House orders third reading of S246 to update Vermont basic needs budget and livable wage

Senate Bill S246, which amends the Vermont basic needs budget and the definition and calculation of a livable wage, received a committee presentation on second reading and was ordered to third reading. The bill updates methodology — including a shorter consumer-expenditure lookback window, bifurcated urban/rural wage listings and other data-source changes — and sets an effective date for the changes.

Committee members said the technical advisory committee and Joint Fiscal Office supported the updates and that the revised calculations will be incorporated into the Joint Fiscal Office’s work for the next biennium. The House voted in the affirmative on second reading and ordered third reading.