REGION – Thank you for electing me to represent our Rutland-Windsor District of Mount Holly, Shrewsbury, and Ludlow over the past 2025-2026 legislative session. It has been a privilege and an honor.
With the historic addition of 17 House Republicans in the fall of 2024, including myself, our minority caucus grew to 56 members. With the added strength in numbers, there has been a strong push to find where and how we can bring tax relief and reduce spending relative to previous years’ agendas.
There’s a long way to go still, but we were able to accomplish some legislative gains. In the 2025 session, Act 71 was fought for and passed that provided military retirees, seniors on fixed incomes, and working families with some tax relief. The situation with Vermont’s rising property taxes and education spending continues to be a burden that must be resolved. This spring, I voted with others to support the governor’s plan to buy down the fiscal year 2026 property tax rate by transferring $77.2M from the general fund and $40.9 million surplus from last year into the education fund that held down predicted average property tax increases substantially. To address looming statewide issues, the Senate Republicans announced the “Vermont Promise” campaign this spring, outlining seven basic promises that they are making to Vermont voters if Republicans win a senate majority this November. Find more info at www.vermontpromise.com.
A shift happened in the State House this spring, as rural Vermonters (which is most Vermonters!) became aware of how bills passed in 2024 – Act 59, Act 121, and Act 181 – affect them and their properties, and how the majority party was not including them in the critical discussions. Act 59 legislated conservation of 30% of Vermont land by 2030, 50% by 2050. Act 121 expanded wetlands protection and mapping. Act 181 established the “Land Use Review Board” and designations of properties as Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3, along with the “road rule” regulations, limiting use of and construction on private properties. Prohibitive permitting, engineering costs, and fees were to come, and the state would have jurisdictional authority over privately owned land. Thankfully, we were able to reverse the road rule and Tier 3 provisions of Act 181 and add the Burt Amendment thanks to the groundswell of voiced opposition from across the state, largely through the efforts of the growing Rural Vermont Rising group.
From my vantage point, these are concerns needing to be addressed:
– Cost of living increasing due to over regulation: restrictive zoning (ACT 250); unrealistic environmental goals (e.g. most stringent PCB levels in U.S.A.); inflation due to lack of competition (i.e. healthcare, insurance, etc.); and ever-increasing taxation rather than cost reduction and prioritization of activities.
– Declining incentives to be a productive citizen (i.e., losing working families): loose financial “handouts” to people who can and should work; facilitation of bad behavior to appease/sooth rather than fix a bad habit (push for safe injection sites, push for decriminalizing illicit drug use); increased lawlessness due to lack of funding and will to enforce.
– Inefficient and less effective education for children: lack of will to consolidate and work with the law of “economy of scales”; and selfish legislation driven by larger population centers having too much leverage.
– Lack of common-sense legislation with logical, fundamentally sound, fact-based decisions.
I don’t make promises. What I can say is that I will listen to all arguments presented in support of proposed legislation and strive to vote in such a way as to fix the root-cause problem(s) to move forward to solutions rather than band-aids.
Please call or text me at 802-245-4190 so we can discuss your view of improved legislation and/or change my mind as I pursue this legislative responsibility again.
Whatever you do – make sure you use our precious privilege and VOTE!
Paid for By Kevin C. Winter
1476 E Hill Rd, Ludlow, VT 05149