The most significant event in Montpelier this week is the one that almost didn't happen... Sensing that the education reform bill (H.454) was going to have some challenges on the Senate floor, we issued an action alert on Monday. Those concerns turned out to be well-founded when Senate leadership announced on Tuesday that they were pulling the bill back from the floor.

H.482 aims to balance the financial stability of health insurers with hospital accountability in Vermont’s healthcare system.

The bill proposes comprehensive reforms to Vermont’s public education system, focusing on governance, funding, and quality to ensure equitable, sustainable, and efficient education for all students. The bill redirects commissions, establishes task forces, and imagines new systems to achieve these goals, with specific timelines for implementation.

The Senate is getting ready to vote on a historic education reform package (H.454) as soon as tomorrow. The bill includes major reforms to the financing of education in the state that are similar to the proposal we released in March. This overhaul will correct the tragedy of the commons situation that Act 60 has created (which significantly accelerated the growth of education spending in the state). The legislation also tees up major changes to the governance structure of education and creates a working group to come up with a plan for doing so.

I read Miro Weinberger’s recent opinion editorial “If Vermont wants a future of abundance, we must choose to build” with excitement. I too recently finished reading Ezra Klein’s new book, Abundance, and its relevance to Vermont is unquestionable.

We have a bunch of new bill reviews for you this week, including BOTH the House and Senate's versions of the housing bills and healthcare payment reform.

Last week both the Vermont House and Senate continued discussions regarding the importance of the reciprocal trading relationship with Canada, spanning over two centuries. The Vermont-Quebec trade relationship has been a significant source of economic development for Vermont, with foreign direct investment from Quebec playing a crucial role in job creation and business expansion. 

H.479 is the House's 2025 comprehensive housing bill aimed at addressing Vermont’s housing shortage through various programs, incentives, and regulatory changes. The legislation amends existing statutes and introduces new initiatives to improve rental housing, support manufactured home communities, enhance infrastructure, protect tenants, and streamline development processes.

S.126 is a comprehensive legislative proposal introduced to transform Vermont's health care system. The bill aims to improve health outcomes, enhance care quality, control costs, and ensure equitable access to health care services. It proposes structural changes through payment reforms, hospital budget oversight, data integration, and strategic planning.