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Members of the House Committee on Appropriations have spent the last three months crafting a $9 billion spending plan that relies on hundreds of millions of dollars that might evaporate by summer. And a plan to buy down property taxes next year could be on the chopping block if Vermont sees significant cuts to Medicaid funding.

The extension, which will apply to roughly 400 households, comes after the governor struck down legislation that would have granted a reprieve for all participants.

Since the beginning of the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers in both the House and Senate have been working on their counterproposal to Gov. Phil Scott’s sweeping plan to overhaul public education. But it’s become clear that the two chambers are moving in very different directions.

The Legislature and Gov. Phil Scott are once again locked in a heated political battle over the program’s future.

This will likely come as welcome news to property taxpayers, who saw bills rise an average of almost 14% this year. But the use of $118 million one-time funds to buy down rates is a risky move � and one that could set schools and taxpayers up for a financial cliff in the following year.

Without a clear path to override the veto, Democratic lawmakers may need to strike a deal with the governor � or forgo the midyear spending package.

Samantha Sheehan, a lobbyist for the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, told lawmakers Friday that, practical considerations aside, such services were the state’s job to deliver � not cities and towns.

A wide-ranging housing plan unveiled by Republican Gov. Phil Scott last month is now making its way through the legislative process, but it’s unclear how much of that proposal Democratic lawmakers will be willing to advance.

Education officials argue that without intervention, health costs will only continue to cannibalize ever-larger shares of local school budgets � no matter what cost-containment measures Montpelier decides to impose on districts.

A disagreement between Democratic lawmakers and Republican Gov. Phil Scott over the future of Vermont’s emergency motel housing program could lead to the first gubernatorial veto of the 2025 legislative session.