[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-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",[32,75,87],{"_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",6239999,"mediaKeyId","3332683-44de2c3520aecea693a05bae88a4c613","parentId",3332683,"title","Committee considers routing excess cannabis excise revenue to land‑access fund for impacted communities","audioSeconds",1192,"startMs",2689000,"endMs",3881000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3332683-44de2c3520aecea693a05bae88a4c613&start=2689&end=3881","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3332683-44de2c3520aecea693a05bae88a4c613/thumbnail_2689000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6239999/Vermont/Committee-considers-routing-excess-cannabis-excise-revenue-to-landaccess-fund-for-impacted-communities","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6239999-d6c84f6c9da58beacb0a7c6e395322d7/orig.mp4?Expires=1770579650&Signature=iZLtVfXcSIpIWBNSvkc3Y1~DaScnCLx4~xE0mK~ndakvEJ06FM4aJzgKo-A2XyTa9~886Euk~Z6gCHx9G~dhDLBOTD0oMkLtDUCC0Z-twge1gvzFyCym230~Vsprk6SXYNgQPEt9Ide1Ffb5ls-WHOx6p2-BeCq-0uXZNMRC5OVf6hzy7FoVdiez1OGIrG-LjFNbs3qwgSY3VMpTbyyIUM2Vvdbpg959zZeZh5rciKMYIqUDQrB6AFGOhzQai1tqsLRZo67BFZoTCCBt8I8SwsCn7HpetV367Kq8Ctpgz5oXkEYCJjWYQ3V5etP54UtdogHGB0u55RJFqf6hRLcENg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-05-16T00:26:11.04Z","article","Senators discussed an amendment that would create a Vermont Land Access and Opportunity Fund, add a member to the Vermont Land Access and Opportunity Board, and direct some excess cannabis excise revenue to that fund instead of exclusively into the cannabis regulation fund.

Sen. Kirby Heathland and other sponsors described the proposal as a mechanism to direct any revenue beyond the official forecast toward community reinvestment and land‑access priorities administered by Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) and the Land Access and Opportunity Board (LAOB). Legislative counsel read draft language that would direct a portion of excise revenue exceeding the July forecast to the newly created fund, after preserving certain substance‑misuse prevention allocations up to an existing statutory cap.

Senators and stakeholders debated how that change would interact with the existing Cannabis Business Development Fund — originally seeded with a $500,000 appropriation and later supplemented — which was intended to provide technical assistance and small grants for social‑equity applicants and small cannabis businesses. Committee witnesses said the business development fund has relied on one‑time infusions, and stakeholders urged establishing a predictable funding stream so technical assistance can be offered through Vermont partners, including VHCB programs like the Farm Viability Program.

Jean Hamilton, Land Access and Opportunity Board participant, told the committee the LAOB focuses on housing and land access for historically impacted communities and is positioned to direct targeted investments. Committee members expressed differing views on whether the LAOB or the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) should manage economic‑development technical assistance and whether to prioritize immediate funding for cannabis business assistance this year.

Committee members agreed to add the amendment to the committee package for further consideration and to route financial questions to Finance and Appropriations. Several senators said they wanted more time to review the fiscal mechanics before committing to permanent redirecting of excise revenues; others supported sending the concept to Finance so it could be refined with JFO estimates.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Economic Development - 2025-05-15-9:00 AM","oneSentenceSummary","Amendment language introduced by a senator would create a Vermont Land Access and Opportunity Fund (managed by VHCB) and redirect a portion of cannabis excise revenue that exceeds forecasted amounts to that fund, prompting debate about the existing Cannabis Business Development Fund and one‑time seed money for social‑equity initiatives.","taxTitle","Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs, SENATE, Committees, Legislative , Vermont","taxId",37662,"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},6240003,"Committee approves pilot framework for cannabis ‘showcase’ events with reporting and event limits",438,421000,859000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3332683-44de2c3520aecea693a05bae88a4c613&start=421&end=859","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3332683-44de2c3520aecea693a05bae88a4c613/thumbnail_421000.jpg","/articles/6240003/Vermont/Committee-approves-pilot-framework-for-cannabis-showcase-events-with-reporting-and-event-limits","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6240003-80e7831b6fd92cdb8b8bfe07aee7a16e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770579650&Signature=MvnsYIWUTDk-OCW3YSIEk1cnXEyUz~r8galTcZ3UPHICNKAoHUA4z~rK1F7fd8w5eledtgCE7decM2hMnMUim3hZ6lQgg0xEe16pkL3Fp917YpX9W9uL~4BFnvDlInfyXNAsUhrKHpnVCJMTrMnbqFU1QlXQCTAHGeI6EqQszzxnLFelvpvlZ3flSjI3fTdmD668DftpdMSSZOFUrFmie2vCzPUnaZfZNAfTRQlk-EIKpLDDXA~PFjY~Z3cnIyB6Co8XHZYNtGw46xlYqJCh3QBauOyxfE7-sPqLaSff94sGV4uU4WY2D0T3jmk-YrRp9EXSpkvZtNimJrWfrSMiNw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs members advanced language in their committee amendment to authorize a limited pilot of cannabis “showcase” events that would allow retail establishments to host and promote products from multiple licensed cultivators and product manufacturers.

Legislative counsel Michelle Childs summarized the draft language: a retail cannabis establishment applying for a showcase permit must demonstrate partnerships with a minimum number of licensed cultivators (explicitly tier 1 or tier 2), show a commitment not to offer for sale products from cultivator or product‑manufacturer licenses the retailer itself holds, and provide a transparent revenue‑sharing agreement that the board may review to ensure the plan “meaningfully promotes the goals of the joint assembly to promote market access for small cultivators.”

“...this needs to be a meaningful pilot,” Childs said, urging the committee to keep the pilot substantive rather than merely symbolic. Committee members asked the board to ensure the pilot is structured so small growers can access shelf and market opportunities and to avoid arrangements the board deems exploitative.

The amendment limits the pilot to no more than five showcase events between July 1 (this year) and Dec. 31, 2026, describing the period as an 18‑month pilot. The bill requires monitoring and evaluation and directs the board to report to this committee and the House/Department oversight (HDO) on or before “January 15 of next year” (language in the draft). Committee members discussed an interim check‑in and a final evaluation: the committee sought an interim update early in the pilot and a final report near the pilot’s end.

Committee discussion also covered business models and marketing constraints. Board representatives said retailers could structure participation as profit sharing or a standard booth/market fee; advertising and marketing for events would have to comply with existing advertising rules and court‑litigation constraints, and news articles about events would not be treated as advertising restrictions.

Committee direction: the amendment preserves board discretion to approve showcase plans case by case, requires reporting to the committee during the pilot, and sends the fuller language forward for incorporation into the committee amendment and to subsequent committees as required.","The committee added a pilot ‘cannabis showcase’ provision to the H.321 amendment that sets participant requirements, revenue‑sharing transparency and an 18‑month cap on the number of events, with interim reporting to the committee and board oversight to screen exploitative arrangements.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6240008,"Senate committee debates cannabis excise allocation and fee changes after fiscal-office estimate shows shortfall",316,78000,394000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3332683-44de2c3520aecea693a05bae88a4c613&start=78&end=394","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3332683-44de2c3520aecea693a05bae88a4c613/thumbnail_78000.jpg","/articles/6240008/Vermont/Senate-committee-debates-cannabis-excise-allocation-and-fee-changes-after-fiscal-office-estimate-shows-shortfall","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6240008-3592e783e08b29d369cfd7e071bebf32/orig.mp4?Expires=1770579650&Signature=hg3SsGJW5hR7To9gYfUfcSLTP1Im~09x9zxY0pKC0srDtFTPLYYN3OIXnKiZdQ4X0FpfFw457YIWJ0YkZUsslghRfNmUqEWpTSHHlDmUjaUZw3N6ffYg804E4878Yxn3sXE35BzNmCWkamCgYUotc7i9HdDzQqcnB1X6E893fmYrbq0jvMUsqxd33ifc3Aa5jF3atyoBsdJt-gCbBuA~YfV6TSAoh4G3qCSMmz3xJ9-10NxSgQQw0Aq9io-unf6jE5igJfs~hx1-AvyNU2VItY4iY-Jv48m7ssTOnR6vL2A7EtdWXWmiSDBk8xPnVxLQC2G0xGhyvDzqIQmZLyxmwg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Members of the Senate Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee on the Ides of May reviewed draft 3.1 of H.321 and focused on where cannabis excise-tax revenue and licensing fees will be deposited and how those choices affect the Cannabis Control Board's budget.

The committee heard from Michelle Childs of the Office of Legislative Council, who walked members through the committee amendment and pointed to language that would strike existing subsection d and move toward transferring the balance in the cannabis regulation fund back to the general fund “at the end of each fiscal year,” as the Joint Fiscal Office (JFO) had recommended.

The change reflects a broader policy decision under discussion: whether excise revenue should be routed to the general fund and used to support agency budgets, or kept in a dedicated cannabis regulation fund that the board would draw from directly. Committee members and board representatives framed the tradeoff as one between direct regulatory funding and general‑fund flexibility for agencies.

Committee members also raised the impact of proposed fee changes for cultivators. The amendment reverts some indoor cultivator and mixed‑cultivator tier‑2 fees to existing levels after industry testimony. Committee discussion referenced a JFO estimate that the fee adjustments would leave roughly a $68,000 deficit compared with an earlier fiscal note that had been about $48,000 in positive revenue if indoor tier‑2 fees were doubled.

Cannabis Control Board representatives told the committee that licensing fees alone do not cover regulatory costs. The board reported roughly $2.5 million collected last year from licensing fees and administrative penalties, with a current board budget around $6.5 million and about $4 million coming from the excise tax in the referenced year. Committee members highlighted that lowering fees increases reliance on excise revenue to fund enforcement and licensing work.

John Rogers, Cannabis Control Board member, told the committee, “We're neutral on the fees,” describing the board's position that the committee should set policy priorities and the board would implement them. Legislative counsel and board staff said the committee could direct the fiscal tradeoffs to the Finance Committee for more detailed budget work.

Committee direction: the Senate will carry the committee amendment forward and let Finance and the Joint Fiscal Office further vet the revenue assumptions and how fee changes affect regulatory capacity.","Legislative counsel and Cannabis Control Board members told the Senate Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee that draft amendment 3.1 to H.321 shifts how excise tax and licensing fees flow and will increase the board's reliance on excise tax revenue after proposed fee reductions produce a multi‑thousand dollar shortfall.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee considers routing excess cannabis excise revenue to land‑access fund for impacted communities

Committee approves pilot framework for cannabis ‘showcase’ events with reporting and event limits

Senate committee debates cannabis excise allocation and fee changes after fiscal-office estimate shows shortfall