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House refuses to concur on H.951; appoints committee of conference on budget
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Summary
The Vermont House refused to concur with the Senate—s amendment to H.951 (the fiscal-year appropriations bill) and appointed a committee of conference after committee members signaled substantial differences between the chambers' budget versions.
The House of Representatives voted on the motion to refuse to concur in the Senate—s proposal of amendment to House Bill 951, the appropriations act for the support of state government, and requested formation of a committee of conference to resolve differences between the two chambers.
Member from Middlebury, speaking for the House Appropriations Committee, said the committee conducted a straw-poll vote of 10-0-1 and "voted to not concur with the Senate and to request that a committee of conference be formed to address these issues." He told members the Senate—s changes included many items that were either new to or materially different from the House version and that further discussions were needed.
After the motion was put, the House agreed to refuse to concur and to appoint a committee of conference. The chair appointed the member from Middlebury, representative Shy; the member from Linden, representative Feltis; and the member from Burlington, representative Bloomley, to serve on the House—s part of the conference committee. The House then moved to message its action to the Senate forthwith.
Why it matters: H.951 is the vehicle for making appropriations for the support of state government for the coming fiscal year. Differences between the House and Senate versions trigger the conference process, in which designated members from each chamber negotiate compromises on language, spending levels and technical fixes.
What happened next: Members suspended the rules to take up H.951 for immediate consideration for the purpose of requesting a committee of conference. The motion to suspend rules and to message the House—s action to the Senate passed by voice vote. No roll-call tallies were recorded in the transcript; outcomes were recorded as voice votes ("the ayes appear to have it").
Next steps: The committee of conference will meet to attempt to reconcile the House and Senate versions of H.951. The House—s appointees were named on the floor; the Senate will name its delegations and the conference committee will set a schedule to negotiate outstanding differences.
