The Vermont Senate has advanced a bill that bans corporate and union contributions to state political candidates. The campaign finance legislation also strengthens reporting requirements and doubles public funding for those running for governor and lieutenant governor.

Supporters of decriminalizing - or even legalizing - the possession of small amounts of marijuana have cleared a major hurdle. The Vermont House voted 98-to-44 on Friday to make it a civil offense - instead of a crime - to possess one ounce or less of pot.

The Vermont Senate has overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to move the state's primary elections to early August. The early date was supported by Secretary of State Jim Condos, who said he needed more time between the primary and the general election to meet federal deadlines to get ballots to overseas voters.

Governor Peter Shumlin's plan to finance a major expansion of child care programs is sharply dividing Vermont's early childhood community. There's nearly unanimous support for the proposal to increase funding for child care subsidies. But there's disagreement over how to pay for the initiative.

Lawmakers are set to vote on a bill this week that would decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. The House Judiciary Committee has been taking testimony for weeks and the bill is likely to pass Tuesday afternoon.

The Vermont Senate overwhelmingly advanced a bill on Friday that would give driver's licenses to immigrants who are in the country illegally. The bill would create what are described as drivers' authorization cards that would look different from a regular state license.

Patients living with Lyme disease crowded the Statehouse on Wednesday to tell their stories about years of misdiagnosis and chronic pain. The patients and their advocates want legislation to protect doctors if they prescribe long-term antibiotic treatment contrary to current medical standards.

One of the country's top medical journals is touting Vermont's health care reform effort as an example for the rest of the nation. A study published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine says other states can learn some lessons from Vermont in rolling out health exchanges that are essential to the federal Affordable Care Act.

The Senate Transportation committee is set to make a key change in the gas tax bill that was adopted by the House several weeks ago. Lawmakers are eyeing the gas tax as a way to raise new revenue to allow the state to take full advantage of all federal matching money that's available. 

The Vermont Senate is delaying action until next week on a bill allowing immigrant farm workers to become Vermont drivers.

Job losses in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene were in many cases temporary, lasting only as long as it took businesses to repair damage from the flood. The financial impact of those layoffs has been more lasting, but lawmakers may have found a way to soften the blow.

Vermont became the first state on Monday to publish the rates it would charge people who don't currently have health insurance to get coverage - a key step toward establishing the health exchanges that are central to the federal health care law known as Obamacare. Health officials said Monday the rates are comparable to current commercial rates.

Statehouse Schedule: Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Dozens of long-dead patients at a Vermont psychiatric hospital are helping to modernize state law regulating what happens to unclaimed human remains.

Statehouse Schedule: Friday March 29, 2013

A key House committee took testimony on Thursday about whether possessing small amounts of marijuana should be a civil offense, not a crime. In Montpelier, decriminalization was once considered one of the key issues of the legislative session, but it has recently taken a back seat.

Statehouse Schedule: Thursday, March 28, 2013

The Vermont House is preparing to debate the budget and a number of new tax proposals this week, and House leaders are already trying to line up votes for a $1.3 billion plan that includes a contentious bid to cap welfare benefits.

Statehouse Schedule: Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Lt. Gov. Phil Scott is ready to break a tie vote in favor of legislation that has developed into one of the most contentious bills of the session: How to decide where to build energy projects.

For the first time this legislative session, the full Vermont Senate will debate renewable energy on Tuesday. In Montpelier, though, some lawmakers' hopes of passing meaningful climate change legislation that might reduce greenhouse gas emissions have already collided with the state's fiscal reality.

Statehouse Schedule: Monday, March 26, 2013

Statehouse Schedule: Friday, March 22, 2013

A lawsuit filed against the state last year focused scrutiny on the department that investigates cases of elder abuse. But the governor says the Adult Protective Services program is well managed and doesn't need increased oversight that the Legislature wants.

After weeks of studying Vermont's prescription drug problem, House lawmakers on Thursday advanced a sweeping bill that would address opiate addiction and abuse.