With 12 newly appointed committee chairs, some of whom will oversee policy that impacts the business community, there’s been a notable shift in the House and Senate leadership this session. In the Senate, Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale will be the new chair of the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing, & General Affairs. Sen. Ram Hinsdale recently joined a roundtable discussion with business leaders convened by the Vermont Chamber and has expressed her support for housing reform and a commitment to prioritizing policy action that addresses workforce shortages. The Senate Committee on Finance will once again be chaired by Sen. Ann Cummings, whom we recognized as an “All-Star Legislator” last year for her work to pass the manufacturing tax exemption as well as securing $17 million in savings for health insurance costs for small businesses and employees. 

The House Committee on Ways and Means, the committee with jurisdiction over tax policy, will be newly chaired by Rep. Emilie Kornheiser, who we also recognized for her work on the Manufacturing Tax Exemption. In recent weeks, Kornheiser has discussed increasing government spending, stating, “I think that the scale of budgets that we were able to see during the pandemic, and the impact of huge federal spending on our communities, I think and I hope shifted the scale of our thinking somewhat so that it takes a larger number for us to blink.” The House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development has a returning chair, Rep. Michael Marcotte. Marcotte also received “All-Star Legislator” recognition last session for his work to secure the VEDA forgivable loan program. 

Senate Committee Chairs 
Agriculture: Sen. Bobby Starr, D-Orleans 
Appropriations: Sen. Jane Kitchel, D-Caledonia 
Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs: Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale, D-Chittenden Southeast 
Education: Sen. Brian Campion, D-Bennington 
Finance: Sen. Ann Cummings, D-Washington 
Government Operations: Sen. Ruth Hardy, D-Addison 
Health and Welfare: Sen. Ginny Lyons, D-Chittenden Southeast 
Institutions: Sen. Russ Ingalls, R-Essex 
Judiciary: Sen. Dick Sears, D-Bennington 
Natural Resources: Sen. Chris Bray, D-Addison 
Transportation: Sen. Dick Mazza, D-Grand Isle 

House Committee Chairs 
Agriculture, Food Resiliency and Forestry: Rep. David Durfee, D-Shaftsbury 
Appropriations: Rep. Diane Lanpher, D-Vergennes 
Commerce and Economic Development: Rep. Michael Marcotte, R-Coventry 
Corrections and Institutions: Rep. Alice Emmons, D-Springfield 
Education: Rep. Peter Conlon, D-Cornwall 
Environment and Energy: Rep. Amy Sheldon, D-Middlebury 
General and Housing: Rep. Tom Stevens, D-Waterbury 
Government Operations and Military Affairs: Rep. Mike McCarthy, D-St. Albans City 
Health Care: Rep. Lori Houghton, D-Essex Junction 
Human Services: Rep. Theresa Wood, D-Waterbury 
Judiciary: Rep. Martin LaLonde, D-South Burlington 
Transportation: Rep. Sara Coffey, D-Guilford 
Ways and Means: Rep. Emilie Kornheiser, D/P-Brattleboro