CampaignForVermont

Pat jumps in on Vote for Vermont this week; leading an in-depth interview with Jim Lowe, Vermont arts editor and critic, discussing Vermont’s theater and music scene, venues, funding, audience dynamics, and the role of the arts in the state's economy and identity. vote802.com/jim_lowe

The Senate advanced a different vision for the annual property tax legislation than the House advanced earlier in the year. While it puts downward pressure on school spending, it also relies on one-time funds that have perpetuated property tax cliffs over the past few years. campaignforvermont.org/h949_2026

The Governor and the Legislature are playing a cruel game of musical chairs. The state's recurring use of one-time funds for education creates a funding cliff in the following year that requires further expenditure of one-time funds to fill and undermines the trust of taxpayers who see predictions of massive tax increases unless something is done… eventually there will be no one-time monies available and these predictions will come true. campaignforvermont.org/end_the_cycle_…

Is Vermont's Ethics Framework Under Attack? We dig into this question in our latest newsletter... It feels an awful lot like the legislature is setting our ethics system up to fail. The two part-time staffers the Ethics Commission has now cannot keep up with the hundreds of complaints they receive annually. Their requests for additional staff have repeatedly been rejected. Additional work keeps getting assigned, and public demand for their services continues to grow as faith and trust in state government faulters. campaignforvermont.org/may_2026

The Legislature is racing against the clock and the tradeoffs are getting real. The final weeks of the legislative session are upon us. 💊 Health Care Meets the Tax Code House Ways & Means is debating whether to fund a new state premium assistance program through a brand-new investment income surtax. 🏠 Housing Bill Gets Narrower, Not Broader The Administration asked the Senate to remove the off-site construction accelerator pilot from H.775 because no one was prepared to run it. 🏫 Education Reform: Four Competing Visions The Senate now sits at the center of the session's defining debate, with at least four distinct approaches on the table. Our testimony on Friday highlighted a key finding: The data suggests shared services can capture most scale efficiencies without the political disruption of forced mergers. And here's what astounds us: the Agency of Education openly acknowledged that consolidation savings would be consumed by teacher contract level-ups, and called it "a feature, not a bug." Read the full update ➡️ campaignforvermont.org/5_2_2026_leg_u…

This week the head of Vermont's municipal coalition joins Pat for a wide-ranging interview covering how towns fund services, navigated state vs local control, fund housing and infrastructure, and upcoming legislative changes affecting property valuations and governance. vote802.com/vlct_2026

S.298 is headed to the House floor. The bill builds a state voter-protection structure while also folding in a set of election administration changes. One major issue is that the bill explicitly transfers responsibility for supporting candidate disclosure forms from the Secretary of State to the Ethics Commission despite repeated warnings from the Commission that their two part-time staff persons are not sufficient to provide that support. The bill also suspends penalties for candidates to fail to file accurate disclosure forms. campaignforvermont.org/s298_2026

👀 compassvermont.com/p/as-candidate… #EthicsMatter #ethics #accountability #transparency

Is Vermont's ethics framework being undermined? Today we responded to a dispute involving the Secretary of State, the Ethics Commission, and the Chair of the VT-GOP erupted over how candidate financial disclosure forms are handled and when and where they would be available to candidates. Bottom Line: The chronically understaffed Ethics Commission is being asked to do more with less. Again. campaignforvermont.org/fix_ethics_sys…

This was a week where the numbers told the story, and they're all pointing in the same direction: Vermont's fiscal margin for error is shrinking, and the policy choices being made right now will determine whether the state adapts to that reality... 📉 Demographics Sound the Alarm: Vermont is the ONLY state experiencing both natural population loss AND negative net migration. Children are declining, the 65+ population is surging 13%+, and the income tax base is aging into retirement. Every revenue and spending decision this session runs through this reality. 💰 Tax Overhaul Debate: House Ways & Means i debating proposals to restructure Vermont's income tax brackets and create a new 4% investment income surtax (~$48.6M in revenue). The committee faces a fundamental choice: use new revenue for broad middle-class tax cuts or stand up a state health care premium assistance program. 🏠 Housing & Land Use: The Senate is merging two housing bills (H.775/S.328) with a new $12M modular construction pilot. Meanwhile, the House Environment Committee repealed Act 181's controversial road rule and Tier 3 trigger in a new S.325 draft. 🏡 Property Taxes: Senate Finance reshaped the yield bill (H.949) to deliver a ~3.8% average tax increase vs. the House's ~6.7%, but at the cost of a more one-time funds that perpetuates the cliff effect we've warned about all session. 🗳️ Ethics Chaos: the rollout of candidate financial disclosures exposed what happens when the Legislature mandates work without funding the agency responsible. Filing opens Monday with a volunteer-run Ethics Commission scrambling to keep up just as its funding gets cut. 🔗 Read the full update: campaignforvermont.org/4_25_2026_leg_…

This week, the House Commerce Committee advanced a significant update to a Senate bill aimed at transforming CTE governance integration with K-12 education. campaignforvermont.org/s313_2026

This week on VFV, Don Stevens joins Pat to discusses Abenaki sovereignty, recognition, and respectful government-to-government collaboration with state legislators and Vermonters. vote802.com/abenaki_pt1

The Senate recently passed S.328, which centers on aligning Vermont’s housing systems (planning, zoning, finance, and service delivery) around expanding housing options while trying to preserve fiscal prudence and respect for local context. campaignforvermont.org/s328_2026

The House passed their education transformation package on Friday after a marathon floor debate and a divided 79-62 vote (not enough to sustain a veto). Here's what they did: campaignforvermont.org/h955_2026 The bill now moves over to the Senate where they will decide to build off the House framework or scrap the language completely and insert their own.

UVM Medical Center has some work to do 👀 sevendaysvt.com/news/healthcar…

Some big moves at the Statehouse this week... Here's what you need to know: 🏫 H.955 Passes the House (79–62) Vermont's education transformation bill clears the House and heads to the Senate. It creates 7 regional CESAs for shared services, requires merger study committees statewide, restarts the construction program, and adds a new second-home property tax classification. The foundation formula delay to 2030 remains a concern — it's the most important lever we have to control education spending growth. 💊 Prescription Drug Relief Gains Broad Support H.577 would let Vermont join ARx, a multi-state drug discount program. One witness testified pays $1,800/month for a generic drug under his insurance, but pharmacies acquire it for ~$50. The bill could bring prices dramatically closer to actual cost. 📚 Merger Veterans Tell Their Stories Superintendents who led Act 46 consolidations urged senators to invest more upfront in community engagement, extend timelines by a year, and focus efficiencies at the supervisory union level (not through forced district mergers). 🔍 Lobbying Transparency Gets an Update H.686 aims to modernize disclosure rules for lobbying ads, closing gaps that let modern paid influences (apps, robocalls, digital ads) escape reporting. The key challenge: drawing the line between reportable paid advertising and everyday advocacy without chilling free speech. The full update covers property tax debates, Act 250 implementation challenges, chronic absenteeism strategies, and more. 👉 Read the full update: campaignforvermont.org/4_18_2026_leg_…

On the latest episode of Vote for Vermont, we dive into education reform, alternatives to Act 73, and the potential of Education Service Agencies (ESAs) to achieve cost savings and improved services. vote802.com/education_refo…

🚨The House is set vote on their education reform package as early as TODAY. The bill they are putting forward is a grab bag of policies that do not live up to the promise to generate immediate relief for taxpayers. campaignforvermont.org/4_16_2026_aa

H.585 makes a set of health insurance reforms intended to strengthen oversight of nonprofit health insurers, increase transparency in parts of the health coverage market, and change certain payment and coverage rules. It's a broad reform bill that combines stronger oversight with targeted market flexibility. campaignforvermont.org/h585_2026

The way in which Act 181 is being implemented would subject over 60% of the state to new Act 250 jurisdiction. Vermont municipalities say that this new framework cannot reasonably meet the state's needs for housing and that "Act 181 as passed would not support historic settlement patterns.” compassvermont.com/p/vermonts-hou…