This story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and 开云体育.
The Legislature has once again sent a to Gov. Phil Scott鈥檚 desk, but a partisan standoff over Vermont鈥檚 motel voucher program continues to unfold.
On Thursday afternoon, the Senate gave final approval to its second attempt at an annual budget adjustment bill, after the first version last month. But without a key change sought by Republicans to narrow criteria for the voucher program, the bill appears destined to meet the same fate.
Republicans brought forward an amendment on Thursday to bring eligibility rules for the motel program in line with late last week. The order 鈥� 鈥� extended motel stays for families with children and certain people with acute medical needs through June 30.
鈥淭hose individuals would be prioritized over any other eligible people,鈥� said Senate Minority Leader Scott Beck, R-Caledonia, when bringing forward the amendment on the Senate floor.
Democrats, who have sought an extension for all people sheltered through the program via the midyear spending bill, stood by that conviction on Thursday.
The motel program鈥檚 looser winter rules ended for the season earlier this week, on April 1. While the governor鈥檚 executive order shields a narrow group from time restrictions on their stays this spring, it left out the majority of people eligible for the program over the winter months 鈥� including people over the age of 65 and people fleeing domestic violence. Evictions for those not included in the order .
All of these unhoused individuals met vulnerability criteria determined by the Legislature last year, and lawmakers voiced their opposition to further winnowing down access to emergency housing.
鈥淎re we exiting veterans who are 100% disabled but don鈥檛 need to plug something in to stay alive?鈥� said Senate Majority Leader Kesha Ram Hinsdale, D-Chittenden Southeast. 鈥淎re we exiting widows because they鈥檙e not getting cancer treatment, but they simply lost a spouse, and that鈥檚 not good enough anymore?鈥�
Lawmakers also emphasized constitutional concerns with Scott鈥檚 order, and the danger of codifying it into law.
鈥淭his is not a small issue,鈥� said Sen. Nader Hashim, D-Windham. 鈥淭he rule of law and respect for the Constitution does not get swept away in one broad stroke, but rather it occurs through the death of a thousand cuts.鈥�
The Senate ultimately declined to approve the amendment, with all Democrats voting against it, except for Sen. Thomas Chittenden, D-Chittenden Southeast, who said he sided with Republicans in order to advance a bill Scott would sign. The bill ultimately passed on a party-line vote.
The ongoing stalemate over the spending bill makes the prospect of passing the midyear adjustment increasingly improbable. At a meeting of the House鈥檚 budget panel earlier on Thursday, members of Scott鈥檚 administration told lawmakers they were beginning to make preparations in case no such bill makes it to the finish line.
鈥淚t鈥檒l be complex. It won鈥檛 be easy. It鈥檒l be very challenging for financial offices across the state,鈥� said Secretary of Administration Sarah Clark. 鈥淏ut we do believe that we can develop a plan that will support the core functions of state government through the end of the fiscal year through the mechanisms that we have available to us.鈥�
