Vermont lawmakers are continuing to debate the implementation of Act 73, a law passed in 2025 aimed at transforming education in the state. According to Rep. Lisa Hango (Franklin-5), progress has been slow, with the House and Senate Education Committees still divided on governance structures and funding formulas.
Hango stated, “The House and Senate Education Committees each have one model map and remain far apart on where they want to see the governance structure and funding formula end up, so that leads me to believe that any decisions affecting local school districts will go down to the wire at the end of this session, much like last year, with no agreement between the two chambers, and having to go to a Committee of Conference again to iron out the details of putting transformation into action going forward.”
She added that for local districts, this could mean delays in seeing changes implemented. The situation is further complicated by Governor Phil Scott’s stance. “The only difference this year is that the Governor has indicated publicly that he will not sign any education, budget, or finance bill until a bill detailing education governance and funding is passed by both chambers, meaning we can’t adjourn until we are well on a path towards implementing a meaningful transformation process,” Hango said.
Other legislative priorities include several housing-related bills addressing landlord-tenant issues and unintended consequences from Act 181 (2024), which has affected development projects. A statewide land use mapping process is underway to determine when development triggers Act 250 environmental review. Hango noted concerns about these reviews: “By all accounts, everything except 2.4% of land designated as Tier 1 (A or B) will trigger some kind of environmental review that could be costly and time-consuming at best and disastrous to local landowners at worst.”
The Rural Caucus has introduced bill H.730 seeking to delay rule implementation until mapping is complete and requiring notification for landowners. However, it has not yet advanced in committee.
Legislative committees are also working on healthcare reform, public safety measures, artificial intelligence policy, homelessness response, and substance misuse strategies. These bills face multiple rounds of committee review before reaching votes.
Hango reminded constituents about important legislative deadlines: policy bills must leave their committees by March 13 unless they involve funding or taxes, which have an extra week until March 20. She explained how bill language can be inserted into other related bills late in the session: “This is why at the end of the session, bills can get very long with vaguely related parts (making a « Christmas tree » out of them).”
Residents can track legislation using Vermont’s General Assembly website (www.legislature.vermont.gov), which provides access to bill information, committee activities—including witness lists and meeting recordings—and contact details for members.
Rep. Hango encouraged community members from Highgate, Franklin, Berkshire, and Richford to reach out with concerns via her monitored email address or through town officials who stay in communication with legislators during sessions in Montpelier.
She also announced upcoming opportunities for constituents to meet their legislators:
– March 16 at 8am at Fairfax Town Office
– April 20 at 8am at Enosburg American Legion
– May 2 at 8am at Swanton Village Office
“It is an honor to serve the communities of Highgate, Franklin, Berkshire, and Richford,” Hango wrote.