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Appropriations committee amends H.167; implementation of Vermonters Feeding Vermonters made contingent on funding, amendment approved 8‑0
Summary
Committee members accepted an amendment to H.167 that strips the bill’s $2 million line item and makes the new Vermonters Feeding Vermonters program contingent on an appropriation; committee staff said the biennial budget includes $500,000 that would allow implementation if enacted.
The committee reviewed H.167, the Vermonters Feeding Vermonters measure, and accepted the Appropriations Committee’s amendment that removes a $2,000,000 direct appropriation from the bill and makes the agency’s duty to implement the new grant program contingent on a fiscal‑year appropriation.
Tom Stevens, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, and staff explained that H.167 as passed out of the House originally included a $2,000,000 appropriation to the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (AAFM) to establish the Vermonters Feeding Vermonters grant program, including an administrative allowance of up to $67,500. Appropriations staff said their amendment strips the one‑time appropriation from the bill’s text and instead makes the statute contingent on receiving an appropriation in fiscal year 2026; if the appropriation is provided the agency is required to implement the program.
Stevens told the committee the current budget package includes $500,000 from the general fund for this program, which would make the program implementable if the budget survives final negotiations. He said the Appropriations Committee had requested larger amounts from advocates and agencies but the administration’s budget recommended smaller sums.
Committee discussion noted related budget items and funds: working lands and the Sustainable Jobs Fund were discussed as program partners for strategic investments; a separate Business Grant and Assistance Program (BGAP) $7,000,000 allocation was described as split and $2,000,000 directed to a faster disaster loan program administered outside AAFM; committee members also raised uncertainty about federal USDA funds that had been frozen and later unfrozen for some farm bill programs.
After discussion the committee took a straw poll to accept the Appropriations Committee amendment. The motion carried on a show of hands, 8‑0‑0, reported as the committee’s result for its forthcoming report. Committee staff said the bill language will remain in statute (Title 6) once enacted but implementation and award of grants will depend on appropriation in the future; if no appropriation is provided the agency is not required to implement the program.
The amendment also removed the explicit $67,500 administrative allocation from the bill; staff said the agency may still request administrative resources through the regular budget process if needed. Committee members said the statutory change preserves the program in law and creates an ongoing line item the administration and Appropriations can fund in future budgets, but acknowledged that funding could be set to zero during appropriation decisions and that final funding levels depend on ongoing budget negotiations.
