Health Care
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Senator Rivers has been
a leader in efforts to expand health care coverage
to children and working poor Vermonters. She also
has been a leader in expanding prescription drug coverage
for Senior citizens and people with disabilities. |
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Cheryl was a leader in enacting Vermont’s consumer
protections giving Vermonters the right to an independent
appeal process from the decisions of health maintenance
organizations. |
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Cheryl successfully fought to establish the independent
health care ombudsman’s office where consumers
can turn when they are denied access to health care
coverage or services. |
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Cheryl negotiated successfully for legislation which
gives the state the authority to review and approve
hospital budgets to rein in rapidly rising health
care costs. |
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Cheryl has been a national leader in the fight
for fair prescription drug prices. |
| Economic Development and Jobs |
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Helped design and pass the Vermont Economic Progress
Council Legislation meant to achieve geographic
balance in state economic development investments, and
to provide targeted tax credits to foster job creation
in Vermont. |
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Helped support and improve the Job Start Program-
a program to foster micro business development |
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Played a leadership role in the creation and passage
of the Sustainable Jobs Fund. |
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Cheryl shepherded through
a tax credit to enourage the film industry in Vermont.
Led the
successful fight to eliminate the sales tax on
clothing and shoes. |
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Played a leadership role in passage of Vermont’s
Downtown Legislation, encouraging investment
and development in our downtowns |
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Initiated and led the efforts to win state funding
to develop and build the Howard Dean Technical Education
center in Springfield. |
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Cheryl sponsored legislation to encourge the plastics
injection moulding industry in Vermont. |
| Education |
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As Chair of the Senate Finance Committee Cheryl was
able to bring Republicans and Democrats together to
win bipartisan support for passage of Vermont’s
Equal Educational Opportunity Act . Passage
of Vermont's Equal Educational Opportunity Act established
a state commitment to ensure that children’s educational
opportunities will no longer be dependent on the property
wealth of the individual community where their parents
live. |
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Cheryl's legislation providing for gender equity
in education has helped improve educational opportunities
for young women. |
| Agriculture |
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Cheryl served on the Senate Agriculture Committee
for the eleven years she served in the State Senate.
Cheryl was instrumental in increasing support to
diversified agriculture, and supporting family farms
by moving to use value assessment for agricultural and
forest land. |
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Cheryl was a sponsor of Act 98 passed in 91-92 biennium
which sought to help farmers lower their electric bills. |
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Cheryl’s legislation to enact labeling of
milk to give consumers information about BGH was passed
in the 1997-98 session and became Act154. |
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Cheryl introduced Legislation in 2000 which began
the Legislative discussion on impacts of genetically
engineered seeds. S295 did not pass, but paved the
way for legislation recently passed by the Vermont legislature. |
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Cheryl’s landowner liability(Act 110 1997-98
biennium) and equine liability(Act 136 in 95-96 biennium)
bills were passed helping to encourage the horse industry
in Vermont and to keep land open for recreational use. |
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Cheryl shepherded through Act 153 in the 91-92 biennium
as a freshman Senator. This bill maintained important
protections for importing domestic animals, but avoided
a costly new permit which was proposed by the Department
of Agriculture. |
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Transportation
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The Rivers Bridge bill which requires favoring
rehabilitation of existing bridges over replacement,
which helps preserve our historic bridges, and which
calls for the creation of Vermont design standards
for highway projects and bridges has become somewhat
of a national model and has saved Vermont taxpayers
millions of dollars while helping to preserve the character
of our state. |
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Vermont Rideshare program creating a state car pooling
program was created through legislation Cheryl introduced
and shepherded through the Legislative process.. This
was the very first bill Cheryl introduced as a freshman
Senator. |
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Public transportation- Cheryl was the lead proponent
for funding of public transportation during her
11 years on the Senate Transportation Committee. During
her tenure as a Senator these services were improved.
She led successful efforts to secure a multi million
Federal “Reverse Commute” grant to help
Vermonters get to work. |
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Cheryl helped save passenger rail service in Vermont,
and was an early advocate of strengthening rail transportation
for both freight and passenger rail. |
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Highway safety-Cheryl reported the seat belt law
on the floor of the Senate and helped secure enough
votes to pass it. She not only cast her vote for it,
she persuaded a reluctant colleague to help it pass-by
one vote! |
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Cheryl worked with Highway safety to create a program
to help low income parents obtain car seats,
and to train them properly in their use. |
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Cheryl won increased state funding for training local
police departments in enforcing truck safety laws. |
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Cheryl won increased funding for local transportation
enhancement programs which fund non traditional
transportation related projects often vital to downtown
and community revitalization. |
| Consumer Protection |
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Cheryl
was a co-sponsor of Fair Credit Reporting Legislation
to give Vermonters access to their credit reports.
The provisions were incorporated into a Committee
bill which won passage in the 91-92
biennium.
Cheryl was an early proponent
of reining in the excesses of telemarketing.
Though her Committee's bill to create a Vermont "Do
not call list" died in another Senate Committee
the first year , Cheryl reintroduced Legislation the
folowing year and worked with the Attorney Gneral's
office to win it's passage. The law requires telemarketers
to register with the state and protects consumers
from unwanted solicitations.
Cheryl received a perfect
score from the Vermont Public Interest Research Group
during her service in the Senate. |
Labor
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Cheryl received a 100 percent score from the Vermont
Labor Council on her votes on issues of importance
to working Vermonters. She has been a strong proponent
of increasing the minimum wage and of paid family leave. |
