Governor Peter Shumlin says
he may have to re-evaluate his opposition to any tax increases if the federal
sequestration process continues for any length of time.
A Vermont
House committee has reversed itself and approved a penny-an-ounce tax
on sugar-sweetened beverages to pay for health care subsidies, but the
idea appears still to have a bumpy road ahead.
The possibility of new budget cuts from Washington could cause enormous problems with Vermont’s budget for next year. The threat of sequestration
cuts comes at a time when the House Appropriations committee is trying to
finalize its budget plan for next year.
The House Health Care
committee has voted to kill legislation that provides subsidies to help low and
moderate income Vermonters purchase health insurance.
Newly elected Adjutant General Steven Cray discusses issues affecting the National Guard, VPR’s Hamilton Davis analyzes Vermont’s
efforts to establish a health care exchange and we listen back to the voices in the news.
The Vermont House has given
its preliminary approval to a bill that raises the statewide property tax rate for
education to one of its highest levels in several years.