Appropriations committee briefed on $20.25M "JTOC" transportation appropriation and projected $30M federal‑match gap

The House Appropriations Committee on Feb. 19, 2025 heard a Joint Fiscal Office briefing on the so‑called JTOC transfer — a recurring appropriation of $20,250,000 from the Transportation Fund that has been used to offset Vermont State Police costs — and on projections that the state may face roughly a $30 million state‑match shortfall for federal transportation grants in coming years.

The briefing, led by Chris Roop of the Joint Fiscal Office (JFO) and fiscal analyst Logan Mulberry, traced the JTOC item’s history and explained how retaining or eliminating the appropriation would affect the Transportation Fund (T Fund) and the department budgets that rely on federal matching money. "First of all, it's not a transfer ... what this really refers to is there is a $20,250,000 appropriation paid from the T Fund to offset costs of the Vermont State Police," Roop told the committee.

Committee members were shown two JFO documents: a historical summary of past budgets and a VTrans memo summarizing what would have to be reduced in the agency’s budget if the appropriation continues to flow out of the T Fund. Mulberry highlighted the agency’s…