VTDigger Minute is a weekly news digest from Vermont PBS. Tune in every Wednesday at 6 p.m. and Thursday at 6:30 a.m. to hear about the week’s top stories.
This week on the Minute:
Legal marijuana sales market doomed this session
The 2019 legislative session is likely to wrap up this week. One key bill that won’t be up for a vote is a proposal to tax and regulate marijuana sales. House leaders have signaled that that bill is dead, at least for this year. The proposal stalled in the House Ways and Means Committee, and members of both chambers say they would need more time to work on the policy.
Will ‘something is better than nothing’ win the day on Vermont’s minimum wage?
A proposal to increase Vermont’s minimum wage will head for a floor vote, but only after the House Appropriations Committee made significant changes this week. Rather than increasing the minimum wage to $15 by 2024, the new version would be tied to inflation, likely hitting $15 by 2026 or later.
VTDigger’s 2019 legislative bill tracker
Other proposals heading for floor votes include the House paid family leave bill, a 24-hour waiting period for handgun purchases, and a bill to fund clean water efforts that includes a tax on online cloud software.
