Harrison: Guv checkmates Legislature

By Guy Page on March 31, 2025 • ( 1 Comment )

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by Rep. Jim Harrison
During the Town Meeting recess, we took the opportunity to visit our Maryland grandsons, Theo and Spencer. Six-year-old Theo challenged me to play a game of chess. I haven’t played chess in many years and even needed a refresher on which pieces could make which moves. And while I started off strong, there was that gleam in the eye when Theo had my king cornered and proudly said “checkmate.”

While the annual Budget Adjustment Act is certainly not a game, there remains major disagreement with legislative leaders and the Governor over the extension of the winter rules for the hotel program. The legislature has insisted on continuing the expanded winter rules until June 30. The first BAA was vetoed, and the second BAA is on the path to another veto over this issue.

On Friday afternoon, the Governor essentially “checkmated” the legislature by issuing an executive order to implement his administration’s proposed compromise on the hotel voucher program. The order allows expanded winter rules to end April 1 as agreed to last year. However, it continues protecting homeless families with children and those with certain medical disabilities to remain in hotels without the 80-day cap that will now apply to everyone else in the program.

Another area where there is the potential for another stalemate is education reform. Last week, Governor Scott made it clear where he stands on the bill emerging in the House that takes more time to study the issue of district consolidation. He said, “I will not support adjourning this session without a bill to transition to a new funding system, establish a new governance structure that unlocks transformation, and includes a specific implementation timeline. All these steps are necessary to improve equity, maximize efficiency, achieve educational excellence and be cost effective for taxpayers.”

The Senate may be a bit more in line with the Governor on reform efforts with a plan under consideration that dramatically reduces the number of school districts and supervisory unions. The Senate Education Committee Chair, Senator Bongartz, D-Bennington, is also attempting to put existing districts with school choice together rather than try to tackle that issue now statewide.

Related to education finance changes, the House Ways & Means Committee is reviewing a proposal to add multiple categories to the non-homestead property tax appraisals, which it could then tax differently. Currently, commercial, apartments, second homes and other non-residential property are all treated the same.

House approves ’26 budget: The House approved its version of the Fiscal Year ’26 budget after the House Appropriations Committee advanced the measure on an 11-0 committee vote Monday. The full House approved the bill. H.493, 104-38. There remains some concern over a few reductions the committee made, including a portion of the housing investments recommended by the administration, which the committee used to cover cost of living adjustments to many service providers. The bill now moves to the Senate.

The House approved a new data privacy bill, H.342, aimed at protecting private information of public servants, such as judges and law enforcement officers. While there is widespread support for the concept, controversy remains over a provision that may encourage lawsuits.

The House passed H.479, a bill to promote housing on a wide tri-partisan vote. The measure includes: help with infrastructure improvements, such as water and sewer, help to streamline the appeals process that often holds up housing approvals, and adds funding to assist landlords to rehabilitate old apartments to get them back on the mark.

The House approved the annual yield bill, H.491, which sets the statewide property tax rate. Under the legislation, which may change in the Senate, the House Ways & Means Committee utilized $77 million surplus from the General Fund to lower average property tax rates increases to about one percent. Some are concerned that without education reforms to reduce costs, Vermonters could see a larger increase next year without the use of one-time surpluses to buy down rates.

The Senate approved legislation, H.2 previously passed by the House, to delay the Raise the Age initiative by two years. Had the action not been taken, 19-year-olds would have been treated as juveniles for most criminal charges on April 1.

The House approved H.481, which delays some of the permitting provisions of Vermont’s three-acre stormwater program. The law, enacted by a prior legislature, is expected to add significant costs to approximately 700 parcels including fairgrounds and private roads that have over three acres of impervious surface.

The House approved H.244 which requires the state to spend 70% of its advertising with local media. It is unclear what this will cost the state and whether eliminating notices on social media and other platforms will be less effective in the future. Tourism advertising was exempted from the bill.

In other news, Health Care regulators (Green Mountain Care Board) have appeared to reach a settlement with the state’s largest health care provider, the UVM Medical Center, to return some funds to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont and independent primary care practices.

Now to brush up on my chess.

The author, a Republican, is the Vermont House member for Chittenden, Pittsfield, Mendon and Killington and is vice-chair of the House Appropriations Committee.