Vermont House Speaker
Shap Smith, D-
Morristown, has been working the phones for the past few days, trying to get other House speakers to join him in a letter to Congress about the pending stimulus package.
He'd said he had called speakers in Maine, Connecticut, Oregon, Rhode Island, New Jersey -- to name a few. He had hoped to have a group letter ready for delivery at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Then he heard that the U.S. Senate and House had essentially reached agreement on the stimulus package -- just a day after the Senate passed its version.
That was unexpectedly fast. And it short-circuited Smith's effort to try out some speaker muscle.
Now he and others have to delve into the deal to see what it means for Vermont.
No matter what all the details are, Senate President Pro
Tempore Peter
Shumlin, D-Windham, said, "This is a great deal for Vermont because without it our situation would be so desperate it is unthinkable."
-- Nancy
Remsen
