Roll Call! House Passes Mandatory Paid Family Leave/Payroll Tax (92-52), 2019

PASSED
in the State House of Representatives
on April 5, 2019, by a vote of
92-52
.
Purpose: To put in place a government-mandated Paid Family Leave program paid for with a new payroll tax on income up to $132,900 (the Social Security taxable maximum.)  
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Analysis: This vote would establish a government-mandated insurance program allowing an employee to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave for the birth of a child, or 8 weeks for family or medical care. Employees would receive 90% of their weekly wages up to the “liveable wage” (currently calculated at $13.34/hr). Wages above that level and would receive 50% of their weekly wage. Wages above 2.5 times would not be covered. A maximum cap on the benefit would be set at $1,334 per week.
 .
This estimated $76 million per year new entitlement program would be paid for with a new 0.55% payroll tax. The tax would be mandatory for all employees, although employers would have the option to pay some or all of the tax on behalf of the employee. The cost to an employee making the median income in Vermont, about $58,000 per year, would pay about $318 annually. The cost to an employee earning the maximum taxable amount would be nearly $800 annually.
 .
Those voting YES believe this program will help retain and attract young families to Vermont while helping businesses to retain employees and providing a desirable social benefit.
 .
Those voting NO believe the state cannot afford another tax/entitlement program, that the estimated cost of the program is likely low, Vermonters cannot afford another tax, that the payroll tax is regressive a (this is equivalent  to a roughly 15 percent total income tax increase, but a 17 percent increase on income tax payers in Vermont’s lowest bracket of 3.25 percent), that this poses another costly and time consuming administrative burden on small businesses, and that, if a program were to be adopted, it should not be mandatory.
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As Recorded in the House Journal, Friday,  April 5, 2019: “Shall the bill pass? was decided in the affirmative. Yeas, 92. Nays, 52.” (Read the Journal, p. 808-812.)
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Related:

How They Voted

Janet Ancel (D – Calais) – YES
Peter Anthony (D – Barre) – YES
Sarita Austin (D – Colchester) – YES
Robert Bancroft (R – Westford) – NO
John Bartholomew (D – Hartland) – YES
Lynn Batchelor (R – Derby) – NO
Christopher Bates (D – Bennington) – NO
Scott Beck (R – St. Johnsbury) – NO
Matthew Birong (D – Vergennes) – YES
Thomas Bock (D – Chester) – YES
Patrick Brennan (R – Colchester) – NO
Timothy Briglin (D – Thetford) – YES
Nelson Brownell (D – Pownal) – YES
Cynthia Browning (D – Arlington) – NO
Jessica Brumsted (D – Shelburne) – ABSENT
Thomas Burditt (R – West Rutland) – NO
Mollie Burke (P – Brattleboro) – YES
Scott Campbell (D – St. Johnsbury) – YES
William Canfield (R – Fair Haven) – NO
James Carroll (D – Bennington) – YES
Seth Chase (D – Colchester) – YES
Robin Chesnut-Tangerman (P – Middletown Springs) – YES
Annmarie Christensen (D – Weathersfield) – YES
Kevin “Coach” Christie (D – Hartford) – YES
Brian Cina (P – Burlington) – YES
Sara Coffey (D – Guilford) – YES
Selene Colburn (P – Burlington) – YES
Hal Colston (D – Winooski) – YES
Peter Conlon (D – Cornwall) – YES
Charles Conquest (D – Newbury) – YES
Sarah Copeland-Hanzas (D – Bradford) – YES
Timothy Corcoran (D – Bennington) – NO
Mari Cordes (D/P – Lincoln) – YES
Lawrence Cupoli (R – Rutland) – NO
Carl Demrow (D – Corinth) – ABSENT
Eileen Dickinson (R – St. Albans) – NO
Kari Dolan (D – Waitsfield) – YES
Anne Donahue (R – Northfield) – NO
Johannah Donovan (D – Burlington) – YES
David Durfee (D – Shaftsbury) – YES
Caleb Elder (D – Starksboro) – YES
Alice Emmons (D – Springfield) – YES
Peter Fagan (R – Rutland) – NO
Charen Fegard (D – Berkshire) – YES
Martha Feltus (R – Lyndon) – NO
Robert Forguites (D – Springfield) – YES
Marianna Gamache (R – Swanton) – NO
John Gannon (D – Wilmington) – YES
Marcia Gardner (D – Richmond) – YES
Dylan Giambatista (D – Essex) – YES
Diana Gonzalez (P – Winooski) – ABSENT
Kenneth Goslant (R – Northfield) – NO
Maxine Grad (D – Moretown) – YES
Rodney Graham (R – Williamstown) – NO
James Gregoire (R – Fairfield) – NO
Sandy Haas (P – Rochester) – YES
Lisa Hango (R – Birkshire) – NO
James Harrison (R – Chittenden) – NO
Nader Hashim (D – Dummerston) – YES
Robert Helm (R – Fair Haven) – NO
Mark Higley (R – Lowell) – NO
Matthew Hill (D – Wolcott) – YES
Robert Hooper (D – Burlington) – YES
Philip Hooper (D – Randolph) – YES
Mary Hooper (D – Montpelier) – YES
Lori Houghton (D – Essex) – YES
Mary Howard (D – Rutland) – YES
Kathleen James (D – Manchester) – YES
Stephanie Jerome (D – Brandon) – YES
Kimberly Jessup (D – Middlesex) – YES
Benjamin Jickling (I – Randolph) – NO
Mitzi Johnson (D – Grand Isle) – PRESIDING
John Killacky (D – S. Burlington) – YES
Charles Kimbell (D – Woodstock) – YES
Warren Kitzmiller (D – Montpelier) – YES
Emilie Kornheiser (D – Brattleboro) – YES

 

Jill Krowinski (D – Burlington) – YES
Robert LaClair (R – Barre) – NO
Martin LaLonde (D – S. Burlington) – YES
Diane Lanpher (D – Vergennes) – YES
Paul Lefebvre (R – Newark) – NO
Felisha Leffler (R – Enosburgh) – NO
William Lippert (D – Hinesburg) – YES
Emily Long (D – Newfane) – YES
Terence Macaig (D – Williston) – YES
Michael Marcotte (R – Coventry) – NO
Marcia Martel (R – Waterford) – NO
James Masland (D – Thetford) – YES
Christopher Mattos (R – Milton) – NO
Michael McCarthy (D – St. Albans) – YES
Curtis McCormack (D – Burlington) – YES
Patricia McCoy (R – Poultney) – NO
James McCullough (D – Williston) – YES
Francis McFaun (R – Barre) – NO
Leland Morgan (R – Milton) – NO
Mary Morrissey (R – Bennington) – NO
Michael Mrowicki (D – Putney) – YES
Barbara Murphy (I – Fairfax) – NO
Linda Myers (R – Essex) – NO
Logan Nicoll (D – Ludlow) – YES
Terry Norris (I – Shoreham) – NO
William Notte (D – Rutland) – YES
Daniel Noyes (D – Wolcott) – YES
John O’Brien (D – Tunbridge) – YES
Carol Ode (D – Burlington) – YES
Jean O’Sullivan (D – Burlington) – YES
Woodman Page (R – Newport) – NO
Kelly Pajala (I – Londonderry) – YES
John Palasik (R – Milton) – NO
Carolyn Partridge (D – Windham) – YES
Avram Patt (D – Worcester) – YES
David Potter (D – Clarendon) – NO
Ann Pugh (D – S. Burlington) – YES
Constance Quimby (R – Concord) – NO
Barbara Rachelson (D – Burlington) – ABSENT
Zachariah Ralph (P – Hartland) – ABSENT
Marybeth Redmond (D – Essex) – YES
Lucy Rogers (D – Waterville) – YES
Carl Rosenquist (R – Georgia) – NO
Brian Savage (R – Swanton) – NO
Robin Scheu (D – Middlebury) – YES
Heidi Scheuermann (R – Stowe) – NO
Patrick Seymour (R – Sutton) – NO
Charles “Butch” Shaw (R – Pittsford) – NO
Amy Sheldon (D – Middlebury) – YES
Laura Sibilia (I – Dover) – NO
Brian Smith (R – Derby) – NO
Harvey Smith (R – New Haven) – NO
Trevor Squirrell (D – Underhill) – YES
Thomas Stevens (D – Waterbury) – YES
Vicki Strong (R – Albany) – NO
Linda Joy Sullivan (D – Dorset) – NO
Mary Sullivan (D – Burlington) – YES
Randall Szott (D – Barnard) – YES
Curt Taylor (D – Colchester) – YES
Thomas Terenzini (R – Rutland) – NO
George Till (D – Jericho) – YES
Tristan Toleno (D – Brattleboro) – YES
Catherine Toll (D – Danville) – YES
Casey Toof (R – St. Albans) – NO
Maida Townsend (D – South) – YES
Matthew Trieber (D – Rockingham) – YES
Joseph “Chip” Troiano (D – Stannard) – YES
Tommy Walz (D – Barre) – YES
Kathryn Webb (D – Shelburne) – YES
Rebecca White (D – Hartford) – YES
Theresa Wood (D – Waterbury) – YES
David Yacovone (D – Morristown) – YES
Michael Yantachka (D – Charlotte) – YES
Samuel Young (D – Greensboro) – YES

{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }

wethecom April 5, 2019 at 10:53 pm

i live here and i own a farm im looking to sell and get out of here before they kill me they have run me broke with repeated false charges and malicious prosecution because i protested first amendment violation on facebook for SPD banning people and deleting comment .. so they framed me told a judge i pulled a gun on them , they are vile a corrupt to the bone and brutally tortured me and the entire system covers it up

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