3 responses to “Vermont Legislature Committees: A Starting Point for Tracking Bills and Issues”

1. 

   H. Jay Eshelman

   January 10, 2026

   This legislative committee list reminds me of a classic ‘denial of service’ attack, typically achieved by overwhelming the target with excessive traffic. Not only are there 32 committees to monitor. There were 1107 bills introduced in the VT legislature in the 2025 session. 285 bills passed and were submitted to Governor Scott. Of which only 84 bills were signed into law.

   The point being that those of us who have not been elected to public office, and spend most our time working to sustain ourselves, cannot reasonably monitor the process qualifying as doing due diligence.

   I can’t invest precious time reviewing this current list of committees, or the list of bills introduced therein, until they are released by committee and reach their respective house and senate floors for a vote. Of course, the risk is that some worthwhile bills that are tabled in committee may never see our scrutiny.

   One glaring example is the H.89 School Choice bill that has been languishing in committee now for nearly two years. It is, IMHO, the most important legislation submitted to the legislature over the past two years. For that reason, I will publish a synopsis of the bill below in order to do some of the due diligence expected of us for FYIVT readers to consider. Generally speaking, H.89 will decrease education costs and improve student outcomes – which is, perhaps, why legislators, and the special interest groups supporting them, table the legislation.

   __________

   H.89, officially titled “An act relating to school choice for all Vermont students,” is a real bill introduced in the Vermont House during the 2025-2026 Regular Session.

   Key details from official legislative tracking sources (LegiScan, the Vermont Legislature website, BillTrack50, and FastDemocracy):
   • Introduction Date: January 24, 2025
   • Sponsors: Primarily sponsored by Rep. Michael Tagliavia (R), with co-sponsors including Reps. Voranus Coffin IV (R), Allen “Penny” Demar (R), Chris Keyser (R), Larry Labor (R), Michael Morgan (R), Woodman Page (R), and Debra Powers (R) — all Republican members.
   • Status (as of available data up to late 2025): Introduced and read for the first time on January 24, 2025, then referred to the House Committee on Education. It remained pending in that committee with no further progression reported (e.g., no committee action, floor votes, or advancement to the Senate). This aligns with the bill’s low “25% progression” status in tracking platforms, typical for many introduced bills that don’t advance in Vermont’s session.
   • Purpose and Content Summary: The bill proposes expanding school choice statewide by allowing all Vermont students (not just those in non-operating districts under the longstanding “town tuitioning” system) to attend the school of their choice — public or independent/private — funded via a “School Choice Grant” from the Agency of Education. This grant would draw from the Education Fund allocation otherwise due to the student’s resident district. It includes a delayed effective date for the choice provisions (August 1, 2026) to allow planning time, and requires the Joint Fiscal Office to report recommendations on integrating this into Vermont’s existing education funding structure.
   • Context in 2025 Session: This Republican-led proposal for broader school choice (including potential access to private/independent schools) came amid major education reform debates. However, the session’s landmark education law (Act 73 of 2025, from H.454) focused on consolidating districts, adopting a weighted student funding formula, and imposing stricter criteria for independent schools to receive public tuition dollars — effectively restricting rather than expanding access to many private options. H.89 did not advance or get incorporated into the final reforms, which prioritized public system sustainability over universal vouchers or expanded private choice.

   In short, H.89 was introduced as a school choice expansion bill but stalled in committee and did not become law. For the full introduced text or latest status (if any updates post-2025), check the official page at legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2026/H.89

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2. 

   Richard Ley

   January 10, 2026

   Are these committees run only during the legislative session?Or are we paying these guys year round to destroy us

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   1. 

      H. Jay Eshelman

      January 11, 2026

      Does it matter, Richard? If Vermonters shell out $9 Billion annually to fund the government enterprise, does it matter that it’s in the form of 12 monthly checks, or 6 checks over the legislative session? It’s still $9 Billion.

      The problem rests with the Vermonters who elect these legislators, not the frequency of the funding. If you can’t identify the problem, you can’t fix it.

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