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Weekly Legislative Update: February 2, 2025

Writer's picture: Rep. Ashley BartleyRep. Ashley Bartley

This week at the Statehouse was an eventful one, with a focus on key pieces of legislation, as well as a memorable moment with a constituent in the building. Here’s a look at some of the highlights:


Governor’s Budget Address

On Tuesday, January 28th, we heard the Governor’s budget address, which outlined the Administration’s proposed spending priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. The budget proposal touches on critical areas such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure, with a significant emphasis on addressing housing and economic development needs. As we move forward with discussions on this, we’ll be working to ensure that our communities in Franklin-1 are well-represented in the final budget.



Joint Hearing on Omnibus Housing Bill

An exciting development this week was the joint hearing held by the House General and Housing Committee and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Economic Development, Housing, and General Affairs. The committees convened to hear testimony on the Administration’s Omnibus Housing Bill, a comprehensive piece of legislation aimed at addressing the state’s housing crisis. The bill includes provisions to increase affordable housing development, streamline permitting processes, and provide incentives for sustainable housing projects. I have agreed to sign on as a co-sponsor of this bill to continue the imperative conversation on housing solutions in our State. 


Legislator of the Day – First Experience

Friday marked a special occasion for me as I hosted my first "Legislator of the Day" participant at the Statehouse. Anna from Fairfax joined me for a day of legislative activities, where they had the chance to see firsthand how the legislative process works, observe committee conversations, and meet with other lawmakers.


A special shout-out to Mr. Emery at BFA Fairfax who ensures that our students are familiarized with local government! It’s always a pleasure to engage with constituents in this way, and I’m looking forward to continuing this initiative to provide more students with the opportunity to experience the work we do at the Statehouse.


New Bills Co-Sponsored

As a result of ongoing conversations with constituents from Fairfax and Georgia, I’ve co-sponsored several new bills this week. These bills address issues ranging from anti-harassment legislation in schools, food resiliency, ending social security taxation as well as veteran’s benefits taxation. I’ve been listening closely to the concerns of residents in both communities, and I’m proud to stand alongside my colleagues in supporting these measures that directly benefit our districts.


It’s been a productive week, and there’s much more ahead. I’ll continue to keep you updated on the progress of key legislation and look forward to hearing more of your thoughts as the session moves forward. Thank you for your continued support!


~ Rep. Ashley Bartley


Ways and Means Committee

All kinds of information is coming  into the Ways and Means committee to help prepare for filling in the blanks of the Governor’s proposed new Educational funding plan. I like the overall concept, so the empty spaces do not bother me. We can do this, but we need to get the numbers correct. 


Yesterday the committee received information on how to make a foundation formula plan work including the latest numbers. A foundation plan would start with schools receiving a base amount  of money for every child. The base amount is a standard amount that the district receives, a floor amount for each student. The Governor proposes $13,200.  


Then to help children with special needs, a ‘weight’ would be added to their base amount. This would give the district more money to educate the children who need the extra support. Weights  would be for :economically disadvantaged .75% , English language learners 1.5%, career and tech students 1.3% and preschool now counted as 1. Previously the preschoolers were weighted at less than one. So the weights are based on student need, school scale and district scarcity. 


An accurate count of all students needs to occur to make sure there is enough money. And it may be a challenge to allocate funding to schools like ours in Vermont which will be incorporated into new, larger districts. Then the big question is: what is the source of the money for the base and the ‘weight’? No one can answer that question now. 


Property tax? Income tax? Other tax sources?  From cost reductions coming from fewer school districts? I’ll let you know when we have more information. A workable plan including tax sources needs to gel, but I am part of the team, involved and am watching closely.  This may take a while. 


~ Rep. Carolyn Branagan


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Ashley in the news


WDEV Radio: "Vermont View Point" on January 28, 2025


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Contact Information

Carolyn and I remain in constant contact, regardless of whether we are in session or not. Contact us anytime or can follow along with any of these social media platforms.


Ashley Bartley

Instagram: @AshleyBartleyVT

Signup for email updates atashleybartley.org 


Carolyn Branagan



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