House Education committee advances H.802 to add perpetual inflator to special‑education census block grants
February 18, 2026 | Education, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative , Vermont
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The House Education committee on Feb. 18, 2026 advanced H.802, a bill that embeds a perpetual inflator in the uniform base amount used to calculate special‑education census block grants and sets the bill’s effective date as July 1, 2026.
John Gray of Legislative Council explained the change to members, saying the bill is "just adding an inflator for fiscal years '27 and onward." He described the uniform base amount as a per‑pupil figure determined by dividing the average state appropriation for special education for fiscal years 2018–2020 by statewide long‑term membership, then adjusting that per‑pupil amount for inflation using the Title 16 implicit price deflator (NIPA).
Gray said the draft strikes earlier, temporary transition provisions that applied different inflators for FY2021–FY2026 and instead builds the inflator into the uniform base amount going forward. "Takes effect 07/01/2026," he told the committee.
A committee member asked why the bill does not apply the inflator directly to the aggregate census block grant amount. "Why didn't this just simply say the total of the census block grant times the inflator?" the member asked. Gray responded that the drafting reflects a policy choice about whether the per‑pupil uniform base amount should be a static figure or a number that grows over time, and that embedding the inflator in the uniform base amount ensures the per‑pupil figure is adjusted consistently as years progress.
During discussion, a member characterized the omission of an inflator in earlier text as an oversight, saying they had "talked with ... somebody very much in the know" who agreed the inflator should have been included. Members asked for an inflator report from the Joint Fiscal Office to accompany the change.
The committee then moved to act on H.802. The transcript records a motion, a second, and a roll call in which a series of "Yes" votes were read aloud for named members; the transcript also records the number "110" and the remark "We got 110," but the audio transcript alone does not make clear whether that figure reflects a final numeric tally or shorthand used in the recording. The motion was approved and members concluded the session and agreed to reconvene at 2 p.m.
What the bill does: H.802 adds language that makes the uniform base amount for the special‑education census block grant subject to an index adjustment (the Title 16 implicit price deflator, NIPA) when calculating per‑pupil amounts starting in FY2027, removes transitional inflator provisions that applied to earlier fiscal years, and specifies an effective date of July 1, 2026.
Next steps: The committee advanced the measure in this session and did not record further committee conditions in the transcript. The committee adjourned and planned to reconvene at 2 p.m.
John Gray of Legislative Council explained the change to members, saying the bill is "just adding an inflator for fiscal years '27 and onward." He described the uniform base amount as a per‑pupil figure determined by dividing the average state appropriation for special education for fiscal years 2018–2020 by statewide long‑term membership, then adjusting that per‑pupil amount for inflation using the Title 16 implicit price deflator (NIPA).
Gray said the draft strikes earlier, temporary transition provisions that applied different inflators for FY2021–FY2026 and instead builds the inflator into the uniform base amount going forward. "Takes effect 07/01/2026," he told the committee.
A committee member asked why the bill does not apply the inflator directly to the aggregate census block grant amount. "Why didn't this just simply say the total of the census block grant times the inflator?" the member asked. Gray responded that the drafting reflects a policy choice about whether the per‑pupil uniform base amount should be a static figure or a number that grows over time, and that embedding the inflator in the uniform base amount ensures the per‑pupil figure is adjusted consistently as years progress.
During discussion, a member characterized the omission of an inflator in earlier text as an oversight, saying they had "talked with ... somebody very much in the know" who agreed the inflator should have been included. Members asked for an inflator report from the Joint Fiscal Office to accompany the change.
The committee then moved to act on H.802. The transcript records a motion, a second, and a roll call in which a series of "Yes" votes were read aloud for named members; the transcript also records the number "110" and the remark "We got 110," but the audio transcript alone does not make clear whether that figure reflects a final numeric tally or shorthand used in the recording. The motion was approved and members concluded the session and agreed to reconvene at 2 p.m.
What the bill does: H.802 adds language that makes the uniform base amount for the special‑education census block grant subject to an index adjustment (the Title 16 implicit price deflator, NIPA) when calculating per‑pupil amounts starting in FY2027, removes transitional inflator provisions that applied to earlier fiscal years, and specifies an effective date of July 1, 2026.
Next steps: The committee advanced the measure in this session and did not record further committee conditions in the transcript. The committee adjourned and planned to reconvene at 2 p.m.
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