House Appropriations Committee reviews $514 million in carryforwards, $18.9 million proposed for reversion

Hardy Merrill, Deputy Commissioner at the Vermont Department of Finance and Management, told the House Appropriations Committee on Jan. 23 that $514,000,000 in general‑fund appropriations remained available to carry forward from fiscal 2024 into fiscal 2025 and that the administration proposed $18,900,000 in reversions in its Budget Adjustment Act (BAA) recommendation.

Merrill said the bulk of the carryforward—about $455,000,000—consists of one‑time appropriations narrowly designated for specific purposes, while roughly $58,000,000 came from base appropriations that also carried forward. “If not for the carry forward provision, all of the programs would have ground to a halt immediately,” Merrill told the committee, adding that, by statute, appropriations “would revert at the close of the fiscal year” without session‑law authority.

Why it matters: Carryforwards preserve authority to pay legitimate obligations that cross fiscal years—payments that often arrive after the fiscal year closes—while reversions free up unused authority that the administration can propose to reallocate in a future BAA. Merrill said the Department of Finance and Management (F&M) reviews departmental carryforward plans and recommends approval to the Secretary of Administration or proposes reversion language for the BAA.

Merrill described the statutory and procedural basis for the practice.…