Land Access and Opportunity Board asks for $5.6 million from cannabis excise tax to expand housing programs

The Land Access and Opportunity Board (LAOB) told the House Appropriations Committee on Feb. 14 that it is seeking a 25% allocation of Vermont’s cannabis excise tax—approximately $5.6 million—to expand programs that help Vermonters who have been historically marginalized secure land and housing.

The request would fund direct-service programs the board says would increase access to homeownership and support community-led development. The LAOB’s leadership described the proposal as the product of the Cannabis Control Board’s Act 166 study group and stressed the board’s focus on non-duplicative, capacity-building programs.

"The LAOB was first established in 2022 as an independent state board to address disparities in land and homeownership for Vermonters who have been marginalized from land and homeownership," said Cornelia Martha Fieroa, co-director of the Land Access and Opportunity Board. "When those who are most marginalized do better, then we all do better."

Why it matters: The LAOB told appropriators its FY26 plan would direct new funds to down-payment assistance, capital for emerging developers, and pilot programs such as a Secure Housing Coaches program that positions five full-time coaches statewide to provide hands-on navigation for prospective homeowners. Committee members pressed for clarity about the proposal’s effect on the general fund and on existing allocations of the cannabis excise tax.

The LAOB said the $5.6…