Phil Baruth

Streamlining governance in Vermont’s education system is the critical first step in a sweeping education reform law approved by Democratic lawmakers and Republican Gov. Phil Scott earlier this year. But a special commission created by the Legislature is urging lawmakers to rethink that plan.

Democratic lawmakers have spent the last five years laying the groundwork for the most aggressive emissions-reduction policies Vermont has ever seen, but a political sea change after the November election has brought that work to a “standstill,” according to legislators and climate advocates.

Economic officials in Vermont and Canada say President Donald Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric, and the uncertainty over his next move, could have the most lasting effects on the nearly $2 billion in foreign exports that Vermont businesses rely on annually.

Elected officials across the political spectrum have said they want to deliver major policy changes in education, housing and other areas, but six weeks into the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers haven’t made much progress toward those goals.

A forecast published this week by the Vermont Department of Taxes projects a 5.9% jump in property taxes next year, but Republican Gov. Phil Scott said he is seeking to put forward a proposal that would keep tax bills flat in 2025.

While next year’s forecast isn’t as dire as some elected officials had feared, Democrats and Republicans say the projected increase is more than many homeowners can bear.

A well-funded electioneering operation bankrolled by Gov. Phil Scott helped Republicans capitalize on voter disaffection over the rising cost of living in Vermont.

The governor’s willingness to use his veto pen — and Democrats’ ability to erase it — represents a deepening partisan chasm in Montpelier.

Senate President Pro Tem Phil Baruth joins Vermont Edition. Baruth discusses property taxes, Act 250 reform, and Governor Phil Scott’s expected vetoes.

The Vermont Statehouse this week became the front line in an ideological battle over the role of state government after Democrats in the House of Representatives approved $131 million in tax increases that Republicans derided as “off the rails and out of control.”