Vermont’s retiree health care obligations exceed $2.5 billion, with more than $2.1 billion currently unfunded. Despite recent prefunding efforts, the systems remain just 16.6% and 13.6% funded. Required annual state contributions are rising
Vermont Saves currently operates with a projected $242,000 annual funding gap, requiring up to $300,000 in redirected unclaimed-property funds to bridge the difference. With 5,420 funded accounts and $5.17 million saved, the program must ro
Vermont lawmakers are considering a new statewide retail delivery fee, raising questions about how delivery costs are passed on to consumers and businesses. H.863, now in the House Transportation Committee, would direct state officials to d
Vermont lawmakers are again pushing to raise the minimum wage — this time to $18.60 an hour under a “livable wage” standard. But big jumps don’t just affect entry-level workers. Wage compression, higher payroll costs, and rising prices foll
Vermont lawmakers are advancing a FY2026 budget adjustment that boosts spending for Medicaid caseload pressures, corrections health care costs, and housing supports, while setting aside nearly $75 million for FY2027 amid federal uncertainty
Vermont aligned its climate law with the U.S. Climate Alliance’s 2025 emissions pledge — and went further by making those targets enforceable in court. As 2025 passes without finalized inventories or a state-by-state scorecard, Vermonters a
Consumer Reports data shows 29% of heat pumps broke or stopped working by year eight—halfway through their expected lifespan. Modern cold-climate models can operate at temperatures as low as -23°F, but whether they save money depends on loc
Vermont’s H.740 would spend $800,000 to expand greenhouse gas reporting and build a new fuel emissions database. But Vermont already collects fuel volume data through existing tax systems. The bill’s new county and sector mandates may creat
The chair of the House Human Services Committee declared residency verification for emergency housing a constitutional "non-starter" — then scrapped H.594's entire accountability framework. But federal case law distinguishes between waiting
Rep. Michael Tagliavia pitched H.767 to the House Energy Committee — an eight-year moratorium on five of Vermont's biggest climate and land use laws. His argument: Vermonters are drowning in costs while the state layers on regulations that
As Vermont’s new land-use system moves from statute to map, voting records reveal a clear pattern. The counties that voted “yes” in the greatest numbers are also the wealthiest—and the ones best positioned to benefit. Poorer regions backed
Vermont’s new land-use framework is reshaping the state’s economy, not just its maps. By concentrating growth into a narrow footprint, pressuring towns to opt in or face higher regulatory costs, and advancing land-use designations before al
