Senate approves H.493 appropriations bill after hours of debate; two attempts to add non‑germane amendments fail

The Vermont Senate passed H.493, an act relating to making appropriations for the support of government, in concurrence with a proposal of amendment by roll call, 20–10. The vote followed hours of debate over state spending levels, amendments offered from the floor and procedural motions to bring non‑germane language into the budget bill that failed on roll call.

Senators spent the floor debate focused on the scale of spending in the proposal and contingency steps the Appropriations Committee built into the bill. A companion effort by the senator from Caledonia sought to introduce an amendment that would have repealed the clean heat standard, created new reporting and fuel‑tax data requirements, and removed a private right of action in the Global Warming Solutions Act; the senator asked the amendment be divided into two votes. The chair ruled the amendment not germane. The senate voted on a motion to suspend the rules and take up that non‑germane amendment; the motion failed on a roll call, ayes 13, nays…