Representatives chat in the House chamber before the start of business on the first day of the second year of the legislative biennium at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Tuesday, Jan. 6. From left to right are Rep. Chris Taylor, R-Milton; Rep. Lisa Hango, R-Berkshire; and Rep. Leland Morgan, R-Milton. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
MONTPELIER — House Speaker Jill Krowiniski had some less-than-cheery opening remarks to her colleagues to kick off the 2026 Vermont legislative session.
“Let’s be honest, last year was tough, and anyone who tells you otherwise didn’t sit where you are and confront the decisions that came before us in this chamber,” the Burlington Democrat said.
Last year, lawmakers worked into June — well past their more typical May adjournment — to hammer out the details of Act 73, the year’s landmark education reform package. Despite the marathon work of 2025, this year is expected to require similar fortitude, as lawmakers determine how and if to consolidate school districts, and whether to restrict school spending to limit property tax increases.
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To complicate matters, lawmakers are eyeing the onslaught of federal funding cuts, and the Legislature’s budget writers have warned their colleagues that 2026 will require agonizing spending decisions.
The start of the second year in the biennium, Tuesday began at a fast pace. Over 60 bills were introduced on the House floor, and almost as many moved in the Senate. And with numerous new lawmakers in both chambers, leadership appointed incoming representatives and senators to their legislative committees.
In no surprise, Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Baruth, D/P-Chittenden Central, told his upper chamber colleagues that education would be the year’s big topic. He said he expected to release a bill this week that would seek to limit the growth of school district spending for two years while Act 73’s other reforms play out.
Gov. Phil Scott welcomed the Legislature back to Montpelier in a statement reflecting on the fifth anniversary of Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riots.
“It’s an important reminder that fear, anger, and deeply held beliefs can be manipulated and elevated to the point of destruction and violence,” he said. “It’s also a reminder that our democracy depends on respect for the rule of law, peaceful political disagreement, and the integrity and accountability of the institutions created to serve the people.”
The anniversary accompanied looming changes in Vermont’s capital. The session launched with enhanced security. All visitors were directed to a single point of entry rather than the usual multiple doors, and police checked bags with X-rays, as was sometimes the case last year.
Baruth indicated in his introductory remarks that these precautions may become more regular, and that Capitol Police have been working to “beef up” security.
“We mean to go there full time at some point,” he said of the single point of entry. “This particular session you will see that on and off as we get accustomed to it.”
