Category: Legislation

Senate OKs mergers-not-required education bill

The Senate version of H.955 reflects a large shift from earlier proposals tied to last year’s Act 73 reforms in the wake of the 2024 property tax revolt. While earlier versions had included mandatory consolidation of school districts, Gov. Phil Scott and Democratic leaders have indicated that forced mergers were politically unviable. Instead, the bill encourages voluntary consolidation.

Change to state constitution could empower homeless, immigrant, transgender rights

“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.”

Harbin: We want Vermonters to feel safe in their homes

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.

Stone: Act 181 is serfdom

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.