Vermont H 67: An act relating to workers’ compensation

Bill Text

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H.67
Introduced by Representatives Boyden of Cambridge, Waters Evans of
Charlotte, and Garofano of Essex
Referred to Committee on
Date:
Subject: Legislative operations; government accountability
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to create the
Joint Government Oversight and Accountability Committee. It proposes to
change the default submission date for periodic reports to the General
Assembly and to update the legislative reports database.
An act relating to legislative operations and government accountability
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:
* * * Purpose and Findings * * *
Sec. 1. PURPOSE
(a) The purpose of this act is to actuate the principle of government
accountability by focusing on how evidence is used to inform policy, how our
State laws are carried out, and how legislation can best be formed to achieve
its intended outcomes. This act strives to systematize government
accountability efforts as much as possible with simple, clear, independent,
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objective, and fact-based processes rather than to rely upon individual
legislators or individual committees to be effective.
(b) Government accountability means the principle of demanding that
legislation succeeds in achieving its stated policy goals through the provision
of means by which to measure whether the policy goals have been met. The
metrics for determining whether success has been achieved are as important as
the goals themselves.
(c) Government oversight means the mechanisms put into place to ensure
that the bodies of government tasked with executing legislative intent are
properly doing so. Oversight by the General Assembly is the examination of
the processes followed and the information produced by government officials
executing the law to determine whether those officials are properly and
adequately achieving the policy goals established by the General Assembly.
* * * Creation of the Joint Government Oversight and Accountability
Committee * * *
Sec. 2. 2 V.S.A. chapter 28 is added to read:
CHAPTER 28. JOINT GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT AND
ACCOUNTABILITY COMMITTEE
§ 971. CREATION OF COMMITTEE
(a) There is created the Joint Government Oversight and Accountability
Committee, whose membership shall be appointed each biennial session of the
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General Assembly. The Committee shall work independently and with other
legislative committees to assist with matters related to government oversight
and issues of significant public concern.
(b) The Committee shall be composed of eight members: four members of
the House of Representatives, not more than two of whom shall be from the
same party, appointed by the Speaker of the House; and four members of the
Senate, not more than two of whom shall be from the same party, appointed by
the Committee on Committees. In addition to two members-at-large appointed
from each chamber, one appointment shall be made from each of the House
Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs, the Senate
Committee on Government Operations, and the House and Senate Committees
on Appropriations.
(c) The Committee shall elect a chair, vice chair, and clerk from among its
members and shall adopt rules of procedure. The position of chair shall rotate
biennially between the House and the Senate members. The Committee shall
keep minutes of its meetings and maintain a file thereof. A quorum shall
consist of five members.
(d) The Committee shall meet as necessary for the prompt discharge of its
duties.
(e) For attendance at a meeting when the General Assembly is not in
session, members of the Committee shall be entitled to compensation for
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services and reimbursement of expenses as provided under subsection 23(a) of
this title.
(f) The professional and clerical services of the Joint Fiscal Office, the
Office of Legislative Operations, and the Office of Legislative Counsel shall
be available to the Committee.
§ 972. DUTIES AND POWERS
(a) Duties. The Committee shall have duties as described in this section
and elsewhere in law.
(1)(A) The Committee shall exercise government oversight by
examining and investigating matters of significant public concern relating to
State government performance. The Committee shall examine the possible
reasons for any failure of government oversight and provide findings and
tangible recommendations to standing committees of jurisdiction to prevent
future failures.
(B) The Committee will select issues of significant public concern to
examine and investigate by a majority of the current Committee members who
have not recused themselves from the matter. The Committee shall consider
issues of signific