Vermont’s legislative session this year will be one for the ages. Can lawmakers succeed in the generational transformation of the public education system they began last year, or will they choose a simpler solution? Which state programs will be strained during a nerve-wracking budget cycle? How will elected officials try to thwart the incessant flow of policy changes coming from Washington, DC? Is affordability just a talking point, or could Vermonters see some real relief?
In addition to the heavy issues of this session, it is also an election year. Do lawmakers dare to pass potentially unpopular policies months before their names appear on the ballot?
If you’re as excited as we are to see how these questions play out, join us. VTDigger’s legislative newsletter, Final Reading, is back and arriving in your inbox four days a week with the latest news from under the Golden Dome. VTDigger journalists will be in committee rooms, peering behind closed doors and chasing down power players to bring public attention to the people’s business in the people’s house.
We’ll follow the lively discussions across policy areas, from criminal justice and housing to health care and the environment. And in true final read style, we’ll bring analysis to the news with a little bit of voice-overs – and hopefully a few good jokes – to spice things up.
Sign up for the final reading here and expect new emails Tuesday through Friday, January through May. (Hopefully not later!) And remember, we can’t do this work without you. Report to us as we prowl the marble halls of Montpellier and tell us what we need to know. Do you have any advice? Spoons? Questions? Don’t be a stranger. Find out how to contact us below.
-Ethan Weinstein
Aware
So, what’s on the menu this week? Lawmakers meet for the new session on Tuesday, Jan. 6, for the start of the second year of the biennium. In theory, that means lawmakers should get to work. In practice, this remains to be determined.
Last Friday, just days before the session kicked off, Gov. Phil Scott appointed two new lawmakers to fill vacancies. John Benson will fill Orange County Republican Larry Hart’s Senate seat. In the House, Val Taylor will fill the seat vacated by GOP Rep. Jim Harrison, which covers Killington, Chittenden, Mendon and Pittsfield. Both new lawmakers are also Republicans.
-Ethan Weinstein
Off to the races
Molly Gray, the former Democratic lieutenant governor who also ran unsuccessfully for a congressional seat, wants to return to her old post.
Gray announced his campaign for the state’s second-highest office Monday morning at a coffee shop in south Burlington. She also released a list of endorsements from nine current senators and 22 current House members, including Senate President Pro Tem Phil Baruth, D/P-Chittenden Central.
Also Monday, after Gray’s announcement, a second candidate signaled he might enter the race. Ryan McLaren, a former aide to U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., told VTDigger he was “seriously considering” running for lieutenant governor.
Republican John Rodgers, the current LG, previously said he would run for re-election in 2026.
Meanwhile, Deputy Auditor Tim Ashe is seeking the top job in his office.
Ashe, a Democrat/progressive who previously served as Senate President Pro Tem, announced late last week that he would run this year to succeed his boss, State Auditor Doug Hoffer. Hoffer — who is also D/P — is stepping down after a dozen years as the state government’s top watchdog.
In a press release, Ashe said he would “work with the executive and legislative branches to identify risks to the interests of Vermonters, such as financial mismanagement, inadequate preparation for weather-related emergencies, and President Trump’s policies.”
—Shaun Robinson
Talk to us
This year’s media coverage is provided by State Bureau Chief Ethan Weinstein (eweinstein@vtdigger.org) and State Government and Politics Reporter Shaun Robinson (srobinson@vtdigger.org).
You’ll also hear from our policy team: education reporter Corey McDonald (cmcdonald@vtdigger.org); medical journalist Olivia Gieger (ogieger@vtdigger.org); wealth, poverty and inequality reporter Theo Wells Spackman (twellsspackman@vtdigger.org), who is a Report for America corps member; environmental journalist Austyn Gaffney (agaffney@vtdigger.org); and reporter Carly Berlin (cberlin@vtdigger.org), a housing and infrastructure reporter who works jointly for us and Vermont Public as a Report for America corps member. We are currently recruiting for a general assignment reporter who will also be based at the Statehouse.
Meanwhile, photographer extraordinaire Glenn Russell (grussell@vtdigger.org) will return to the Statehouse for his 40th (!!) session.
