Vermont lawmakers locked in a showdown with Gov. Phil Scott appear intent to make it harder for him to make good on his threat to veto the budget bill.
Legislators plan to fold an affordable-housing bond that Scott strongly favors into the budget bill. If he vetoes the budget, he essentially kills his own puppy.
The move came hours after legislative leaders pulled the plug on stalled negotiations with the governor over what to do with savings from less expensive teacher health insurance. Lawmakers expect to hash out their own teacher health care solution and sign off on the budget bill as early as Thursday.
Rep. Sam Young (D-Glover) said he and fellow House and Senate conferees on the housing bill settled final differences Wednesday afternoon over how to fund debt service for a $35 million housing bond. In the process, they agreed to fold the bill into the budget bill that the governor is threatening to veto, he said.
The housing conferees agreed to extend for 10 years an existing property transfer tax that funds water-quality efforts. The first $1 million of next year’s revenue from the tax will pay the debt service on the housing bond.
Democratic legislative leaders and the Republican governor all support the housing bond, but were at odds over how to fund the $1 million. The Senate briefly considered a $2-a-night lodging tax before settling on the property transfer tax, which unnerved environmentalists.
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Politics at its worst. Stand strong Governor Scott, the Dems will hear it loud and clear in the court of public opinion.
Sad that the Governor’s housing plan and that of Dems/Progressives ignores the true needs today of “livable rents” (no more than 25-30% of income for housing) and “shelter security” (insures cost of housing adjusts to income changes in household from illness, loss of job, etc. VT does not need more housing units it needs help for those without housing or paying too much–most of the housing bond expense does not go to that purpose. No great loss if it doe not go forward. Legislature must step up in face of declining assistance housing dating over a 14 year period. Just some more devolutionary politics from Montpelier. Tony Redington Burlington
Nice reverse poison pill. If Scott wants to play hardball, he has to expect that others will too. His $26 million unicorn may hoist him on its horn after all.
In the campaign last fall, Phil Scott accused Peter Shumlin of acting without sufficient deliberation. Yet in March, Scott urged voters to ignore the hard work done by school boards over many months and vote down their respective school budgets. Now, at the last minute, he wants to radically change the collective bargaining process by fiat. You can’t have it both ways, Phil.
Well what do you expect from Legislators who are majority liberals ..These are the fools who come to Vermont and think they know better then true Vermonters and tell us how to live..Pres Trumps says drain the swamp.. Vermonters need to drain the swamp in the Legislature ..starting with Mitzi Johnson then go down the list.. Veto it Phil Scott, VETO VETO VETO..