Ann Cummings: “I was on the board of what is now Prevent Child Abuse…”

Name: In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges
Uploaded: 2025-04-24T00:00:00+00:00
Duration: 1 min
Description: In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges

“We were told that it is. Is it over $40,000 a year for a family bronze plan on the exchange.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 04:08-04:19

“It costs $35,000 a year to have a kid in child care.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 26:59-27:04

“The governor did that. I believe we used some of that money to keep from putting 466 homeless children out on the street in two weeks.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 52:39-52:50

“We had [a foundation formula] in Vermont and it basically said you had to raise X amount which was on your local tax rate.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 01:00-39:29

“Those are the money committees and everything goes through appropriations that it involves spending.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 03:09-03:20

“We get involved when they need money or anything that raises money, anything that impacts revenues.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 03:19-03:27

“We have the education fund in property taxes amongst that.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 03:27-03:32

“It is on front burner this year. Yeah. And health insurance is on front burner in the morning.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 03:38-03:45

“I was mayor during [the 1992] flood.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 07:15-07:15

“I am on the VSAC board.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 08:21-08:24

“Yes, I am on [the Committee on the Future of Public Education].”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 08:27-08:28

“I was on the Central Vermont Community Action, which is now Capstone. I represented the city there for 10 years.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 09:46-09:53

“I was on the city council.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 12:28-12:31

“Finance is responsible for anything that raises money, including taxes, fees, banking, insurance, securities, and utilities.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 15:47-15:52

“We lost a lot of experience and the experience I'm concerned we've lost.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 17:28-17:36

“There is a consensus revenue report done in July by the emergency board, which are the money chairs and the governor, and there's two…”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 18:50-19:07

“The governor builds his budget on those revenues.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 19:11-19:15

“The legislature has to use [the revenue forecast] to respond to the governor's budget.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 19:34-19:42

“There is more of a tendency to just say, well, we want to do this, so we'll raise taxes.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 20:03-20:11

“You don't want to spend all your tax capacity during good times because there will come a time, maybe sooner rather than later.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 20:16-20:28

“There are a lot fewer bills than normal. We have some staff shortages in our drafting department, and so things are coming out much slower.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 22:09-22:23

“We couldn't get to single payer because our pool is so small, the cost goes up per person.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 24:37-24:48

“We have an aging population that uses more health care.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 24:57-25:03

“We have a shortage in every professional. And part of that is tied to the cost of housing.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 26:27-26:34

“We have upped the subsidy, and we have up. We put on a payroll tax, and we have upped the state's contribution so that people that provide…”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 27:19-27:34

“A single paycheck could support a family. Those days are gone.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 28:33-28:39

“Bill, that any Senate bill has to be out of committee by tomorrow afternoon.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 29:18-29:26

“Anything that impacts the revenues of the state or utilities or banking will come through my committee.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 29:43-29:53

“Anything that spends money has to go through appropriations.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 29:52-29:57

“We invited the governor who has in the past given us a proposal in April.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 31:44-31:52

“This year he gave us a complete rewrite of the governance and financing structure.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 32:21-32:31

“The goal is to make sure that every kid gets the education that they need to be happy, productive citizens at a price that your average…”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 33:17-33:34

“The governor's people are putting out numbers. But it's based on the concept it would be 20, 28 numbers.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 33:56-34:05

“All he has actually talked about so far is consolidating into not five. I think. Yeah, that's districts.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 34:28-34:39

“The legislature is not actively considering doing away with universal school meals.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 36:06-36:13

“There's no inclination to expand school choice beyond what we have and what the Supreme Court has mandated.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 36:50-37:02

“We have three academies that are private academies that function as Public Schools.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 37:41-37:48

“The state didn't fund it. That led to the Brigham decision.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 39:43-39:49

“A penny on the tax rate on any town raises the same amount of money per student in that town.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 40:09-40:19

“Only one other state, I believe it's Wisconsin or Michigan, has a different thing other than a foundation formula.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 41:30-41:40

“The state makes that decision, not the local voters.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 42:36-42:41

“The state takes out all the sales tax revenue, the rooms and meals, all the revenue that's in. That's not property tax.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 42:48-42:59

“We have to meet Brigham.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 43:44-43:46

“They've also changed the income sensitivity, which gives me some concern because if you have a relatively low income but are living in a…”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 44:33-44:54

“We are phasing it in over five years.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 46:18-46:22

“The weights were done in 1950 or 60 and no one could find any rationale.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 47:01-47:08

“The governor's is 13,200 is his base foundation.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 47:39-47:49

“We know that there has been a huge spike starting in the early teens of depression, mental health issues in students.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 48:36-48:48

“It passed yesterday in the Senate.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 49:50-49:53

“Last year we passed it. I was on economic development when we did it.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 49:53-49:58

“The House put it on the Internet privacy bill and that one The Senate, you just don't do a bill that major the second year of a biennium.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 49:58-50:11

“The kids code didn't make it through the House because they stuck it on the bigger bill this year.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 50:21-50:29

“These are the children that are presently in the bad weather hotel program.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 53:02-53:09

“It ends March 31 and on April 1. There is no place we don't have the shelter capacity.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 53:16-53:31

“As the price of housing and the price of rent, we are pricing more and more people out of the housing market.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 53:52-54:04

“There are landlords who put out lower income people and paint everything white and rent it again for higher rent.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 54:05-54:14

“This is the worst I have ever seen with the number of. I mean, we've had things that were highly emotional, like civil unions.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 55:47-55:59

“Act 60, we had a Supreme Court mandate that said you have to do something.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 56:05-56:10

“We don't have any mandate except the voters that voted down all the school budgets last year.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 56:11-56:18

“We just can't afford to pay teachers to teach a class of 4, 5, 6 students.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 56:23-56:32

“We did confirm Zoe Saunders today.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 57:24-57:27

“The governor has proposed and we are now doing what the legislature is supposed to do.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 57:38-57:45

“We are not going to be doing the governor's proposal as it was presented.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 57:50-57:56

“We know we need to tell people what we think we're going to be doing.”

In-Depth Discussion with Senator Ann Cummings on Vermont's Legislative Challenges | Uploaded April 24, 2025 | 58:15-58:22