This Vermont House joint resolution urges the U.S. Congress to pass H.R. 5356, a bill establishing a National Infrastructure Bank to fund critical public projects. The proposed bank would provide up to $5 trillion in direct loans and financing for initiatives such as repairing roads and bridges, upgrading water systems, expanding broadband, and building affordable housing. Modeled after historical federal financing institutions, the bank is designed to support projects that pay prevailing wages, prioritize American-made materials, and offer financial assistance to minority and women-owned businesses. While the resolution highlights Vermont's specific infrastructure challenges and rising homelessness as context, its primary function is to formally request federal action rather than create new state laws. The measure directs the Secretary of State to send copies of the resolution to the Governor, the President, and Vermont's congressional representatives.
This bill approves a charter amendment for the Town of Stowe that authorizes the town to impose a two percent local option tax on sales, rooms, meals, and alcoholic beverages. The legislation confirms that voters approved this proposal on March 3, 2026, and directs the Department of Taxes to collect and administer the new tax. Additionally, the bill states that this new tax replaces any previous local option taxes the town may have had in place.
This bill establishes the state of Vermont's budget for fiscal year 2027, providing funding for all state agencies, departments, and government operations. It authorizes specific spending amounts for various government functions and defines key terms like operating expenses, personal services, and grants to clarify how funds can be used. The legislation limits the creation of new state positions to those explicitly authorized during the 2026 legislative session and requires that agency staffing levels match the appropriated funds unless otherwise specified. It also outlines procedures for accepting federal funds and addresses how to handle errors in the budget totals.
This bill adjusts Vermont's 2026 capital construction budget and modifies funding allocations for various state projects across multiple agencies. It directly affects state departments responsible for buildings, corrections, veterans' services, environmental conservation, and community development by changing specific dollar amounts and project timelines. The legislation reauthorizes funding for state building maintenance, stormwater compliance, HVAC upgrades at correctional facilities, Veterans' Home renovations, and clean water initiatives, while also adjusting the total legislative intent for biennium spending from $111.9 million to $122.7 million. Key changes include reducing certain FY 2026 appropriations while increasing or maintaining FY 2027 funding for specific environmental and infrastructure projects, with some line items being repealed entirely.
This bill adopts Vermont's Fiscal Year 2027 Transportation Program and makes various updates to state transportation laws. It directly affects the Agency of Transportation, local municipalities, contractors, and transportation project stakeholders. Key provisions include defining project categories for budgeting purposes, repealing old rules for a municipal equipment loan fund, updating highway design standards, requiring contractors to post performance bonds, and making adjustments to funding authorizations for transportation projects. The legislation also addresses electric vehicle infrastructure, public transit advisory councils, and specific infrastructure improvements across the state.
This bill establishes salary increases for Vermont state employees across the Executive, Judicial, and Legislative branches for fiscal years 2027 and 2028. It fully funds collective bargaining agreements for most classified employees, providing a 5.9 percent raise in 2027 and a 4.9 percent raise in 2028 through step increases and across-the-board adjustments. The legislation also allows branch leaders to extend these raises to exempt employees not covered by collective bargaining agreements, sets specific salary amounts for top state officials, and defines how annual salary adjustments for exempt employees will be calculated based on the classified employee increases.
This bill sets specific property tax rates and funding levels for Vermont's 2027 fiscal year, including a nonhomestead property tax rate of $1.698 per $100 of value and specific dollar yields for homestead and income calculations. It also reserves $52.45 million in the Education Fund to help offset potential property tax rate increases in 2028, while correcting a definition related to statewide education tax calculations. The legislation refunds $150,576 to the City of Barre for overpaid education taxes from 2021-2024 and adjusts special education funding grants for inflation starting in 2027. Additionally, it updates how special education census grants are calculated to account for inflation over time.
This bill makes several administrative and policy adjustments to Vermont's tax laws, affecting property owners, businesses, and taxpayers. Key changes include repealing a tax credit denial for S corporations, adjusting property transfer tax rates for non-principal residential properties, and establishing a 10 percent land use change tax when agricultural or forest land is developed. The legislation also outlines procedures for withdrawing land from use value appraisal and sets timelines for assessing fair market value when land is converted from protected uses. These provisions aim to clarify tax calculations and update administrative processes across various tax categories.
This bill creates a "cost of competing adjustment" within Vermont's public education funding system to account for differences in local labor costs across the state. It directly affects how state funding is calculated for public schools, ensuring adjustments reflect regional variations in salaries and wages. The key mechanism modifies the existing funding formula to incorporate these labor cost differences, aiming to provide more equitable resource allocation. This change would apply to all public school districts receiving state education funding under Vermont's current system. The bill focuses on adjusting the funding calculation method, not on new spending or specific school programs.
H 888 requires Vermont's General Assembly to pass legislation setting the statewide education tax revenue amounts (referred to as "yields") before school districts can vote on their budgets at annual town meetings. This bill directly affects all Vermont school districts and town meeting participants by establishing a new timing requirement for budget votes. The key provision mandates that the legislature must finalize and submit the education tax yield law to the Governor before Town Meeting Day each year. This procedural change ensures school districts have a fixed tax revenue amount to base their budgets on before voting occurs. The bill does not alter tax rates or funding levels, only the sequence of legislative actions.
