House Appropriations panel approves H.91 to redesign emergency temporary shelter program, reports bill to House

Montpelier — The House Appropriations Committee voted to report Bill H.91, an act to create an Emergency Temporary Shelter Program and redesign the state’s emergency housing response, after a committee discussion and a fiscal briefing. The committee recorded an 8–3 vote to send the bill to the full House for consideration.

Nolan Langwell of the Joint Fiscal Office summarized the bill’s fiscal provisions and said, “These are one‑time funds from the general fund.” The bill as presented includes a $10,000,000 one‑time appropriation in section 7: $6.5 million for distribution to community action agencies and statewide organizations serving households impacted by domestic violence (identified in testimony as “the Network”), $500,000 for contractual and system‑transformation assistance, and $3 million for continued development of shelter capacity.

The bill would also create an implementation advisory committee under section 4. Langwell said the language permits per diems for up to 12 meetings annually and estimated per diems for the committee would total about $7,000; the advisory committee is written to cease on July 1, 2029. Section 8 contains intent language describing the redesignation of certain one‑time funds currently used for GA emergency housing and HOP grants, but that language does not itself appropriate funds.

Committee members debated management and operational questions. Several members said the intent is to move administration of emergency shelter work away from current centralized oversight and toward local CAP agencies and regional continuums of care. Members repeatedly pressed whether the advisory group and the Department for Children and Families would have the capacity and clear authority to produce an operational plan, and some urged the appointment of a dedicated program manager or similar coordinator to pull stakeholders and technical details together.

Karen Casey, who identified herself as working for the Vermont Network and as a board member of the Housing and Homeless Alliance of Vermont, explained the role of the two HUD continuums in the state: “The balance of state continuum of care and the Chittenden County Homeless Alliance are the two federally recognized continuums of care for the state of Vermont. So, HUD Continuum of Care money goes through those two entities and they’re in charge with planning, and all that around homelessness response.”

Members also reviewed existing and proposed funding levels referenced in the fiscal briefing. Langwell provided a chart showing FY2025 appropriations and the governor’s recommended FY2026 amounts: GA emergency housing funding of $37.5 million in FY2025 and $30.5 million in FY2026 (the latter including funding for 10 limited‑service positions), hotel‑motel vouchers (about $7.5 million), hotel‑motel security (about $840,000 in FY2025 and $500,000 recommended in FY2026), HOP grants (about $26.1 million in FY2025 and nearly $30 million in FY2026), and expanded shelter capacity ($10 million in FY2025 and $2 million in FY2026). Langwell summarized those figures as roughly $82 million appropriated in FY2025 and about $70.3 million in the governor’s recommended base for FY2026.

The committee discussion ranged from support for restarting a redesigned program to caution about committing further recurring funding without additional detail. Several members said this bill is intended to start a planning and transition process rather than to finalize long‑term funding levels; the committee will expect a concrete plan from the commissioner of the Department for Children and Families if the bill moves forward.

A motion to report the bill out of committee was made by Representative Rickey (mover recorded in the transcript); a second was not specified on the record. The clerk called the roll and the bill was reported by a vote of 8 in favor and 3 opposed. Names recorded as voting yes or no appear in the committee roll call transcript but some individual vote attributions were not fully clear in the audio transcript; the committee announced the tally as 8–3.

The committee chair said the bill would be placed on notice and sent up to the House for floor action later the same day. Committee members also discussed the committee’s remaining schedule, possible budget amendments later in the day, and plans to reconvene the following morning to check for further amendments.

Votes at a glance

- H.91, An act relating to the Emergency Temporary Shelter Program — Motion to report out of the House Appropriations Committee (mover: Representative Rickey). Recorded committee vote: 8 yes, 3 no. Second: not specified in committee transcript. Outcome: approved (reported to the House). Notes: bill contains a one‑time $10,000,000 appropriation in section 7; additional sections set advisory committee details, per diem estimates and an intent provision to redesignate certain one‑time funds. Further details and any recurring funding would be subject to subsequent legislative action.

What’s next

The committee chair said the bill would be placed on notice and sent to the House for floor consideration; committee members indicated they expect further debate and possible amendments in the full House or during the next legislative session.