The "Current Session" section of Vermont Transparency contains information about the fiscal 2011 budget that is now before the Legislature in Montpelier. Below is the budget recommended by Gov. Jim Douglas and the version passed by the Vermont House. The information on this page follows the format on the "State Spending" page. Users can view the total spending proposed by the governor or the House from all sources of funding, or they can view each fund separately. There is also an option to view just the spending supported with state funding only, which is the "All but Federal" option in the drop down list.

Users can see the governor's recommendations for spending in each of the major functions of government, such as General Government, Protection to Persons and Property, Human Services, Education and Natural Resources. By clicking on individual functions, users can see the source of funding for each function since 2005.

There is also a more detailed display where users can see individual appropriations side by side. Click on "View Individual Appropriations by Function" to see this comparison of the governor's and House budgets.

Both budget proposals assume more than $50 million in savings will be achieved if the Legislature adopts the recommendations contained in "Challenges for Change," a government efficiency study prepared by a Minnesota consulting firm hired by the Legislature. Those savings are temporarily booked in the "Miscellaneous" section of the budget. How and where those savings will be distributed will be determined after implementation plans have been approved.

The Senate version of the fiscal 2011 appropriations bill will be posted here as soon as it is available.