06/02/2026
Legislative Week in Review
May 29, 2026
The 2026 Legislative session ended in spectacular fashion last Friday. With the educational transformation, state budget and the school spending Yield bills all in play on the last day. It is kind of cool to see how each played out following negotiations between the two chambers and the administration. All three were in Committee of Conferences to create a final version to be voted by both chambers. No amendments are allowed prior to the vote. Fortunately, the threats of budget veto and required forced mergers went away and were replaced by compromise and voluntary district mergers. The results were truly an impressive process, as legislation should be. The level of bipartisan and administrative compromise, at the eleventh hour, was much appreciated. This enabled the legislature to adjourn by 7:30 PM, when we were estimated to have gone late into the evening. Adjournment was originally thought to happen around 1:30 in the morning.
I would advise the readers that no bill is perfect, not all parties get their preferences, and the legislation is considered to benefit the most for Vermonters at the time. Of course, this is a matter of perception by individual readers. There is an enormous number of hours that go into creating these bills by taking witness and agency testimony, hearing various amendments, caucus presentations and informational meetings to get to the final version. The budget will have an adjustment amendment, and various reports on the effects of the education bill will be returned in January. The educational bill is expected to have revisions over the next one to three years as the components become reality. Because of process timing and requirement to have legislation completed before adjournment, these bills have to be rolled out. It is expected that the interpretations of legislation will drive further amendments before they are finalized.
The education bill, for example, is expected to be fully in effect by 2029 for the 2030 budget year. Districts will need to review future budgets and expenses before considering the possibility of merging. If done to quickly, voters will not have time to understand the legislation, the potential effects nor have time to provide input.
We had a ceremony at a local restaurant recently, to honor those that have announced they will not be returning next year. This past week, the Speaker announced she will not seek reelection and my Environment Committee Chair also announced she is not running. Some believe that we should have term limits. I believe we need a balance of legislators that have experience and others that are new. To understand protocol and the process, experience is necessary.
Many constituents have contacted me during the session on specific bills. I have heard from both pro and con relative to several of the controversial bills. I have fully appreciated the voters for affording me the opportunity to serve Springfield. As reported last week, I will be running for another term in the Vermont House of Representatives.
We are witnessing much political divisiveness both locally and nationally. Some legislators have received personal threats and the leaders of the majority parties issued a joint statement denouncing harmful statements. The State House adjusted to a single point-of-entry, this year that is controlled by security and has a metal detector and scanner for bag checks. Vermont is not used to this level of security, and I have come to believe this is the new normal in the world of politics. When I ran for office, I thought the world was in a good place and I wanted to be part of the process. Having been involved with manufacturing and various product processes, I entered into the representative race. I believed it would be easier than where we are now, and I am willing to work with all parties. I have fully appreciated the voters for affording me the opportunity to serve Springfield. As reported last week, I will be running for another term in the Vermont House of Representatives.
If you have any questions, comments, concerns or need further information, please do not hesitate to contact me. I can be reached at home by calling 802-885-2949. My legislative email is [email protected] or my personal email is [email protected]
Representative Kristi Morris