By Guy Page
Gov. Phil Scott will veto the 2025 Budget Adjustment Act if, as expected, the House and Senate next week insist on extending emergency funding for the program sheltering homeless people in Vermont’s hotels and motels.
The looming budget impasse could further slow down the progress (or lack of it) being made by the 2025 Session in other areas, including housing, property taxation, and energy legislation.
The BAA is an annual mid-year adjustment of the state’s current budget priorities. Scott and Republicans cried foul when the Democrat majority added more than $1 million to the program, which they say has been going on too long, costs too much, and does not serve the vulnerable population well. Scott confirmed his intent to veto at his press conference yesterday. Unlike years past, Gov. Scott’s veto is likely to be upheld, due to Republicans in House and Senate comprising more than a third of the seats.
The gubernatorial thumbs-down came a week after House Speaker Jill Krowinski publicly stated both the benefit of, and the immediate need for, continued emergency housing past the current March 31 deadline:
“I greatly appreciate Governor Scott and his Administration’s proposal that keeps critical programs and services funded,” Krowinski said February 28. “We agree on 99% of the proposal, but we do have some concerns about funding changes that could set us back in our shared goal of protecting the most vulnerable, supporting towns recovering from the devastating floods of the last two years, and building more desperately needed housing.’
Krowinski noted that “In addition to the Vermonters that are pregnant, medically vulnerable, and victims of domestic violence – the administration’s proposal would jeopardize the roughly 250 children and 150 military veterans that are currently in state supported housing in the matter of weeks.
‘Upending and creating uncertainty as to whether Vermont kids would have a roof over their heads in the middle of the school year, is especially concerning. The proposal would pull the state from supporting these Vermonters, and put the burden on Vermont communities to provide the resources to support these vulnerable Vermonters. It would force towns to set up a system of care in two weeks, and this simply is not a responsibility that can be passed onto municipalities that lack the staff and resources to take on such an urgent and complex issue in just two weeks.”
At his press conference yesterday, Thursday March 6, Gov. Scott said of [Bill Number]: “It’s going to go to the House now and they’ll have to take an official vote on it. I expect that they will concur, but we’ll see. We’ve made an effort to come up with a compromise on the hotel motel program, which they declined to do. But we’re still hoping that they’re going to be able to do something after it’s vetoed, and then we’ll get to a point where we agree to disagree, I guess.’”
Compromises proposed, rejected – The House Human Services Committee in early February reportedly heard at least two compromise plans: 1) $50K more to help the neediest homeless people, including folks in wheelchairs, and 2) saving hundreds of thousands by extending funding through May instead of June, a warm month in which people with tents won’t unduly suffer from the elements.
Picking up on his ‘after it’s vetoed’ comment, VDC today asked Press Secretary Amanda Wheeler to confirm or clarify. She responded this morning:
“The Governor has been clear that he cannot support a BAA that expands the failed hotel/motel program. He has also said he cannot support a bill that spends significantly more on expenses that are not time sensitive and should be considered in this year’s budget conversations. This is especially important without knowing what programmatic cuts or changes will be made at the federal level and the impact those decisions will have on Vermont.