Montpelier, Vt. - Governor Phil Scott today signed H.138, An act relating to fiscal year 2021 budget adjustments.
This annual budget adjustment includes technical mid-year adjustments to the current fiscal year (FY21) budget, but also includes important funding for ongoing Coronavirus response and relief needs as well as other priorities, including education and modernization of policing.
“I appreciate the work of the Legislature to move the budget adjustment bill forward so quickly.” said Governor Scott. “I also appreciate their willingness and partnership in supporting a number of initiatives we put forward within this bill, while continuing to work on other priorities like small business relief in another piece of legislation .”
Key appropriations supported by the Governor and passed by the Legislature include:
- FEMA funds, as available, to support the Everyone Eats Program.
- $3.5 million from ESSER II federal funds to provide a Burlington High School facility renovation grant.
- $2.8 million from the Coronavirus Relief Fund to pay the 1,500 applications from landlords waiting for back rent from November & early December.
- Nearly $200,000 from the General Fund to provide body cameras to law enforcement officers in the Department of Fish & Wildlife, Department of Motor Vehicles, and the Department of Liquor & Lottery.
- $5 million from the Coronavirus Relief Fund for Vermont State Colleges.
- About $400,000 to the Department of Public Safety for compliance with the “use of force” training mandates of S.119.
- $1 million to the Agency of Natural Resources for contractual needs to support the Global Warming Solutions Act.
- $124,000 from the General Fund for justice-involved youth housing.
- Authorization for the Commissioner of the Department of Public Service to continue disbursing funds for broadband projects contracted prior to Dec 20, 2020 and not completed on or before December 30, 2020.
- Authorization of the disclosure of tax return information to the Dept. of Labor for the purpose of verifying and correcting personally identifiable information necessary for the creation and issuance of 1099 documents to individuals who received benefits from programs administered by VDOL and for the purpose of verifying the earnings of individuals to determine the amount of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance they are eligible to receive.
“As we continue to respond to this once-in-a-century pandemic, I appreciate the partnership of the Legislature in staying focused on helping the people of Vermont, addressing the immediate challenges in front of us, and making progress on the long-standing challenges we’ve faced,” added Governor Scott.
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