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Vermont Legislature
Follow VPR's statehouse coverage, featuring Pete Hirschfeld and Bob Kinzel in our Statehouse Bureau in Montpelier.

State Treasurer Cautions Danger Of Budget Uncertainty, Even If Eleventh-Hour Deal Can Be Reached

A woman smiling in a crowd of people
Angela Evancie
/
VPR File
In a memo to lawmakers and the Scott administration, State Treasurer Beth Pearce, right, warned of dire consequences if they don't soon resolve their budget impasse.

State Treasurer Beth Pearce says Vermont will begin to experience serious fiscal setbacks if Gov. Phil Scott and Democratic lawmakers don’t resolve their budget impasse soon.

In a memo to lawmakers and the governor Tuesday, Pearce wrote, “As the prospect of a shutdown becomes more and more likely, so does the likelihood that the state will suffer real and permanent costs, even if it is averted at the last moment.”

Pearce said the Vermont Constitution prohibits government from drawing funds from the state treasury, without the legislative authority contained in a state budget bill.

If no budget is signed before the fiscal year expires June 30, Pearce wrote, “a shutdown would prevent state agencies from providing critical services to Vermonters.”

With fewer than three weeks until the end of the fiscal year, Pearce has also called on the Scott administration to “share its contingency plans with Vermonters,” in the event a shutdown occurs.

“It is time for the administration to provide guidance and direction to the public and state employees on what happens in the event of a shutdown,” Pearce wrote.

MORE:"As Budget Surplus Grows, So Does Dispute Between Scott And Legislative Leaders" (June 12, 2018)

The Vermont Statehouse is often called the people’s house. I am your eyes and ears there. I keep a close eye on how legislation could affect your life; I also regularly speak to the people who write that legislation.
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