Rep. Robin Shy outlines House version of FY27 budget; administration flags one‑time spending, tax and fund shifts

Representative Robin Shy (chair, House Appropriations) told a legislative committee on April 1 that the House’s H 951, the House version of the FY27 budget, closely tracks the governor’s proposal but includes targeted changes and roughly $9–9.5 million in one‑time spending. “Unduplicated appropriations across all of the funds … was an increase of about $146 million,” Shy said, adding that the change in the general fund over the adjusted FY26 budget is about 2.1 percent (roughly $52 million). She said the House agreed with “virtually everything that the governor proposed” but made a number of adjustments and additions for priority programs.

Shy identified several one‑time and base investments the House included: about $1.34 million to the community resilience and disaster mitigation fund to help towns hit by 2025 flooding after FEMA denied federal assistance; $2 million for provider stabilization grants; roughly $180,000 general fund for DCF’s Parent Child Center Network supports; and approximately $500,000 general fund (about $1.2 million when combined with global commitment funds) for Meals on Wheels for older Vermonters. She said the House provided funding increases for Vermont Legal Aid—including a helpline that saw calls rise from about 11,000 to roughly 22,000—and placed $235,000 into HomeShare to support homelessness prevention and informal arrangements that help older Vermonters remain housed.

On higher‑priority education and workforce items, Shy said…