The Vermont Legislature hopes to give final approval this week to a state budget for the first quarter of the fiscal year that begins July 1.
Lawmakers are also wrapping up legislation to allocate around $1 billion in federal money designed to help the state respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, House Speaker Mitzi Johnson said Monday.
The plan is for lawmakers to return in August when they will have more information about state revenues and potential federal assistance to pass a budget for the rest of the fiscal year that runs through June 30, 2021, she said Monday.
“There is no way we could pass a straight-faced budget right now,” said Johnson, a Democrat. “We just don’t have enough information.”
The pandemic prompted the federal government to delay this year’s tax deadline until next month, which means Vermont won’t have a clear revenue picture until after taxes are filed.
Johnson said they hoped that by August there will be more information about about what, if any, additional federal assistance might be available to help states make up losses caused by the pandemic.
Lawmakers in the House and Senate are wrapping up legislation to allocate almost $1 billion of the $1.25 billion Vermont has received from the federal CARES Act, which is helping states respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
Under the terms of the CARES Act, states must spend the money by the end of the year on coronavirus-related projects that will have immediate benefit. It is separate from the regular state budget.
Among the bills that have passed the House is legislation that would provide assistance to the state’s health care providers, while other funds would go to the Vermont Foodbank, for child care programs and housing programs.
The plan is to save about $250 million of CARES Act funding to see if the restrictions on its use will change.
Republican Gov. Phil Scott has criticized the Legislature for not moving faster to disperse the CARES Act funds.
He said Monday that administration officials are still working to understand the details of the Legislature’s economic package and how the House and Senate will reconcile their different versions.
“There’s still a lot of work to do this week and I understand the need to wrap things up and get moving,” Scott said during his regular Monday virus briefing.
He said it made sense for the Legislature to return in August.
“We’ll know more about what our fiscal health is, and have a, maybe a little bit more recognition of how things are playing out in terms of the coronavirus and our economy as well,” he said.
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AP reporter Lisa Rathke contributed to this report from Marshfield, Vermont.
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