Vermont Representative Targets Work and Family Issues

Drawing attention to the fight for improved quality of life and increased economic opportunities for working families has been a primary goal for Vermont state Rep. Elaine Alfano (Flemming Fellow `98) this session.

Alfano turned the spotlight on the many needs of working families through the introduction of an omnibus spending bill, HB 515. While the bill may not be enacted in full, many of the solutions contained in the bill are moving through the Vermont legislature.

For instance, the legislature approved $2.5 million to improve access to quality child care—a key piece of the omnibus bill. Alfano and her colleagues also successfully negotiated the increase of Vermont’s minimum wage—an important step to improve the economic situations of working families. While a boost to the minimum wage helps, Alfano notes, the increase does not make the minimum wage equal to a livable wage.

The omnibus bill hasn’t been Alfano’s only effort to build security for working families though.

One bill Alfano introduced aims to lower the costs Vermonters pay for prescriptions by authorizing the bulk purchasing of prescription drugs.

Another piece of legislation tackles the issue of requiring insurance companies to equitably cover prescription contraceptives. As a former executive director of the Vermont state affiliate of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, Alfano was well-positioned to advance the contraceptive equity bill, which passed the Vermont House in mid-April.

Alfano is continually looking for ways to become a more effective legislator.

"What keeps it interesting are the challenges of how to get a majority of 150 people behind a solution. There are endless opportunities to learn more about strategies for building coalitions and moving legislation," she says.