By Guy Page
The Senate Wednesday approved changes in the current, FY 2024 state budget – including $2.8 million funding to create a Universal Afterschool and Summer Special Fund of $2,836,983.
Revenue for planning and implementing universal afterschool and summer programming will come from the legal sale of cannabis. H839, the Budget Adjustment Act, was approved by the House earlier and given ‘second reading’ approval yesterday by the Senate. Third and final reading is scheduled for today.
The 57-page bill includes dozens of additions and deletions to the budget passed by lawmakers last year. Items below are just a sampling. Read the entire bill starting on page 2 of the Senate Journal.
Flood costs
$30 million from the General Fund will match Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) matching funds for costs incurred due to the July 2023 flood.
Also, $6.25 million will be allocated from the General Fund for grants to municipalities in counties that were impacted by the July flood and are eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance funds under federal disaster declaration. Grants shall be made in proportion to the municipality’s share of the overall percentage of residential properties that were majorly damaged or destroyed, as designated by FEMA.
$$ for changes at public libraries
$200,000 of Dept. of Libraries funding will support Internet access in public libraries. $11,500 will pay contract costs for the Working Group on the Status of Libraries in Vermont, as required by Act 66 (2021).
You can read the recommendations (so far) of the Working Group here. Vermont’s public libraries are mostly funded at the municipal level. The Working Group recommendations for state funding and policies include:
Consider legislation to expand the confidentiality of public library records to minors aged 12 and older.
Increase funding to provide statewide access to eBooks and eAudiobooks and expand courier services to all public libraries.
Consider extending public safety laws for school libraries (including gun laws, drug laws, and criminal threatening laws) to both municipal and incorporated public libraries.
Establish ongoing funding for capital improvements of public library buildings – many of which, like the state’s schools, are overage and overused.
Emergency housing
$10,704,802 will go to emergency housing needs through the end of fiscal year 2024 (June 30, 2024). $4 million will go to “standing up shelters in five communities.”
Emergency dispatch $$
With $9 million of earmarked federal emergency dispatch funding at risk of being returned to the feds because the State of Vermont has yet to develop a pilot project plan to update and modernize police dispatching systems and equipment statewide, the BAA rewrite attempts to create ‘wiggle room’ in the planning process in hopes of keeping and spending the big pot of federal $$.
The BAA eliminates the 2023 deadline to develop a pilot project. And it gives Public Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison control over the $9 million. It reads thusly:
“The Commissioner of Public Safety shall seek to draw and deploy the $9,000,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending to support Vermont’s transition to a modernized, regional communications network in a manner that coordinates with and advances, to the greatest extent possible [conditional phrase added in the BAA], the goals of a statewide public safety communications system developed by the Public Safety Communications Task Force. The Commissioner of Public Safety shall consult with promptly inform the Public Safety Communications Task Force as the federal parameters for expending the funds become available and as the Commissioner develops and, if necessary, revises the plan to expend such funds. The Commissioner shall solicit recommendations from the Task Force regarding the plan, including any revisions to the plan, the implementation schedule, and specific expenditures.”
An amendment offered by Sen. Irene Wrenner (D-Chittenden) that strikes some language about the role of the Commissioner will be heard before third and final reading today.
Tax computer modernization
The BAA also allocates $1.3 million to update the state’s outmoded tax department computer system.
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Categories: Legislation
this state can not operate with out federal funds/// state and federal partners in this tax sucking operation/// what could go wrong///
I’d bet that 60% of the state budget comes from federal money…
Yes, the state will now propagandize your child for even more hours per day courtesy of the Vermont taxpayer, otherwise known as for “free”.
Seriously, this insanity is pure textbook – did the VT legislature raid the former USSR archives or are they genuinely just play-acting the entire text of Orwell’s “1984” chapter by chapter?
Rather than set aside any funding for drug prevention programs before they legalized cannabis and then commercialized it, they waited and said it would be included in after school programs once they commercialized it. What’s wrong with this picture? Let’s legalize commercialization so we can use proceeds to fund drug prevention. And now will they truly empower after school programs to include drug prevention messaging? Not likely. So who knows any kids that would benefit from some adult interactions around these web links – vthope.net/mj.html and vthope.net/llib.html? This information was available before the vote to commercialize took place.
So, the after school program would be funded through the legal sale of cannabis. According to a notice seen in a convenience store, our education system is funded through the sale of lottery tickets. And what part of the education budget is covered by lottery ticket sales? Apparently, not enough since we’re looking at a huge tax increase for education spending. Do they really think that cannabis sales will fund a statewide after-school program??? THIS.LEGISLATURE.IS.UNBELIEVABLE.
The Vermont Republican Party faces a significant challenge due to its alignment with extreme right-wing views, which are deeply unpopular in the state. This stance has led to a critical division within a party that is already a minority in a predominantly liberal-minded state. The party’s downfall can be attributed to several key factors:
1. Selection of Unelectable Candidates: The Vermont GOP has consistently chosen candidates who are not viable in the eyes of the majority of Vermont voters. This approach has alienated a substantial portion of the electorate.
2. Ineffective Messaging: The party’s communication strategy has failed to resonate with or address the concerns of most Vermont residents. This disconnect has further diminished the party’s appeal and relevance.
3. Disregard for Voter Preferences: By ignoring the liberal inclinations of the state’s voters, the Vermont Republicans have positioned themselves contrary to the public’s interests and priorities.
The consequences of these missteps are evident:
– The party is now vulnerable and at the mercy of the elected officials who represent the views it opposed.
– The Vermont GOP’s influence on national presidential elections is negligible, rendering its support for controversial figures like Trump counterproductive.
– Candidates aligning with Trump’s ideology, such as Malloy, have experienced resounding defeats, mirroring the performance of other like-minded candidates.
– In the event of a Trump presidency, the Vermont supermajority, bolstered by the electorate’s liberal stance, is poised to counteract any policy he implements.
To regain relevance and impact, the Vermont Republican Party must:
– Refocus its efforts on issues and policies that resonate with the majority of Vermonters.
– Understand that without aligning with the preferences of the state’s electorate, the party risks becoming entirely irrelevant.
– Prioritize getting elected and earning the support of the majority over maintaining a rigid and unpopular stance.
The party must choose to either stand for something meaningful to Vermont’s voters or risk standing for nothing and losing its place in the state’s political landscape