Budget panel defers immediate funding for Vermont Legal Aid’s Property Law Project, will revisit in FY27
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Summary
A legislative budget committee debated a $635,620 adjustment request from Vermont Legal Aid, including a proposed partial alternative of $250,000 to restore one staff position and helpline funding, but deferred any action until the FY27 budget process.
Speaker 1, an unidentified committee member, opened the discussion by summarizing Vermont Legal Aid’s budget-adjustment request: “They requested $635,620 through budget adjustment,” including $235,000 proposed as a 3% cost‑of‑living adjustment. The committee agreed COLA items were handled in the main budget and would not be considered as part of this adjustment.
The remaining request centered on the Property Law Project (PLP): two full‑time attorneys and additional helpline support. "They are looking for, 2 attorneys there and a $100,000 for staffing the helpline," Speaker 1 said, noting the legal helpline’s usage has doubled over three years. Speaker 5 described an alternative put forward by “Doug,” saying the recommendation was to restore one staff position at about $150,000 plus $100,000 for the helpline — a $250,000 compromise.
Committee members pressed for context about staffing and historical FTEs. Speaker 1 reviewed the packet’s FTE table for FY24–FY26 and asked whether the provider’s larger claim of attorney losses applied to PLP or to other programs. Speaker 5 and Speaker 6 said the provider appears to be shifting internal funding and that mandated services have grown while general legal services were reduced.
Speakers debated whether a partial, one‑time adjustment would be appropriate. Speaker 4 argued funding attorneys can avert more costly homelessness outcomes: “I feel it's a lot more efficient use of our resources than allowing these people ... to ultimately end up in, really more dire situations that ... impact our budget in larger ways.” Others cautioned a $250,000 adjustment would be a short‑term fix and recommended structural budget changes — such as indexing recurring grants for inflation — be considered in the FY27 process.
After a show of hands, the committee did not move forward with the $250,000 adjustment at this time. Speaker 1 said the recommendation was to "not fund this, at this time, but ... consider it in the FY27 budget process," and Speaker 3 voiced support for deferring the decision until the full budget cycle.
What happens next: The committee will revisit Vermont Legal Aid’s requests during the FY27 budget deliberations and may consider indexing or other approaches to recurring inflationary needs. No formal motion or final appropriation was adopted in this session.
