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State Rep. Chris Pritchard warns rural towns could be affected by Act 81, outlines budget and transportation concerns
Summary
State Rep. Chris Pritchard told Middletown Springs voters that Act 81’s implementation could disproportionately affect some rural communities, reviewed committee work on environmental and safety bills, and urged restoring transportation funding while criticizing the state budget size.
State Representative Chris Pritchard told an informational town meeting in Middletown Springs on Feb. 23 that recent legislation and budget choices at the state level could have material effects on rural towns.
"Act 81 is gonna have an effect on rural towns," Pritchard said, and described the ongoing process to determine tiered districts under the law. He said the governor’s veto of the law had been overridden and implementation is underway. Pritchard also summarized the volume of legislation this session, saying "we're around 1,230 bills" introduced and estimating roughly "$1,250,000" in taxpayer cost to draft bills over the biennium.
Pritchard, who serves on the House Environment Committee, reviewed several laws and committee actions: he described Act 47 as a technical fish and wildlife bill that passed unanimously, and said work on stormwater regulation (Act 37) prompted strong debate on impacts such as the potential effect on the Rutland Fair. He described opposition from agencies and conservation groups to a proposed wildlands bill, saying Fish and Wildlife and Forests and Parks had voiced concerns about how the measure would affect ecological reserves.
On infrastructure funding, Pritchard told the meeting the state needs a sustained funding stream for roads and bridges. He said roughly $144 million is generated by vehicle purchases and that a portion of those receipts was shifted to education in recent years; he characterized a plan to return $50 million and add $10 million per year for five years as a way to leverage almost $400 million in federal grants. "For me, it's a no brainer," he said, arguing the change would help address the backlog of road maintenance.
Pritchard also raised housing and education issues, describing an executive order and subsequent legislative push related to permitting and wetlands protection, and said rising construction and regulatory costs are a factor in home prices. He repeatedly framed these topics as state‑level policy choices that will filter down to local towns and urged voters to follow the process ahead of the March 3 Australian ballot.
The assembly had previously voted to suspend the meeting’s rules to allow Pritchard to speak; that procedural motion was made and carried before his remarks.
