Every year, Campaign for Vermont sets a research agenda for when the legislature is out of session. These are topics that we want to focus on in the spirit of bringing forward new information and recommendations for our state's policymakers. This work might result in new research papers, new position statements, new legislation, or just furthering our own understanding of an issue.

At the end of last session a number of legislators announced they were not going to run for reelection and over a dozen more lost their reelection bids. In total, this meant 54 new faces in Montpelier this year, which created a serious stir. The political void departing legislators would be leaving behind – in terms of expertise, knowledge of the process, the history behind key bills, familiarity with staff – is hard to overstate.

The Legislature worked late last night, finally concluding that an education reform deal was out of reach. They are coming back in a couple weeks to (hopefully) finish the job.

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.

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.

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.

The Senate's 2025 housing bill (S.127) is a comprehensive legislative proposal aimed at addressing housing shortages and improving housing accessibility, affordability, and infrastructure in Vermont. The bill amends existing statutes and introduces new programs to incentivize rental housing rehabilitation, manufactured home improvements, infrastructure development, and protections for vulnerable populations. It establishes study committees, funding mechanisms, and regulatory reforms to support housing development, with a focus on low- to moderate-income households, individuals with disabilities, and other marginalized groups.

We are mixing up our format a little bit this week (let us know what you think!). But don't worry, we are still bringing you in-depth coverage on a wide range of topics.

The most important update (in our view) is that the bill dealing with the Ethics Commission's oversight authority passed a key vote in the Senate this week. The Senate's version would delay the implementation of the Ethics Commission's new powers for two years. While we are still disappointed in this outcome, it is better than the House Version which would have removed independent oversight of the Legislative and Judicial branches of state government permanently.

Major initiatives in areas such as education, housing, and health care are nearing the finish line this week as key committee votes take shape. Most notably, the Senate Education Committee advanced the education reform bill in a key vote on Friday. While there is much work left to do, the Senate version (so far) seems better than the House's and the vote keeps the effort on track to kick off the reform process this year.