SINE DIE The Vermont legislature adjourned sine die on Thursday evening after a whirlwind final week. It was the first time in years that legislators convened and adjourned neatly within the allotted 18-week timeframe. But the first partially in-person session since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic was full of starts and stops that gave […]
By FOCUS, a Leonine Business On May 3, POLITICO leaked an official draft opinion by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito overruling the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established a constitutional right to abortion in the United States. The opinion was written for Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and reports that five […]
SHAKEUPS The Vermont Legislature is scheduled to adjourn on Thursday, May 12. At least that is the plan, and after a couple weeks of highly complex air traffic control with the budget and many other bills it looks like lawmakers may be able to meet that goal. It has been challenging for lawmakers to find […]
The House and Senate held lengthy floor sessions this week as lawmakers held one vote after another on a backlog of bills. The House and Senate held lengthy floor sessions this week as lawmakers held one vote after another on a backlog of bills. The FY2023 budget bill, transportation bill (T-Bill) and capital bill all […]
The House Appropriations Committee worked long hours throughout the week to try and finalize their version of the FY2023 budget bill. Their work on the budget was slowed by an unusually long queue of spending-laden policy bills that required budget approval. While it is normal for a handful of policy bills to include appropriations – […]
By FOCUS, A Leonine Business March means the halfway point for many states’ legislative sessions around the nation, and for some states the end is on the horizon. It also means that many are buckling down to the business of state budgets. Two years after the beginning of COVID, where states were struggling under repressed […]
Today (Friday, 3/11) is the crossover deadline for policy bills in the legislature. As a result, policy committees scrambled all week, and particularly yesterday and today, to get bills out. Those that do not impact the budget will go directly to the floor of their respective chambers. Bills affecting the budget will be reviewed by […]
The Vermont Legislature is off next week for Town Meeting Day break. The Leonine Legislative Update will return on Friday, March 4. The House policy committees finalized their FY2023 budget recommendations this week, providing the House Committee on Appropriations with direction on the spending decisions they will need to make over the next few weeks. […]
