STANNARD – One of the first major pieces of legislation the House and Senate are presented each year is the budget adjustment. The state fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30, so this is a mid-year correction. Every year, the House Appropriations Committee and the Joint Fiscal Office come together to make tweaks for the 2025 budget that passed the previous May. Funds are often moved and funding shortages are corrected.
The Vermont House passed the Budget Adjustment Act, a critical step in ensuring our state budget continues to reflect the needs and values of Vermonters. House Democrats championed key investments addressing the affordability crisis while strengthening housing, public health and community safety.
Most of you know, we have a new state representative for Hardwick, Stannard and Walden. During his campaign to be elected, Rep. Mike Southworth, R-Walden, claimed he would follow his own beliefs and not be tied to his party. In my opinion, after representing the three towns in the House, for the past 10 years. I know there were some very important appropriations in this bill. Fortunately, it passed the House with 87 votes. Rep. Southworth voted “nay”.
The state budget is more than just numbers, it’s a reflection of our shared priorities and the stories of Vermonters from every corner of our state. Every dollar invested represents a family accessing health care, a neighbor securing stable housing, a student thriving in a well-supported classroom and a community preparing for a more resilient future. This Budget Adjustment Act reinforces the commitment to a Vermont where no one is left behind. The act is committed to compromise, but not when it means we’re throwing people out on the streets in sub-zero temperatures.
Among others, here are some of the appropriations Rep. Southworth voted against: $8.6 million to the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board to expand affordable housing and shelter capacity, including improvements to manufactured homes; $2.8 million to pilot supportive housing for adults with developmental disabilities; $10 million to stabilize community residential mental health and substance use providers, as well as other community health providers, ensuring continued access to vital services in our communities such as the Hardwick Health Center; $1.8 million to extend winter weather eligibility rules for emergency motel housing from April 1 through June 30, ensuring vulnerable Vermonters have access to shelter; $5.6 million, the most shameful of all, an appropriation to Vermont Veterans Home in Bennington for nursing outreach for disabled veterans. As a veteran who serves on the board of trustees of the Vermont Veterans Home, I found this to be most egregious of all. This is callous disregard for the welfare of our veterans; and $800,000 to upgrade courthouse security, reinforcing safety in our judicial system.
Troiano, a Democrat, represented Hardwick, Stannard and Walden in the Vermont House from 2014-2024. He was vice chair of the General Housing and Military Affairs Committee and vice chair of Corrections and Institutions committee.
