Transcript Highlights:

• That funding was appropriated in Senate Bill 3 of the 88th Fourth called and was appropriated for transfer
• 24-25 appropriations.
• I just had some general, general comments. Border security, thank you for everything y'all do.
• $215,000 in general revenue.
• Act or in the Special Appropriations Act Supplemental Appropriation Bill coming up.

Transcript Highlights:

• , efficiently delivers generators, efficiently delivers generators, heaters,<00:14:26.079> power
• concerning a supplemental appropriation concerning a supplemental appropriation to<00:28:04.240>
• House Bill 1175 by appropriation.
• and that we make sure that our general and that we make sure that our general fund<00:43:34.640>
• general fund at 53 plus million dollars. general fund at 53 plus million dollars.

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The general authority are two main things.
• So, it's a general—not a general fund, but an enterprise agency. But every...
• I think that's new language for an appropriation.
• With the COG appropriation that was appropriated last year, this is basically extending the time duration
• You all appropriated, Mr. Chair, $2 million last year.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Being a third-generation owner is about more than just maintaining a brand.
• It's about honoring the sweet traditions that connect families across generations.
• We are going to consider that before we consider the appropriations.
• The appropriations we'll do as a batch, as two separate batches by page.
• This is the appropriation for, and it contains EFAs.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <01:43:33.520> fund funded through the general fund funded through the general fund appropriation
• So, that's money that's going to have to be made up by the districts with other general fund appropriations
• The total Department of Education general fund appropriation for Chair<01:50:40.719> recognizes
• fund appropriations. appropriations. appropriations.
• > appropriation<01:54:44.080> for Education general fund appropriation for all of the Department

Keywords: Several minutes after the convene vote and before the introduction failed to properly steam. This version was pulled from a local back up., 958, all

Summary: The House convened with 97 members present, declared a quorum, approved excusing absent members, and suspended the rules to allow co-sponsorships and vote modifications. The journal for February 25, 2026 was approved. The clerk also reported that the Senate had passed Senate Bills 98 and 122 and requested concurrence. The House then received second-reading reports on a range of bills, including measures on prison educational programs, respiratory care, dietitians, wildlife depredation, temporary structures, military families, civil rights, local boards of education, light pollution, controlled-substance prescribing licenses, youth health services, class sizes for exceptional children, the athletic trainer compact, limited commercial driver’s licenses, and Senate Bill 145 relating to the Department of Agriculture and Alcohol Beverage Control. Committee reports moved several bills forward, including the main budget bills House Bill 500 and House Bill 504, along with measures on workforce investment, data centers, domestic violence, guardians ad litem, domestic relations, health delivery and “food is medicine” initiatives, state personnel, open records, and fish and wildlife resources. House Bill 500 and House Bill 504 were taken from the Rules Committee and placed on the orders of the day. House Bill 500, the executive branch budget bill, was then taken up for third reading and explanation. Members presented extensive floor explanations of House Bill 500 and House Committee Substitute 1, describing it as a “good first draft” of the executive budget. Supporters said the proposal emphasizes restrained spending growth, base reductions with exemptions for key areas, employee salary increments, and deposits to the Budget Reserve Trust Fund for future one-time investments. They highlighted funding for K-12 education, postsecondary aid and workforce training, Medicaid and behavioral health, public health infrastructure, pensions, veterans, public safety, economic development, tourism, and state technology and facility maintenance. The budget substitute was adopted by voice vote, and the discussion continued with detailed descriptions of the bill’s provisions; no final passage vote was shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• This would provide an opportunity for the general funders to participate in the general revenue funds
• The recommendations reflect a decrease of $400 million in general revenue dedicated to... appropriated
• Last session, the legislature appropriated $400 million in general revenue funds for the transfer to
• And lastly, general aviation airports.
• receipts for donations, and alignment of a general revenue dedicated funds to the agency's 24, 25 appropriations

Bills: SB1, SB 1

Keywords: appropriations, budget, state funding, education, healthcare, infrastructure, campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• will go to the Appropriations Committee.
• The general election statute says you have to be an elector of your district by the date of the general
• And so the request on behalf of the department is that this money be appropriated out of general funds
• and bring a deficiency appropriation in.
• It's not an appropriation.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee opened with roll call and a review of special-session procedure: bills would be heard in filing order, with related school-lunch bills grouped together, and any bill advancing would require a motion, second, and majority vote to be introduced. Members also discussed that the committee was functioning much like a delayed-bills committee, with final referral to either Appropriations or Policy depending on the bill’s fiscal impact. The first major proposal was Senator Schibley’s bill to create a narrow, statewide Bank of North Dakota bridge-loan program for struggling nonprofit medical facilities, prompted by Jacobson Memorial Hospital’s financial crisis. He argued the hospital and surrounding EMS services could close without short-term help, while committee members questioned the added language, the population cap, the $10 million fund with $5 million per applicant limit, and whether the program could open the door to future requests. Representative Headland then presented two cleanup bills from the prior property-tax session: one to fix notice and tax-certification issues for local taxing districts, and another to correct how the primary residence credit is applied so taxpayers receive the full benefit rather than counties retaining part of the reimbursement. Members asked about township hearing timing, the estimated $10–15 million annual impact, and whether the credit issue could be fixed retroactively; Headland said the bill was intended to correct the problem going forward. Three school-lunch bills drew extensive discussion. Representative Vetter proposed a small administrative appropriation to add an FTE to help eligible families enroll in the existing free/reduced lunch program, saying the goal was to ensure needy children are signed up and that the state should not subsidize meals for wealthy families. Representative Nathe offered a broader bill mirroring the pending initiated measure but placing the program in statute instead of the Constitution, moving implementation up a year, and funding it with a one-time $65 million from the strategic investment fund; he said this would preserve legislative flexibility and avoid constitutional entrenchment. Representative Dressler proposed raising the state-funded eligibility threshold from 225% to 300% of poverty, arguing it would expand access while still preserving federal reimbursements and encouraging better enrollment systems. Members debated costs, future budget pressure, whether the bills set a precedent for responding to ballot measures, and whether the program should include breakfast and other operational details. Other proposals included Senator Powers’ bill to create a hyperbaric oxygen board and support rural access to hyperbaric chambers for wounds, concussions, PTSD, and other conditions; Representative Tolman’s reporting-requirements bill to force new or expanded programs to justify purpose, alternatives, evaluation methods, and full implementation costs; Representative Frelich’s bill addressing the ongoing redistricting litigation and what happens if the Supreme Court or lower courts alter the current map; and a bill requested by the Public Service Commission and ITD for FERC litigation support and ADA website/document compliance. The committee also heard a rural-health eligibility bill from Representative Twait aimed at steering federal rural health dollars toward rural providers, with questions focused on whether the mileage limits would exclude some communities. One Holocaust education item was deferred until the sponsor could be located.

Transcript Highlights:

• fund appropriations.
• At the higher education, it's not included in the General Appropriations Act.
• This is an enterprise agency, although it does have a small general fund appropriation that came in.
• There was no general fund increase requested; this is all their enterprise revenue, mainly generated
• Chair, this appropriation was a special appropriation to basically supplement a program that school districts

Transcript Highlights:

• appropriates appropriates funds<00:15:27.360> up<00:15:27.519> first<00:15:27.720>
• Up next, Attorney General providing comments.
• Up next, Attorney General providing comments.
• Up next, Attorney General providing comments.
• <00:32:27.919> they available um in that appropriation they available um in that appropriation

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The House Committee on Higher Education met on March 14, 2025, and heard five University of Hawaii-related bills. SB 741 would create an external audit committee for the UH system and Board of Regents; UH and UHPA opposed it, saying existing internal and external audits already provide robust oversight, and the committee later recommended deferring the bill indefinitely as duplicative. SB 1252 SD2 would create a dementia training program for health care providers; the Alzheimer’s Association and other supporters said broader training is needed across the care workforce, while the university discussed using JABSOM as a coordinator. The committee deferred the bill to March 19 for an HD1 reflecting JABSOM’s suggestions and removing the appropriations/FTE language. SB 1502 SD1 would fund faculty positions, student programs, and facilities at UH Manoa and West Oahu for defense-sector workforce development. UH and Chamber of Commerce Hawaii supported the measure, describing a pipeline for students into intelligence, cybersecurity, and related fields, while one individual opposed it as too closely tied to military contracting and urged investment in other sectors instead. The committee amended the bill to remove FTE references and advanced it; the vote to pass with amendments was adopted, with several members voting aye and some excused. SB 1530 would require performance-based allocation of UH general funds and efficiency reporting. UH and the Attorney General’s office raised concerns, saying the bill’s metrics would apply across the entire general fund budget and were not practical as drafted; the committee also noted opposition from the Budget and Finance Department and individuals. SB 1624 SD1 would restrict RIM funds to renewing, improving, or modernizing existing facilities and require annual reports. UH opposed the bill and explained that RIM is a lump-sum approach used to address deferred maintenance and capital needs, with Board of Regents approval and quarterly reporting already in place; the Attorney General suggested constitutional amendments. The transcript ends during discussion of SB 1624, with no final action shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• Appropriations.
• Appropriations.
• and of our General of your General and of our General of your General and Housing<00:31:51.960>
• from the 2026 general fund appropriations again as a carry forward for the purpose of hiring external
• $25,000 from the 2026 general fund appropriations again as a carry forward for the purpose of hiring

Keywords: 926, house, all

Summary: The House opened with a devotional reading for St. Patrick’s Day, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and the reading of a resignation letter from Representative Hooper of Burlington. The letter said the House environment had changed significantly and that he was resigning before the next cycle, while thanking colleagues and urging bold leadership to address major problems facing Vermonters. Members then received first readings and referrals for a large slate of bills. House bills introduced included measures on tax administration, hunting license fees, emergency management, oath and affirmation language in statutes, judiciary procedures, a Vermont homelessness response continuum, paperwork reduction, public utility subjects, municipal regulation of agriculture, miscellaneous agricultural subjects, and municipal permitting of ground-mounted solar arrays. Senate bills referred to House committees included vocational rehabilitation, home improvement and land improvement fraud, advanced metering infrastructure devices, water quality, and fair employment practices. Several other bills on the notice calendar were also referred to Ways and Means or Appropriations because they affected state revenue or carried appropriations. The House adopted two concurrent resolutions on the consent calendar: HCR 214, honoring Irish-American patriots and their role in American independence, and HCR 220, welcoming the USS Vermont’s namesake visit and designating April 18, 2026 as USS Vermont Day. Members also offered announcements recognizing guests from the USS Vermont and related veterans’ groups, remembering former Representative Ken Harvey, and noting upcoming events such as March Madness pools, the Legislative Cabaret, a Rural Caucus meeting, and a NAMI Walks team. On the floor calendar, H. 723 on posting of land was taken up, amended as recommended by the Committee on Environment, and ordered to third reading on a 10-0-1 committee vote. The House then began second reading of H. 757 on manufactured homes and limited equity cooperatives; committee members described manufactured housing as a key affordable housing option in Vermont and said the bill would clarify how these homes are purchased, titled, taxed, and financed, while reducing costs and improving consistency for homeowners, lenders, and municipalities.

Transcript Highlights:

• in order to make these a transfer instead of a direct appropriation on the general fund in order to operate
• see a cliff continuing appropriation. see a cliff continuing appropriation.
• /c><00:05:13.199> in appropriation on the general fund in appropriation on the general fund in
• Appropriations from this fund are not just appropriate; they're routine.
• but for generations to come.

Bills: HF2439

Keywords: environmental protection, pollution reduction, waste management, climate change, funding allocations, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• appropriation made in fiscal year 2027. appropriation made in fiscal year 2027.
• bill from the general fund.
• bill from the general fund.
• bill from the general fund.
• bill from the general fund.

Keywords: 926, house, all

Summary: The House took up Senate Bill 323, suspending the rules to consider it immediately. The bill was described as a broad agricultural measure with committee amendments and fiscal implications, and it was reported favorably by the Agriculture, Food Resiliency, and Forestry Committee, Ways and Means, and Appropriations. Members outlined sections dealing with milk market corrections, farm-to-school language, repeal of the obsolete pest control compact, pesticide applicator licensing changes, seed law updates, the Vermont Agricultural Credit Program, hemp regulation, and CAFO-related provisions. The Agriculture committee reported the bill out 7-0-1, and the effective date was described as July 1, 2026, except for the hemp provisions, which would take effect upon passage. Much of the discussion focused on the hemp sections. Supporters said the bill updates Vermont law to reflect federal changes and shifts hemp oversight from the Agency of Agriculture to the Cannabis Control Board. The hemp provisions would create registration and licensing requirements for hemp producers, processors, and certain hemp products; set fees; authorize testing, inspections, stop-sale orders, and administrative penalties; and allow rulemaking on product standards, labeling, insurance, additives, and age restrictions. Speakers said the changes were intended to help Vermont’s hemp industry maintain access to banking, insurance, and interstate commerce while improving consumer safety and regulatory clarity. Other agricultural provisions were also explained in detail. The bill would clarify milk producer hearing rights, update farm-to-school grant/contract language, remove outdated pest-control compact language, and adjust pesticide applicator exam and fee rules, including removing the limit on retakes and eliminating certain government applicator fees. It would also modernize seed labeling and definitions, transfer the Vermont Agricultural Credit Program into a new statutory structure under VEDA, and make conforming cross-reference changes in tax and cannabis fund statutes. The final sections would add a CAFO permit working group and require consultant training for state agencies on CAFO inspections, with those provisions contingent on future funding. Ways and Means noted the bill’s fee changes could affect state revenues, including an estimated hemp-related impact of roughly $10,000 to $90,000, though the exact effect was uncertain.

Transcript Highlights:

• Lines six through 37 show all the general fund direct appropriations that are in the bill.
• fund<00:02:18.560> direct all the general fund direct all the general fund direct appropriations
• And so that's new language allowing it to happen without a general fund appropriation.
• And so that's new language allowing it to happen without a general fund appropriation.
• And that is general fund appropriation. And that is it,<00:17:38.960> Mr.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We can update you on any appropriations that have statutory appropriations that have passed and anything
• We can update you on any appropriations that have statutory appropriations that have passed and anything
• We can update you on any appropriations that have statutory appropriations that have passed and anything
• We can update you on any appropriations that have statutory appropriations that have passed and anything
• We can update you on any appropriations that have statutory appropriations that have passed and anything

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This includes your local capital outlay appropriations, appropriations to state agencies, and to higher
• Currently, $97.2 million in general fund, $65.4 million in general obligation bonds, and $40 million
• Different appropriations process for those projects that is more similar to the operating budget appropriations
• To reauthorizations, as well as directives for future reversions from general funds capital appropriations
• And finally, on reversions, directing future reversions from general funds capital appropriations to

Transcript Highlights:

• TSP also cross-reports to Otis and ODE as appropriate.
• TSBC also cross-reports to Otis and ODE as appropriate. incidents.
• Turning to the general qualification, the general qualification provides that a state educational agency
• Turning to the general qualification, the general qualification provides that a state educational agency
• I had a follow up on. our students and our staff in general.

Keywords: 907, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So if you just start at the top of this special appropriations, this would be for appropriations authorized
• The executive recommended a total of 1.474 billion from the general fund for special appropriations,
• A lot of those Attorney General appropriations are not General Fund; they're from the Consumer Settlement
• So the general fund that is appropriated there is for the match.
• It is a once in a generation opportunity.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Pease, Manny Cruz, and other members of the General Court for legislation to establish compact agreements
• the actions of the Governor, item 033-300, administrative staff, stand as passed by the General Court
• The general appropriation bill for fiscal year 2026, see House No. 4244, reports in part recommending
• Ways and Means, to whom was referred the message from Her Excellency, the Governor, returning the General
• Ways and Means, to whom was referred the message from Her Excellency, the Governor, returning the General

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The House first took up several procedural orders extending reporting deadlines for the Committees on Advanced Information Technology, the Internet and Cybersecurity; Health Care Financing; and Public Health. All three orders were adopted after suspension of the rules. The chamber also concurred in Senate petitions referred under Joint Rule 12, including proposals on cosmetology license reciprocity, judicial and clerical matters, retirement pension notarizations, and automated curb enforcement. The House then suspended Joint Rule 12 for additional petitions on Medicaid coverage for autism treatment and assistive technologies and on a gubernatorial proclamation for Lobular Breast Cancer Awareness Day. The House passed to be enacted two local bills: House 2320, establishing an appointed treasurer-collector in Berkeley, and House 4136, further regulating stabilization funds in Leicester. It also ordered several bills to a third reading, including measures on employment discrimination based on legal cannabis use, the role of the governor’s council on the ballot, absentee voting, ballot uniformity and election ballots, changing Chicopee’s mayoral term from two years to four, and regulating employer use of credit reports. Later, the House accepted and adopted a gubernatorial amendment to the FY2026 appropriations bill related to vital statistics. The bulk of the session focused on FY2026 budget veto overrides. The House considered and approved multiple Ways and Means recommendations to let appropriations stand notwithstanding the Governor’s vetoes, including items for administrative staff in the trial courts, state parks and recreation, nursing facility rate add-ons, community services for the blind, substance addiction services, early intervention services, Korea Technical Institutes, the Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership, shelter workforce assistance, housing services and counseling, regional economic development grants, charter school reimbursement, and the Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine program. Roll call votes on these items generally passed by wide margins. The House also observed moments of silence for Bolton Police Chief Amos Luke Hamburger and former Senator Edward J. Kennedy Jr., and then adopted an order to adjourn to meet the next day at 11 a.m. before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• general fund. general fund.
• general worked out with the law firms. general worked out with the law firms.
• <00:46:37.359> Does appropriate. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Does appropriate. Thank you, Mr.
• Has no impact on the general dollars. Has no impact on the general fund. fund. fund.
• it was appropriated in the beginning. it was appropriated in the beginning.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The General Leader from Bernalillo, Representative Nicole Chavez (member_20559), will lead us in the
• And whereas of that amount, $7.4 billion went to the General Fund, representing 49% of the General Fund's
• Many of these are multi-generational companies.
• Fewer folks having to work to generate far more production that helps us as a state. And so, Mr.
• House Bill 141, introduced by Representative Small, an act making general appropriations and authorizing