Vermont House passes $9.3B budget
The Vermont House approved a $9.3 billion state budget this week, setting the fiscal framework that will shape funding for climate, immigrant integration, and worker‑support programs. Advocates are already poring over line items to defend or expand key services amid a tight fiscal climate. (wcax.com)
The House passed H.951—the FY2027 “Big Bill”—on a 97–40 floor vote and sent the 179‑page appropriations act to the Senate for committee consideration. (vermontbiz.com)) The package explicitly funds a Vermont Legal Aid attorney focused on immigration casework, while S.56 established an Office of New Americans study committee with a fiscal note of roughly $6,200 for per‑diem and expense reimbursements. (newsfromthestates.com)) The House bill allocates $1.34 million for towns in the Northeast Kingdom affected by the 2025 floods and includes layered weatherization investments noted by Efficiency Vermont as needing replacement funding as federal ARPA support winds down. (mynbc5.com)) Workforce and worker‑support line items in the House plan include a $4.0 million base appropriation for the Vermont Housing Improvement Program, $300,000 extra for Serve‑Earn‑Learn, $200,000 for Advance Vermont, and $2.32 million for Freedom & Unity Grants to support training and placement. (vtchamber.com)) Fiscal context: the House package totals about $9.334 billion across all funds, relies on federal dollars for roughly 35% of that total, and the Appropriations chair said roughly $250 million in requests could not be funded while the committee identified about $20 million for base or one‑time uses. (legislature.vermont.gov)) Governor Phil Scott’s office signaled scrutiny of one‑time appropriations and federal funding assumptions and will review the House bill before the Senate‑to‑Governor process proceeds. (mynbc5.com))
