MONTPELIER – I hope we can find our way to ensure the continuation of a thriving version of this wonderful democracy, one we obviously cannot take for granted. I received a hundred or so requests for my legislative update (11 pages). If you’d still like one and haven’t received it,[Read More…]
Legislative Report
50-50 votes and vetoes
MONTPELIER – A lot of commentary space has appeared recently concerning three bills that passed Vermont’s Legislature, but were vetoed by Gov. Phil Scott and will not become law because override votes did not occur or were unsuccesssful: S.190 An act relating to reference-based pricing and the Green Mountain Care[Read More…]
There are so many changes to law
MONTPELIER – Act 73, the education transformation act that was signed into law by Governor Phil Scott last July, saw some significant updates and changes this past legislative session. Bill H.955 went back and forth from the House and Senate and finally a conference committee and was voted out by[Read More…]
Understanding Vermont public education landscape
MONTPELIER – As you probably know, Vermont is at a crossroads, many argue a crisis, concerning the costs to operate Vermont’s public education system and the results. Property taxes have grown 40% in the last five years, while results are declining. Before digging into the details of what Montpelier did[Read More…]
It is not the end of the work
MONTPELIER – Yesterday evening, we gavelled out the 2026 legislative session, officially concluding the biennium. We passed the state budget, the yield bill to set property tax rates and the education transformation bill that I have been working so carefully on throughout the past year to get right. While this[Read More…]
Good work done by balanced legislature
MONTPELIER – Vermont’s Senate adjourned on Friday evening, ending the 2025-2026 biennium. The 2024 election and an end to the super majority in the House and Senate made it possible for a lot of good work to be accomplished over the last 2 years. Vermonters were rewarded for voting in[Read More…]
Getting major legislation right
MONTPELIER – It is a little daunting that the legislative session is continuing this late into May, but that is because we are working hard in these final weeks to get several major pieces of legislation right.We are close to reaching an agreement with Governor Scott on the final education[Read More…]
Confronting highest health insurance premiums
MONTPELIER – The debate over health care legislation known as S.190 may ultimately be remembered as one of the defining affordability fights of this legislative session. At issue was whether Vermont would finally take aggressive action to confront some of the highest health insurance premiums in America or continue down[Read More…]
Legislators consider yield, other education bills
HARDWICK – We continue to pay close attention to our legislators and the Governor in Montpelier. As I write this report, we have the Senate and House converging on a bit of a showdown on Act 73 legislation. The House adopted H.955, which has a built in period of time[Read More…]
Vermonters made their voices heard
MONTPELIER – It has been a pivotal week in Montpelier as we near the end of the biennium and work to finalize major legislation before adjournment. The biggest development this week was the passage in the House of S.325, legislation updating portions of Act 250 and Act 181. This bill came[Read More…]
The truth is more complicated
MONTPELIER – For years, Vermont’s opioid epidemic seemed to move in only one direction: worse. Each annual report brought another heartbreaking record number of overdose deaths, another reminder that fentanyl had tightened its grip on communities across the state. But for the first time in years, Vermont may finally have[Read More…]
Vermonters feel financial strain
MONTPELIER – There’s an old saying in Montpelier, “When the budget is done, we’re done.” Agreement on the budget marks the end of the legislative session. Each year, more than a hundred bills may pass, and every bill that includes spending must be incorporated into the budget bill. Without legal[Read More…]
