[H]ouse and Senate leadership have agreed on the outline of a deal on paid leave and minimum wage, the final hangup before adjournment of the session.
Under the deal, the House would vote on a minimum wage amendment that sets Vermont on a path to a $12.25 minimum wage within two years. The Senate would vote on a paid leave bill that includes voluntary personal injury insurance.
“That’s the general outline we’re working with,” said Senate Majority Leader Becca Balint, who has been negotiating for the past two days with House Majority Leader Jill Krowinski. Balint cautioned, however, that nothing was final.
“We’re one conversation from going home tonight, or everything could fall apart,” she said at 4:30 p.m. Both the House and Senate adjourned in the evening and will be back in session Friday morning.
The House priority this session has been paid leave, which it passed in April with a mandatory payroll tax that would cover family leave — for newborns and ailing family members — and personal leave for illness or injury.
The Senate gave initial approval to a bill after stripping out personal insurance. That piece would be added back on an opt-in basis under the compromise.
The upper chamber passed a minimum wage bill in February that would have hit $15 by 2024. After rejecting a House version that would have tied the wage to economic indicators, the Senate passed a new bill that would have reached $12.50 in two years. The compromise would instead hit $12.25 in two years, which is on pace with the initial 2024 timeline.
The outlines of the deal were confirmed by two sources with knowledge of recent House discussions.
It’s still possible, and expected by many, that Gov. Phil Scott will veto both bills, even in their somewhat watered-down states. And it’s unlikely that either bill will have enough support in both chambers for an override vote.
It’s unclear if the Legislature can finish its business before Memorial Day weekend. House Republican have pledged not to suspend rules on paid leave and minimum wage, which means it will take at least two calendar days to complete the legislative process for passing the bills.
