Vermont Legislature

A rule put into effect after the passage of the state’s Clean Water Act requires any site with at least 3 acres of impervious surface to obtain a stormwater permit. Around 100 of the 700 3-acre sites in Vermont are subdivisions.

For Republicans, H.454 moves too slowly and does not sufficiently contain costs. And for many rural Democrats, the legislation is unacceptably hostile to the state’s smaller schools. But enough lawmakers held their nose Friday to advance the bill on to the Senate and keep education reform on track in Montpelier.

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.

Shelburne Rep. Shawn Sweeney presented a proposal to fellow lawmakers Tuesday that he says would preserve the historic site at a fraction of the $40 million that state officials have previously estimated.

The Vermont House advanced a state budget plan this week that relies on hundreds of millions in federal funding that many fear could evaporate in an instant. Also this week: The feds abruptly announced they would hold back any remaining pandemic recovery funds to schools. Tariffs, meanwhile, could cost Vermonters $1 billion — and then some.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced new tariffs on foreign goods in some of Vermont’s biggest export markets, such as China, India and Trinidad and Tobago.

“The Governor’s attempt to circumvent the intent of the General Assembly is an unconstitutional encroachment on a core function of the legislature,” wrote the head of the Office of Legislative Counsel.

The bill would guarantee workers can take two weeks of unpaid time off from work after the death of a family member.

Members of the House Committee on Appropriations have spent the last three months crafting a $9 billion spending plan that relies on hundreds of millions of dollars that might evaporate by summer. And a plan to buy down property taxes next year could be on the chopping block if Vermont sees significant cuts to Medicaid funding.

The extension, which will apply to roughly 400 households, comes after the governor struck down legislation that would have granted a reprieve for all participants.