CampaignForVermont

Campaign for Vermont is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy group. We work toward shared prosperity by connecting middle class Vermonters to their government.

[CampaignForVermont @CampaignForVT]

On June 16, community leaders, entrepreneurs, policymakers, researchers, and students from across the region will gather at the University of Vermont for the annual RISE Summit.

https://t.co/yUIiAp1npX

[CampaignForVermont @CampaignForVT]

The legislative session came to a conclusion on Friday night, but that is not the only thing coming to an end...

Read our latest newsletter 👉 https://t.co/3NfvuYhhco

[CampaignForVermont @CampaignForVT]

The legislature cruised to adjournment on Friday evening after coming to an agreement with Governor Scott over the rollout of education reform. The details of that agreement were hashed out behind closed doors the week prior.

https://t.co/6ExSHcCNL3

[CampaignForVermont @CampaignForVT]

The 2026 legislative session wrapped up last night, and the final slate of bills is significant.

📚 Education transformation (H.955) passed the House 125-10 after months of competing visions. The final bill preserves voluntary, community-driven merger processes, creates regional shared-service areas (CESAs), ties school construction incentives to consolidation, and sets a March 2028 timeline for merger votes. The foundation formula remains on track for FY2030.

💰 Property tax relief (H.949) delivers $105M from the General Fund to reduce the average FY2027 property tax increase to ~3.5%. But the one-time nature of the relief creates fiscal questions for FY2028.

🏗️ The budget (H.91) was adopted with a 2.9% increase.

🚗 Transportation (H.944) launches Vermont's first mileage-based user fee for electric vehicles at 1.44¢/mile starting January 2027.

⚡ Data center regulation (H.727) fell short of a veto override (83-52, needed 90), but the issue isn't going away as national demand for computing power continues to surge.

The session produced real results, but the hardest work (implementing these frameworks) begins now.

Read the full update ➡️ https://t.co/gtMrCtS9or

[CampaignForVermont @CampaignForVT]

The Senate kept the problematic transfer of responsibilities from the Secretary of State to the Ethics Commission in S.298, but made them temporary.

https://t.co/GtOBcsQzY4

[CampaignForVermont @CampaignForVT]

ICYMI: the future of the Clean Heat Standard is up in the air after a key vote.

The House refused to concur with the Senate's strike-all amendment to H.740 (which included a repeal of the dormant Clean Heat Standard's statutory language) and appointed a committee of conference to negotiate with the Senate.

https://t.co/9I2bljmZIg

[CampaignForVermont @CampaignForVT]

Happy Memorial Day! Thank you to all those who have served our country. 🇺🇸

[CampaignForVermont @CampaignForVT]

Example #4 of why Act 250 stifled economy growth: the road rule.

A 799 foot road? No permit needed. 802 feet? Full Act 250 review. This arbitrary rule kills development and housing in rural Vermont. Act 181 tried to re-introduce it.

Read more 👉 https://t.co/9TTO0BXlqT

[CampaignForVermont @CampaignForVT]

The Vermont Legislature entered peak negotiation mode this week as nearly every major policy initiative of the 2026 session moved into conference committees and floor votes.

Here's what happened:

🏥 Health Care Costs: S.190 (reference-based hospital pricing) cleared three House committees and now empowers the Green Mountain Care Board to begin reducing commercial hospital reimbursement rates for exchange plans and school employee plans (targeting affordability in health care spending). The bill also authorizes Vermont to pursue a federal reinsurance waiver that could bring significant federal dollars to stabilize the insurance market.

🏠 Property Taxes: The H.949 conference committee heard testimony that the Senate's proposed excess spending exemptions could undermine the primary cost-containment tool in education finance.

🌲 Act 250: The S.325 conference committee finalized guardrails for on-farm business events (noise limits, time restrictions, delayed effective date) while preserving the road rule and Tier 3 repeal.

💻 Consumer Protection: The Senate passed a permanent ban on crypto kiosks and introduced new licensing requirements for merchant cash advance providers.

The final days of the session are where legislation is made or broken. We'll keep watching.

👉 Read the full update: https://t.co/9I2bljmZIg

[CampaignForVermont @CampaignForVT]

Example #3 of why Act 250 stifled economy growth: the trigger threshold for business development.

A mom-and-pop store in rural Vermont wants to adds a small addition, and Act 250 gets triggered... Local small businesses can't grow when regulations outweigh the cost of expansion.

https://t.co/XtRjWtcC8g

[CampaignForVermont @CampaignForVT]

Could this be the answer to our housing crisis? Pre-permitted homes that can be quickly and easily built anywhere in the state?

Comment below 👇 we're curious what you think.

https://t.co/nyWbE6FxpM

[CampaignForVermont @CampaignForVT]

Example #2 of why Act 250 stifled economy growth: the trigger threshold for housing development.

Act 250 triggers for as few as 6 housing units in rural VT towns. Developers scale back just to avoid the process. Wonder why we have a housing shortage? This is part of the reason. 🏠

Do you agree? Comment below.

Full article here: https://t.co/XtRjWtcC8g

[CampaignForVermont @CampaignForVT]

Example #1 of why Act 250 stifled economy growth: The Unpredictable Permit Process.

No guaranteed approval. No timeline. No budget estimate. Act 250's unpredictable permit process has driven developers away for 50 years. When the risk outweighs the reward, projects never get built. 🏗️❌

What has your experience with Act 250 been?

Read more ➡️ https://t.co/XtRjWtd9XO

[CampaignForVermont @CampaignForVT]

The Senate killed a promising pilot program intended to leverage modular construction methods to reduce the cost for new housing significantly.

Today we urged the House to restore the program.

https://t.co/AZCRM16Dqd

[CampaignForVermont @CampaignForVT]

ICYMI, we have reviewed 16 bills this legislative session that are likely to impact everyday Vermonters. We've compiled easy-to-read summaries and analysis of each one so you can quickly get an understanding of what each bill does.

https://t.co/HXzmowky9Z

[CampaignForVermont @CampaignForVT]

The squeeze is on in Montpelier. With the legislative session clock ticking, legislators are negotiating the terms that will shape the final pieces of legislation. And this week, the terms got very real.

📚 Education Reform: The Senate is scrambling to finalize H.955. The foundation formula is threatened by contingencies, meaning the spending incentive structure that's driven Vermont's per-pupil costs to roughly twice the national average continues until the Legislature decides otherwise.

💰 Property Taxes: House Ways & Means went deep on the excess spending adjustment, the primary tool for controlling education costs. The concern? Senate exemptions may be so broad they effectively neutralize it.

🏠 Housing: Multiple committees examined whether Vermont's ambitious housing targets (24,000–36,000 homes by 2030) can actually be met. At current rates, we're on pace for about 12,000.

📊 Taxpayer Equity: Income sensitivity thresholds haven't been updated in 30 years... A $40,000-income household in a Burlington home pays nearly 13% of their income in property taxes, double what the system was designed to produce.

👉 Read the full update: https://t.co/mWdiSHF8bb

[CampaignForVermont @CampaignForVT]

The House passed the bill last week that repeals Act 181’s "road rule" and Tier 3 jurisdiction provisions for Act 250 in response to concerns from rural landowners.

The Senate previously passed a version of the bill that delayed implementation of those two provisions instead of a full repeal.

Critically, the bill also preserves the Tier 1 exemptions that promote housing and extend some of the temporary land use exemptions to keep up housing momentum.

https://t.co/h54f4H9hcj

[CampaignForVermont @CampaignForVT]

After 60 years in public service, former Vermont state representative Topper McFawn discusses his life, public service, policy views on healthcare and autism services, and his personal journey including family and career experiences.

https://t.co/cbnzWsZD3g

[CampaignForVermont @CampaignForVT]

"Act 250 killed housing and precluded most of Vermont from having a chance for a vibrant economy..." -Blair Enman

After 50 years of navigating Act 250, a retired civil engineer offers us his assessment.

https://t.co/9TTO0BWNBl

[CampaignForVermont @CampaignForVT]

The persistent underfunding of Vermont's ethics system is beginning to feel like an intentional effort to avoid oversight and accountability.

Last week we called on the Senate to course-correct.

Strong ethics laws and transparent financial disclosures are essential to maintaining Vermonters' trust in their government. Underfunding the ethics resources available to the public undermines the goals that have been laid out in previous ethics legislation the state has passed. At a moment when faith & trust in government generally is at an all time low, that feels particularly meaningful.

https://t.co/bKvztzAHiz