Vermont Senate passes $8.6 billion state budget, teeing up negotiations with the House

Sen. Jane Kitchel, D-Caledonia, pictured on the floor of the Senate at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Tuesday April 2, 2024. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
After a key vote Thursday, Vermont’s state budget is on its way to the final stages of negotiation.The Senate voted 26-2 for an $8.6 billion budget, which would take effect at the start of the fiscal year beginning in July. Having passed its own version of the budget last month, the House can now sign off on the Senate’s rewrit