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The Vermont Senate on Thursday approved its $9.01 billion fiscal year 2026 budget, which includes more spending than either the House or Governor Scott proposed.
As reported in the May 2 Lake Champlain Chamber Advocacy Update, Senate leaders acknowledge that cuts will likely be necessary in upcoming House/Senate conference committee negotiations.
A conference committee has already been appointed to reconcile differences between the chambers. House members are Rep. Robin Scheu (D) of Middlebury, James Harrison ( R ) of Chittenden, and Tiff Bluemle (D) of Burlington. The Senate has appointed Sen. Andrew Perchlik (D-Washington), Richard Westman (R-Lamoille), and Ginny Lyons (D-Chittenden).
Unusually, lawmakers are pushing to finalize the budget early—despite the session continuing—due to mounting political tensions over a separate education reform bill. Without a veto-proof majority, Democratic leaders are aiming to avoid a potential late-session standoff with Governor Scott.
The Senate budget exceeds the Governor’s plan by roughly $50 million and the House version by $20 million. It maintains $19 million in General Fund support for child care subsidies, adds $5 million in reserves, and increases support for infant and toddler care—despite the Governor’s proposal to reduce state contributions in light of new payroll tax revenue.
Lawmakers also included a contingency plan to prepare for potential federal funding cuts, giving the Secretary of Administration and the Joint Fiscal Committee expanded authority to manage shortfalls without deep cuts or rapid transfers.
In a bid to offset rising education costs, the Senate’s budget sends $77 million in General Fund dollars to the Education Fund, reducing the average statewide property tax increase from 5.8% to just 0.8%.
Other key provisions include tying nonprofit tax-exempt status to federal law as of April 1, 2025, allocating funds for a military pension tax exemption, and restoring partial funding for Vermont’s International Business Development Office in Montreal. The budget also makes some temporary State’s Attorney positions permanent—one of the few public safety initiatives to survive this year’s cuts.
The conference committee reportedly seeks to trim spending and avoid a gubernatorial veto.
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Categories: State House Spotlight
$9 Billion?!! We don’t have that kind of money.
Typical, aim for the sky then negotiate for less and they come off looking like they were willing to compromise. In actuality they just unashamedly steal as much they can…thieves!😡
Remember Vermonter’s you are the piggybank for these spending whores, they don’t care about your financial burden, and this shows it, let’s see a spending audit DODE style……………. I bet you’ll be surprised !!
Wake up people, special interest rule under the leftist Golden Doom, yes doom.
The dog and pony show. TEL. LIE. VISION covered some more of the Berkshire illegal worker roundup and said the prisoners that were arrested have been sent to other jails. Hope this not fake news.
“The Senate budget exceeds the Governor’s plan by roughly $50 million and the House version by $20 million. It maintains $19 million in General Fund support for child care subsidies, adds $5 million in reserves, and increases support for infant and toddler care—despite the Governor’s proposal to reduce state contributions in light of new payroll tax revenue.
Have they switched out “climate change” for “child care”? Who benefits from the new payroll tax and all the subsidies totalling how many million? How many infants, toddlers, or elementary school age are the taxpayers being fleeced for? Are we to believe that a majority of parents do not have the capacity to support their own children in a State of mainly older people and childless adults? It isn’t about children after all – it is supporting non-profiteers and NGO’s who adminster the money – or rather scrape off the top so much there is little left to actually serve the purpose. See the homeless grift, the broadband grift, and medical care board grift for more details.
There is absolutely no honor among thieves.