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Governor Scott Discusses Vermont Legislative Session

Vermont Governor Phil Scott
Pat Bradley/WAMC
Vermont Governor Phil Scott

It was a busy spring in Vermont politics. Governor Phil Scott vetoed the state budget on June 6th because it did not include a plan to restructure teacher contract negotiations. He said the plan would save property taxpayers statewide $26 million.  State leaders had until July 1st to reach a compromise to avoid a state shutdown. A solution was reached before the legislature’s veto session on June 21st , and the governor signed the budget three days before deadline.  It includes no new taxes or fees.  In the first of a two-part interview, first-term Republican Governor Phil Scott says he and agency commissioners and department heads began working on the budget as soon as he was elected in November.


 
"We started building our budget and we were faced immediately with a downgrade in revenue of $70 million. So that was the first challenge. And then as I said on the campaign trail we weren’t going to spend any more than we were taking in and that was important to me that we follow through on that promise. So we developed a budget initially that was balanced. It didn’t raise taxes and fees and made investments in the areas that I thought were important.  The legislature followed suit at least eventually. I don’t recall this happening in my political lifetime."
 
 
In the second part of our conversation tomorrow on Midday Magazine, Vermont Governor Phil Scott will discuss his concerns about federal policies that could impact the state and his return to the racetrack.

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