Four Washington County legislators are being taken to task on the Rural Vermont Rising Facebook group for what a poster says is their negative characterization of the grassroots organization’s successful efforts this year to repeal Act 181 and promote legislation protecting property rights.

The bill pushes back the deadline to complete testing, creates a fund to assist with testing and remediation, and adds a new PCB testing requirement tied to future school construction aid. 

The law that required Governor Scott’s signature is narrower than the one then-Rep. Jim Harrison and 11 co-sponsors introduced — and it expires on July 1, 2028.

Vermonters are asking what they are getting in return for an extension that multiple reports estimate is costing taxpayers $300,000 each week.

On Thursday, the Vermont Senate approved legislation to extend the state’s streamlined telecommunications permitting law for another three years. The reporter of the bill argued that the extension is necessary to comply with federal deadlines, avoid litigation, and avoid delays in expanding wireless service. This will be the seventh time that the sunset has been extended.

The bill passed out of the committee 3-2 with the Democratic committee chair siding with the committee’s two Republicans against members of her own party. The bill now moves to the floor for a vote of the full Senate. 

Gov. Phil Scott has said the Legislature cannot approve a state budget and go home until it first passes a school organization and funding bill.

On Thursday this week in an uncommon move, the Vermont Senate reversed one of their previous votes and struck down an amendment to a bill that the same Senators had approved by high margins the day prior. 

An effort led by Rep. Mark Higley (R-Lowell) to force a floor debate on a stalled current-use land bill failed Tuesday after a lengthy House debate over legislative process and committee authority.

“That the people are guaranteed equal protection under the law. The State shall not deny equal treatment under the law on account of a person’s race, ethnicity, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or national origin. Nothing in this Article shall be interpreted or applied to prevent the adoption or implementation of measures intended to provide equality of treatment and opportunity for members of groups that have historically been subject to discrimination.”

On Thursday, May 7 the Vermont Senate will take up legislation that will place into effect a statewide prohibition on machine guns and create a statewide ban for bringing firearms into establishments licensed for alcohol, sponsor and Senate Pro Tem Phil Baruth (D-Chittenden Central) told VDC today.

H.326 was supposed to regulate the state’s usage of pellet poison

The Senate advanced H.9 voted down a floor amendment to H.933 that would have attached a high-income earner and investments tax proposal.

The recent dispute involving the Secretary of State, the Ethics Commission, and the Chair of the VT-GOP erupted over how candidate financial disclosure forms are handled and when and where they would be available to candidates.

Climbing expenses and fewer taxpayers requires tax increases, Legislature thinks – but for whom?

Opt-in to the federal school contribution tax credit, opt-out of smart meters talk of the Legislature today.

Two bills reported on by Vermont Daily Chronicle earlier this year are on their way to the Governor after being passed on Tuesday, one from each chamber of the legislature. One makes clarifications to Vermont’s land posting laws and the other criminalizes blackmail for extortion using explicit images 

Brown declined to answer a legislator’s question: ‘What is a woman?’

Two separate bills that together ban the state lottery and impose criminal penalties on offering sports betting were presented to lawmakers on Tuesday.

“Following extensive feedback from communities across Vermont, it is clear that the ‘Road Rule’ and ‘Tier 3’ need to be repealed,” Krowinski said.