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Lieutenant Governor Presents Slimmed Budget, Highlights Trades and Workforce Initiatives
Summary
Lieutenant Governor John Rogers told the House Appropriations Committee his office's budget is "very small," down 7.5% from the prior recommendation; he described outreach plans to expand hands-on trades training and said program costs are being covered by private partners rather than state dollars.
Lieutenant Governor John Rogers told the Vermont House Appropriations Committee on Jan. 30 that his office’s budget is small and trimmed from prior recommendations, and he used his presentation to outline workforce-training outreach aimed at boosting trades and manufacturing pipelines.
Rogers introduced the budget materials with Holly Pratt of the Agency of Administration’s Financial Services Division. Pratt told the committee the lieutenant governor’s office budget was “a very small small budget, down 7.5%.” She said there was a slight increase in equipment and operating expenses and identified operating expenses of “the $4,008,802 dollars” that cover items such as postage and printing; she also stated “the budget comes in at 321,911 in the governor's rec.” (The transcript does not specify units for the 321,911 figure.)
Rogers said the budget’s principal internal change reflected higher costs charged by BGS and noted one reason his office’s spending is lower is that “we saved a bunch of money, because my wife carries our health care, so I'm not using the state dollars for health care.” Pratt confirmed the office’s figures and described the operating-cost components the committee asked about.
The lieutenant governor also used his time before the committee to outline program activity and outreach. He said his office is not merely ceremonial and that he and a single staff member travel extensively to promote initiatives focused on trades and hands-on learning. He described plans for a “bring back the trades” event in October using a National Guard hangar, tours of tech centers and maker spaces, and partnerships intended to create a pipeline into manufacturing and advanced manufacturing jobs.
On funding for those initiatives, Rogers told the committee the costs are not included in the office budget presented and that he is “working with partners to try not to spend state dollars on these things,” seeking sponsorship from manufacturers and other partners to cover program expenses.
Committee members asked about a change in BGS space charges. An unidentified member (referred to in the transcript as “Mark”) asked whether the fee increase resulted from a reevaluation of space. Pratt and Rogers explained that BGS rental charges rose across departments and that common-space allocations are multiplied by square footage, producing higher charges. The exchange also included a brief, informal complaint about missing chairs in office space and a comment about negotiating charges with BGS.
The committee did not take formal action on the lieutenant governor’s office budget during this brief presentation. Rogers stated his office consists of himself and one staff person, thanked the committee for their time and left the session. The committee scheduled its next meeting for 1:00 p.m. on Monday.
