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David as Lieutenant Governor (2016 – 2020)
“We are at a momentous point in history and I believe youth are instrumental in shaping our future.”
— David Zuckerman
As Lt. Governor, David presided over the Senate for debate and votes on hundreds of bills and two propositions for constitutional amendment votes. During his time, he has consistently encouraged diverse voices and respectful discussion on the floor and in the statehouse. The ability to hear and be heard is an integral part of our democracy.

David’s primary focus as Lt. Governor was focused on bringing diverse voices to Montpelier and traveling the state connecting with constituents in their own communities about issues that are most important to them.

He created The Youth Initiative, which encourages youth voices in Montpelier.  “We are at a momentous point in history, and I believe youth are instrumental in shaping our future.”

He brought transparency and engagement to the legislative process by writing a monthly newsletter for constituents highlighting issues being debated in Montpelier and in local communities.

David initiated the Lt. Governor’s Movie Series so Vermonters from across the state could come together to learn and discuss some of the critical issues we are facing. Movie topics included Veterans’ issues, renewable energy and climate change, discrimination faced by minority communities and the poor, sexual discrimination and women’s issues, criminal justice reform, and many, many more.

In 2019 David was nationally recognized for his leadership as Lieutenant Governor here in Vermont and was appointed to the leadership committee for the National Lieutenant Governors Association, the nonpartisan, professional association supporting lieutenant governors. NLGA Director Julia Hurst said, “David’s peers find Lt. Governor Zuckerman to be an engaged leader who works across party and state and territorial lines to develop and share ideas from citizen engagement to addressing the climate crisis to developing rural and agricultural economies.”

Throughout his time as Lieutenant Governor, David has continued to run Full Moon Farm with his spouse, Rachel Nevitt.

David as a State Senator (2012 – 2016)
“[David] has been championing marijuana reform since he was elected to the legislature nearly two Decades ago”
— Seven Days (2015)
David served in the Vermont Senate from 2012 to his election as Lieutenant Governor in 2016. He was the vice-chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, bringing his experience both as a legislator and a farmer to discussions about the future of Vermont agriculture.  Below is a summary of some of his accomplishments during these four years as a State Senator.

Raising Wages & Pay Equity: Watching the rising cost of living, and no comparable increases in pay, David sponsored S.278 in the Senate: an act that focuses on ensuring a livable wage for employees of Vermont State Colleges and the University of Vermont.

In 2013, he worked with other Senators on the passage of Act 31 which targets pay equity, expands protections against discrimination, and assists businesses and employees in striking a work/family balance.

Cannabis Reform: In 2014, David co-sponsored S.48, an act relating to decriminalization of possession of one ounce or less of cannabis. David was also the lead sponsor of S.306, and S.95, which proposed a taxation and regulatory system for cannabis in Vermont. In 2015, Seven Days acknowledged David’s work on cannabis reform, stating that he “has been championing marijuana reform since he was elected to the legislature nearly two Decades ago.”

Healthcare: Deeply affected by his wife’s battle with Lyme disease, in 2014 David co-sponsored S.112. The Valley News reported this was an Act relating to Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses that proposed to help health professionals pursue a broader range of treatment courses by immunizing them from professional conduct charges.

David also sponsored and worked to pass Act 86 that ensured that firefighters and rescue workers who become ill in the line of their work do not have to fight for compensation for that illness. Firefighters who suffer from lung disease and rescue workers who are exposed to infectious or blood-borne illnesses are protected.
“Zuckerman, an organic farmer, has worked more than 15 years to bring transparency to Vermont’s food system. ”
— VBSR (2014)
Jobs & the Economy: In 2014, David was named as the Legislator of the Year by Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR). VBSR specifically mentioned his work on GMO labeling and his ability to work across the aisle: “Zuckerman, an organic farmer, has worked more than 15 years to bring transparency to Vermont’s food system. The strong endorsement by the Vermont Senate this year on a bill requiring the labeling of genetically engineered food is a testament to his ability to build strong coalitions and pass meaningful legislation.”

Renewable Energy: David worked on developing and expanding renewable energy in Vermont, with the introduction of bills like S.105, which proposed to require regional planning commissions to plan for the siting of renewable electric energy plants. For his work on renewables, David was named the 2013 Legislative Champion by Renewable Energy Vermont.

Education: In the 2013/2014 legislative session, David sponsored S.52 that proposed to extend collective bargaining rights to childcare providers to help improve the quality of childcare and early education in VT.

Farmer Dave
Having farmed in Burlington’s Intervale for 10 years, David and Rachel bought their own farm in Hinesburg, VT, in 2011 with the help of the Vermont Land Trust, the Hinesburg Land Trust, The Trust for Public Land, and the Castanea Foundation.

Going from managing 15 acres to 150 acres overnight was no easy feat for Rachel and David. Therefore, to ensure the success of the farm, David spent some time away from public service in Montpelier – and a little more time with organic vegetables and pigs!

David as a State Legislator (1996 – 2010)
David served for 14 years (1997-2010) in the Vermont House of Representatives representing the City of Burlington in Chittenden 3-4. He served four years at the Chair of the Agriculture Committee, for a total of six years on the committee, on the Natural Resources and Energy Committee for six years, and the Ways and Means Committee for two years.

Throughout his 14 years of service, David focused on many of the issues that were close to his heart: farming and agriculture issues, climate change, the legalization of same-sex marriage, death with dignity, GMO labeling, and much more. Below are some highlights:

Raising Wages: David has consistently championed this issue, including introducing bills to increase wages and support workers almost every session. The Burlington Free Press reported David’s passionate critique of the Vermont legislature for voting to increase the minimum wage but rejecting a measure to index the wage to cost of living increases. The Associate Press said, “Rep. David Zuckerman of Burlington, caucus leader, noted, for example, that lawmakers voted to increase the minimum wage, but rejected indexing the wage so it could rise automatically as the cost of living increases.”

Supporting Farmers and the Rural Economy: David understands the importance of farms to our rural economy and Vermont landscape. In 2005, he worked to lower property taxes for landowners who keep their land as a farm. The Rutland Herald reported “Rep. David Zuckerman, P-Burlington, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, said part of the reason legislators are considering the change to current use law is to take into account the changing face of agriculture in the state. Farmers who add value to basic farm products like milk by turning it into cheese, or apples by making cider are going to be important to the state’s rural economy, especially as the price for raw agricultural materials weaken, Zuckerman said.”

In 2008, he was recognized by the founder of Jasper Hill Farms in a letter to the editor in the Burlington Free Press for his work recognizing the value of farms and their businesses saying, “I know I speak for many farmers when I say that David has been a great leader in promotion and passage of bills to keep Vermont’s working landscape profitable for small farmers.”
“[David’s marriage equality proposal would] permit same-sex marriage outright, ending the need for future civil unions.”
— Rep. David Zuckerman
Marriage Equality: David was an ardent supporter of marriage equality and worked to raise awareness and support for this issue around Vermont. A longtime supporter of LGBTQIA rights, David co-sponsored the bill that codified marriage equality in Vermont. The Valley News highlighted the process it took for David, other key legislators, and the LGBTQIA movement and all of its allies to make this a reality. The Rutland Herald reported on David’s 2004 marriage equality proposal that would “permit same-sex marriage outright, ending the need for future civil unions.”

Single-Payer Health Care: David has sponsored bills in support of a single-payer health care system since 1997, his first term in the Vermont House. In 2003 and 2004, David was part of the movement to call for a universal single-payer healthcare system in Vermont. The Rutland Herald quoted David saying “I don’t think people should be making money off investing and gambling on people being sick.”

David has also raised awareness about the need for Vermont to address the high prescription drug costs for the elderly and low-income people, especially for necessary and preventative medicines, according to the Burlington Free Press.

Transparency and Engagement: The Rutland Daily Herald reported that, rather than legislating solely from Montpelier, as chair of the Agriculture Committee, Zuckerman led the committee to visit agricultural operations around the state to hear which issues were important, particularly about new federal water regulations.

“He is tenacious, he won’t give up.”
— Rep. Carolyn Partridge
Placing person ahead of politics, and in the wake of a party dispute between the Progressive and Democratic parties, David  “Put politics aside and openly supported [Dem. Rep. John Tracy] in his losing bid for speaker of the Vermont House .” Read the full article from the Burlington Free Press here.

In 2005, despite party differences, Vermont House Democrats praised David’s work in the legislature in a Burlington Free Press article. The Free Press reports that Rep. Mitzi Johnson, D-South Hero, a UVM classmate who has worked side by side with Zuckerman in the fields and in the halls of the Statehouse stated, “He takes his work very seriously,” and “he takes himself very lightly.” And that House Democratic Leader Carolyn Partridge, who served with Zuckerman on the House Agriculture Committee said that “He is tenacious,” said new House Democratic Leader Carolyn Partridge, who served with Zuckerman on the House Agriculture Committee. “He won’t give up.””
End of Life Choice: In 2005, David also worked across the aisle to sponsor H.168, the “Death With Dignity Act”, with both a Republican and a Democrat. According to Seven Days VT, “If politics makes for strange bedfellows, a bill now pending before the Vermont House of Representatives promises to be a veritable orgy of unlikely liaisons.” The bill’s purpose was to allow a mentally competent patient who is expected to die within six months to end his or her life in a humane and dignified manner by prescription medication.

GMO Labeling: David led the fight for the first in the nation GMO labeling law, which passed in 2004 with bipartisan support. The Associated Press reported on this victory, noting it was the culmination of David’s work over years. “Rep. David Zuckerman, P-Burlington, an organic farmer, has introduced four bills in the Legislature that would require the labeling of genetically engineered foods; hold companies that produce the seed liable for the ill effects of the crops; and ban the use of genetically engineered plants and seeds in Vermont altogether.” David’s dedication to this issue had stretched over his entire career up to this point.

Cannabis Reform: A constant theme throughout David’s public service has been decriminalization of cannabis and increased access for those who use cannabis for medical reasons. In 2003, David demonstrated his ability to cross the aisle and bring in wide political support for his medical cannabis proposal. The Burlington Free Press described that “Three Republican lawmakers led the floor fight to pass the bill, while the bill’s sponsor, Rep. David Zuckerman, P-Burlington, worked the hall to recruit supporters.” In 2002, the Associated Press reported that David sponsored a bill to allow patients with certain disorders to grow cannabis for personal consumption if recommended by a physician. In 2001, David had also led the effort to amend a crime bill that would strengthen the state’s drug laws to legalize cannabis, reported by the Burlington Free Press.

Campaign Finance Reform: In 2001, David doubled down on one of his most consistent issue area focuses: campaign finance reform. David opposed a proposal to limit the state’s public campaign finance program to state House and Senate races. The Vermont Press Bureau reported that Zuckerman argued, “If we believe in public funding we should believe in it for all races, not just some of them, and find the money for it.”

LGBTQIA Rights: In 1999, years before Vermont moved towards same-sex marriage legalization, David came forward and said he would be willing to sponsor a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry if the “gay and lesbian community wanted the bill considered after the Vermont Supreme Court’s decision” on the issue.
David and Full Moon Farm were profiled by the Burlington Free Press in 1999 for working with agencies like the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf and Burlington Meals on Wheels to distribute his surplus produce.

David as a Student and Candidate (Early years – 1996)
In 1996 David succeeded in his second campaign for the Vermont House of Representatives representing the City of Burlington in Chittenden 3-4..

David graduated from the University of Vermont in 1995 and was awarded the Keith M. Miser award from UVM, presented to a senior who demonstrates outstanding leadership and service, as announced in the Burlington Free Press.

David first ran for office as a student from the University of Vermont. During the campaign, David openly supported a single-payer healthcare plan for Vermont to ensure that all Vermonters were covered with insurance, as well as the equal marital rights bill. Read David’s interview in the Cynic about his positions.

David’s political career began because he was inspired by then-Representative Bernie Sanders’ to stand up for your values and fight for what is right regardless of the odds. And in 1994, David was honored with Bernie Sanders endorsement in his first race for the Vermont House of Representatives. The Burlington Free Press reported David and Bernie’s collaboration encouraging students to get involved in environmental and social justice issues. In addition to writing in support of Sanders’ position against PACs, the Burlington Free Press published David’s letter to the editor arguing that Sanders was on the side of the “little guy” because he refused contributions from “corporate political action committees.”

Contact

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Zuckerman for VT
P.O. Box 9354, South Burlington, VT 05407
Phone: 802-448-5715

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Issues

Economy

Jobs & Economy

Vermont is home to some amazing homegrown businesses; King Arthur Flour, Rock of Ages, HearthStone, Switchback, Chroma Technology and Orvis to name just a few. We must find ways to encourage and support the talented and creative entrepreneurs who call Vermont home. We also must help connect Vermonters who are ready and willing to work with jobs in their area and supply training programs to ensure we have a pool of workers that businesses require. And we must ensure that working families can afford to live here.

First and foremost, we must identify the real burden of taxes and fees on Vermonters. We must be honest and smart in differentiating Vermonters who are struggling and cannot and should not pay more in taxes from those who have benefited from our collective infrastructure investments and are able to contribute more to our communities and the benefits of all.

We must increase broadband access in rural Vermont by starting with community access hubs and expanding to individual residences. In 2019, the legislature allocated funds to establish a broadband innovation grant program. This program leverages public-private partnerships to expand existing network investments to create municipal infrastructure open access to state and federal grants. Expansion of this program may be one way to improve broadband access in rural communities. We have seen this before with rural electrification and phone services, which built the economy of the past. Now we must invest to build the rural economy of the future.

We must raise the minimum wage and pass paid family leave. Imagine how much easier it would have been to proactively tackle the Covid-19 pandemic in Vermont had we had such a program in place. While the legislature has made significant strides this past session on the minimum wage, the cost of living continues to increase for Vermonters across the state and many are struggling with the ability to access affordable childcare. This is especially true for women, who disproportionately make the minimum wage.   Ensuring that the minimum wage keeps pace with the cost of living and that all Vermont families can use paid family leave will help those working full time have the resources to meet their and their family’s needs. We support a minimum wage of $15 an hour.

We must ensure that all Vermonters have access to safe, healthy, affordable housing. Almost one quarter of our housing stock is more than 80 years old. While annual investments are made in weatherization and modernization, we simply are not keeping up. We must support the creation of new affordable housing at the local level as well as improvements to our existing homes. This investment will create good-paying jobs all around the state, improve energy efficiency, reduce housing expenses for hardworking Vermonters, and ensure a safe and healthy environment for younger and older

Rural Vermont

As a Vermonter, David is proud of our rural culture and traditions. Our state is better for the small towns that encourage kindness, compassion, and community. We should celebrate our rural landscape and the opportunities found there. Together we can make rural Vermont a place that young families will want to move to. To make this a reality for rural communities across Vermont, we will support infrastructure development so those living in small communities have employment opportunities nearby. To enact this, we need the ideas to be locally driven and state-supported.

We will find ways to expand the working landscape economy and the opportunities available in this sector. The Working Lands Enterprise Initiative, signed into law in 2012, has recognized the importance of this economy and funded over 184 projects that have resulted in more than 500 sustainable jobs.  This program serves as a strong model for the benefits of investment in our forest products industry, including logging, construction and wood heating. In addition, we will explore the potential for financial remuneration for forest landowners through management of forests for carbon sequestration.

With respect to agriculture, Vermont is the most single-commodity-dependent state in the country. Dairy represents about 70% of our agriculture economy. We will explore  innovative solutions to the economic stresses that many of these dairy farms are facing. In addition, while the transition to a diverse agricultural sector can be culturally challenging, it also offers great opportunity for resilience and as a way to keep our working lands productive to our rural communities. We will expand small-scale agricultural opportunities and help develop and work toward an agricultural economy that pays farmers and their employees a livable wage. We will do so while recognizing land stewardship by farmers and indigenous communities and look for ways to elevate women and minority groups who have historically not had the resources to own farms.

We will invest in infrastructure to ensure those Vermonters who prefer a rural setting have employment opportunities nearby and transportation choices when they need to travel. We must improve broadband access to our smaller towns and communities. This will allow our creative citizens and entrepreneurs the opportunity to work where they live and attract more workers to rural areas. We must also continue to improve fuel efficiency for personal vehicles and the state fleet and  encourage alternatives to single-use vehicles (like trains, buses, bikes, carpooling) so that rural Vermonters will be able to travel more freely across the state.

Improved transportation options also mean easier access for tourists who are a significant revenue generator in our state. We rely on tourist visits to support our travel and recreation industry as well as local shops, diners and attractions. An increase in transportation and, therefore, tourism means an increase in employment opportunities for Vermonters.

There is incredible opportunity in rural Vermont. We will lift up these areas, support their economy, their creativity and their communities. While traditional private-sector calculations have discounted these areas, as Governor, David will recognize the value that they bring to Vermont.

Education

Education

Education is a fundamental keystone to economic opportunity for all Vermonters. Schools are the heart of our communities. To give our children their best futures, we must focus on education from pre-k through higher education. We need educational opportunities for all Vermonters seeking more education, including trade schools, internships and mentoring, that meet them where they are and help them realize their full potential as members of our communities.

We must support and respect our teachers for the vital services they provide to our children and our state. We are continually asking them to do more: prepare for active shooters, deal with health emergencies, update their teaching to a trauma-informed curriculum and more. Teachers dedicate themselves to educating our next generation and are part of an education system that will draw young families to our state.

We must expand our understanding of societal issues that inhibit learning and overextend  teachers, such as poverty, substance abuse, migration and mental health challenges, and work to address them. By closely connecting the Department of Health and the Agency of Human Services with the Agency of Education and working with frontline state, local and designated agency employees, we can find ways to save money by reducing redundancy, provide a stronger continuum of care and improve outcomes for some of our most vulnerable Vermonters.

Vermonters show their support for their local schools by passing the vast majority of school budgets each year. As our student population declines and other school costs increase, it may be time to rethink how we fund our schools and what we need to do to invest in schools of all sizes. Schools are a natural gathering point in many communities. By expanding the ways we use public school spaces, including expanding them into community centers, we can build connections between different community members, including folks of all ages, entrepreneurs, small businesses and others. This could also expand financial resource opportunities for our schools.

We are facing a shortage of people prepared to work in the trades. We will support these solid occupations and celebrate both those who want to attend higher education and those who want to learn a trade in Vermont. In addition, we will encourage demographic groups who have historically been underrepresented in the trades, including women, to take advantage of these opportunities in Vermont. Trade schools and higher education should be affordable and accessible to those who want to take that path, which is why we support free in-state tuition for Vermonters.

We will support universal afterschool and pre-K education. These programs keep our youth safe, and working families need reliable childcare options. We must work to destigmatize parental childcare and uplift the women and men who provide this vital service to our society. Childcare is a part of our children’s growth and education. We need to increase access to high-quality, affordable, child care for those who must or choose to work. By supporting and expanding programs like T.E.A.C.H., we will not only improve education for Vermont’s children, we will raise wages for workers in a field dominated by women.

Environment

The Environment

As a farmer, David lives and works on the land every day. Like many farmers across the state, David sees and experiences the real and unmistakable effects that climate change is having on our land, our farmers, and our Vermont way of life. As a father, David also wants his child and all children in Vermont to have a safe and healthy future in our state.

Vermonters have long recognized our role in protecting our beautiful state. In 1970, under increasing development  pressure, we passed Act 250 to ensure larger developments would complement Vermont’s unique landscape, economy and community needs. We also saw our first Green Up Day in 1970, now an annual tradition of coming together to clean up our roadways. In 1987, the first solid waste law (Act 78) was passed, and in 2012 it was expanded to include universal recycling. Taking care of our Vermont environment has always been a priority.

We believe that it is important to do everything we can to listen to our youth and step up to stop climate change. Despite laudable goals, our carbon emission rates are the highest per capita in New England! We must address this issue for our children and grandchildren and because older and rural Vermonters deserve the economic opportunities that local solutions will bring. We can do this in a way that builds jobs in our rural areas and strengthens our economy and our resilience to future storms.

We will work toward a future where Vermonters’ primary energy sources are renewable and sustainable — built and maintained by hardworking Vermonters and small businesses right here in the state. We will ensure that Vermont workers and unions are involved as we keep our promises to reduce emissions and reliance on fossil fuel sources.

We will ensure the solutions that we put forward reduce working Vermonters’ energy bills by investing in opportunities like weatherization, which improves health, conserves energy, creates jobs, and helps struggling Vermonters and seniors pay their bills and put food on the table.

We will support an invigorated agricultural economy that will create jobs in communities around our state. By working with farmers to build healthy soil for their farms, we will reduce further water quality degradation and create the best chance of mitigating flood impacts by holding phosphorous and other nutrients in the soil and sequestering carbon.

By protecting our environment and rural landscape, we elevate our rural communities and ensure our traditions and way of life are protected for future generations.

Health Care

Healthcare

Our campaign is about bringing people together to address the healthcare challenges in our state. Whether we are faced with new healthcare threats like the coronavirus, or consistent issues like increasing costs and uninsured and underinsured Vermonters, we must come together and find solutions that are affordable and accessible. A universal healthcare system would help address many of these acute and chronic issues. But until we get there, we must keep working to address the many shortfalls of the current system.

Coronavirus

On March 12th, we were the first campaign in Vermont to announce (via Facebook) that all in-person group campaign events would be canceled to help mitigate the potential spread of the coronavirus. For information on COVID-19 in Vermont, please visit the Vermont Department of Health page dedicated to this worldwide pandemic. I believe it is critical that as a government we take steps to get in front of this challenge.  Studies have shown that proactive action saves lives.

Beyond our immediate response, it is more important than ever to acknowledge the invaluable contribution that our healthcare workers provide to our society. We must support them, their families, their unions, and their work in this critical time. We must come together to support each other, while taking care to confine our circles of contact to as few people as is practical.

If and when a vaccine is available for the coronavirus, it should be free for all Vermonters, universally accessible, and mandatory if medical professionals recommend that it be made so. If quantities are limited, however, we should prioritize making it accessible for the highest-risk populations like those over 60 years old and those with underlying health conditions. In the meantime, we should all follow guidelines from the World Health Organization and other national and international organizations.

Vaccines

I believe in vaccines. I support vaccines. And I support the law – that I voted for – that makes vaccines mandatory in Vermont and removed the philosophical exemption to vaccines. As mentioned above, I also support listening to medical professionals about making a COVID-19 vaccine mandatory. Watch the video below to see my full response to my opponent’s negative ads.

If you would like to read more about my position on vaccines and my objections to some of the claims leveled against me, please read this press release.

If you would like to watch an educational video on COVID-19 and the importance of herd immunity that I filmed earlier this year, please click here.

Universal Healthcare For All

Our campaign believes that healthcare is a human right. This means every Vermonter should have access to healthcare when they need it. Healthcare should not be tied to employment. No one should die or be forced into financial hardship or bankruptcy as a result of a health condition.

We must address the persistent healthcare issues in Vermont. While a national single-payer healthcare system (Medicare For All) is the ideal way to cover all Americans, keep healthcare costs in check, and ensure access to preventative healthcare without premiums and copayments, there are also steps that we can take here in Vermont.

• State programs like Dr. Dynasaur should be supported and expanded when necessary.

• We must ensure Medicare and Medicaid remain fully funded.

• The Veterans Medical Center in White River Junction is a critical center for our Vermont Veterans. We will look to their leadership and success in covering a broad range of issues from mental health to substance abuse disorders to different cancers.

• We will work closely with our Federal Delegation to ensure continued funding for Federally Qualified Health Centers and look for opportunities to expand the services that are provided through them.

• We will do all in our power to protect funding for Planned Parenthood to ensure they can continue to provide general health services to the thousands of Vermont women and men who rely on them.

• Prescription drug prices must be kept in check. We must see S.296 passed into law to protect those with diabetes from having their drugs costs soar with price gouging.  Pharmaceutical companies should not be able to price gouge on other lifesaving drugs for chronic conditions.

• We will work with progressive businesses that are funding free walk-in community health clinics and wellness programs for their employees in order to reduce costs and increase productivity. We can learn from them, and our government must recognize, as these businesses do, that good healthcare means good business.

• We need far greater transparency across many sectors of our healthcare system, from the cost of care and procedures being more accessible for patients to the compensation for top hospital executives. We need to bend the cost curve if we are going to get healthcare costs under control.

Paid Family Leave

We support a universal, statewide paid family leave program. This program will help mitigate future health crises by allowing Vermonters to take the time needed when they or family members are sick and will help prevent the spread of illnesses. A Paid Family Leave program will boost our economy by supporting our existing workforce and attracting more people to Vermont to live, work and raise their families. If we had this in Vermont before the Covid-19 outbreak, the economic hardship and impossible choices facing hardworking Vermonters could have been mitigated. Paid family leave would have slowed the spread of this life-threatening illness throughout our state.

Substance Abuse Disorder

The opioid epidemic in Vermont is harming our communities and our economy. We must treat all Vermonters with the dignity and respect they deserve. Harm-reduction services, from needle exchanges to access to overdose prevention medication, are crucial. We must make life-saving medication-assisted treatments such as methadone and buprenorphine free to any Vermonter who needs them.

Medication-assisted treatment should not be criminalized. We must focus on addressing trauma, abuse, poverty, hopelessness, and a lack of alternatives for vulnerable Vermonters. These conditions can both cause and worsen substance use disorder. We also must hold the pharmaceutical companies accountable for their advertising and promotion of highly addictive and over-prescribed opioid drugs.

Mental Health

Our mental health challenges are staggering.  And they seem to be compounding as time goes on.  We must stop seeing “mental health” as a separate category from physical health.  The mind is part of the body. Just as we view environmental conditions as having an impact on our physical health, we must look at some of the environmental conditions that are also impacting the mental health of many Vermonters. The stress of economic uncertainty is straining many families. Homelessness from economic strain is also compounding mental health issues. We must work to address these areas that are making the mental health crisis worse.

We also must work to help people get back on their feet. We must give our state and designated agency employees the tools they need to more completely address the issues facing our community.

Health and healthcare in Vermont are critical for our families, our communities, and our economy.

Vermont for All

Vermont should be a place where all feel welcome. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. We must work to remove societal biases and laws that disproportionately harm nonmajority communities in Vermont. We must lift up Vermont women, indigenous Vermonters, Vermonters of color, LGBTQIA Vermonters, rural Vermonters, Vermonters of all religions, Vermonters with disabilities, and Vermonters of all socioeconomic classes. We must stand up against hate speech and ensure equal employment opportunities and equity.

Our administration will work to make sure that traditionally underrepresented and diverse voices are invited to participate and will be respected and heard.

We all do better when we all do better.