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Vermont Department of Labor presents largely steady FY26 budget, cites staffing, IT modernization and flood repairs
Summary
Commissioner Michael Harrington told the House Appropriations Committee the Department of Labor’s FY26 general fund lines rise about 3% while federal funding share falls as some federal grant spending winds down; the department flagged vacancies, several IT modernization projects and ongoing flood-related building repairs.
The Vermont Department of Labor presented its proposed FY2026 budget Tuesday to the House Appropriations Committee, telling lawmakers that the department’s general fund lines increase about 3% while the department’s overall spending authority falls because a major federal grant is being spent down.
Commissioner Michael Harrington said the department’s FY26 request is “pretty pro forma,” with “a 3% increase across all general fund lines,” and that the department had no “large ups or downs” in discretionary general fund spending. He emphasized that the apparent drop in total spending authority — from the FY25 passed total to a smaller FY26 proposed total — largely reflects the drawdown of a multi‑year federal grant, not cuts to core programs.
The FY25 enacted spending authority shown in the department’s packet was $54,872,314; the FY26 proposed spending authority listed in the…
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