Appropriations committee advances revised Budget Adjustment Act, rolls back many governor requests

The House Appropriations Committee on March 19 reviewed a revised Budget Adjustment Act that largely restores the governor's recommended structure and removes a number of one-time appropriations that had been added in the House and Senate conference report.

Committee members and staff said the draft returned most of the governor's changes, routed $14,000,000 back to the treasurer's office for bond redemption and left about $133,500,000 to be carried forward into fiscal 2026 for future appropriation or transfer.

The revised bill removes several appropriations and pilots that the Legislature had added earlier. Among the changes staff highlighted, funding for a pilot under Act 186 and additional Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) pilot funding were dropped; municipal flood grant expansions that would have increased funding to impacted communities were pared back; and earlier language that prevented reversions of prior judiciary funds was struck so those reversions (about $850,000 and $50,000 in two items) are restored.

"The money's going back to the treasurer. We'll deal with it in FY '26 budget," the committee chair said when introducing the draft…