedence for this. Guess it depends on the group that decides to not follow the rules
When the Republican members heard the chime to reconvene, couldn’t they have asked for more time? What were they doing? What a petty bunch, sheeesh. And, the Gershin amendment looks really, really awful. Shameful.
How can Gershin’s proposal NOT be a conflict of interest?
BUT if it was the snowflakes liberals democrats that it happened to it would be a completely different story right.. Johnson knew what she was doing and trying to pull a fast one..Democrats has pulled this before..The house is so full of liberals they expect that it should be their way or no way.. as for someone saying”you do not get to drag your feet when you aren’t getting your way and waste valuable time and resources. ” and ” then stomp their feet when they don’t get the respect they think they deserve? Maybe they got exactly what they deserved; cry babies” Mmmm how many times have the liberal democrats dragged their feet and moaned when they didn’t get their way or cried like babies when Pres Trump won..who’s the babies now….
Mitzi Johnson is a saint! Dweebs ignore the bell, can’t get themselves to class on time, expect everyone else to twiddle their thumbs until they grace the Assembly with their presence, then, rather than request a revote, threaten to leave in a huff and whine to the press about respect. What does the Speaker do? She apologizes for her incompetence, when any sane person (which is to say, anyone but a Republican) can see the incompetence is theirs and the apology should be from them. Yes, they don’t get the respect they should this is why. Preen, posture, bellyache indignation over nothing this isn’t about the majority disrespecting the minority, this is adults mollifying petulant children to coax them into allowing the adults to get their work done.