Former U.S. Senator and long-time Vermont resident Jim Jeffords died this morning. Since retiring from the Senate in 2007, Jeffords has lived in Knollwood Military Retirement Residence in the Washington, DC area near his family.
During his 14 years in the House of Representatives and 18-year tenure in the Senate, Jeffords was a tireless advocate for the elderly and those with special needs. He was a champion of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program and for tax-exempt bonds. While on the Senate Finance Committee, he helped pass a small-state floor for the housing credit program, allowing Vermont to secure a much-needed allotment each year. More than half of Vermont’s stock of subsidized rental housing has been developed through the housing credit program.
In 2002, Senator Jeffords and Vermont congressional delegation colleagues Senator Patrick Leahy and then-Representative Bernie Sanders were awarded the Vermont Housing Hero award. Every two years, Vermont housing agencies make this award to an individual or group who has had made a substantial impact on the availability of affordable housing for Vermonters.
Pictured: Jim Jeffords and VHFA Executive Director Sarah Carpenter, 2005.