Here鈥檚 a brief look ahead to the week at the Legislature:
A bill that would decriminalize small amounts of marijuana is set for final approval in the House on Tuesday.
Last week, the House 98-to-44 for a bill that would decriminalize 鈥搈ake it a civil offense rather than a crime 鈥� to possess a limited amount of marijuana.
After the vote, Speaker Shap Smith, who had once blocked the decriminalization debate from coming to the floor, told VPR that if the House had held this vote last year he doesn鈥檛 think there would have been such strong, tri-partisan support.
鈥淚 think the work has been done and the support of the [Judiciary] Committee was strong,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淭here are some items that we could tighten up a bit, but I think overall the bill is a good one.鈥�
The measure is expected to pass on Tuesday, but not before its opponents offer , including one that would drop the limit from one ounce to one-quarter ounce.
Meanwhile, the Senate Judiciary Committee a companion decriminalization bill.
Also in the Senate, lawmakers on a campaign finance bill that would ban corporate and union contributions to state political candidates. It also strengthens reporting requirements.
The Senate for a third time tomorrow, and there are no amendments listed. But with this bill you never know what鈥檚 going to happen.
Looking at the legislative calendar, it appears to be another busy week in the . Chairman Bill Lippert, D-Lippert, has been joking to his committee that there鈥檚 no shortage of controversial issues, and that鈥檚 certainly the case this week.
First, the committee will look at a bill from the Senate that would consider the financial cost of criminal sentencing. Then, it鈥檚 鈥淒eath With Dignity鈥� or 鈥減hysician-assisted death,鈥� depending on where you stand on the issue. This is the bill that would allow terminally-ill people to end their lives by requesting lethal doses of medication from physicians.
In February, as you remember, senators who supported the underlying bill said amendments approved on the Senate floor weakened the bill and stripped it of key safeguards. So they voted against it. Supporters of the bill, though, the Vermont House can manage to revive the legislation. And there鈥檚 another public hearing on the bill from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the House Chamber at the Statehouse.
On Wednesday, the House a bill that would create a panel that would appoint the Vermont National Guard鈥檚 Adjutant General, changing the way the Legislature picks the leader of the Guard.
F-35 critics are taking this opportunity to add amendments that call for a public hearing prior to a final decision on basing the F-35 at Burlington International Airport. The debate comes as Senator Patrick Leahy today to a report that Vermont has already received preliminary approval to base the F-35 fighter jets, months before any official announcement from the Air Force is made public.
You can listen to debates on the full House and Senate floor by following our legislative streams .
