Senate appropriation session removes $500,000 Vermont Emergency Management grant from K935 and advances bill

A Senate appropriation session on May 22 advanced K935 after members approved an amendment that strips a $500,000 appropriation intended for Vermont Emergency Management.

The amendment removes subsection B (section 13B) authorizing the Department of Public Safety to use remaining monies after a three-year hold period, and deletes the discrete $500,000 grant line. Tim, speaking for the record, said the change removes the appropriation and the authorization language that would have allowed the department to request use of any remaining funds after three years.

Members clarified that the change applies only to the $500,000 grant; language related to the make-ready program in the bill was to remain in place. Committee participants said the $500,000 had been earmarked so Vermont Emergency Management could pre-purchase food through a food bank for immediate distribution in an emergency, and that removing it from K935 means that spending decision would be addressed elsewhere.

The transcript also records discussion of broader language in the bill that would have allowed about $2.4–$2.5 million to sit for three years for public-safety communications and related pilot projects. Members said they preferred to resolve that larger-budget allocation in the main budget process and in conference with the House rather than by keeping the three-year hold language in this bill.

Following the amendment, the presiding officer called for a motion to pass the bill. The motion was recorded as approved, with the transcript listing Senator Bar, Senator Brennan, Senator Lion, Senator North, Senator Wesman and Senator Pson as voting "Yes." The motion outcome was recorded as approved; no mover or seconder was specified in the transcript.

There were no further substantive comments recorded in the provided transcript and the session moved on to other procedural items.