by Rep. Rob North (Addison-3)

This past Tuesday Governor Phil Scott delivered his 2026 Budget Address to Vermonters and the General Assembly saying the time for structural reform is now. With federal stimulus dollars winding down and revenue forecasts downgraded, Vermont faces a pivotal moment that demands discipline, innovation, and collaboration.

The Governor’s proposed state budget is $9.4B, about a 2% increase over last year.  I had hoped the going-in position would be a reduced state budget given the cuts and uncertainties from the federal government and the recent news of a state revenue down-grade for the year.  But at least the increase is modest and entirely organically funded.  

The good news is that the Governor is promising NO new taxes and NO increase in the gas tax!  He is also promising to use $105M from the general fund to “buy down” property taxes to get them below a 6% increase.  Again, I feel this is insufficient.  If you listen to the Governor’s address at the link above you’ll hear him very clearly call for school boards to reduce spending to further reduce property taxes.  “The buy down is not provided so that school boards can increase spending,” he said. “It’s intended for property tax reduction.”  My hope is that with Act 73 implementation on the horizon, school boards will be putting budgets on a glideslope towards the budgets they will be receiving when the foundation formula kicks in. Your vote in March matters! (See my previous blog post for an explanation of how the foundation formula works.)

The rest of the Governor’s address discussed policy priorities which align well with those presented by Republican House leadership at our press conference last week.  Vermonters spoke loud and clear in the 2024 election: Vermonters need relief and they need it now. As we look to this 2026 session, my colleagues and I are proud to sponsor bills that, if passed, would bring much needed relief to Vermonter’s biggest concerns of affordability and public safety.  Here are some examples:

Housing cost reduction:

• Property tax relief by freezing tax rates for the next three years (H.774)
• Continue land conservation while preventing skyrocketing land cost (H.70).
• Repeal the “Road Rule” permit requirement and extend Act 250 relief (H.602)
• Require notification & property tax reduction for Act 250 designation impacts (H.730).
• Remove impact fees for properties subject to the three-acre rule (H.632)

Healthcare & Insurance cost reduction: 

• Increase access to affordable insurance (H.585).
• Increase choices of medical providers (TBA)

Education cost reduction and quality improvement:

• Implement Foundation Formula & delete class size minimums (H.698)

Energy cost reduction:

• Repeal or reform the very costly Global Warming Solutions Act, Affordable Heat Act, and the Renewable Energy Standard (H.62, H.52, H.289, H.16, S.68, H.159)

Transportation cost reduction 

• Eliminate unnecessary expensive vehicle inspection standards (H.358, S.105, S.103)
• Allow Vermonters to continue to buy non-electric cars and trucks (H.65, H.503)

Improve Public Safety:

• Increasing public safety accountability by imposing bail on repeat offenders, not just those who are a flight risk (TBA)

This list is far from exhaustive but captures some of the concrete solutions in bills that Republicans have already introduced or drafted to provide the solutions that Vermonters are demanding. House Republicans will continue to work tirelessly with the Governor and our colleagues across the aisle and in the Senate to deliver these and other results for the state. You vote in November matters!