Kathleen Berk, executive director of the Vermont State Housing Authority, speaks to lawmakers about financial challenges related to the Section 8 federal housing voucher program on Nov. 5, 2025 in Montpelier. David Littlefield / Vermont Public
This story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public.
With federal funds dwindling for a key housing assistance program, Vermont lawmakers are looking at using state money to slow the loss of vouchers that help thousands of Vermonters cover rent.
Legislators have said they want to earmark $5 million in a mid-year spending package to soften the blow of funding reductions to the Section 8 program. The bill has plenty more hurdles to clear, but a key housing panel registered its support for the funds on Thursday after local public housing authorities have spent months crying for help.
READ MORE
Advertisement
Still, the earmark falls far short of the $18 million housing authority leaders had originally bid for last fall, an amount that would have maxed out Vermont’s voucher ceiling set by the feds and boosted the number of vouchers in rotation.
Advertisement
“What we’re trying to do with this one-time, strategic intervention is to…slow the decrease in the number of vouchers in this calendar year as much as possible,” said Rep. Marc Mihaly, D-Calais, who chairs the House General and Housing Committee.
As Vermont faces steep housing costs and persistently high levels of homelessness, federal housing vouchers play a crucial role in sustaining housing for low-income people who can’t afford market-rate rents. Voucher recipients pay a third of their income toward rent; a local agency administering the federal program pays for the rest. The vouchers offer one of the few avenues out of homelessness for the thousands of Vermonters sleeping in shelters, motels and outdoors.
But over the last year, local housing authorities in Vermont have seen reductions in funding from Congress. That has led many of the nine local authorities to stop issuing new vouchers off their lengthy waiting lists, rescind vouchers from people looking for an apartment to use them, and shelve vouchers when tenants have died or moved out. The state lost hundreds of housing vouchers in 2025 through attrition.
Still, many of the nine Vermont housing authorities are entering 2026 in a budget shortfall which they don’t expect to ease anytime soon. Berk is now worried VSHA might need to take the extraordinary step of withdrawing vouchers from people currently using them to help pay their rent if the state does not intervene.
Draft bills in Congress would result in the loss of roughly 300 to 600 more vouchers in Vermont – or $3.6 million to $7.2 million – according to Berk.
Advertisement
“Preserving housing assistance and keeping Vermont families stably housed has to be a priority,” Berk told lawmakers Thursday.
The federal government bases future years’ Section 8 voucher funding on past years’ spending by local housing authorities. That means that as Vermont authorities shrink their voucher rolls, they can expect to receive less money in the future even if need remains great, leading to what Berk has called a “downward spiral” in the number of vouchers available to Vermont renters.
The $5 million in state aid is meant to halt that spiral, at least for a year: It would allow Vermont housing authorities to slow down the erosion in the number of vouchers available to Vermont renters and ensure the state gets more federal money in the coming years.
“It means that we will always get a greater share of whatever [Congress chooses] to give us [in] future years,” Mihaly said.
Rep. Robin Scheu, D-Middlebury, chair of the powerful budget-writing panel in the House, said Friday morning that her committee is looking at the funding ask “very seriously.”
Advertisement
“If the Section 8 voucher goes away, these people will not be able to afford to pay full market value, and if they can’t pay, then they don’t have a place to live,” Scheu said.
The stopgap funding would help local housing authorities offset funding shortfalls and prevent the displacement of families, according to Berk.
The earlier public housing authorities can receive the funding, the more vouchers they can save this calendar year, Mihaly said – hence, lawmakers’ attempt to earmark the funds as part of the mid-year spending bill typically passed in March.
But Republican Gov. Phil Scott’s administration has signaled it wants to hold off and consider the ask as part of the budget for fiscal year 2027, which begins in July.
“[The governor] believes that in the face of federal uncertainty, we should not be appropriating funds without first understanding the full budget picture and weighing all priorities before making those decisions,” said Amanda Wheeler, Scott’s press secretary.
Advertisement
The House Committee on Appropriations is expected to hash out its version of the mid-year spending package over the coming weeks, before the bill is sent to the House floor and then to the Senate.
Powerball, Mega Millions jackpots: What to know in case you win
Here’s what to know in case you win the Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot.
Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
The Vermont Lottery offers several draw games for those willing to make a bet to win big.
Advertisement
Those who want to play can enter the MegaBucks and Lucky for Life games as well as the national Powerball and Mega Millions games. Vermont also partners with New Hampshire and Maine for the Tri-State Lottery, which includes the Mega Bucks, Gimme 5 as well as the Pick 3 and Pick 4.
Drawings are held at regular days and times, check the end of this story to see the schedule.
Here’s a look at June 20, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from June 20 drawing
16-20-44-48-50, Powerball: 15, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Advertisement
Winning Pick 3 numbers from June 20 drawing
Day: 2-1-3
Evening: 8-4-0
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from June 20 drawing
Day: 5-9-6-0
Evening: 9-6-9-7
Advertisement
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Megabucks Plus numbers from June 20 drawing
12-15-16-19-25, Megaball: 03
Check Megabucks Plus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 20 drawing
01-10-16-30-31, Bonus: 04
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Advertisement
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
For Vermont Lottery prizes up to $499, winners can claim their prize at any authorized Vermont Lottery retailer or at the Vermont Lottery Headquarters by presenting the signed winning ticket for validation. Prizes between $500 and $5,000 can be claimed at any M&T Bank location in Vermont during the Vermont Lottery Office’s business hours, which are 8a.m.-4p.m. Monday through Friday, except state holidays.
For prizes over $5,000, claims must be made in person at the Vermont Lottery headquarters. In addition to signing your ticket, you will need to bring a government-issued photo ID, and a completed claim form.
All prize claims must be submitted within one year of the drawing date. For more information on prize claims or to download a Vermont Lottery Claim Form, visit the Vermont Lottery’s FAQ page or contact their customer service line at (802) 479-5686.
Vermont Lottery Headquarters
Advertisement
1311 US Route 302, Suite 100
Barre, VT
05641
When are the Vermont Lottery drawings held?
Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Gimme 5: 6:55 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Lucky for Life: 10:38 p.m. daily.
Pick 3 Day: 1:10 p.m. daily.
Pick 4 Day: 1:10 p.m. daily.
Pick 3 Evening: 6:55 p.m. daily.
Pick 4 Evening: 6:55 p.m. daily.
Megabucks: 7:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. daily
What is Vermont Lottery Second Chance?
Vermont’s 2nd Chance lottery lets players enter eligible non-winning instant scratch tickets into a drawing to win cash and/or other prizes. Players must register through the state’s official Lottery website or app. The drawings are held quarterly or are part of an additional promotion, and are done at Pollard Banknote Limited in Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Vermont editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Vermont’s governor has signed legislation that will allow adults over the age of 21 to legally possess twice as much marijuana as they could previously, enable interstate cannabis commerce and make other changes to rules for licensed businesses.
Gov. Phil Scott (R) on Friday announced that he approved the large-scale cannabis regulatory reform bill, S. 278, which passed both chambers of the legislature last month.
One of the main impacts of the new law for consumers is that it doubles the prior legal possession limit to up to two ounces of marijuana or 10 grams of hashish.
The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale (D), also allows the governor to enter into compacts with other states for cross-border cannabis trade.
Advertisement
The legislative text notes that there is a “shifting federal posture on regulated cannabis markets” and says it is “the intent of the General Assembly to prepare for the possibility of regional or interstate cannabis markets.”
A provision says that such agreements could only move forward if federal law is amended to allow for interstate transfer of cannabis, if a federal law is enacted that blocks use of agency funds to prevent such transfers, if the U.S. Department of Justice issues a memo allowing or tolerating such activity or if the state attorney general certifies that entering into interstate marijuana commerce agreements “will not result in significant legal risk to this State based on review of federal judicial decisions and administrative action.”
— Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.
Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. —
The bill signed by the governor also creates a pilot program for cannabis events at which businesses could sell products but where cannabis consumption would not be allowed.
Advertisement
The legislation additionally says that housing rental agreements cannot prohibit tenants from “possessing cannabis or cannabis products within the rental premises or using cannabis or cannabis products within a dwelling unit, except that a rental agreement may prohibit the use of lighted cannabis or cannabis products intended for inhalation within the rental premises.”
It also eliminates the vertically integrated license type and reduces licensing fees for cannabis cultivation businesses, among other technical changes to current statute.
Earlier versions of the bill would have altered potency restrictions for cannabis products, reduced taxes and allowed on-site consumption licenses and delivery services, but those provisions were removed during the legislative process prior to final passage.
In 2018, Scott signed a bill to legalize marijuana possession and home cultivation and then allowed subsequent legislation to legalize commercial cannabis sales to take effect without his signature in 2020.
Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.
Advertisement
Marijuana Moment is made possible with support from readers. If you rely on our cannabis advocacy journalism to stay informed, please consider a monthly Patreon pledge.
PAWLET — The Pawlett Historical Society and Rupert Historical Society will co-host a talk, “The Great Bennington Battle and Vermont,” with acclaimed historian Howard Coffin, at 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 5, at the Pawlet Town Hall, 122 School Street, Pawlet.
The surrender at Saratoga of a British army under John Burgoyne, now almost 250 years ago, has long been called the decisive battle of the American Revolution. But perhaps Burgoyne was doomed after the Battle of Bennington, a bloody day of fighting along the Vermont border that happened two months before Saratoga?
Coffin will discuss the history-changing Burgoyne campaign, focusing on the dramatic battle of Great Bennington—a Vermont battle as well as a New York one. He will also review heroes John Stark and Seth Warner and the Vermont Constitution, itself about to turn 250 years old.
Advertisement
A seventh-generation Vermonter, Howard Coffin is the author of four books on the Civil War: “Something Abides: Discovering the Civil War in Today’s Vermont;” “Full Duty: Vermonters in the Civil War;” “Nine Months to Gettysburg; and The Battered Stars,” as well as “Guns Over the Champlain Valley,” a book on military sites along the Champlain Corridor.
This free event starts at 12 p.m. with a display of the first coinage minted in the United States, and works by noted photographers Neil Rappaport and John Pelton from our towns’ Bicentennial events in 1976. Be sure to mingle after Coffin’s presentation for an ice cream social with Stewart’s Ice Cream. This event is accessible to all, and made possible by the Vermont Humanities Speakers Bureau. For details on the event, contact Rose Smith at 802-645-0306 or roseksmith1925@gmail.com. For information on Vermont Humanities, visit vermonthumanities.org.
