The repeal of the “Road Rule” and Tier 3 was the easier decision, once the political math moved. What the Legislature builds in their place, and how it builds it, is the harder one. That work has just begun.
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.
Scott allows anti-ICE lawsuit bill to become law
It did seem that the Act 181 Road Rule and Tier 3 that threatened so many rural Vermonters was an unshakable mountain that could not be moved. But, by the small faith of many, working together, hearts and minds were changed, and that mountain is being moved.
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.
It’s a multi-front war on multiple issues.
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?’
If you were having trouble putting your finger on that one thing that bugs you about the Whiz Kids on the Winooski (aka the Vermont legislature) you only have to read the recent apologia of House Speaker Jill Krowinski concerning the ill-considered Act 181.
Act 181 revealed a fundamental inequity in policy from Montpelier—wealthy, urban communities get a choice. Rural or poor communities don’t. Montpelier must fix it.
“We are far from repealed. We haven’t seen any updated legislation,” North told VDC in the State House cafeteria this AM. “I asked that question and did not get a definite answer. Which is concerning.”
They have not really changed their minds, only their tactics.
Paraquat, one of the most widely used herbicides in the U.S., would be phased out over five years
Fixing our education system is hard, but we must do the hard thing, because it is the right thing to do.
Lawmakers emphasized that the bill does not mandate school district consolidation. Any mergers would remain voluntary and subject to local voter approval.
If House Democrats were hoping the governor would appoint a young, progressive Burlingtonian to fill the North End Burlington seat long held by Rep. Bob Hooper, they are likely disappointed.
While Vermont’s visible challenges with drug trafficking maybe happening on streets and in parks, what’s happening inside residential apartment buildings is also putting citizens and their neighbors at risk, largely out of sight. These illegal enterprises are surprisingly often operating under tacit protections from State law and the resulting risks are exacerbated by a lengthy court process that takes months to resolve. And this is putting vulnerable Vermonters in harm’s way.
Two separate bills that together ban the state lottery and impose criminal penalties on offering sports betting were presented to lawmakers on Tuesday.
Guy, the House is set to vote on the next phase of Vermont’s education reform effort today. The bill they are putting forward is a grab bag of policies that House members managed to agree on.
S.329, “criminal procedures involving firearms,” was introduced today, Wednesday April 15.
“Following extensive feedback from communities across Vermont, it is clear that the ‘Road Rule’ and ‘Tier 3’ need to be repealed,” Krowinski said.
The fuel dealers registry bill and the Miles Based User Fee are both moving through the Vermont Senate. Also: Anti-ICE bill passes Senate.
“I’m looking at repealing the Road Rule and Tier Three,” Rep. Amy Sheldon, Chair of House Environment, said this afternoon.
Referencing a sharp increase in property taxes, the song opens: “Property taxes jumped forty-one percent in five years flat / While we’re bustin’ our backs just to keep the lights on, that’s a fact.”
An effort to repeal the Act 181 Road Rule will be attempted in committee this week, Republican House members say.
Legislators are debating how to reformat a law that would exempt farmers from municipal regulation
H.537 passed the House on March 20 and is now in the Senate Committee on Economic Development.
When the people rise up in unity over an issue and are not driven by deep-pocketed activist organizations, but by their own recognition that their rights are being trampled, the legislature had best take notice. We’re in such a time.
“Repeal the road rule and repeal Tier 3 this session. Trust has been broken,” Neil Ryan says.
H.541 would create new penalties as clerks report disruptions during elections
That pattern raises a simple question: when does the real policymaking actually happen—and who is involved before anyone else sees it?
Supporters of the bill are hoping that H.432 will help eliminate the barriers many amputees face
A student is considered chronically absent when they miss 20 or more unexcused days of school within the last school year, or 175 school days
The Senate version of act 181 reform, now under House Environment Committee review, kicks the can down the road: four years for the Road Rule, two years for Tier 3.
Also, security checks on visitors every day through the rest of the session, and mental health agencies seek Medicaid increase.
Vermont lawmakers are advancing a major restructuring of how primary care is paid for, but the proposal is raising fundamental questions about cost, access, and how much of the system it can realistically change.
When mapped to its statutory language and agency behavior, Vermont’s Act 181 emerges as far more than a conservation law. It is a comprehensive land allocation system that integrates biodiversity protection, housing distribution, agricultural land preservation, and redistributionist and reparation (aka equity) considerations into a unified framework.
A policy change that would modify the Burlington City charter to ban firearms in bars has been revived in the Senate Judiciary Committee—but this time, the policy extends statewide.
Vermont lawmakers have advanced S.193, a bill that would establish a secure forensic facility for individuals caught at the intersection of the criminal justice and mental health systems—a population that has increasingly strained courts, hospitals, and correctional facilities.
In an exchange with Vermont Public reporter Peter Hirchfeld at last Wednesday’s press conference in the Vermont State House, Scott responded with laughter and testy answers to accusations that he, and not the Democrat majority, are responsible for the state’s increasing financial, housing, and affordability problems.
Here’s the thing, if the thought and spirit of an organization doesn’t align with the body and letter, there is a fundamental and incompatible legal conflict between the purpose of the corporation and their governing actions.
Elijah Compagna was found not competent and deemed dangerous, yet was placed in a community-based group home in 2025. While there, he was able to lure a young woman into the home and stab her to death — in a setting not designed or staffed to manage that level of risk – just one example of a pattern of inadequate state care for the dangerously mentally ill, Carroll said.
House Republicans sharply criticized the measure, arguing it falls short of addressing Vermont’s rising education costs and fails to deliver meaningful structural reform.
S.233 could provide more resources for students with disabilities and their families
Prompted by a mother of a Bennington murder victim, the Vermont Senate Wednesday approved S.193 by a 29-1 roll call vote.
Also, a mother and son coerced into taking shots to stay employed or at school respectively.
Rep. Chris Taylor (R-Milton) has resigned from the Legislature due to work conflicts.
Concerns for aspects of Act 181 and its recent Rally at the State House has awaken rural Vermonters and landowners to the real possibilities of additional severe restrictions on their property rights.
The bill, H.727, introduced by Rep. Laura Sibilia (D-Windham 2), seeks to regulate data centers requiring 20 or more megawatts by mandating annual reporting and requiring operators to enter into large load service equity contracts. These contracts would hold data centers accountable for paying their fair share of grid and infrastructure costs while ensuring that Vermonters aren’t subsidizing their electricity use.
Childcare licensing bill is a real head scratcher.
The wealthiest people in Vermont’s real estate market own places like ski chalets in Stowe and lakefront estates in Quechee. They pay their income taxes in New York and Massachusetts.
Spearheaded by the Vermont Public Service Department, the program would give energy navigator services to Vermont residents. Energy navigators are trained professionals or volunteers who inform residents how to make their homes more energy efficient, such as with weatherization projects or installing heat pumps. Under the bill, they would also inform clients about rebates and incentives.
The Vermont House gave preliminary approval Thursday to H.949, the education finance Yield Bill and its proposed 7% property tax increase, but not before three Republican amendments to cut taxes failed.
House Human Services advances pre-K framework while deferring cost decisions
The amendment, sponsored by Rep. Eric Maguire (R-Rutland 5), aims to reduce case backlog by creating structure for an existing court model that integrates mental health and other services into the courtroom setting and could move from county to county.
Yesterday, many excuses were used by Republicans as to why we are in the position we are today, but there was no mention of the ten years of a Republican administration’s failure to solve the problems we’re still facing today.
Pay attention to THIS, House Dems say. No, pay attention to THAT, GOP says.
It’s Legal Consumption week in the Vermont Senate.
House to consider $9.3 billion state budget, 7% property tax hike.
Get tough on youthful offenders, ban paraquat, address truancy and recidivism
Some worry that an overemphasis on environmental protection will violate existing property owners’ rights and force everyone into dense, restricted living situations—sometimes described as “concentrated animal feeding operations” (CAFO), a term usually reserved for large agricultural facilities.
Some senators want to repeal the road rule. Others seek to delay implementation until 2030.
Lawmakers on the House Ways and Means Committee have moved to block participation in a new federal tax credit program that could direct private donations toward student scholarships.
VNRC isn’t listening to Vermont. They’re doubling down.
The constitutional rights of faith-based organizations operating in Vermont may be under attack with the passage of a bill on Thursday.
Act 181 reform goes to floor next week/ School reform now ‘Act 46 2.0’?/ Local highway $$ redirected to statewide reappraisal
In Vermont, a person could be convicted of ten separate offenses in a year, receive short sentences or probation on each one, and none of it would register as recidivism in the state’s data.
Vermont is one of only three states with no safety-valve restrictions on how much a property tax bill can increase in a given year. In the months ahead, the Legislature should examine how the other 47 states manage this issue, identify policies that could work here, and adapt them to Vermont’s unique circumstances. Property taxpayers deserve both immediate relief and long-term predictability.
In the week after the Crossover deadline, the Vermont House has been busy passing bills. Below are all of the bills passed in the House and sent to the Senate this week.
One Big Beautiful Bill gives scholarship donors $1700 federal tax credit – but Dem majority doesn’t want it
A family who has lived on their land for 100 years and wants to give their child a piece of that land to build a road and home may not be able to afford these new cost burdens.
S.326, a miscellaneous bill introduced by the Senate Transportation Committee, makes a number of technical and minor changes to Vermont’s transportation laws. These include increasing the amount towing companies may charge and requiring life preservers during cold-weather months. Another provision would raise the penalty for getting stuck in Smuggler’s Notch from $1,000 to $10,000 for a first offense.
Rep. Mike Tagliavia (R-Corinth) will promote H.89, the statewide school choice bill he introduced last year, at a press conference at 1 PM today, Tuesday March 17 in the Cedar Creek Room.
With crossover week fully behind us, lawmakers begin the work of finalizing the bills that passed successfully from policy committees by the deadline.
To illustrate the rug/dress color coordination, Hooper said, the member got down on the floor of the committee room and rolled around.
All but three House Democrats signed a letter calling on Hooper, a Vietnam veteran and lawmaker representing North Burlington since 2019, to resign his seat in the Legislature
As cross-over day in the VT Legislature came and went on Friday and more electric buses burst into flames, so did many of our hopes for any real progress this legislative session toward solving Vermont’s affordability crisis. To make any significant change we need more legislators who are serious about addressing this crisis.
The road rule would be delayed, and rural properties affected by develop regulation would be taxed accordingly.
The road rule is the sticking point in Act 250 reform legislation. The current law, Act 181, strictly limits rural development on parcels with 800 ft. or more of on-property or adjacent road.
It’s Friday of Crossover Week, and the Vermont House has a very full agenda of legislation up for action today.
Krowinski commended the complainant, who is not named in the letter, for “an extraordinarily courageous action.”
Heffernan left the Senate chamber shortly after Pro Tem Phil Baruth announced the vote on Prop 4.
Twelve states explicitly allow teacher strikes, including Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Vermont. In a few states, such as South Carolina, Utah and Wyoming, the legality of strikes is not clearly defined in statutes or case law.
The Vermont House Tuesday morning gave preliminary approval to H.545, the vaccine bill rejecting the federal vaccine guidelines proposed by AHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy. It also voted against the bill’s proposed [Rep. Greg of Cabot] Burtt amendment, requiring more parental information about child vaccination.
Lawmakers are weighing two bills – H.814 and H.816 – that would create a new set of protections from neurotechnology in Vermont and regulate usage of artificial intelligence in mental health services, respectively.
The discussion centered on S.282, legislation that would introduce several tax changes affecting upper-income taxpayers. The bill’s centerpiece is a 4% “wealth proceeds tax” on investment income, modeled on the federal 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax.
Vermont’s lawmakers are all back from their Town Meeting break and bracing for Crossover Week, when bills (with a few exceptions) must be voted out of committee in order to proceed to passage this year. Here are just a handful of developments as of this morning.
According to members of the committee and available footage, a motion was seemingly made and the committee adjourned without addressing it. However, the Chair of the committee denies breaking any rules.
This week is the last opportunity for new bills to pass between chambers, so this means that time is limited and committees often work long hours with few breaks. However, this excludes “must-pass” bills, like the budgets, which are given extra time.
The lawsuit, filed in Vermont Superior Court, argues the new law significantly narrows that option and violates the Vermont Constitution by arbitrarily limiting which schools families can choose.
S.205 would ban centers over 100 megawatts while their energy use and water consumption is studied
Students and experts offer testimony on a bill that would allow for online driver education
With an estimated 12 percent increase to property tax rates looming and school budget votes knocking on our doors, a Vermont House committee briefly discussed a bill to freeze property taxes.
Increased ICE presence has caused a ripple effect across the entire state, according to Winooski Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria.
This week, the House Committee on Human Services has heard testimony on H.657, a bill that changes or establishes multiple practices within the Department of Children and Families (DCF), including overseeing a qualified minor’s social security income, defining the proper use of restraints and transportation for minors, restricting the use of solitary confinement on minors, the use of pregnancy calendars or tracking pregnant individuals, and reforming unaccompanied homelessness for minors.
Vermonters are “stuck using fossil fuels, the polluting fuels of the past,” committee chair says.
The following testimony from Retta Dunlap, Woodbury, VT was submitted to Senate Natural Resources Committee.
To help recruit and retain members, many volunteer departments now provide a minimum-wage stipend for time spent responding to calls.
In the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, Committee Chair Senator Seth Bongartz (D-Bennington) introduced a new plan to revise Vermont’s education system. The main goal of the system, said Bongartz, is to increase governance efficiency and enable a higher quality educational delivery, in a way that moderates the growth rate of state spending on education.
