Tag Archives: PR.4

Steven Heffernan is a Sad Excuse for a Man, and a Worse Excuse for a Senator

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Addison County Sen. Steven Heffernan, seen here being endorsed by our allegedly “moderate” governor, has done it again. He’s outed himself as a bigot, and is now trying to avoid the political damage that should result. Last time it was bravely ducking out of the Senate chamber when the roll was called for PR.4, which would add an equal protection clause to the state constitution. This time, he’s trying to explain why he’s not an ignorant bigot after making remarks on the Senate floor that were clearly both ignorant and bigoted.

And I do hope somebody asks Phil Scott if he has any second thoughts about the quality of his endorsements. Because Heffernan has revealed himself as an archconservative far away from our political mainstream in general and the politics of normally blue Addison County in particular.

The remarks in question were delivered on the Senate floor last Friday, May 15, and went unreported in the media until top Democrats started raising holy hell about them. Even now there’s been absolutely minimal coverage — an outrageous state of affairs when compared with the brouhaha over much milder remarks made by former senator Sam Douglass. Heffernan’s statements in the official record were far more toxic than anything posted by Douglass on Young Republican message boards.

The only story I’ve seen was tucked at the bottom of VTDigger’s “Daily Briefing” column for today, Wednesday May 20. The piece included Heffernan’s lame effort to explain himself, which beggars credulity. There’s been zero reporting from Seven Days or Vermont Public or even The Addison Independent as of this writing.

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Lest We Forget: The 15 Who Didn’t Support PR.4

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This November, we’ll all get a chance to vote on adding an equal protection clause to the Vermont constitution, something our state sorely needs — especially in a time when the federal administration is actively fighting equal protections. The equal protection amendment known as PR.4 has now cleared every hurdle in the marathon course required of constitutional amendments — passage through the Legislature in two successive biennia, which takes a minimum of three years to accomplish.

The final vote came last week in the House, and the tally was 128 in favor and 14 against. The corresponding vote in the Senate was 29-0 — with Republican Sen. Steven Heffernan taking the coward’s way out and ducking into the restroom when it was time to cast his vote.

I’m not making that up. It comes straight from VTDigger’s Shaun Robinson, who reported that Heffernan “got up from his seat right before the roll call vote was taken… because his stomach was feeling ‘agitated’.”

It’s a convenient and time-dishonored way to avoid going on the record. Heffernan barely bothered to devise a convincing cover story, telling Robinson “My pizza hit at the right time, I guess,” and acknowledging that the timing was “convenient.”

Especially when you’re a conservative lawmaker about to seek re-election in the blue precincts of Addison County, right?

Well, He Just Made the List — of Republicans whose records deserve closer scrutiny in this election season. The List also includes the nine Republicans who voted against a bill to establish a state vaccine registry. And since no one in the media thought it worthwhile to name the opponents of PR.4, well, I’m happy to oblige.

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Looks Like PR.4 Is Coming Soon to a Ballot Near You

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The good news first: Contrary to what I wrote in my last post, legislative leadership appears to be fully committed to approving PR.4 and giving it a spot on the statewide ballot this November. The measure would add an equal protection clause to the state constitution, mandating “equal treatment under the law” for nine protected classes, including race, sex, disability, gender identity and sexual orientation.

This is great news given efforts by the Heritage Foundation, the Trump administration, and red-state legislatures to make life as difficult as possible for transgender Americans. Vermont cannot depend on mere tradition to preserve trans rights within its borders. They must be enshrined in our constitution.

Now, I should explain how I came to write. incorrectly, that PR.4 seemed to be sinking without a trace this year after winning overwhelming approval in 2024.

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The Trans Community Is Under Attack. What Are We Doing About It? (UPDATED)

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Note: Important update posted a few paragraphs down. More to follow.

Well, they’re saying the quiet part out loud. This week Keith Roberts, the president of the Heritage Foundation, went on a conservative podcast and embraced the goal of outlawing all gender-affirming health care for everyone. Not just minors — everyone.

A reminder that the Heritage Foundation is the force behind Project 2025, the transformational playbook that Donald Trump disavowed when he was running for president but immediately began to implement upon taking office.

People like Roberts occupy the seats of power in the federal government. And the idea of banning gender-affirming care and kneecapping trans folk’s ability to live their lives is gradually taking hold in red states across the country. Roberts knows he can’t take such a radical step right now, but he wants to keep hammering away until trans people effectively lose the right to exist. He calls it “radical incrementalism,” and it’s happening all around us.

Meanwhile, here in exceptional little ol’ Vermont, a measure that would protect the rights of trans folk is apparently dying of neglect.

Update: Apparently it’s not. Scroll down to see a Comment posted by Sen. Nader Hashim, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He says the measure moved out of his committee and is headed to the Senate floor. Good to hear. Why didn’t I find it? I searched for the bill and portions of its title on the Legislature’s website and found no trace of the bill whatsoever. It’s the first time the search function has failed to produce any sign of a bill.

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