Vermont Department of Labor briefs House committee on budget risks, apprenticeship push and UI modernization

Vermont Department of Labor Commissioner Kendall Smith told the Dumont House Committee on Commerce & Economic Development on Feb. 12 that the department’s published budget figures use last year’s federal allocations and could change once final federal awards arrive.

Smith said the department is about half federally funded overall, with roughly 25% general fund and 25% special funds. "Anywhere you see a federal number plugged in here, it is last year’s federal allocation," she said, adding the state will share updated allocations with the governor’s office and the legislature when they are available.

Why it matters: federal formula shifts can change how the department staffs regional job centers and runs federally funded programs such as WIOA (the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), RESEA (reemployment services and eligibility assessment) and VOSHA (Vermont Occupational Safety and Health). Committee members used the briefing to press for clearer outcome reporting on grant pilots and to assess whether reverted one-time appropriations should be restored.

On specific program dollars, Smith told legislators that the federal WIOA adult line item ‘‘is gonna be down by…