[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6317248,"mediaKeyId","2374821-84afc22f931b15539ae194873632103b","parentId",2374821,"title","House Transportation Committee directs counsel to draft appropriations letter stressing funding gap, JTOC transfer protection and MBUF pilot funding","audioSeconds",1222,"startMs",96000,"endMs",1318000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2374821-84afc22f931b15539ae194873632103b&start=96&end=1318","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2374821-84afc22f931b15539ae194873632103b/thumbnail_96000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6317248/Vermont/House-Transportation-Committee-directs-counsel-to-draft-appropriations-letter-stressing-funding-gap-JTOC-transfer-protection-and-MBUF-pilot-funding","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6317248-3eaf0300b1b7de95063088ab58c9ea64/orig.mp4?Expires=1771191738&Signature=CMokI0hSZt3Sa6A61ecD5lH~4r7lCU9DQc0aMU~9kUIvyaz9DYnBdAELqvQm7yJGSBgzBHY7Dxp39NBclBvyyMq9LoetfKgjneb12K7yCsS2XiPaeslIMsgRRon-D9oiLrx2CYT46nPJjJ2vQPl~gbFzpqOmpUI1xHE687611OJ7u2lF6p5zbly6Gxncj6MQ0msyTfprIqcK6ndxmLPyMKwPttXCdDEnjftj--c6Zu8MO4qCCErmIrQBukVsmzzOqSD-1X4woUY7lYxS~beFs0b9vq5w4Kv4uSQsGZiO8HC8VS3L0gkf5VQQwHV27UGXZ2-OBGIGWNC-D7yl2IrYLA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-02-22T07:43:00.383Z","article","The House Transportation Committee on Feb. 21 directed committee counsel Damien Leonard to draft a letter to House Appropriations that lays out the committee’s top priorities for the fiscal review due Feb. 26.

Committee members said their primary priority is preserving the JTOC transfer as part of the governor’s recommended budget and documenting a structural shortfall in transportation funding. Members also discussed including support for a mileage-based user fee (MBUF) effort and seeking short-term general-fund support to keep a federal pilot on track.

The chair opened the meeting by noting a Feb. 26 deadline from House Appropriations and said, “Damien will be the one to draft it for us,” asking members for priorities to include in the letter. Members described a worsening financial picture for the transportation program and asked that the letter foreground that gap so appropriations understands the consequences for roads and transit if funds are redirected.

Committee discussion cited projected multi-year shortfalls presented to the Senate Transportation Committee; speakers described a roughly $30 million–$45 million gap for 2027 under the scenarios the staff chart will show next week and additional multi-year shortfalls beyond 2027. Several members said maintaining funds that remain in the transportation system should be their first priority.

Members debated whether the committee should ask appropriations to provide roughly $3.7 million in one-time general fund dollars to keep an MBUF-related process moving and to capture associated federal matching opportunities. One member said committee estimates suggested MBUF could generate about $5 million in the first year as a rough estimate, which would make the short-term general-fund outlay recoverable. The committee asked staff and the Joint Fiscal Office (Logan) to confirm revenue and cost estimates before finalizing language.

Committee members also instructed staff to assemble briefings for the next meeting: Agency of Transportation financial staff (including the CFO) and Joint Fiscal Office presentations on the state transportation revenue and the flow of sales-and-use tax and purchase-and-use taxes to the education fund and other accounts. Members said those briefings will inform the appropriations letter and additional T-bill language to be considered in the coming weeks.

A separate, smaller request surfaced in the meeting: one member asked whether a $15,000 grant for an economic-development workshop for new American restaurant owners (to learn how to buy vehicles) should be added to the letter. The chair and other members said that request would be better handled through open appropriation channels and not placed in the committee’s transportation appropriations letter.

The committee agreed to return to finalize the letter at its next scheduled meeting; the chair said staff will circulate a draft beforehand so members can propose edits.

Votes or formal motions were not taken during this discussion; the primary recorded outcomes were directions to staff to draft and circulate the letter, to request revenue briefings next week, and to confirm the MBUF funding numbers with the Joint Fiscal Office.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Transportation - 2025-02-21 - 10:20AM","oneSentenceSummary","The House Transportation Committee on Feb. 21 asked counsel Damien Leonard to draft a letter to House Appropriations outlining transportation priorities, centered on preserving a JTOC transfer, documenting a structural funding gap, and seeking short-term funding to support a mileage-based user fee effort.","taxTitle","Transportation, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative , Vermont","taxId",35155,"location","Vermont","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6317243,"United Way’s Working Bridges tells House transportation committee short-term, workplace-centered strategies help keep low-income workers employed",968,1408000,2376000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2374821-84afc22f931b15539ae194873632103b&start=1408&end=2376","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2374821-84afc22f931b15539ae194873632103b/thumbnail_1408000.jpg","/articles/6317243/Vermont/United-Ways-Working-Bridges-tells-House-transportation-committee-short-term-workplace-centered-strategies-help-keep-low-income-workers-employed","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6317243-dcad68f8087ad79148429a082ae22970/orig.mp4?Expires=1771191738&Signature=i3UtAgdfqO5npo5OjP7EhmDv2xzJEfjqJvSGO4ac-d5otR8X63S9crOU1O37EiTEgOsbKI2LF-igU55uitJ4kt6LYTLaHH8WoMfsQ1SAbaJqYUSsWWp~4r6fYh~4v-HeJEJOm3BvwJgEyDPzfb7RKhhWoj6GhIafbxlKfCZuHYJ1JY5nYw1eFD6ZPFVsJjlSOTzcP2UW3~qdvdMROjEliXmZUoLh5OAAOaDWKMN7P3txMFrVZA9rlm86zvoexQqgd3bk3fy7O1Dexy0aLAMeNfoVeNt~HinBdpiSmO2ZAB3FD-2OME5YWTVsyq~TOzGEHbS43EkPDY6W~9xV9vURWA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Connie Beal, director of United Way’s Working Bridges, told the House Transportation Committee on Feb. 21 that transportation disruptions are a common cause of employment loss for low-income, frontline workers and described employer-centered interventions the program uses to keep people on the job.

Beal said Working Bridges provides resource coordinators on site with employers to help workers navigate transportation options, provide financial coaching and, when needed, short-term flexible funds to cover car repairs, gas or bus passes. She described a 2019 six-month pilot that provided on-demand van rides and occasional rides by cab for employees who lost access to a vehicle; the pilot served 67 employees and cost about $1,938 over six months using grant funds.

Beal said that in 2024 the program served more than 1,600 employees across more than 30 employer partners and that 27 employees requested transportation help. Of those, seven received short-term bridge-fund assistance in 2024 for repairs, gas or bus passes. She recommended continued engagement with employer networks, local customizable on-demand services, short-term flexible funds and employer-designed “healthy car funds” as strategies that work for employees in deep scarcity.

Beal said employers are well-placed to identify ZIP-code clusters and to convene nearby employers for shared services, but that vanpooling and fixed-route transit do not always meet needs for multi-shift worksites, irregular schedules or employees who live far from service corridors.

Committee members asked whether Working Bridges received state or federal funding; Beal said the program uses a mix of state dollars, fee-for-service revenues from employer contracts and philanthropy, and that the model has moved toward greater sustainability since 2019. Members also asked about the earlier Vermont Employment Transportation Initiative (VETI), which Beal said had been useful and is missed by current resource coordinators.

Beal closed by urging the committee to consider employer-networked pilots and short-term funds that are locally tailored to meet the needs of workers in financial scarcity. No formal action was taken.","United Way’s Working Bridges told the House Transportation Committee about program work connecting employees to short-term flexible transportation funds, vanpool pilots, and employer-based resource coordination to reduce workforce loss from transportation breakdowns.","actionData","errors"]

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House Transportation Committee directs counsel to draft appropriations letter stressing funding gap, JTOC transfer protection and MBUF pilot funding

United Way’s Working Bridges tells House transportation committee short-term, workplace-centered strategies help keep low-income workers employed