Vermont Legislature SmartTranscripts:

[Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Good morning. This is the House Appropriations Committee. It's Thursday, 03/26/2026. It's just after 10:30. And we are here to review an amendment to our budget. We do not have possession of it, so all of our names are here under the assumption that you're all Okay with this. These are all things that we've talked about that have come out of the budget, gone back into the budget. This pay act got passed. So we'll have Grady go over all of this. And then we'll do a straw poll. And then we'll talk about who's going to do which parts of this bill so I can get that information. The amendment's like the speaker, which will probably tag team in this last row. So Grady, welcome.

[Grady Nixon (Joint Fiscal Office analyst)]: Thank you, Madam Chair. Greedy Nixon joined fiscal. So the packet you have is a bit long, but as the chair mentioned, you've seen the vast majority of this already. The first instance of amendment on page one would be amending the legend section of the bill just to reflect the later amendment, which is adding the pay act h nine fifty into this bill. So this would just be adding language to clarify that the f section is now the f sections containing the pay act. And then, the effective date section has to be redesignated from f 100 to g 100. So it just makes those tweaks. The second instance of amendment would be a change to section b three zero one. So this is just correcting this section to move 251,000 general funds and increasing federal funds by 348,000 for the global commitment appropriation in p three one one.

[Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Is that for a specific item or a bunch of items?

[Grady Nixon (Joint Fiscal Office analyst)]: I believe it's for a specific item. Hold on one moment. I believe this relates to AHEC, global commitment.

[Robin Scheu (Chair)]: That's in addition to what we already have in the budget currently.

[Grady Nixon (Joint Fiscal Office analyst)]: The federal funds. And then the 251,000 general fund is just correcting the placement of it in the appropriation.

[Robin Scheu (Chair)]: So the things that won't work us in this part. So we don't necessarily have to do that. Maybe I'll report some of it. I know Marty wants to do the adult ed language, which makes sense. He's been so involved in it. And then we'll do the pay act. So it may just be the three of us depending upon what else we find.

[Grady Nixon (Joint Fiscal Office analyst)]: The third instance of amendment section b three one one, so that's where you see the global commitment reflecting the changes in b three zero one. So those two instances of amendment are part of a piece relating to AHEAD global commitment. The fourth instance of amendment on page three is a correction to b three sixteen. And this we just misentered. We placed 71,000 in grants and it should have been personal services. So it doesn't affect any amount being appropriated. It's just correcting where that is placed. And then on the bottom of page three, continuing on page four, this is the human services total section. So because of the other changes that we made, we have to change the totals here.

[Robin Scheu (Chair)]: That's

[Grady Nixon (Joint Fiscal Office analyst)]: On page four. So the sixth instance of amendment would be adding in these four sections relating to adult education. And this language, has been updated by legislative council. So it it's not the same language that was at one point, going to be in the bill, but it is substantively achieving the same policy change.

[Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Right. And we had all the parties who needed to look at it look at it, and they're all okay with it. And then maybe we'll be done. That would be good. I know. The

[Grady Nixon (Joint Fiscal Office analyst)]: seventh instance of amendment beginning on page seven is adding in 10 secondtions, which are the Pay Act, h nine fifty. And that language continues on to page 29.

[Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Next one? Yes. Go ahead, Todd.

[Thomas Stevens (Member)]: I know Emily discussed this. She first talked about this earlier. But could you remind me if I have to present this, I see three columns. See increases that are rather than two columns, so there's that is the past information. So annual salary as of 07/12/2026, that matches where they're at now. Annual salary as they're getting two bump ups over the course of a twelve month period, if I'm not mistaken. Can you explain why that's so as opposed to clarify that for me.

[Grady Nixon (Joint Fiscal Office analyst)]: I'll hand it over to Amy Pope.

[Amy Pope (Joint Fiscal Office staff)]: Amy Pope joined the school office and they're three follow ups and it's the first transfer July 2027 so they do get two bumps in one fiscal year 2% each. And that is less expensive than doing it all at the beginning.

[Thomas Stevens (Member)]: Okay, so I understand that, but why did we do it that way, to make it less expensive?

[Robin Scheu (Chair)]: So that would be a question for the administration to answer that. The question there is a negotiating the administration was going make that up.

[Thomas Stevens (Member)]: Just to clarify, that would be less expensive on the annual basis, but probably drives the actual number a smidge up because the second increase wouldn't it be a percentage of the increased amount? So I mean, if you split it into two increases, it's actually a slightly higher end percentage in the next year. So it ended up being

[Robin Scheu (Chair)]: like up to point four zero four. So you

[Thomas Stevens (Member)]: are coming right up to the expense rate point. So just, again, I just have to be able to explain this because people are going to look at this and say why are there and so these three columns represent two years of increases. So, and I'm just using the governor because it's the top of the list. So the governor got a got a raise to $2.34 in July '25. So in July '26, that goes up to $2.43. This is this fits into the 5.9 or the 4.9 or whatever. So the first year, these first two numbers combined 5.9%?

[Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Correct.

[Thomas Stevens (Member)]: And then the number for 07/11/2027 is a four point nine?

[Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Four point nine, yes, yes.

[Thomas Stevens (Member)]: Okay, and again the reason to split it is not hard to know unless we ask. Somebody from the administration who might be listening. All right, no, that's fine. I just want to make sure I know who I'm presenting on the floor.

[Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Thank you. Lynn? Yeah, July, that's the twenty eighth fiscal year. Yes. So that's the net and then we're only one increase in fiscal twenty eighth. Correct. Questions about that?

[Thomas Stevens (Member)]: And I don't mind presenting this, it's I mean I have the legislature in my portfolio.

[Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Right and you have HR

[Thomas Stevens (Member)]: and I have HR

[Robin Scheu (Chair)]: yeah so this would be you I would just as soon have you set

[Thomas Stevens (Member)]: it It's fine I just want to make sure I yes

[Robin Scheu (Chair)]: we have time. We're currently last on the calendar, but that doesn't mean we're going to say last on the calendar. That's all I I can't promise you anything. They may move things around. Soon as I know anything, I will send you a text. So keep your phones handy. But at the moment, that's all I Okay, so that's we don't need to go through all of the pay act, right? We're good on the you have enough of your questions answered because we went Yeah,

[Thomas Stevens (Member)]: was the main thing that stood out for the differences between I mean going from two columns to three columns. So right Whether I don't see any need to go line by line through people's salaries, people can do it at all their free time,

[Robin Scheu (Chair)]: but it

[Thomas Stevens (Member)]: is one of the most legislator's favorite documents here and we don't have to talk about any of the judges or anything like that and how other salaries like the commissioners of the cannabis board aren't tied into the assistant blah blah blah, you know there's So that takes us to 25 and F 109. Is that right?

[Grady Nixon (Joint Fiscal Office analyst)]: All the way down to page 29.

[Robin Scheu (Chair)]: And then you can pass it back to me.

[Grady Nixon (Joint Fiscal Office analyst)]: So this is the eighth and final instance of amendment. This is just amending the effective date section. So as I mentioned before, this section will now be g 100 rather than f 100. In sub a, you'll see e five zero four point two through e five zero four point four. Those are three of the adult education language sections that are effective upon passage. And then a new, sub D, section E504.5 on page 30. This section would be contingently effective or effective upon the occurrence of contingencies in Acts 73. So that is statutory language to comport the adult ed language with Acts 73. And that section would only be effective if those contingencies are implemented.

[Thomas Stevens (Member)]: So on page 29 and maybe this is again for JFOs, for the legislative branch, and I haven't read anybody else's, I just saw this as I turned to 2019, it says that for the period of July '26 through June 3027, the general assembly including all legislative branches in place shall be funded the amount of $914,000 plus. And then for the period of July '28, it's $778,000 Is that the increase to the base?

[Robin Scheu (Chair)]: It's a percentage over that the previous year's base.

[Thomas Stevens (Member)]: So that's in we're increasing the legislative budget by that amount. It's not like, okay, thank you.

[Robin Scheu (Chair)]: And so I will do the effective dates because I'm doing them on the regular ones. So Robin, Marty, Tom, Robin on this. Rest of you can just vote yes or whatever. If the contingencies in Act 73 occur, so I'm just betting somebody's going to say, and what are those contingencies? Does that have to do with the foundation formula? I don't need go into bridge with that. Okay, related to the foundation formula. Thank you.

[Legislative Counsel (unidentified)]: Because in 05/2005, they changed the name of the base education amount to, they changed its name to a category base amount which will help distinguish that from the educational opportunity payment which will be effective for that 73. So the intent is just to change its name so you can distinguish between

[Robin Scheu (Chair)]: the two types of educational payments. Exactly. Don't want to get that all confused. Yes, go ahead.

[Thomas Stevens (Member)]: All of this language preceding page 29 from, you know, whatever, is standard language that's updated with dates and figures. But this is language that always appears in the pay act legislation. There's nothing new. There's no tricks in here. There's no updates to processes. These are the same template except for the dates and the figures?

[Grady Nixon (Joint Fiscal Office analyst)]: I can't speak to that. I would presumably this language was worked through to reflect the collective bargaining agreement between the parties. But I would defer to legislative counsel for any further review of the language of the play act, and, any testimony on h nine fifty. But this language has not changed since the committee reviewed it as H nine fifty.

[Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Any questions on the cement? There was one that we were looking at possibly adding last night, but we're going let the Senate deal with it. It's just a reclassification of the position that came through, but I don't think anybody's heard anything else. That was just that one we might So we won't have any amendments on Friday. You guys are great at fighting all these. We'll send anything else for this bill. We have to do the Senate something. Can change the title of that position. All right. Any other questions for gravy on this? If not, I would entertain a motion for a straw poll to approve our amendment. Wayne? And I'm not seeing further discussion, it's a perfect call to roll. Doctor. Jones Bluemle?

[Tiffany Bluemle (Ranking Member)]: Yes. Who do you think of, Yes. Doctor. Feltus? Yes.

[Robin Scheu (Chair)]: Doctor. Kascenska? Yes. We're going do it today, whatever it is, and I will send an email to the speaker telling us the order of this and I'll copy you guys on it so we have that information.

[Thomas Stevens (Member)]: Kids need to know who you need to.

[Robin Scheu (Chair)]: All right. Thanks, everybody. I'm not anticipating any well, some of these other bills may have amendments that involve money, and we may be called down to do a straw poll. I have no idea.