The House of Representatives chamber at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Tuesday, Jan. 7. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerWe are so backIt’s that time again. The snow is flying, the darkness arrives early and, starting Wednesday, 180 elected officials from across the state will shuffle through the halls of power with one singular job: to represent you.Final Reading subscribers know what to expect. If the Legislature is at work, then so are we, bringing you a daily rundown of what’s happening inside the Statehouse. VTDigger’s crew will fan out from committee to committee, making sense of the goings on as lawmakers, state employees and lobbyists hash out legislation in the public eye — and behind closed doors. We’ll be watching, even when they wish we weren’t.And there’s sure to be no shortage of news. How will a resurgent Vermont GOP wield its newfound numbers? What does the future hold for the state’s climate policy amid a call from voters for affordability? And is this the year Vermont finally scraps its complex education funding system for something that makes our quirky state a little more like the rest of the country?We’ll also introduce you to the session’s new characters. This year is the first in a biennium marked by turnover in both chambers, with dozens of first-term lawmakers navigating Montpelier’s written and unwritten rules.Our team will track legislation across every policy area, from criminal justice and housing to health care and the environment. We’ll make sure to keep our eyes on the money bills that fund state government and levy taxes — and on the pocketbook issues impacting every family. More than just the facts, we’ll bring analysis to our reporting, the how and the why behind what’s happening, and what isn’t.And because this is Final Reading, we’ll keep things conversational, without sacrificing the seriousness of the politics and legislation that impact all Vermonters.Expect new emails Tuesday through Friday, January into May. Find us lurking Montpelier’s marble halls and let us know what we need to know. Got tips? Scoops? Questions? Don’t be a stranger. More on that below.In the knowSo what’s on tap this week? Legislators convene for the new biennium on Wednesday, Jan. 8, with key leadership votes slated in both chambers. The incumbent speaker of the House, Democrat Jill Krowinski, is being challenged by independent Rep. Laura Sibilia, from Dover. Krowinski’s counterpart in the Senate, President Pro Tem Phil Baruth, D-Chittenden Central, is expected to face Republican challenger Sen. Randy Brock, who represents the Franklin district. On Thursday, the six statewide elected officers will be sworn in. The Legislature will weigh in jointly on who gets to be the lieutenant governor, since no candidate received 50% of the vote in November. (Republican John Rodgers won a plurality of votes, though, and is expected to get the official nod.) That afternoon, Republican Gov. Phil Scott will deliver his inaugural address. In other news, Scott on Tuesday appointed Castleton Republican Zak Harvey to represent the Rutland-3 district. The seat became vacant in mid-December following the decision of a newly elected legislator not to take office. For those keeping track, that means the magic number for winning a House majority is, again, 76. Talk to usLeading this year’s coverage will be state government and politics reporters Shaun Robinson ([email protected]) and Ethan Weinstein ([email protected]). Shaun will take on the budget, flood recovery, transportation, Vermont’s federal delegation and the northern border. Ethan will cover education finance, judicial issues and the tax committees. You’ll also hear from our policy team: energy, environment and climate reporter Emma Cotton ([email protected]); government accountability and health care reporter Peter D’Auria ([email protected]); and housing and infrastructure reporter Carly Berlin ([email protected]), who works jointly for us and Vermont Public as a Report for America corps member. We’re currently hiring a business and general assignment reporter, who will also contribute to our Statehouse coverage.Meanwhile, photographer extraordinaire Glenn Russell ([email protected]) will be returning to the Statehouse for his 39th (!!) session.Wrangling all of this will be senior editor Kristen Fountain ([email protected]), who oversees our politics and policy team, and managing editor Neal Goswami ([email protected]).Read the story on VTDigger here: Final Reading is back for Vermont’s 2025 legislative session.