The Vermont Senate passed a bill in May
1999 that appropriated funds for a legislative summer study on livable
wages. The state-commissioned study replicated much of the original Job
Gap Study released by the Peace and Justice Center, with a number of
important additional components. Legislators on the Summer Study Committee
ultimately approved basic needs budgets and livable wage figures higher
than the Job Gap Study numbers (due to additional line items in the
budget). The Vermont Joint Fiscal Office calculates livable wage figures
annually. The Peace and Justice Center released "Phase 1: Basic Needs and a Livable Wage" in January 1997. The report established what it costs to live for five family sizes in both rural and urban areas of Vermont and quantified how many families are not earning a livable wage despite working full-time. Since then eight phases have been released. See the Vermont Job Gap Study.
How to obtain the Legislative Summer Study Report on Livable Income:
-Click here to access the reports by the Vermont Joint Fiscal Office.
-In the "Livable Income" section -click on "1999 Livable Income" where "Act 21 Research and Analysis in Support of the Livable Income Study Committee" can be read. Adobe Acrobat is needed to access this study.
-Annual reports titled "Basic Needs Budgets and the Minimum Wage" are also found in the "Livable Income" section.