Young people and rich people are moving to Vermont.

If this surprises you, you aren’t alone. You’re more likely to hear that the young and the wealthy are fleeing Vermont for better opportunities. Your neighbors bought a condo and moved to Florida. Read more

A college degree can be the ticket to more job options and higher pay. And a well-educated workforce is critical to strong communities and a growing economy.

But as a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shows, Vermont is one of only three states that has cut per-student public spending on higher education in each of the last two years, even as tuition at public colleges increases. Read more

The legislature passed the final fiscal 2017 budget along with tax and fee bills raising approximately $49.0 million in new revenue.1 At $5.8 billion the new budget is $133.9 million (2.4 percent) above the current year with much of the growth going to pre-K to 12 education and human services. Read more

The fiscal 2017 budget made its way through the Vermont Senate this week along with tax and fee bills raising approximately $47.1 million in new revenue to support it.1 At $5.80 billion, the Senate’s version of the budget is $131.1 million above the final fiscal 2016 budget, an increase of 2.3 percent. Read more

Today is Equal Pay Day, the anti-holiday that advocates mark to remind us that women have to work almost 16 months to earn what men do in 12. The gap has persisted despite the attention and lip service paid to equality, despite women’s gains in the workplace and public sphere. Read more

Income inequality is a serious problem in Vermont that needs to be addressed on several fronts, and paying people more for their labor, especially those at the bottom, should be part of the strategy.

Now political leaders and workers’ advocates who support a higher minimum wage may find they have some unexpected allies. Read more

The House passed its fiscal 2017 budget along with tax and fee bills raising approximately $49 million in new revenue to support it.1 The House budget came in at $5.81 billion, approximately $1 million above the governor’s recommendation. Overall, the House made minor changes to the governor’s spending plan. Read more

Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, my name is Paul Cillo. I’m the president of Public Assets Institute. We’re a nonpartisan, 501c3 nonprofit located here in Montpelier. We provide state tax, budget, and economic analysis from the perspective of ordinary Vermonters. Read more

Closing the budget gap is the Legislature’s focus again this year as it has been for the past eight sessions.

What is a budget gap? It’s the difference between projected state revenue and … well, it’s actually hard to say.

The administration and the Legislature start the budget gap calculation with a revenue estimate for the next fiscal year. Read more

On opening day of the 2016 legislative session, House Speaker Shap Smith had this advice for his colleagues: “There will be those who suggest that because this is an election year, that we will focus on politics rather than the people’s business. Read more