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Senate Democrats met Tuesday evening for a remarkably candid � and public � airing of ambivalence, anger, and anxiety about legislation they had scheduled for a floor vote on Wednesday morning.

“I can’t ever remember feeling as bad about a vote as I do on this one,� Sen. Ann Cummings, the Democratic chair of the Senate Finance Committee, told her colleagues after voting to advance the education reform bill Thursday. “But it will move us forward.�

Statewide, Vermont has already invested $37.5 million into PCB testing and remediation, and just a little over $3 million is left. More than half of all schools that fall under the state's mandate haven't even been tested yet.

Housing advocates say a cap on the amount of state tax revenue set aside for the new CHIP program would severely limit the number of homes that could be built with its help, among concerns about other restrictions.

A state budget plan that appears to have the support of Republican Gov. Phil Scott would hold back more than $100 million in anticipated revenue surpluses to deal with potential cuts to federal spending by Congress.

Under the bill, fathers in prison would be able to take parenting classes, visit with their children in a child-friendly space and talk to them via free video calls.

Republican Gov. Phil Scott has postponed a rule that would have required 35% of all vehicles delivered to Vermont car dealers to be zero emission, starting in model year 2026.

Here’s a look at the top changes this year’s eclectic housing package would make � including where lawmakers are still debating the details and where Gov. Phil Scott’s administration stands.

The Vermont Immigration Legal Defense Fund aims to raise $1 million for the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project, a Burlington-based nonprofit that has represented more than 300 people in immigration proceedings over the past year.

Buying down the rate, as this use of one-time money is called, is generally considered bad policy � on both sides of the aisle � because it risks creating a tax spike in the following year. But lawmakers say voters sent them a clear message in November: tax relief, now.