The amendment appears to be an attempt to entice the 17 Democrat and Progressive legislators who refused to vote for the budget last month because it didn’t extend the ‘homeless hotel’ emergency housing program. 

A bill requiring a state review of cybersecurity was signed by Gov. Scott Monday.

The Legislature done good by leveraging one state dollar for 12 federal dollars in clean water spending, Gov. Phil Scott said.

A bill intended to reduce youth suicide is among legislation signed into law by Governor Scott yesterday.

Once the payroll tax door opens, it will take a little bit out of everyone’s pocket and the Legislature will be going back to the well time and time again, Gov. Phil Scott said.

“This bill would make it more difficult to investigate and prosecute young adult perpetrators involved in serious crimes, such as narcotics trafficking, sex offenses, including sexual assaults that happen on college campuses and child sex abuse cases, and internet crimes against children,” Scott said.

Gov. Scott has said non-citizen voting should be allowed statewide, or not at all. 

An attitude of ‘We need this NOW’ motivated lawmakers to pass legislation regarding abortion provider protections, criminal case referrals, and the easing of public meeting restrictions – and then make sure it became law quickly.

Before the hoped for adjournment today, lawmakers must vote on a proposed $8.53 billion budget.

“The senator that presented the sheriff’s bill initially stated there’s no other group in the state of Vermont that can give themselves raises the way that the Caledonia Sheriff did. And lo and behold, we’re doing it to ourselves,” Rep. Mark Higley said.

A bill in the State House would limit the ability of abusive ex-spouses from continuing abuse-by-lawsuit.

S.5’s ‘check back’ language is confusing, easily misconstrued, and contradictory to multiple portions of the bill, Gov. Scott said in his veto letter.

Carbon-taxing S.5 will be the main event of a veto session in June. The possible undercard looks pretty interesting, too.

In addition to announcing that thousands of Vermonters have urged him to oppose S.5, Sen. Dick Sears appears to have a clearer understanding of how the carbon-reduction bill will harm businesses.

A Senate bill would give 12-year-olds the right to access medical care for sexually-transmitted diseases without parental permission, and in most cases without parental knowledge.

In my mind there was no possible way that emission reductions in Vermont would affect the world climate. They would, however, have a very noticeable effect on all of our pocketbooks.

The chair of the committee with Act 250 jurisdiction said she’s waiting on two important reports – both due next year.

Big climate change and abortion/transgender bills are going to the House floor.

The Vermont House of Representatives didn’t eliminate the two-year checkback added to S.5 by popular demand. But another clause creates a possible workaround.

Disregarding the thousands of emails and phone calls made by citizens to legislators, the House Energy and Environment Committee mostly removed the Senate-imposed ‘checkback’ safety valve from S.5.

House committees yesterday approved the Affordable Heating Act and a housing bill that keeps the lid on rural new home construction.

Teens, here’s what the grown-ups in the State House say is okay for you to do: vote in Brattleboro. But don’t get married.

A bill allowing Brattleboro 16-year-olds to vote will face a gubernatorial veto if it passes the Senate.

Turns out the Vermont Climate Council left most of the decision-making analysis about S.5 to a small ‘working’ group that included many renewable power and natural gas industry advocates.

Major differences remain.

Rep. Brian Smith asked Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark if she could defeat a Global Warming Solutions Act lawsuit brought by an environmental group.

Did you know that 12-year-olds can keep insurance information confidential from parents? The Vermont House Health Care Committee didn’t, until yesterday.

The Senate bill allowing more housing density in cities but not in rural areas gets its first look in the House this afternoon.

How does the plan compare to New Hampshire?

Do House leaders have enough votes to pass a bill restricting public tuition to private schools? And are they worried about the overburdened camel’s bite?

In its first year, the paid family medical and safety leave ‘contribution’ would be .55% of earnings. Every year, it would be adjusted to cover all of the likely claims.

Climate-minded senators want to expel fossil fuel stocks from the pension fund portfolio. The state’s fund investors say it’s a bad idea.

Black made an emotionally-charged, first-person appeal to her House colleagues during a lengthy floor speech yesterday afternoon in support of H230, the suicide prevention/gun control bill.

House Ed bill clamps down on private schools.

It’s not V-for-Veto time yet, but Gov. Scott really, really doesn’t like a senate committee’s removal of Act 250 housing exemption for 25-unit housing developments.

A House bill giving the State of Vermont taking oversight of rental housing away from municipalities has survived crossover. So has the latest gun control bill.

A Senate bill passed out of committee goes large on child care funding, and slower on paid family leave – at least slower than a $100 million-plus House bill.

Two abortion/transgender services bills passed, one passed by the House and the other by the Senate, take parents out of the decision-making process.

Tuition for religious schools, solutions to the housing shortage, and paid family leave are all up for discussion – and perhaps decisions – by the Legislature this week.