Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Legislature on Friday evening passed a $7.35 billion budget for FY22 for the operations of state government and provide services and benefits to Vermonters. The budget also makes investments in Vermont’s infrastructure and human capital from the federal funds available from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the CARES Act (CRF).
Following the passage of the budget the House and Senate adjourned for the 2021 legislative session. The Speaker of the House and Senate President Pro Tempore the following remarks:
“From the start of this legislative session, we have prioritized response to the COVID-19 pandemic and embracing long-term opportunities to apply lessons learned from the pandemic and build better systems of care,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint. “We’ve worked hard to pass legislation that supports our kids, assists workers and families, keeps businesses and communities viable, and restores faith in our democratic institutions. We’ve made progress on broadband, childcare, housing, climate action, and racial justice, while working to bring more voices into the conversations that happen in this building. There is always more work to do, but I am grateful for the work of my colleagues and the contributions of all Vermonters in this legislative session for the history books.”
“I have said since the beginning of the session that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and we need to make investments in the future of our state that works for every Vermonter,” said Speaker Jill Krowinski. “The FY22 budget includes historic investments in higher education, workforce, housing, clean water, broadband, technology modernization, climate, and more. The budget makes much needed investments in our mental health system, and we were able to allocate funds to stabilize our state college system with the largest investment in higher education in state history. We must continue the work to make Vermont a more equitable and accessible place to all who live here and visit our beautiful state. We will continue to evaluate our laws and state systems to find areas of inequity and make the necessary changes, so all have equitable access to our Vermont quality of life.”
Governor Scott marks adjournment of the 2021 legislative session
Budget summaries are BELOW. All budget and accompanying documents can be found here.
Source: MONTPELIER, VT – 5.21.2021 Vermont Legislature