With adjournment on the horizon (date uncertain), the lion’s share of lawmaking has moved to committees of conference.
And all eyes are on the year’s big bill — no, not the budget — the education bill.
Lawmakers find themselves in an unusual situation. On H.454, the House and Senate aren’t so far apart. But Gov. Phil Scott has made clear he wouldn’t sign either chamber’s bill, and he doesn’t want lawmakers to go home until they’ve passed something he supports. So the gravitational pull on the members of the conference committee is coming from across the street.
Scott laid bare the fifth floor’s stance in a ‘dear conferees’ letter yesterday, spelling out his demands for an education transformation package he could stomach.
So far, H.454 “has passed with virtually no Republican support,” Scott wrote, “and I feel strongly that change of this magnitude must earn votes from members of the Republican caucuses, as well as my own support.”
While his letter highlighted five key points, two in particular stand out: Scott doesn’t want a new education funding formula to spend more than the state does already, and he’s not willing to wait until 2029 for big change to happen.
A path seems to exist. While Scott initially proposed implementing a new foundation formula in 2027, he left open the possibility of 2028. And depending on how redistricting occurs, House Democrats’ formula could spend less than the current system.
But a new sticking point has developed in recent weeks. A foundation formula could result in currently low spending districts — often in areas with higher levels of poverty — facing steep tax increases. Many Republicans want to give these communities the option of spending less than 100% of a foundation formula would provide.
The idea may be hard to swallow for Democrats. A foundation formula — in which the state determines the minimum amount districts can spend — typically provides the money needed to provide an “adequate” education. Spending less than that, some Democrats fear, would open up the state to lawsuits — like the one that led Vermont to its current funding formula almost 30 years ago.
Despite the governor’s looming presence, the conference committee has largely danced around the administration’s role.
Wednesday afternoon, though, Sen. Ann Cummings, D-Washington, addressed the elephant in the conference room.
“There is a third party here if we’re going home,” she said. “We should hear from the administration.”
— Ethan Weinstein
In the know
A federal judge in Vermont has ordered the release of a Russian-born Harvard Medical School scientist from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, agreeing with the researcher’s attorney that she was unlawfully detained.
The ruling by Judge Christina Reiss, which came at the end of a roughly 90-minute hearing Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Burlington, on Wednesday makes her the third federal judge in Vermont to grant a person’s release from ICE custody in a high-profile immigration case since President Donald Trump took office in January.
Read more about the Vermont federal court hearing here.
— Alan Keays
Vermont’s newest historic roadside markers highlight 15 significant moments in state history — including the time Ralph Ellison spent in Fayston while writing his acclaimed novel and the story of one of America’s earliest documented same-sex couples, who lived together in Weybridge.
The 15 new markers have all either been delivered or installed throughout the state to expand the historic roadside marker program, which began in 1947 and has produced 335 placards to date, according to a press release from Vermont’s Agency of Commerce and Community Development.
Each of the new markers offers a snapshot of local or statewide history, honoring a variety of figures and places such as Revolutionary War hero Col. Seth Warner in Bennington and The Vermont Country Store in Weston, which was founded in 1945.
Laura Trieschmann, the state historic preservation officer, said the markers, distinguished by their green color and gold state seal, exemplify the pride Vermonters take in their state’s history.
“The Roadside Historic Site markers in Vermont are a great way to connect the community around their history, their people, their stories,” Trieschmann said. “It brings people to places to learn about our history that they have not heard about.”
Read more about the new roadside markers here.
— Izzy Wagner
On the move
To-go cocktails are here to stay for good.
On Tuesday, Gov. Scott signed into law H.339, a bill that permanently allows businesses to sell alcoholic beverages for off premise consumption.
Scott first signed an executive order introducing to-go cocktails and curbside liquor pickup to the Green Mountain State during the pandemic, a measure aimed at keeping bars and restaurants afloat during the era of social distancing.
The state legislature blessed the measure into law in 2021, but included a two-year sunset clause, which they extended for another two years in 2023. Now, lawmakers have finally decided to kick that clause to the curb, and Vermont joins 30 other states in permanently allowing to-go cocktails.
— Habib Sabet
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