Lawmakers begin work on next year's budget

With the new state budget finally in place, Vermont lawmakers are back in Montpelier trying to get a head start on next year’s spending plan. A special legislative committee will work to trim $30 million in spending, primarily by changing the way the state does business and by using more technology. The Douglas administration has started its own review of state government with the same goal. Later this week, state economists will meet with lawmakers and the governor to discuss if and when the recession might begin to ease.