Day 1 Put People First Rally

01/15/13 • 6 min

On the first day of the legislative session this year, a unified, diverse, and growing movement of organizations called Put People First packed the Vermont Statehouse. Put People First believes Vermont can and must protect and fulfill the human rights of all its people, while ensuring a healthy and livable environment. The movement unveiled its Put People First Agenda and delivered thousands of postcards collected over the past year to legislators, showing the breadth of statewide support for making human rights a reality in Vermont. With the Put People First Agenda, the people of Vermont call on the legislature to take concrete steps to move this vision forward. The Put People First Agenda puts forth a plan for holding Vermont accountable to its obligation to fulfill the people’s human rights by taking action on universal healthcare, dignified work and the right to organize, freedom of movement and access to transportation, inclusion of people with disabilities, the right to a healthy environment and livable planet for all, and a budgeting process that puts people, not money, at its center. Put People First includes 350 Vermont, Green Mountain Self-Advocates, Migrant Justice, Rising Tide Vermont, United Professionals of Vermont/AFT, Vermont Center for Independent Living, VT Early Educators United/AFT, VT Federation of Nurses & Health Professionals AFT, Vermont Workers’ Center, and Voices for Vermont Children. The Vermont Workers’ Center coordinates Put People First.

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People's Budget Hearings

In the 2012 Vermont legislative session, the People’s Budget Campaign organized for an amendment to the state budget bill which established for the very first time the purpose of the state budget. The 2012 budget bill stated that the budget’s purpose is to “to address the needs of the people of Vermont in a way that advances human dignity and equity." and that "Spending and revenue policies will . . . recognize every person's need for health, housing, dignified work, education, food, social security, and a healthy environment." As part of the amendments to the budget, the state is required to have public participation in the development of the state budget. As a result, on November 13th and 19th of 2012, the state held hearings through Vermont Interactive Television. Many of the people who turned out to VIT budget hearings spoke about what the human rights crisis looks like in their communities. In addition to establishing the purpose of the state budget, the 2012 budget bill also included language to address in inequalities in VT’s revenue raising policies. The upcoming legislative session will be crucial in establishing next steps for adopting a People’s Budget that ensures and fulfills everyone’s human rights in VT For more information, go to www.workerscenter.org

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People's Budget Address

On Wednesday January 24th, the Put People First campaign read the People’s Budget Address at the Vermont Statehouse, prior to the Vermont Governor’s state budget address. The People’s Budget Address calls for a state budget that first determines the needs of the people of Vermont, and then proposes raising money equitably to meet those needs. In addition, the address talked about the importance of equity in healthcare financing, based on the idea that people must be able to get what they need and give what they can. For more information on the People's Budget and to read the whole address, go to http://www.workerscenter.org/peoplesaddress