One question: How much does it cost for the year to run the State House?
The answer, with at least one measure: just shy of $ 25 million.
This is the amount of the fiscal fiscal office of the legislature recommends lawmakers suitable for Statement operations For the fiscal year 2026, which begins in July. It would be about 9% increase over $ 22 million legislative required for those goals for the current fiscal year (2025).
This includes funds to pay lawmakers and run offices that support their work, including legislative operations (think: Committee Assistants), Legislative Advisor, Human Resources, Information Technology and Joint Fiscal Office itself. He also finances the offices of the Secretary of the House and the Secretary of the Senate, in addition to the sergeant-at-ARME and the Capitol police.
Scott Moore, who manages legislative finances for JFO, presented the 2026 spending plan at the Home Division Committee on Friday morning. The provisions will eventually be included, in one form or another, in the “Big Bill” that finances the state government in general.
Moore said the estimated increase in spending mainly accounts for approximately 6.5% legislative increase and their staff was given before this year’s legislative session. Growths are related to the approved legislation last year that determines how much some state employees are paid.
(This has nothing to do with the unsuccessful efforts of lawmakers for the latest bin to increase their salary, namely, which would have resulted in much greater salary increase.)
Other reasons for the increase in the 2026 budget, Moore said are the increase in health care costs, as well as a collision in the fees by which lawmakers can receive refunds for some expenses associated with increased levels of similar levels of refund reimbursement used by the federal government.
The budget would not create, Moore, to create new positions that support the legislature.
Friday morning discussion brought the heads of various state house offices, such as the head of JFO Catherine Benham and Sergeant-AT-Arms Agatha Kessler, in the House Committee House. Apparently moved by the spirit of Valentine’s Day, the Democratic Robin Scheu’s Democratic Rep, the chairman of the Committee, was looking forward to sharing a love.
“We really appreciate all the work you do. Of course, we couldn’t do our job without you, ”she told Benham, Kessler and others.
Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Chittenden, Vice President of the Committee, then tried-“They probably appreciate to work with us too,” he said.
“Well, some of us,” Scheu replied, pulling laughter around the table. “Some of us.”
– Shaun Robinson
Know
Vermont Supreme Court on Friday rejected a lawsuit Presented by two senators on the appointment of Gov. Phil Scott to Zoie Saunders as Secretary of Provisional Education, calling the issue “Moot”.
In a ruling written by justice William Cohen, the Court stated that because Scott again renamed the Saunders in November while the legislature was out of the hearing, “this latest appointment replaced the previous appointment and is simply stable” with state law.
Friday’s decision is likely to complete the nearly one -year war over the Saunders position as a senior Vermont education official. This legislative session, it has played a key role in the development of the Scott Educational Reform Package, the highest profile legislation of the year.
Justice President Paul Reiber, in an accompanying opinion, said the court had chosen “restriction”. The principles of “separation of powers” and “controls and balances”, he argued, sometimes require a branch of the government not to act.
“The responsible execution of that power means, sometimes, we have nothing to say,” Reiber wrote.
– Ethan Weinstein
Just hours after Brooke Rollins sworn as secretary of the US Department of Agriculture in Washington DC on Thursday, in Vermont, Richard Amore received a 7:30 in the afternoon from the Human Resources Office, saying he was stopped immediately. Amore had served as Chief of Economic Development for the USDA Rural Development Team for just four months.
“We are a staff of about 30, we have lost 5, all of the test workers“Amore said, speaking to the rural development office, adding that some have been hired very recently.” My heart breaks what happened yesterday. I am committed to rural communities and you are removing resources, funds, “he added .
The amore team is not alone. Thousands of so -called probation workers in USDA regional offices across the country were also suddenly fired, including within the farm service agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the National Forest Service.
It was only the last of some actions that President Donald Trump has taken since the beginning of his second term that has been raising parts of the state labor force. Last week’s temporary freezing for federal funds has been resolved for some of the affected, while others continue to expect payments. And the end of all activity by the US Agency for International Development, also called USAID, has left local contractors and volunteers to recover.
Read more about the influences of the White House action on vermonters here.
– Klara Bauters
Heart attack
Famous Valentine’s Phantom of Montpelier hit again on Fridayand the lovers of Statehouses (or at least, lovers TO Statehouses) were greeted with a giant heart row along the columns at the front of the building. Happy V-Day for everyone-and stay warm there this weekend!
– Shaun Robinson