Matt Dunne On The Issues

Meetups for Matt!

Want to hear Matt talk about the issues important to YOU? Attend a meetup or call in to hear Matt in person! Find out more.

NEW! Find out more about Matt's vision for the future of Vermont's economy here.

POLICY UPDATES! Read Matt's positions on:

The future of Vermont's agriculture: Healthy Farms, Healthy People.

Allowing Vermonters the freedom to make their own end of life decisions. You can also discover the myths and truths of Death with Dignity here.

In my 11 years in the legislature, I have enjoyed having the chance to work creatively with Vermonters to solve many of the problems facing our communities and state. I listened to you at town meetings, in conversations on the street, at community working groups, in formal testimony before legislative committees, during evening phone calls, and in thousands of e-mails. Our ability to connect has given me the ideas and support to represent the diverse state of Vermont.

Our accomplishments together include:

Economic development

  • Launched a broadband grant program to bring high speed Internet to rural communities
  • Authored legislation that created the Vermont Film Commission
  • Authored Brownfield legislation and secured funds to support the redevelopment of abandoned industrial buildings
  • Developed a Seed Capital Fund to provide financing to Vermont entrepreneurs

The Environment and Agriculture

  • Encouraged the clean-up of contaminated properties including the creation of the new Brownfields Clean Up Fund ("Cleaning up state Brownfields" by Ernest Pomerleau Rutland Herald 11/21/05)
  • Sponsored legislation to support our diverse agricultural community as our state changes
  • Worked with the Tuck School of Business to find ways to strengthen our Forest and Parks System (Click here to find the preliminary report)
  • Supported legislation to protect farmers as our agriculture base diversifies
  • Streamlined the permitting process while protecting our core environmental standards
  • Launched a tire recycling pilot program through the Department of Transportation

Education

  • Supported a fairer and clearer way to fund education, and increased state investment in our children's education
  • Developed legislation to encourage stronger civics education
  • Proposed partnerships to provide entrepreneurship training to high school students

Healthcare

  • Launched initiative to create electronic healthcare records to reduce costs and save lives
  • Strongly supported initiatives to contain healthcare costs by providing universal coverage
  • Fought against increased premiums for Medicaid recipients
  • Supported securing funding to make sure seniors did not lose prescription drug coverage with the implementation of the Medicare drug plan

Veterans, Workers and Local Government

  • Authored legislation to ensure that those men and women returning from war have special hiring status for state jobs
  • Fought to increase the minimum wage and add an annual cost of living adjustment
  • Championed legislation to ensure nurses have the right to speak out if they see dangers in a hospital setting
  • Established a volunteer pilot program to support the efforts of municipalities to move towards electronic storage of records

While I am proud of these successes, there is much more we can and need to do in the years ahead. The cost of Health care is reaching a crisis level, we still do not have adequate job opportunities across the state, and the regressive property tax continues to burden Vermonters who want to do the right thing for our schools. I am committed to tackling these and other challenges if given the opportunity to serve you as Lt. Governor.

LOOKING AHEAD
I want the next generation to be able to earn a living and stay in Vermont, and I plan to work hard to make the state a place where our children and grandchildren can live in strong, vibrant communities. To achieve this goal we must address the following:

  • Containing healthcare costs through universal coverage, better healthcare IT systems, reimbursing for healthcare outcomes, and simplified paperwork (See 2004 Announcement Article for more details)
  • Creating jobs in businesses that can compete in the global marketplace
  • Establishing greater energy independence that does not rely on dangerous fuel sources
  • Tackling the problems of poverty so that every Vermonter has the opportunity to succeed
  • Developing innovative ways to fund new affordable housing in our downtowns while maintaining our commitment to conserving our farmland
  • Ensuring we defend Vermonters' long standing tradition of privacy and individual freedom from intrusive federal laws
  • Protecting our incredible natural resources from in-state and foreign pollutions
  • Increasing college readiness and removing financial barriers to higher education

As the campaign moves forward, I will continue to articulate the specifics of how we can achieve these important goals. Stay tuned and please send me your ideas on any of these topics. Together, we can create a Vermont we can be proud to leave to the next generation.