This story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public.
Without the votes to override Gov. Phil Scott’s veto on a midyear spending bill, Democratic leaders in the Legislature have narrowed their focus to asking the governor to extend motel shelter for some unhoused Vermonters.
In a letter to Scott’s administration late Tuesday afternoon, Speaker of the House Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, and Senate President Pro Tem Phil Baruth, D/P-Chittenden Central, conceded that they are willing to walk away from about $14.9 million in state spending in order to reach a compromise with the Republican governor on a budget adjustment bill.
That funding would have gone toward affordable housing development, a pilot housing program for disabled people, grants to municipalities impacted by flooding, and more. In his veto message, Scott wrote that he wants to hold off on increased state spending as state officials anticipate federal funding cuts to key programs.
“To speak frankly, we have very significant concerns about eliminating funding for the construction of affordable housing units and for essential funding for municipalities that suffered flood damage. We understand, however, that Governor Scott is firm in his demand regarding removing those funds,” Baruth and Krowinski wrote.
The legislative leaders made a single request in return.
“Our one remaining ask is that Governor Scott not exit children, pregnant women, disabled Vermonters, veterans, and those fleeing domestic violence from the hotel motel program on April 1st,” they wrote.
Lawmakers had sought to give a three-month extension to unhoused Vermonters in state-sponsored motel rooms when the program’s looser winter rules expire in two weeks. Without the extension, nearly 600 adults and over 160 children could lose their access to motel-based shelter on April 1 alone, according to data compiled by the Department for Children and Families last month. Many more could become ineligible in the following weeks.
Scott denounced the extension, calling the shelter benefit a “failed program” that has been too expensive and ineffective. House Republicans stated at a press conference earlier Tuesday that they would sustain Scott’s veto, blocking the path for a legislative override.
Baruth and Krowinski offered to remove the $1.8 million set aside in the budget adjustment bill for the extension, but asked that the Department for Children and Families use “existing funds” to extend the program’s winter weather rules through June 30.
Scott’s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment Tuesday afternoon.
With this move, Democratic leaders have signaled they are unwilling to take Scott up on his “compromise proposal” to give municipalities funding to handle people leaving the motels next month. That proposal would have directed $2.1 million in flexible grants to municipalities, allowing cities and towns to set aside money for motel rooms or to expand shelter capacity when people leave the motels this spring.
“The eleventh hour proposal his administration offered, which involved dumping the hotel motel program on cities and towns with less than two weeks’ notice, and not even asking them ahead of time if this was something they could handle, was not worthy of serious consideration,” said Rep. Robin Scheu, D-Middlebury, the lead budget writer in the House, during an early evening press conference Tuesday.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Democrats willing to concede spending clash if Gov. Scott extends motel stays.