[H]ouse Republicans say they will not support any version of the state budget for the next fiscal year unless it includes a proposal that would change how teachers’ health care benefits are negotiated.
Earlier this week, Gov. Phil Scott urged lawmakers to require that teachers’ health care benefits be negotiated at a statewide level, rather than regionally as they are currently. Supporters of the proposal say it would save up to $26 million annually.
House Republicans threw their support behind the governor’s idea Friday.
“We want this done before we leave this session,” House Minority Leader Rep. Don Turner, R-Milton, said.
House Republicans, all except for one of whom voted for the House’s version of the fiscal year 2018 budget, now say that they will not support a state finance package that does not include the change in health care negotiations. They also said they could not support the finance bills the Senate passed this week.
“If a budget is sent to the governor’s desk without this common sense proposal, a proposal to save up to $26 million annually, we stand ready to support and sustain a veto,” Turner said.
The Senate voted down an amendment to attach the governor’s proposal to the education funding bill, H.509, Friday. However, the Senate did OK a provision that would leave a door open to the proposal in the budgetary wrangling that will play out over the next week before adjournment.
Members of the House plan to offer a version of the proposal as a floor amendment next week.
House Republicans disputed an argument from leading Democrats that the idea was proposed too late in the session.
Rep. Peter Fagan, R-Rutland, said the House Appropriations Committee heard from the Vermont Education Health Initiative, which administers educators’ benefits, in February.
He urged lawmakers to take action now.
“I don’t want to leave millions if not tens of millions of dollars on the table,” Fagan said. “We need to return that value to the taxpayers who have supported our teachers for such a long time.”
Rep. Heidi Scheuermann, R-Stowe, said that though the legislative session is nearing its end, there is still time to adopt the proposal.
“Vermonters expect us to do our job and deserve (for) us to do our job,” Scheuermann said. “The timing, it may not have been ideal, but it’s here.”
Whether Gov. Phil Scott will veto a budget proposal that does not include the change to teachers’ health care is unclear.
Earlier this week, Scott said he would not support a provision in the Senate budget that shifts an annual contribution to the teachers’ retirement fund to the property tax-funded education fund.
According to Scott spokesperson Rebecca Kelley, the governor has said it would be “irresponsible” not to go ahead with the statewide teachers health care benefit.
“The governor has been clear we have an obligation to Vermonters to ensure we realize these savings,” Kelley said.
Rep. Kitty Toll, D-Danville, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, is focused on resolving the differences between the House and Senate versions of the budget.
“I’m always a little leery of drawing lines in the sand,” Toll said.
She has some concerns about discussing the proposal at this late stage in the year. It is not included in either the Senate or House version of the budget, which is going to conference committee on Monday.
“It’s totally outside the parameters of what we’re working on,” she said.
For now, she is focused on finalizing work on the state budget, she said.
“I’ve just got to get to common ground on the elements that are in the two budgets right now,” Toll said.
