At issue is about $71 million in one-time housing money and $9.2 million earmarked for organic dairy farmers, neither of which were included in Gov. Phil Scott’s proposal.
Final Reading: Vermont House passes budget adjustment without GOP support
Author: Lola Duffort
Lola Duffort is a political reporter for VTDigger, covering Vermont state government, the congressional delegation and elections. She previously covered education for Digger, the Concord Monitor in New Hampshire and the Rutland Herald. She has also freelanced for the Miami Herald in Florida, where she grew up. She is a graduate of McGill University in Canada.
Senate unveils child care bill with full-day public pre-K for 4-year-olds
The inclusion of full-day pre-kindergarten in public schools is expected to be a major bone of contention for child care advocates because pre-kindergarten vouchers have become a critical subsidy for private child care centers.
House committee advances spending bill extending emergency housing through June
The powerful budget-writing House Appropriations Committee has endorsed a $21 million plan that would give the 2,800 Vermonters living in motels a three-month reprieve from being kicked out at the end of March.
Gov. Phil Scott keeps new budget ‘lean’ despite historic revenues, bracing for tough times ahead
Scott and his administration acknowledged that Vermont has seen record revenues, “supercharged” in large part by an influx of federal cash to the state.
Child care overhaul would cost between $179 million and $279 million, new report estimates
Consultants were given a two-fold mandate: Figure out how much it would cost to ensure that families receiving state help pay no more than 10% of their income toward child care — even as wages are raised to bring child care workers’ salaries in line with their peers in public education.
To tackle the housing crisis, Vermont lawmakers consider ending single-family zoning
A growing coalition of lawmakers, planners, developers and housing experts argues the state will have to significantly pare back its local regulatory landscape if it hopes to meet its housing construction goals.
Shawn Nailor named secretary of Agency of Digital Services
Nailor has held the post on an interim basis since September when his predecessor, John Quinn, departed for a private sector job. Denise Reilly-Hughes has been named deputy secretary.
Democratic bill would guarantee 12 weeks paid family and medical leave to all Vermont workers
The proposal goes further than the voluntary program announced by Gov. Phil Scott last month. The governor has signaled that he would oppose any effort to fund a more expansive program through a payroll tax.
Final Reading: Waiting for the price tag on child care reform
Gov. Phil Scott has long called for additional investments in child care, but never on the scale that advocates have said will be necessary to make a real dent in the problem.
Sam Bankman-Fried and allies gave tens of thousands more to Becca Balint, Vermont Democratic Party than previously reported
Several affiliates of the now disgraced cryptocurrency mogul donated the maximum allowable sum to Democratic state Sen. Becca Balint’s successful congressional campaign, while Bankman-Fried and his brother gave directly to the state party.
