March 23, 2018
Contact: Katherine Levasseur
Office of the Speaker of the House
(802) 828-2245
VERMONT HOUSE PASSES FISCAL YEAR 2019 STATE BUDGET
Investments include support for our most vulnerable, higher education, and child care
The Vermont House approved the fiscal year 2019 state budget (H.924) today on a vote of 122-10. The budget makes critical investments to assist and protect vulnerable Vermonters, places significant funds in the state rainy day fund, and makes investments that will save the state tens of millions of dollars in future years.
“This budget is based on responsible choices, difficult decisions, and compromise,” said Representative Kitty Toll (D-Danville), chair of the House Appropriations Committee. “It represents a delicate balance between important investments and sustainability into the future. The budget addresses the needs of Vermonters, including the most vulnerable, and provides for the core functions of State government. The Appropriations Committee kept its focus on and commitment to creating a balanced budget that positively impacts the financial health of the state, creating a budget that continues its reliance on performance measures for accountability and desired outcomes, ensuring Vermonters’ dollars are well spent, and creating a budget that uses one-time dollars for one-time expenditures, avoiding deficits in future budgets.”
“I’m proud of the work of our Appropriations Committee,” added House Speaker Mitzi Johnson (D-South Hero). “This bill earned a unanimous, bipartisan vote in the Appropriations Committee, which is no easy feat. I’m particularly grateful for their hard work to ensure that the $4 million in cuts to disability services that the Governor proposed are restored. I’m also pleased that the committee worked to fully restore the tuition loan repayment program for primary care workers, increase funding for Home Health services, and invest $14 million over four years in mental health care with a new Substance Abuse Disorder Response Fund. We need a Vermont that works for all of us, and this sound budget ensures our state does just that.”
“When we address the inequalities that prevent families from being able to meet their basic needs, we boost the economy and build stronger, healthier communities,” added House Majority Leader Jill Krowinski (D-Burlington). “Working families and the middle class are the driving engines of the economy. Investing in them is how we build prosperity in Vermont. We will be prioritizing legislation that creates a strong economy that works for all of us, not just the wealthy and this budget does just that.”
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