A legislative conference committee reviewed a grayout sheet and tentatively agreed to align with the Senate on an administrative-services position and to reassign base and one-time funds to items including Vermont Law School aid, SBDC support, a mediator and ethics position, victim-services grants administration, rural technical assistance and a food program construct.

Committee received a line-by-line walkthrough of the House Commerce amendment (draft 5.2) to S71, showing key differences from the Senate'passed bill: lowered applicability thresholds, expanded sensitive-data definitions, altered exemptions, new profiling impact-assessments, and a 60-day cure period; the act would take effect Jan. 1, 2028.

The conference committee heard May 19 from Doug Barnum, the state's chief recovery officer, on retaining executive authority to sell 110 State Street. Barnum said FEMA is finalizing a Section 428 package that includes a large codes‑and‑standards allocation and about $1 million in hazard‑mitigation funds tied to specific work.

State recovery officer told the House Appropriations Committee the state has spent most ARPA funds but about $63 million remains; the administration will review at-risk projects and consider reallocations ahead of federal closeout by Dec. 31, 2026, and a state obligation deadline of Dec. 31, 2027.

LAOB co‑directors told the Appropriations Committee their FY27 ask is $3.2 million; with a governor/House recommendation of $1.68 million they say the agency faces a roughly $1.5 million shortfall and a 44% operating cut that would pause resilience grants, seed capital and technical assistance programs.

The Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Energy voted to report S-219, directing the Department of Public Service to contract for a design of a Vermont community-based home energy navigator and coaching program and to submit a program-design report; members discussed funding, an RFP timeline and contingency language.

Dan Dickerson (ACCD) told the committee the agency’s grants inventory mirrors prior-year funding levels, flagged roughly $17 million of unmet Brownfields need, explained mechanics of a $5 million rural industrial appropriation and discussed options to convert loans to grants to spur RDC-led commercial development.

The House read and accepted HCR200, a concurrent resolution celebrating the life and community contributions of Nathan Souter; legislators offered tributes and family members were recognized in the gallery.

The Vermont House amended and approved H 7 10 to adopt a new definition of "single plant" for electricity generating facilities, allowing adjacent renewable facilities with separate points of interconnection to be treated separately; the change takes effect July 1, 2026.

Capstone Community Action and VCAP coalition asked the committee to fund case management ($500,000), permanent housing navigators ($1,000,000), concrete supports ($1,250,000), a home voucher program ($1,500,000) and a community resource center ($650,000) to prevent homelessness and sustain low-barrier supports.

Witnesses told the Senate committee S.138 would create a voluntary commercial PACE program that leverages private capital for energy and resilience upgrades; lenders urged a lender‑consent mechanism and clarity on valuation and administering agencies.

Capstone Community Action told the Vermont House Committee on Commerce & Economic Development on Feb. 17 that community action agencies are seeking $1.15 million in additional state funding to bolster micro‑business development, the VITA tax‑assistance program and statewide financial coaching; committee members asked for statewide intake and waitlist data before recommending appropriations.

Committee members examined the Agency of Digital Services' FY27 ask — a $9 million recurring general‑fund appropriation and internal billing changes that together create a roughly $5 million net increase in ADS billbacks — and requested JFO follow‑up on accounting and project‑level spending.

ACCD told the Appropriations Committee that federal funds make up a large share of its budget—driven by CDBG‑DR disaster recovery awards—and requested spending authority to issue roughly $18.9–20 million in grants while noting expiration of a DOD diversification grant and missed brownfields awards shrink federal receipts.

Chancellor Beth Mauck and developer partner Art Klugo asked the committee for $1,000,000 in capital funds to complete design, permitting and environmental work for a two‑phase, 60‑unit apartment project on the Johnson campus; they projected phase‑one construction costs of about $10–11.5 million and draft rents roughly $1,900–$2,500 per unit.

Agency of Commerce and Community Development leaders told legislators that FY27 is deliberately restrained, flagged late ADS technology charges that raised budget pressure, and outlined one‑time requests including a Montreal business‑development contract and $800,000 for manufactured home repairs amid an ARPA spend‑down.

United Way of Vermont’s 2‑1‑1 told legislators a proposed $332,000 cut to state funding would threaten core services just as a grant-funded ‘closed‑loop’ referral integration with UVM’s Epic EHR aims to streamline referrals from clinical screenings to community resources.

Advocates from a coalition of community service organizations asked the committee to fund benefit assisters—staff at trusted local organizations who help people enroll and stay enrolled in SNAP (3Squares Vermont) and Medicaid—citing recent federal changes and emergency response experience as reasons to expand capacity statewide.

LAOB presented a frontline‑developed Resilience Hub Toolkit and described a pilot grant round to seed community resilience hubs; presenters said the toolkit is in use, proposed initial grants of roughly $50,000, and outlined a goal to scale to a cohort of 16–20 hubs with further legislative funding.

Board staff told legislators the agency is piloting a device donation program after digital equity funds were reduced, running an $8 million 'affordable long drop' to pay initial connection costs for low/medium‑income households, and expanding a fiber apprenticeship that yields roughly 70% placement.

On third reading the House passed H.84, allowing telehealth appointments to be recorded with patient and provider consent, and H.534, 'an act relating to community action agencies.' Both bills were approved by voice vote.

A legislative committee approved a strike‑all amendment (version 2.1) to H.534 that adds recommended‑immunization language, clarifies pharmacist and pharmacy‑technician authority, adjusts advisory‑council membership, requires Community Action Agency assessments, and sunsets many changes on 07/01/2031.

S.219 would commission Efficiency Vermont and the Climate Economy Action Center of Addison County to design a community-based home energy navigator and coaching program, with $50,000 for a report to Efficiency Vermont and $150,000 to the community center for program development and expansion; report due 01/15/2027.

Administration staff told the Appropriations Committee there is roughly $121 million in additional revenue to allocate in the Budget Adjustment Act, with about $46–48 million proposed for new appropriations and roughly $75 million temporarily reserved for property-tax relief under proposed Section 50 language.