Vermont Legislature

Thirteen candidates are vying for the six state Senate seats in Vermont’s most populous county. 

This election, Republicans hope to unseat Vermont Speaker of the House Mitzi Johnson. Johnson has been in the legislature for 15 years and just finished her first term as speaker.

The workers on the frontlines of Vermont’s mental health system say they’re struggling to meet increased demand for their services.

A mold infestation in the Vermont Statehouse has rendered 14 legislative committee rooms temporarily unfit for human occupancy.

Secretary of State Jim Condos is backing an effort to give Vermonters easier access to public records.

My mother, Mary Broderick, served on my Connecticut hometown’s Board of Education for years, eventually serving at the state and national level. It was inspiring, but I still sometimes wondered if the cause was worth the cost - because it’s hard to do a job that doesn’t pay well and requires time away from your family even when you love it.

Bennington Rep. Kiah Morris is speaking up about her decision not to seek re-election — and she said being the target of hate both online and in the real world played a factor in her decision to withdraw her candidacy. 

With a state government shutdown narrowly avoided, Vermont Edition wraps up this week by talking with political reporters about the details of the budget agreement, what it means for future education and funding policies in our state, and how the Montpelier showdown could affect the 2018 campaign.

Vermont's weekslong budget impasses is at an end after Gov. Phil Scott said he'd allow the latest budget passed by lawmakers to go into effect without his signature, avoiding a state government shutdown. But while the impasse has been framed as Democratic lawmakers clashing with a Republican governor, leaders of the House Republican minority also played decisive roles in the process.

Gov. Phil Scott said Monday night that while he doesn’t support lawmakers’ latest state budget proposal, the prospect of a government shutdown has left him “with no choice but to allow this bill to become law without my signature.”

Update 6/26/2018 6:17 a.m.

The Vermont Legislature Monday afternoon gave final approval to its third state budget of the 2018 legislative session. On Monday night, Gov. Phil Scott released a written statement: "I’m left with no choice but to allow this bill to become law without my signature."

Lawmakers will be back at the Statehouse on Monday to try and find a budget settlement with Gov. Phil Scott. But that job got a lot harder after a bizarre set of events unfolded late Friday night in the House.

The Vermont Senate has given its unanimous approval to a new state budget for next year.

Senate leaders say the plan is a fair compromise that's designed to ensure that there isn't a government shutdown at the beginning of July.

By June 30, Vermont needs a budget — otherwise there could be a government shutdown on the first day of the state's new fiscal year.