Vermont Legislature

As other states mount a legal challenge to the Trump administration's demand for residents' personal data, the Scott administration has voluntarily handed over the names, dates of birth, social security numbers and addresses of Vermonters receiving federal nutrition assistance benefits.

The smallest district in Vermont has fewer than 200 students, and the largest just over 4,000. Act 73 envisions radical change: districts with between 4,000 to 8,000 students, although the law allows some flexibility.

Vermont lawmakers heard contradictory testimony Thursday as they begin the process of determining what role state government will play in addressing federal cuts to key human services programs.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, supplies the vast majority of food aid in Vermont, where about 65,000 residents received $155 million in benefits last year.

Vermont Foodbank President John Sayles says the organization has laid off seven staff members and eliminated two vacant positions to offset a post-COVID drop in government funding.

For all the angst the topic of independent schools has generated, there has been little discussion about what the education reform legislation would actually do regarding the private schools that receive public money. But some of the new law’s provisions, which quietly came into effect last week, may surprise some of its critics.

A recent ethics complaint against two state Senators has brought attention to oversight in the statehouse.

Here are some highlights of what Vermont's politicians accomplished over the winter and spring, including major health care and education bills and a few others that may have flown under the radar.

The legislation sets in motion a process that could lead to foundational shifts in how Vermont funds and governs public schools. But there's no guarantee that the state's schools, or its taxpayers, will see the transformational changes the law aims to deliver.

Sens. Seth Bongartz and Scott Beck pushed back forcefully against claims that they improperly advocated for private schools during education reform negotiations at the Statehouse.