By Guy Page
The Vermont Senate on Thursday gave initial approval to a hefty pay and benefits increase for the Vermont Legislature. S.39 provides weekly salaries for all House and Senate members during the 18-20 week Legislative Session:
- for 2025, $1,000
- for 2026, $1,100
- for 2027, $1,210.
The Senate, however, rejected a proposed 13 week legislative session amendment offered by Sen. Russ Ingalls (R-Essex). Gov. Phil Scott has said he would support S.39 if it limited the Legislature to three months.
The Senate backed S.39 in a roll call vote. Yes votes: Baruth, Bray, Brock, Clarkson, Cummings, Gulick, Hardy, Harrison, Hashim, Lyons, MacDonald, McCormack, Norris, Perchlik, Vyhovsky, Watson, Westman, White, Wrenner.
No votes: Campion, *Chittenden, Collamore, Ingalls, Kitchel, Mazza, Sears, Starr, Weeks, Williams. Absent: Ram Hinsdale.
Sen. Thomas Chittenden, D-Chittenden
Chittenden County Democrat Tom Chittenden said he objects to two features of S.39: “adjournment pay” and the $69 per diem meal allowance.
“First, I don’t support the adjournment compensation in Section 5. When we are adjourned, we are adjourned. I see any time I choose to put in to this role during adjournment as service and not as compensable time,” Chittenden — a descendent of Vermont’s first Gov. Thomas Chittenden — said.
“Secondly, I understood from the floor speech that the new pay rate for the session was based on the average Vermont salary but the bill continues to include daily meal stipends for legislators. The average Vermonter does not get $69 dollars a day for meals so with the meal stipend, this would be more than the average Vermonter’s salary.”
As Chittenden notes, S.39’s combined pay/benefits package includes more than just a base pay increase. It also features:
Special Session per diem – pay a per diem (daily) rate equal to one-fifth of the weekly pay.
Health insurance benefits – legislators would be eligible for the same health care benefits now enjoyed by State of Vermont executive branch employees.
Adjournment Pay – when out-of-session, lawmakers would receive weekly pay one-fifth of the in-session pay ($242/week).
Mileage reimbursement – travel from home to the Capitol at the federal mileage reimbursement rate (currently 65.5 cents).
Professional development out-of-state – Lawmakers would receive a per-diem (pro-rated from weekly salary) for attending out-of-state professional development and other duties.
Meals reimbursement or allowance – Lawmakers would elect either actual meals reimbursement or the federally-established government meals allowance for Montpelier, Vermont – which is currently $69/day.
Lodging reimbursement or allowance – Lawmakers would elect either actual lodging reimbursement or the federally-established government lodging allowance for Montpelier, Vermont – which is currently $127/day.
Childcare/eldercare – Each lawmaker with $75K or less of household income will receive up to $1600/year for necessary childcare or eldercare.
Parking – A member who attests that physical limitations make it difficult or impractical to walk from lodging to the State House may receive reimbursement for actual costs incurred for overnight parking.
Orientation pay for members-elect – Each newly-elected non-incumbent will be paid a per diem based on lawmakers’ weekly pay for attending new member orientation, usually held in December.
Death pay – The estate of a deceased member will receive the entire pay of the two-week period in which the member died.
Legislative leave of absence – Employers of lawmakers will be required to provide leaves of absence for lawmakers in pursuit of their legislative duties. Candidates must inform employers shortly after filing to run for office.
Speaker of the House, Senate President pay hikes – the elected leaders of both chambers would receive about twice the pay of other lawmakers.
The 19-10 margin suggests the Senate, anyway, might not have the 2/3 votes necessary to override any veto by Gov. Phil Scott. After third and final reading today, S.39 will proceed to the House.
Guy Page is publisher of the Vermont Daily Chronicle. Reprinted with permission.
For their POOR results for VT taxpayers they should be getting a pay CUT. When they start getting better pay and benefits then a lot of the citizenry it’s time to start cutting the over-bloated government. We need to get back to a small government that spends less time trying to be our nanny and restricting our rights. But alas that will never happen in the leftist test tube utopia VT has become.
I’d like to see ALL Vermonters get a raise like this. Oh, must be nice to be paid while sitting home. I sure don’t. These people don’t deserve any of it.
These people are really disgusting. They are making the good citizens of Vermont pay for their state’s destruction. And that is EXACTLY what these legislatures are doing.
” legislators”
They feel pinched?? Hah, what a joke. How would one of them like to fill their oil tank to the tune of $1,000 or more on a combined income of $32,000? Oh, how I wish legislators would be required to live on the average salary of a senior citizen for at least a year before they went to Montpelier to serve on their committees and do their work of tax and spending.
Too funny! VT legislators say they are feeling very “pinched” and in dire need of increased compensation? But then these same legislators force a Climate-Eco-Enviro law that will very much hurt the “little people”, financially, of VT??? “Let Them Eat Cake”? So be it. I have a way to make their bigly increased compensation $ revenue neutral ! Immediately pass a law to TAX all EV’s! There are 7,000 of them in VT and it is a tax subsidy for the RICH (hello, BERNIE?) because these rich people get a $7,500 tax CREDIT (not deduction)….Then, Vermont EV drivers pay ZERO $ in any taxes – to maintain all VT’s junky roads. But, gas taxes do. I propose that Legislators enact a NEW TAX – on every Vermont EV….7,000 of them – at $500 annually…..that will raise (neutrally) $3.5 million per year & pay for all Legislative pay increases. Anyone want to gamble on the odds of it passing?…..:)
I’d go a step further and allow seniors on social security to use the calculated Vermont income for taxes (no tax on it if income us under 75K) as the house hold income for the property tax rebate. — They would do this, except the teacher and town unions own the legislature.