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Well, it’s nearly a wrap on the first half of the biennium. We have done hard and meaningful work this session– all while keeping up to speed on the rapidly changing federal landscape and how those changes will impact Vermonters. Consensus in this work doesn’t always come easy, but we all have a shared commitment to making Vermont a stronger, healthier and more affordable place to call home. At times, the path to getting there has been long but we are taking concrete steps like lowering health care costs and transforming our system of care.
This session, we created a new program to help our most vulnerable secure housing and social services to help them in their greatest time of need. We passed a transformative housing bill that acknowledges the current need for not only more housing–but affordable housing. Our priorities have been clear from the start, but we still have more work ahead of us. We remain focused on our commitment to a public education system that is safe, consistent, and provides a quality education for all Vermont kids while bending the cost curve for Vermonters. This policy is too important to rush through in the wee hours of the morning, so, we will back back on June 16th to continue our hard work in collaboration with the Governor and the Senate. As always, it is an honor to serve as your State Representatives and we are so grateful for the continued feedback we receive from you all. It makes a real difference and it informs how we make decisions with your concerns in mind. Please continue to reach out with your thoughts and questions– we can’t do this work without you. In service, Karen Dolan & Lori Houghton [email protected] [email protected] Federal Updates: Is Vermont Feeling the Impacts? We know that many of you are concerned about impacts to Vermont’s state budget and critical services being cut because of loss of funding. It’s so challenging to fully understand what this will look like, but we will do our best to keep you up to speed! Vermont is actively responding to federal policy shifts as developments become known. State Treasurer Mike Pieciak has established a task force to assess the economic impact of these policy changes on Vermont’s economy. For more information, follow this link: Vermont's Task Force on Federal Impacts. Additionally, the Essex House Delegation hosted a Community Forum on Monday, June 2nd with three of our statewide elected leaders, Secretary of State Sarah Copeland-Hanzas, Attorney General Charity Clark and Treasurer Mike Pieciak, to discuss this topic in more detail. The forum was recorded by Town Meeting TV and coverage is available at this link: https://www.cctv.org/watch-tv/programs/essex-community-forum-impact-federal-actions-vermont Highlights from Session Priorities: Education, Housing & Healthcare EDUCATION: H454 This is the priority issue that we will focus on when we return to the Statehouse on June 16th. We know this has been a hot button issue across the state– and we know that in order to address rising property taxes, we must look at the ways we fund our education system. Many communities across Vermont are concerned about maintaining community engagement and local voice as we work on education transformation. We share that concern, too. Change is a big deal– and we certainly don’t want to rush through this process. Significant progress has been made in aligning House and Senate perspectives on key elements of education policy and governance. The focus remains on balancing statewide cohesion with local engagement, fiscal responsibility with educational access, and governance reform with operational practicality. We don’t have a final package yet– but we will keep you informed as the work continues. As of now, the Commission on the Future of Public Education retains its central charge to make recommendations on state-level education governance. Their collective expertise and forthcoming public engagement process are essential for developing informed, impactful governance recommendations. We know that class size is pivotal in Vermont’s education policy decisions, especially given our rural context, declining enrollment, and fiscal challenges. Average class sizes in Vermonter are already smaller than those outlined in education research, and small class sizes can create challenges for effective instruction. We want all our students to have access to abundant opportunities, while limiting consolidation where it makes sense. So far, those numbers look like this: Proposed class size minimums:
HEALTHCARE: The legislature has acted on multiple fronts—affordability, access, and accountability—to stabilize Vermont’s healthcare system and prepare for an uncertain federal funding landscape. These measures aim to protect patients, support providers, and ensure the long-term sustainability of healthcare delivery in the state. In response to growing concerns the Health Care Committee has advanced a series of impactful bills this session: H.35: Unmerges the individual and small group insurance markets to reduce premiums for small businesses. With federal subsidies for the individual market set to expire at the end of 2025, this change helps offset potential cost increases for Vermonters. Signed into law. H.96: Raises the threshold for Certificates of Need, making it easier and less costly for healthcare facilities to pursue new projects—ultimately reducing expenses passed on to patients. Signed into law. H.266: Initially aimed at protecting 340B pharmacies, it was amended to cap excessive drug markups by hospitals. Vermont had been charging commercial insurers up to 600% over average sales price; the bill now limits prices to 130% of Medicare's average sales price, effective 2026. Delivered to the Governor June 5th, awaiting his decision. Perhaps the most impactful policy passed out of Healthcare this year is S.126. The current monthly premium is $3908.06 or about $ 58,000 per year for the benchmark Silver plan from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont on the Vermont Health Exchange. Since Covid the Federal Government has extended tax credits and subsidies to most Vermonters, ensuring that no one pays more than 8.5% of their income for this benchmark plan. Barring action by Congress these credits will expire on December 31, 2025 and are unlikely to be extended. This is simply unaffordable for Vermonters. S.126 aims to reallocate scarce resources using multiple levers including reference based pricing. This is a tool that the GMCB shall use to set rates. The bill also allows the GMCB to review rates of hospital networks, provide transparency for state agencies to set contracts between providers and payers, creates a statewide health resource plan to identify what resources we actually have and what resources are actually needed and where. It forms a primary care committee that actually has some teeth in the development of the plan. It holds AHS accountable for the work and timeline required in ACT 167 around hospital sustainability. Most of all, this bill is about urgency and accountability. In the process of being delivered to the Governor. HOUSING: This year the legislature has been highly focused on work to address our severe shortage in housing stock. Our housing crisis calls for immediate and long-term solutions, which we have addressed in our landmark housing bill, S. 127. This bill is a comprehensive proposal aimed at addressing housing shortages and improving housing accessibility, affordability, and infrastructure in Vermont. S. 127 introduces new programs to incentivize rental housing rehabilitation, manufactured home improvements, infrastructure development, and protections for the vulnerable. Finally, the bill creates the Community and Housing Infrastructure Program (CHIP), a tax increment financing program, for municipalities and private developers to finance housing infrastructure projects in both rural and urban regions, to support the creation of up to 3,750 new units per year over the next 10 years. In the process of being delivered to the Governor. MEETING THE COMPREHENSIVE HOUSING NEEDS OF OUR MOST VULNERABLE: Through H.91, the legislature has set Vermont up to transition from a system rooted in emergency motel vouchers managed by the Department for Children and Families to a more comprehensive, sustainable program based in communities. This shift focuses on providing more intensive case management support, addressing the unique causes of homelessness for each person, and offering long-term solutions. The program’s wraparound services are a recognition that there are distinct circumstances behind homelessness, and Vermont aims to create a system that not only provides shelter but empowers people to achieve lasting stability and independence. The bill establishes the Vermont Homeless Emergency Assistance and Responsive Transition. This community-based approach promotes consistency across regions while allowing flexibility to meet local needs. H.91 represents a significant shift in how Vermont responds to homelessness—moving beyond temporary shelter toward a coordinated system that supports long-term housing stability, recovery, and self-sufficiency. Delivered to the Governor June 5th, awaiting his decision. (Update: The Governor Vetoed this important legislation) TAX CREDITS FOR VERMONTERS: Tax Credits – We expanded existing income tax credits and added new tax credits in S.51 to keep more money in the pockets of working Vermonters, families, older Vermonters, and veterans. This bill is now in the Senate to be passed out during the June 16th and 17th session and then sent to the Governor. Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) – expands the Vermont EITC for individuals without children from 38% of the federal EITC to 100% so folks who are working can receive more of their money back at tax time. Child Tax Credit – raises the age limit for children who create a tax credit for their families from 5 to 6 years old. This tax credit is the most powerful piece of legislation to reduce childhood poverty passed in the last 25 years. Expansion of Social Security income limits – the income limits for taxpayers who are eligible to receive an income tax exemption on their social security income are raised from $50,000 to $55,000 (with a phase out up to $65,000) for individuals and from $65,000 to $70,000 (with a phase out up to $80,000) for joint filers. The vast majority of older Vermonters pay no taxes on their hard earned social security under this proposal. Expansion of Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) income limits – the income limits for taxpayers who are eligible to exempt the first $10,000 of their CSRS income from income tax are raised from $50,000 to $55,000 (with a phase out up to $65,000) for individuals and from $65,000 to $70,000 (with a phase out up to $80,000) for joint filers. Military Pension and Survivor Benefits Exemption – Military retirees and their survivors with income of $125,000 or less will be able to exempt their military pension and survivor benefits from income tax. For income above $125,000, the exemption phases out until at $175,000 of income, the benefits are no longer exempt. Military retirees will no longer have to choose between taking their military pension exemption or their social security exemption but can exempt both as long as they qualify under the income limitations. Veterans Tax Credit – Veterans with income of $25,000 or less will be eligible for a $250refundable credit, meaning that even if they do not have a tax liability, they are eligible for the credit. The credit phases out up to an income limit of $30,000. When too many veterans are experiencing homelessness or living in poverty in Vermont, this is one small step towards honoring their service, too. PROTECTING OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY MEMBERS: Another priority for this session was responding to the ever-changing federal landscape. The Legislature passed a number of bills that aim to protect targeted communities and restrict how Vermont law enforcement are able to cooperate with federal law enforcement entities. Through the establishment of standby guardianships, H.98 clarifies a process that allows immigrant parents to identify trusted adults who can step in as temporary guardians if the parent is detained or deported. This proactive step can provide some measure of comfort to immigrant parents and their children because they will know in advance who would care for the kids in the event their parents are detained. This process helps ease traumatic separations or confusion in emergency situations. It also avoids the necessity for DCF to take legal custody of the children in these situations. Signed into law. The confirmatory adoption provision in H.98 provides a clear and expedited process for Vermonters who became parents through the use of assisted reproduction technology (who are already parents under state law) to obtain a court order stating so. This provides a necessary level of protection for families who may travel to destinations that do not recognize the legal parenthood of all LGBTQ parents and others. Signed into law. Vermont law currently allows an exception to the Governor’s sole authority to enter into certain types of agreements with federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) if there is a declaration of a state or national emergency. S.44 eliminates this exception, and keeps the Governor as the sole authority in Vermont to enter into these ICE delegation-of-authority agreements. This will keep the State accountable to Vermonters regarding how our law enforcement interacts and cooperates with ICE. Signed into law. Act 8 expands Vermont’s hate-motivated crimes statute. It more accurately captures the conduct that such a statute is intended to penalize by expanding the scope of who can be considered a victim of a hate crime. Hateful conduct is not acceptable. Act 8 helps ensure that such conduct can be named and prosecuted effectively.
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The community forum on Monday, June 2, was a huge success. Thank you to everyone who attended. If you could not join us, you can still watch the recording on CCTV.
It was wonderful to be joined by Attorney General Charity Clark, Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas, and Treasurer Mike Pieciak, all of whom shared so much information about how Vermont is both preparing for and fighting back against the destructive actions at the federal level. Thank you to the incredible staff at the Essex Cinema and the Essex Experience for hosting the event and to CCTV for recording it and making it possible for us to share it statewide. A lot of information was shared at the event. My post has links to the resources. Attorney General Clark Actions Taken Against the Trump Administration Vermont Asylum Assistance Project – Know Your Rights Vermont Medical Society – Resources on Immigration Enforcement Secretary of State Copeland Hanzas Press Release on Elections Executive Order Civic Engagement & Education Resources Elections & Voter Resources Treasurer Pieciak Task Force on Federal Transition AARP – Social Security Advocacy & Assistance Trump Tariffs Impact on Vermont Press Release Vermont Immigration Legal Defense Fund Vermont General Assembly JFO Federal Funds Under Trump Administration Overview of Federal Funds in VT Budget How Proposed Changes to Federal Safety Net Programs Could Affect the States Joint Resolution Supporting Vermont's Transgender & Non-Binary Community Information about Immunizations and Reproductive Health Care Thank you again for joining us. We hope this information is helpful. As always, don't hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns. The rain held off Saturday for another wonderful Essex Memorial Day Parade. I’m grateful for the organizers and volunteers who make this event happen year after year so we can come together to honor and remember those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice protecting our freedoms.
The legislature is winding up its work (hopefully this week!). Rep. Dolan and I will share an End of Session Report in the coming weeks summarizing the more impactful legislation passed. As always we want to hear your perspectives and answer questions. Your engagement helps ensure we are informed about what is important to you. Please reach out to me ([email protected]) or Representative Dolan ([email protected]) at any time. STATE LEADERS TACKLE FEDERAL POLICY IN VERMONT - JUNE 2, 6 TO 8 PM Join Attorney General Charity Clark, Secretary of State, Sarah Copeland Hanzas, and Treasurer Mike Pieciak, and the Essex House Delegation for a community forum about the impacts of the Trump Administration's actions on Vermont. They will share current information about the legal, financial, and policy implications of the federal situation, as well as actions they are taking to respond. The current federal climate is raising a lot of questions and uncertainty in Vermont. We believe in transparency and collaboration, and we appreciate the opportunity to bring state leaders into our community to share firsthand what is happening and how these challenges are being addressed. This engaging evening will feature a panel discussion followed by a Q&A session, offering residents the opportunity to ask questions and share concerns directly with state officials. The forum will take place on Monday, June 2, 2025, at 6:00 PM at Essex Cinemas, 21 Essex Way, Suite 300, Essex, VT 05452. Doors open at 5:30 PM. This event is free and open to the public, though registration is requested via this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/essex-community-forum-tickets-1371152918289 S.69 - AN ACT RELATING TO AGE-APPROPRIATE DESIGN CODE S.69 received a House vote of 133-9 and will be read a third time on Tuesday before it heads back to the Senate. S.69 will require default privacy protections for minors, ban manipulative design features that keep youth glued to the screen, make platforms be honest about how they collect and use data and give users tools to control their digital presence. Finally it will ban discriminatory and unsafe practices that harm at-risk youth. S.127 AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING AND HOUSING DEVELOPMENT On a roll call vote of 100-36, the House moves forward S.127. Vermont’s housing crisis calls for immediate and long-term solutions. S.127 reduces permitting and appeals hurdles, allocates money for lower and middle income Vermonters to access financing for house purchases and rentals, and grants landlords bringing units up to code. To expand housing options quickly, the bill also helps people living in mobile homes and encourages building prefabricated modular housing. To nurture our labor force, the bill also protects our growing immigrant population from housing discrimination, ensuring that our farmers, contractors, and tourism businesses can depend on a robust workforce. Finally, the bill creates a tax increment financing pilot program for municipalities and private developers to expand housing infrastructure in both rural and urban regions, which could help support up to 7,000 new units within five years of the program’s inception. In conjunction, these measures will help us make significant progress in our housing goals. The House will vote on the bill a third time Tuesday before it moves back to the Senate. H.454 AN ACT RELATING TO TRANSFORMING VERMONT’S EDUCATION GOVERNANCE, QUALITY, AND FINANCE SYSTEMS The Senate passed out H.454 Friday afternoon on a voice vote. The bill passed out of the Senate was largely the House version passed several weeks ago with a few changes. Below are a few of the education governance changes and we are still working through the financing changes.
https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2026/Docs/JOURNAL/sj250523.pdf?20250523094304 Best, Rep. Lori Houghton April in Vermont is a time of transition - flowers are starting to pop and the sun peeks out every so often - yet the rain, snow and chilly air persist. I keep my eyes focused on the not too distant future when the landscape will burst into that impossibly bright green color that Vermonters cherish.
April is also a transition in the Statehouse as our time is more fully in our committees after long crossover floor sessions. You can track our activity at https://legislature.vermont.gov/. We archive all sessions on YouTube which can also be found by following the link above. Please reach out to me ([email protected]) or Representative Dolan ([email protected]) at any time. We are always happy to answer questions and share perspectives. Your engagement helps ensure we are informed about what is important to you. YOU’RE INVITED TO OUR COMMUNITY CONVERSATION SERIES Please join your Essex House delegation during the legislative session for "Community Conversations," a monthly forum for updates on bills, committees, caucus activities and more. We welcome your concerns, questions and a spirit of open, respectful dialogue. Thanks to all who joined us on Zoom yesterday! Our next conversation is Saturday May 10, 11-12:30 at The Nest. EDUCATION TRANSFORMATION REFORM BILL On Friday the House passed H.454 an act relating to transforming Vermont’s education governance, quality, and finance systems on a tripartisan vote of 87-55. The Essex and Essex Junction House Delegation stands in strong support of H.454, a bold and forward-thinking blueprint to modernize and strengthen Vermont’s public education system. We believe this legislation is a major step toward building a more equitable and student-centered public education system and a more stable, resilient financing system. Vermont’s current education structure is showing signs of strain. Declining enrollment, rising costs, aging facilities, and financial complexity all signal the need for a careful but bold transformation. H.454 provides that path—one that is intentional, incremental, and guided by deep public engagement. We are particularly encouraged by several key provisions:
Essex and Essex Junction community members—like those across Vermont—deserve a public education system that is equitable, modern, and sustainably funded where all students have the chance to learn, grow and explore their interests. H.454 takes significant steps in that direction. We appreciate the thoughtful and intentional approach the House took to develop this comprehensive bill, and we look forward to working with our colleagues, stakeholders, and communities to continue moving H.454 through the legislative process to create an education system that sustainably and predictably elevates Vermont’s education system. H.454 now moves to the Senate. Please continue to reach out to us with your thoughts and questions. Thank you for the opportunity to serve our community. Rep. Lori Houghton It wouldn’t be March in Vermont without a messy snowstorm. It was a bit of a messy week in Montpelier as we spent most of our time on the house floor. You can track our activity at https://legislature.vermont.gov/. We archive all sessions on YouTube which can also be found by following the link above.
Please reach out to me ([email protected]) or Representative Dolan ([email protected]) at any time. We are always happy to answer questions and share perspectives. Your engagement helps ensure we are informed about what is important to you. YOU’RE INVITED TO OUR COMMUNITY CONVERSATION SERIES Please join your Essex House delegation during the legislative session for "Community Conversations," a monthly forum for updates on bills, committees, caucus activities and more. We welcome your concerns, questions and a spirit of open, respectful dialogue. SAVE THE DATES: SAT APR 12 9-10:30 VIRTUAL SAT MAY 10, 11-12:30 THE NEST GOVERNOR SCOTT’S EXECUTIVE ORDER The Governor’s Executive Order issued Friday afternoon will extend the hotel/motel program for families with children and people with acute medical needs. As of March 24, 1439 households are housed. This executive order will allow approximately 424 households to stay until June 30th. Another approximately 700 households have some of their 80 days of benefit left. What do all these numbers mean - approximately 315 households will be unhoused starting April 1st with another 700 households exiting over the days and weeks to come. These numbers are people - pregnant women not in their 3rd trimester, those fleeing domestic violence, veterans. This program had been scaled back significantly to house only our most vulnerable, now we are putting many of them on the streets when the administration has the $1.8m to keep them housed through June 30th. This action isn’t just morally wrong but also financially irresponsible. Our unhoused Vermonters will seek shelter and care in emergency rooms driving up hospital costs and local municipalities will be burdened with additional costs - the human consequences will be visible on the streets of Vermont. We agree with the Governor that the hotel/motel program is not a long-term solution. Our House Human Services Committee this week passed out a bill that begins the shift from motels to a community-based, service-supported housing model—a long-term solution that will truly help Vermonters get back on their feet. Until then we should make the morally right and fiscally sound decision to keep people housed. I’ve linked below several documents if anyone is interested in reading more. https://governor.vermont.gov/sites/scott/files/documents/EO%2003-25%20General%20Assistance%20Emergency%20Housing.pdf https://docs.google.com/document/d/1z8KLYhIt53pk_JXN71BT1NJCuRLYKvme/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=100151631503998736683&rtpof=true&sd=true https://vtdigger.org/2025/03/26/rep-doug-bishop-passage-of-the-budget-adjustment-act-is-fiscally-sound-and-morally-right/ https://dcf.vermont.gov/Addressing-and-Preventing-Unsheltered-Homelessness BUDGET AND HOUSING The House passed the FY26 budget with a vote of 104-38. This year’s budget reflects hard work and compromise that centers some of Vermonter’s most critical needs including investing $26m in primary care providers, preserving universal school meals, transferring $77m to the education fund to reduce property taxes, and investing over $60m to develop affordable, middle income and recovery housing. A budget overview is linked below. https://ljfo.vermont.gov/assets/Uploads/GENERAL-381955-v1-FY_2026_Budget_Highlights_-_House_Appropriations_Committee-3.pdf The House passed H.479 a housing bill with bipartisan support on a voice vote. We have a housing emergency in the state—there’s not enough and what’s available is beyond the reach of most Vermonters. This absence of affordable housing makes it hard for companies, schools, and local governments to find new employees. It contributes to our homeless problem. New young people and families cannot come into the state for lack of housing, exacerbating the cost of our health insurance and school financing problems. The House omnibus housing bill addresses these issues. The legislation makes it easier to permit housing and more difficult to use appeals to delay housing projects. The bill makes it easier to finance housing and related infrastructure, and adds to programs that train carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and other members of the building trades. The bill provides funding to assist first-time and first-generation homebuyers and contains funding to develop housing that lower income and middle-income Vermonters can afford to rent and buy. Thank you for the opportunity to serve our community. Rep. Lori Houghton |
