House commerce committee reports favorably on Appropriations amendment to S.122 to clean up budget language

The Lamar House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development on May 28, 2025, voted to report favorably on an Appropriations Committee amendment to S.122 that makes several technical changes to align the bill’s language with the enacted budget.

The amendment trims duplicative or unclear appropriation language, clarifies which accounts will reimburse task-force members, confirms that members of a proposed Irish Trade Commission will receive no compensation, and adds the House and Senate appropriations committees as recipients of required baby-bonds pilot program reports.

Representative Stevens, a member of the Appropriations Committee, told the committee the changes are primarily technical and intended to align the text of S.122 with the budget now that the Legislature is passing budgets earlier in the session. "Passing the budget several weeks before we actually adjourn is new and different," Stevens said. He described five mostly technical amendments intended to make the bill match "the reality of the budget."

On the first item Stevens said the amendment removes duplicative language about a $25,000 appropriation for the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund that had been reinserted in conference but was already accounted for elsewhere. He also referenced a separate $100,000 appropriation discussed in earlier drafts but said that provision "wasn't in the budget." Those amounts and the history of the inserts were presented as the reason for deleting the redundant language.

Stevens said the amendment clarifies reimbursement for a task force exploring development of a convention center: legislators’ travel or other reimbursements would come from the General Assembly, and any reimbursement for non-legislative members would come from the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. On the Irish Trade Commission, he said the amendment removes appropriations language so the statute will state that "no one shall receive compensation," making clear members should not expect pay.

The amendment also alters reporting requirements for the baby-bonds pilot program so that the House and Senate appropriations committees will receive the two statutorily required reports, Stevens said.

Committee Chair (unnamed) called for a voice or hand vote to report the amendment favorably; the committee "reported favorably" on the amendment, though the transcript does not specify a roll-call tally. Committee members thanked the Appropriations Committee for identifying the technical fixes.

Committee members were also encouraged to observe upcoming conference committee work on S.127; Stevens and the chair said watching conference committees is useful background for members who may serve on them in the future.